Omaha
Omaha is a community-card poker game like Hold'em, but each player gets four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with three community cards. It is most often played pot-limit, producing bigger hands and bigger pots.
| Hole Cards | 4 (use exactly 2) |
|---|---|
| Common Format | Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) |
| Played Against | Other players |
| Vs Holdem | Stronger hands on average |
The exactly-two rule
Omaha deals four private cards, but the catch is that you must use exactly two of them — no more, no less — combined with exactly three of the five community cards. New players often misread their hands by forgetting this rule. Having four hole cards creates many more starting combinations, so winning hands tend to be stronger than in Hold’em.
Pot-limit and bigger swings
Omaha is usually played pot-limit, meaning the maximum bet is the size of the current pot. Combined with the stronger average hands, this leads to larger pots and higher variance than Hold’em. Like all live poker it is played against other players, with the house taking a rake.
Frequently asked questions
How many hole cards must I use in Omaha?
Exactly two of your four hole cards, plus exactly three community cards. This is the most common mistake new Omaha players make.
Why is Omaha higher variance than Hold'em?
Four hole cards make stronger hands more common, and pot-limit betting creates larger pots, so swings are bigger.
Sources
- Published poker rules
- Poker strategy literature