Quick Guide To Poker Hands
Omaha Hi, or Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), is a game of big hands and even bigger draws. The pot limit betting structure means that crushing pre-flop all-ins are impossible – but that doesn't make it any less exciting. In fact, this is one genre that teaches newbies all about forming the different types of poker hands.
Each player is dealt 4 starting cards, making it easier to make (and chase) more draws. And, it's quite common to see three flushes shown down on the river – all in the same suit!
Poker Starting Hands - Comprehensive guide to which poker hands you should play, including a 2020 Texas Hold'em poker starting hands chart. From Texas Hold'em For Dummies. By Mark Harlan. Texas Hold’em poker is everywhere these days — on TV, online, and in clubs and casinos. Before you sit down to a game of Texas Hold ’em, make sure you’re in good shape to be successful — take care of non-poker issues and check your physical, mental, and financial status.
earn how to play Omaha Hi with this interactive poker guide:
If you haven't tried this poker genre, 888poker has an easy 8-Step poker rules guide to show you how to play Omaha.
Table Positions in PLO
Table positions in Omaha Poker are exactly the same as in Texas Hold'em. However, the betting structure for the majority of Omaha Hi games are in a pot limit format. There are two forced bets, the Small and Big Blinds. The player Under-the-Gun is first to act pre-flop – and just as in Hold'em, position will play a big role in what sort of hands you should play.
Newbie Tip:Having 4 hole cards instead of 2 doesn't mean you should play twice as many hands as in Hold'em. Just the opposite! You need to be even pickier about the hands you choose to play.
Poker Hand Rankings
Omaha Hi hand ranking is the same as in Hold'em, with a Royal Flush being the best possible hand. Players must use 2 of their 4 starting cards in combination with any 3 community cards to make a hand. Now for some good news: Having 4 hole cards to choose from means that the average winning hand won't be Two Pair. Straights, Flushes and Full Houses are very common in this poker genre.
Newbie Tip: Holding 3 flush cards in your starting 4? You can only use 2 to make a flush, so you've already lost one out!
Pre-Flop Action
Pre-flop, the player directly to the left of the big blind gets everything into gear. They can fold (not play the hand), call (match a prior bet or raise) or raise (increase size of current bet up to pot). In PLO, the bet amount is set at the lower of the two table limit stakes. The action continues clockwise around the table until each player has had a chance to act. If there is no prior raise, the Big Blind can also check.
Newbie Tip:Betting stakes in PLO are expressed as $1/$2, with $1 being the lower and $2 being the higher stake.
Post-Flop Action
After the pre-flop betting round ends, the first of 3 community cards – the Flop – are dealt out. These cards can be used by all active players to form the best 5-card hand. Betting is still fixed at the lower limit stake. The first active player, seated left of the dealer, kicks off the 2nd betting round. Action continues clockwise around, with every player getting the opportunity to act. Deal or no deal slot.
Newbie Tip: As is the case in many other poker genres, a big % of your hand is made on the flop, therefore, choose wisely which ones to continue playing.
Post-Turn Action
After the flop, a third deal takes place – the 4th community card, also known as the Turn. Like the flop, this card is also is open to use to all active players. During the 3rd betting round, the betting limit is set at the higher stake. Once again, the remaining players have the option to check, bet, call (if there's a bet), raise (if there's a bet) or fold.
Newbie Tip: Make sure that you draw to the best possible straights or flushes. It is quite common to see lower straights and flushes get crushed on the River by better ones.
Post-River Action
The River is the fifth and final community card that is available for all players to use to form their best 5 card hand. Once again, the post -River session is played the same way as the Turn and Flop before it. The remaining players in the hand will be able to act in much the same fashion as before: checking, betting, calling (if there's a bet), raising (if there's a bet) or folding.
Newbie Trivia: Omaha High probably originated in the Chicago or Detroit areas in the late 1960's – not Omaha, Nebraska - before making its way to Las Vegas in the early 80's.
Showdown Shenanigans
The Showdown is the next step following the 4th betting round, as long as more than one player remains in the hand. During the showdown stage, each of the remaining players must use 2 of their 4 hole cards + 3 of the 5 community cards to form the highest ranking 5-card hand. The rest is easy: The player with the best poker hand wins. Now scoop in your pot!
