poker · Global
Omaha Poker
Also known as Pot-Limit Omaha · PLO · Omaha Hold'em · Omaha High · 4-Card Poker
Omaha (most often played as Pot-Limit Omaha, or PLO) is a community-card poker game and the most popular "big-pot" cousin of Texas Hold'em. The twist is simple but it changes everything: you are dealt four hole cards instead of two, and at showdown you must use exactly two of them plus exactly three of the five board cards. Because every player has more starting cards, hands run bigger, draws are stronger, and the action is wilder than Hold'em. Play Omaha online free right here against friends or smart bots, learn the rules and the all-important two-plus-three rule, and sharpen your reads — no real money, no signup, just chips and the showdown. On our portal, Omaha runs inside our Dealer's Poker table: open the table, pick the Omaha variant, and play.
2–9 players · free · no download · no signup
How to play Omaha Poker
- Open the Dealer's Poker table on our portal and choose the Omaha (Pot-Limit Omaha) variant.
- Take your seat and post the blind when it is your turn; the button (dealer) rotates clockwise each hand.
- Receive your four hole cards face down and bet pre-flop — fold, call, or raise.
- Bet through the flop (3 community cards), the turn (1 card), and the river (1 card) as the shared board fills out.
- Plan your hand knowing you must use exactly two of your four hole cards plus exactly three board cards — never one, three, or all four.
- At showdown, reveal the best five-card hand built under the two-plus-three rule to win the pot, or take it earlier by making everyone fold.
- Pass the button to the next player and start the next hand.
Omaha Poker rules
Objective
Win chips by making the best five-card poker hand at showdown or by betting so that everyone else folds before then. Omaha uses standard poker hand rankings, weakest to strongest: high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush. The defining rule of Omaha is the construction of your hand — you must build it from exactly two of your four hole cards plus exactly three of the five shared community (board) cards. No more, no fewer.
The deck and the deal
Omaha is played with one standard 52-card deck, 2 to 9 players at a table. A button marks the dealer position and rotates one seat clockwise each hand. The player to the left of the button posts the small blind and the next player posts the big blind. Each player is then dealt four hole cards face down, dealt one at a time clockwise. The five community cards come later — three on the flop, one on the turn, one on the river — and are shared by everyone.
The two-plus-three rule (the heart of Omaha)
This is the single most important rule and the most common mistake new players make. Unlike Texas Hold'em, you cannot play the board and you cannot use one, three, or four of your hole cards. At showdown you must use exactly two of your four hole cards together with exactly three of the five community cards. For example, if you hold a single ace and there are three more aces on the board, you do NOT have four of a kind — you can only use two hole cards, so the most you make from that ace is three of a kind. Likewise, four hearts on the board plus one heart in your hand is not a flush, because a flush needs two hearts from your hand plus three from the board.
How to play — the betting rounds
Omaha follows the same four-round structure as Hold'em. Pre-flop: after the four hole cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind acts first; you can fold, call, or raise. Flop: three community cards are dealt face up, followed by a betting round starting left of the button. Turn: a fourth community card is dealt, then another betting round. River: a fifth and final community card is dealt, then the last betting round. If two or more players remain after the river betting, the hand goes to a showdown. Betting is most commonly Pot-Limit, meaning the maximum raise equals the current size of the pot.
Pot-Limit betting
Omaha is traditionally played Pot-Limit (Pot-Limit Omaha, or PLO). You can bet or raise any amount from the minimum up to the total size of the pot — your call plus the pot after that call. Because four hole cards make strong hands far more frequently than two, capping bets at the size of the pot keeps the game from becoming an all-in coin-flip every hand and rewards careful pot-control. Limit and No-Limit versions also exist, but Pot-Limit is the standard and the one our table uses.
Showdown and winning the pot
At showdown the remaining players reveal their cards, and each makes the best possible five-card hand using exactly two hole cards and exactly three board cards. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. If two hands tie, the pot is split evenly. There is no cash value here — chips are for play, ranking, and bragging rights only, since this is a free, social, no-real-money game.
Variants and related games
Omaha Hi/Lo (Omaha 8-or-Better) splits the pot between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand (a low needs five cards ranked eight or lower); you can use a different pair of hole cards for your high and your low. Five-Card and Six-Card Omaha deal more hole cards (still using exactly two at showdown). Courchevel is a five-card Omaha variant where the first flop card is exposed before pre-flop betting. Big O is a five-card Hi/Lo Omaha game. The two-plus-three rule carries across all of them.
Strategy tips
- Never forget the two-plus-three rule: count out the exact two hole cards and three board cards before you celebrate a flush or a full house — a hand you think is huge can be nothing.
- Value cards that work together. Four hole cards that are connected and double-suited (two of one suit, two of another) make far more nut hands than four scattered high cards.
- Play for the nuts. In Omaha so many players hit strong hands that second-best is a trap — chase draws and made hands that can be the best possible holding, not just 'good'.
- Respect big draws. With four hole cards your draws are often huge (12, 15, or more outs), so a strong drawing hand can be the favorite over a made hand on the flop.
- Use position and Pot-Limit sizing: control the pot with the button, and remember the maximum bet is only the size of the pot — bet big with the nuts, restrain yourself with marginal holdings.
Variants
Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) — the standard, 4 hole cards, use exactly two · Omaha Hi/Lo (Omaha 8-or-Better) — pot split between best high and qualifying low · Five-Card Omaha (5 hole cards, still use exactly two) · Six-Card Omaha (6 hole cards, still use exactly two) · Courchevel (5 hole cards, first flop card exposed pre-flop) · Big O (five-card Omaha Hi/Lo) · Limit, Pot-Limit, or No-Limit betting structures
Omaha Poker — frequently asked questions
What is Omaha poker and how is it different from Texas Hold'em?
Omaha is a community-card poker game where you are dealt four hole cards instead of Hold'em's two. The biggest difference is the showdown rule: in Omaha you must use exactly two of your hole cards plus exactly three of the five board cards, whereas in Hold'em you can use any combination. More cards mean bigger hands and stronger draws, so Omaha plays wilder and is usually capped with Pot-Limit betting.
How do I play Omaha online for free?
On our portal, Omaha runs inside the Dealer's Poker table. Just open the table, pick the Omaha (Pot-Limit Omaha) variant, and play — no download, no signup, and no money. You play with chips against friends or smart bots, so you can learn the game completely risk-free in your browser.
Do I have to use exactly two hole cards in Omaha?
Yes. This is the defining rule of Omaha. At showdown you must use exactly two of your four hole cards and exactly three of the five community cards — never one, three, or all four. For example, one ace in your hand plus three aces on the board is only three of a kind, because you can only count two of your own cards.
What does Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) mean?
Pot-Limit Omaha is the most common form of Omaha. 'Pot-Limit' means the most you can bet or raise on any street is the current size of the pot. It keeps the game from turning into an all-in shove every hand, which matters in Omaha because four hole cards produce strong hands very often. Our table uses Pot-Limit Omaha.
How many players can play Omaha?
Omaha works from 2 players (heads-up) up to a full ring of 9 players sharing one standard 52-card deck. On our portal you can fill empty seats with smart bots, so you can practice or play a full table any time, with no real money involved.
What is Omaha Hi/Lo?
Omaha Hi/Lo (also called Omaha 8-or-Better) is a split-pot variant where half the pot goes to the best high hand and half to the best qualifying low hand — a low must be five different cards all ranked eight or lower. You still use exactly two hole cards and three board cards, but you may use a different pair of hole cards for your high and your low.