Count two, then three
PokerStars’ Omaha rules say “EXACTLY two” hole cards, no more and no less. Three of the five community cards complete your hand. Neither an impressive board nor extra hole cards changes that count.
Unlike Hold’em, you cannot use one private card or play the board. The examples here use invented hands and play chips, with no cash values.
A flush you can use
Your hole cards
The board
The unused cards do not add a kicker to the flush. Choose the best legal five, not the most attractive collection of cards on the screen.
The flush that is not a flush
Your hole cards
The board
You can see five hearts, but four are on the board. Using your ace with all four would break the three-board-card limit. Having the ace of a suit is not enough on its own (PokerStars’ Omaha rules).
Your best legal hand is a pair of kings, not a flush. Count how many suited cards are in your own hand before reading the board.
A full house needs the right combination too
Your hole cards
The board
It is tempting to claim nines full of aces using your ace, the board’s ace and all three nines. That uses one private card and four board cards, so it is not legal.
Change one hand, not the board
Now give yourself A♠ A♦ K♣ Q♣ on that same board. The second ace changes what you can legally build.
The full-house comparison guide explains why the three-of-a-kind part is compared before the pair. The higher triplet decides before any lower pair matters.
How a hand moves through the table
Omaha has betting before the flop, on the flop, on the turn and on the river (PokerStars’ Omaha rules). That familiar sequence can make a Hold’em player feel at home before the two-card rule catches them out.
- Before the flop: blinds are posted, private cards are dealt and betting begins.
- Flop: three community cards, followed by betting.
- Turn: a fourth community card, followed by betting.
- River: the fifth community card and final betting round.
- Showdown: remaining players compare their best legal five-card hands.
Use the basic poker walkthrough to review Fold, Check, Call and Raise. Hand selection is the rule to check again when you switch from Hold’em.
A pot-sized raise includes the call
In pot-limit poker, calculate the maximum raise after including the chips needed to call (Pagat’s betting rules). “Raise the pot” does not mean matching the pot you saw before the other player bet.
Imagine a postflop pot of 100, with no earlier bets this round. Your opponent bets 50. You have enough chips for the maximum raise and have not contributed anything this round.
- Pot before you act100 + 50 = 150
- Add your call150 + 50 = 200
- Raise by that new pot200 more
- Your total this round50 + 200 = 250
The action is raise to 250, not raise to 200. You call 50 and raise another 200, putting in 250 total. The actual pot is then 400: the original 100, your opponent’s 50 and your 250.
Your opponent needs another 200 to call, making 600. If you had already committed chips this round, that would affect the extra amount to add; the chip guide explains raise-to totals.
An unopened 10/20 example
With full 10/20 blinds and no callers, the pot is 30. A call adds 20, making 50. A maximum raise adds that 50, for a total of 70, assuming a sufficient stack (PokerStars’ Omaha rules).
Being willing to go all-in does not let you bet above the pot-limit ceiling. Read the legal amount shown before confirming your move.
Four cards, five cards or six?
- Four-card Omaha
- Four private cards dealt. Use exactly two with exactly three board cards (PokerStars’ Omaha rules).
- Five-card Omaha
- Five private cards dealt. Still use exactly two with exactly three board cards (five-card Omaha rules).
- Six-card Omaha
- Six private cards dealt. Still use exactly two with exactly three board cards (six-card Omaha rules).
“Six-card” describes the cards dealt to each player, not the number of seats. Start with four-card Omaha to reduce the cards your group needs to sort through.
Our private Omaha games are high-only, not Hi-Lo. Agree on the variant before creating a room; it stays fixed between hands and for a rematch with the same settings. The hosting guide covers invitations and getting everyone ready.
Questions that catch Hold’em players
Can I play the board?
No. You must use exactly two private cards, even when the board contains a strong hand (PokerStars’ Omaha rules). A royal flush on the board does not give every Omaha player a royal flush.
Do three matching hole cards give me three of a kind?
Not by themselves: you cannot use all three private cards (PokerStars’ Omaha rules). Look for a legal combination using only two of them with three from the board.
Does the biggest stack win the whole pot?
No. Hand strength and eligibility decide awards, not stack size alone (Pagat’s betting rules). The side-pot guide shows which players can compete for each pot.
Can I play Omaha against bots here?
Omaha here is a private game for invited people. The solo computer-practice tables use Hold’em. Invite a friend for Omaha or use Hold’em practice to learn the betting controls.
Two from your hand. Three from the board.
Before showdown, identify the two private cards and three board cards you are using. Once that count feels natural, work on the price of the next decision.
The button below opens private-game setup. Sign in and choose your Omaha format before creating the room.
For adults 18+. Play chips have no cash value. No deposits, purchases or cash prizes. Practice or success here does not imply future success at real-money gambling.