Newbie Tip: Keep in mind that holding just one card in any suit won't give you a flush. You must use 2 from your starting hand + 3 from the board.
Read our ultimate guide for poker showdown. Official poker tournament rules.
Ready for Another Hand?
The dealer is ready to deal you into a new hand, but are you? It’s time to put all you've learnt so far to the test and gear up for the next round of Omaha Hi poker. Get ready to bet, call, raise and make that almighty Omaha Hi draw.
Challenge yourself to learn a new poker game and then challenge the Omaha tables at 888poker!
Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is a game where the pots can get even bigger than No Limit Hold'em. It's not unusual to see 3, 4 or even 5 players all-in on the flop – all reaching for that addicting draw. It can be a heady game, with swings big enough - and more over the top - to make Cirque du Soleil's high-flying performers look like amateurs! PLO has come a long way since its early Vegas days and is ready to take over Hold'em's number one spot. Here are a few reasons why:
- You get 4 cards to play with, instead of 2, as in Hold'em.
- Even though you have 4 hole cards, you can only use 2 to make a hand.
- You can't “play the board”. All flush cards on the board and none in your hand? You don't have a flush.
- You can have more outs for straights in Omaha – called “wrap outs”. Sometimes as much as 20!
- Think you get “rivered” a lot in Hold'em? In PLO, it's common to see as many as 3 flushes at showdown – all in the same suit.
For the official Omaha Hi rules to the game, including all terms and conditions, please click here.
Hand Guide: Preflop > Flop > Turn > River
The Texas Holdem hand guide below will take you through each stage of a poker hand from the preflop round to the river, and give you a brief overview of the strategy you should try and employ as well as the thought processes behind making profitable decisions at each stage of the hand.
Knowing how to play a poker hand well from start to finish is not an easy skill to learn. Many players can play certain rounds well, but struggle on others. It is important to learn how to play each round profitably.
The individual Texas Holdem strategy articles found on this site will help to fine tune different aspects of your game, but it is here that you will find the fundamental principles behind playing a winning Texas Holdem hand. There is also a list of useful articles at the end of each guide for further information on different concepts and plays that you can use at each stage in the hand.
Individual betting round strategy articles.
Quick Poker Rules
Before the flop is where it all starts, so learn how to get the foundations started correctly. This article focuses on good starting hand selection, along with key position tips and a quick guide to optimum preflop betting.
Many of the decisions that you will make at the poker table will be based on the flop or will stem from the flop later in the hand. This article highlights the importance of being able to identify the different textures of flop and the best strategies for dealing with them.
The turn is often forgotten about in the Texas Holdem strategy world but can often prove to be a very important street. So don't forget about it and learn how to play it well.
Now all of the cards are out and its time to make the best 5-card hand possible. Pick up some key tips on how to play when you have the best of it and when you have the worst of it.
Playing a good Poker hand is not always easy, as there are always going to be opportunities to make mistakes along the way. Use the tips in this article to help yourself make more profitable decisions on each betting round.
Bonus Article:Poker Mistakes - Avoid the most common mistakes when playing a hand.
Playing a hand in Texas Hold'em.
These articles are quite lengthy, but they are actually as condensed as I could make them without leaving out any tips or strategy that I thought was vital to being able to play each betting round successfully. However, although these articles should prove to be a handy guide for you, you should try your best to learn from them, and not rely on using them every time you make a decision at the Texas Hold'em poker table.
Try not to refer to these guides too often whilst playing poker. Learn from these articles as best as you can and use your own judgment when making decisions at the poker table.
Beginners Guide To Poker
Being able to stand on your own two feet and make decisions for yourself is what is going to help you develop into the best player that you can be. So be prepared to eventually move away from using guides, and try to use your head as much as you can during play. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do I expect to achieve with this play?
- What am I going to do on the next betting round if I make this play?
- How do I think my opponent is going to react to this play?
The more questions you ask yourself, the more refined and calculated your plays will be. A winning poker player is a thinking poker player, so you're going to have to use that logic of yours if you want to win money. If you do not use your head, you may as well play online casino games instead.
Poker is a game of skill, so use your ability to get the better of your opponents.