What’s the Difference Between Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha Poker?

Texas hold ‘em is one of the greatest card games ever created — but you can only play so many hands before you’re ready to tear your hair out.

Fortunately, poker is a very versatile game, and there are several great variations you can explore. One of the most popular is Omaha, which is like Texas hold ‘em on steroids — you get more cards, bigger hands, and insane action.

While Texas hold ‘em and Omaha have a lot in common, there are some key differences that make them as different as…well, the difference between Texas and Omaha.

Omaha Poker vs Texas Hold ‘Em: Differences in the Rules

Both Texas hold ‘em and Omaha have a lot in common. The betting is the same, and each game has a flop, turn, and river.

However, the biggest difference between the two games is one you’ll notice instantly. In Omaha, you get four hole cards instead of two — but there’s a catch.

You only get to use two of those four cards, and you must use two of them. The latter rule is one that often trips up novice players.

Let’s say you have A♠️K♥️J♥️10♦️ on a Q♠️9♠️6♠️2♠️ board. You have the nut flush, right?

Wrong. You may have the A♠️, but remember you must use exactly two cards from your hand. Since you only have one spade, you don’t have a flush.

Also, the two cards you use can change from one street to the next. You may have two pair on the flop and then use two completely different cards to make a straight on the turn.

For example, let’s say you have K♠️Q♦️J♦️10♠️ on a K♦️Q♣️7♦️ board. You currently have top two pair using the K♠️Q♦️, but if the A♥️ hits the turn, you’d now use the J♦️10♠️ to make the nut straight.

And if the 2 ♦️ hits the river? You’d now use the Q♦️J♦️ to make the second-nut flush.

The Differences in How Each Game “Plays”

As you can see, things change quickly in Omaha card games. Made hands are rarely safe, and monster draws are the name of the game.

In fact, there are often times where two players would both go all-in even if they could see the other person’s hand. Such hands — like when top set goes up against a wrap straight draw on the flop — can create massive pots, which is why so many players are drawn to the game in the first place.

Let’s look at some specific differences in more detail.

Most Games Are Pot Limit, Not No Limit

Part of the thrill of no-limit hold ‘em is the fact that players can shove all in at any time. Any raise has to be made carefully, because you know the next one could be for all your chips.

On the other hand, Omaha is most often played in a pot limit format. That means you’re limited to raising the size of the pot, and you can’t go all-in whenever you like (unless your stack is smaller than the pot).

There’s a good reason for this. While so much of your success in hold ‘em is dependent on your preflop hand selection, Omaha is a post-flop game. It’s all about making the right decision on multiple streets.

If you had a no-limit version of the game, players with the strongest hand would just be open-shoving every other hand to protect themselves. For example, pocket aces are much more common in Omaha, so you’d have one player shoving preflop about 20% of the time at a full ring table — not a recipe for drama.

Don’t let this fool you into thinking that PLO is a boring game, though. Even with pot-sized bets, you’re only a few raises from being able to risk your whole stack, so you have to be careful every step of the way.

Differences in Hand Strength

You can often win a hand in Texas hold ‘em with one pair, especially if you have a strong kicker. In Omaha, though?

Playing for pairs is a great way to get smoked.

Sets, straights, and flushes are way more common in Omaha than in hold ‘em, and a good rule of thumb is that, if a draw hits, someone probably got there.

What’s more, it’s usually not enough to just have a straight or a flush if you want to take the pot. Having the nut straight or flush is essential. The more people in the hand, the more likely it is that you’re going to run into the nuts somewhere, so if they’re not in your hand, you’re in trouble.

Preflop Equity is Much Tighter

In hold ‘em, it’s not uncommon for one hand to be a monster favorite over another. Pocket aces are often 80/20 favorites over random hands, for example.

However, in Omaha, the equities are much tighter. Pocket aces can be little more than coin flips against other hands (and there are rare occasions when pocket aces can actually be a slight dog against another hand).

The more people in the hand, the worse the aces fare. They might be favorites over each other hand individually, but in a multiway pot they won’t be favorites to win.

At lower limits, you’ll often see many players limping preflop, hoping to catch enough of the flop to continue. Raising and re-raising preflop is more common at higher limits, but even then, hands usually don’t start in earnest until the flop.

Bluffing is More Powerful

If incredibly strong hands are more common in Omaha, that naturally means that it’s also easier to represent incredibly strong hands. Bluffing is both easier and more powerful in this game, because strength is much more common.

Take the example we used previously, in which you hold the A♠️ on a four-flush board but without having the flush yourself. Since you have the card necessary to make the nut flush, you can bluff with confidence, as other players have to at least respect the possibility you have the nut flush.

This adds a fun layer of complexity to the game — and since Omaha tends to attract action players, you’ll often have to decide whether that big bet on the river is because they have the nuts, or if they just want you to think that.

Straight Draws Are King

In hold ‘em, an open-ended straight is powerful because it gives you eight outs. In Omaha, there are draws known as “wraps,” because your hand wraps around either end of the straight. These monster draws can give you up to 20 outs.

Wraps (defined as any straight draw with more than 8 outs) are fairly common, and they’re incredibly powerful. They often give you over 50% equity, even against strong hands like two pair and sets.

Let’s say you have J♦️10♠️7♠️6♦️ on a 9♠️8♥️3♣️ board. Here are the outs you’d have available:

• Four 5s
• Three 6s
• Three 7s
• Three 10s
• Three Jacks
• Four Queens

That’s 20 outs. Nearly half the deck makes your hand (although it should be noted that not all of your outs are to the nuts).

Beginning players sometimes struggle with wrap draws because they’re not always easy to spot. It’s important to take your time and count your outs, but with enough practice, you’ll eventually be able to identify them as easily as you notice open-enders in hold ‘em.

Semi-Bluffing is the Name of the Game

It’s much harder to get value from a made hand on the river in Omaha than in hold ‘em. As a result, if you want to get paid, you’ll have to gamble a little bit.

Most big pots happen when a strong hand butts up against a big draw. In Omaha, semi-bluffing is even more powerful than in hold ‘em, because many draws are actually favorites over certain made hands.

If you add in a flush draw on top of that — even a backdoor one — and you’ll have a true monster on your hands.

Which Game is Right for You?

Now that you (hopefully) understand the differences between Texas hold ‘em and Omaha, it’s time to ask: which game should you play?

The correct answer, of course, is that you should play both. It’s important to be well-rounded as a poker player, so you should become adept at Omaha, stud, razz, badugi, HORSE, and all forms of hi/lo.

If you want to specialize in just one, though, here are some things to keep in mind:

Play Texas Hold ‘Em If:

• You want to be able to find a game in any cardroom in the world. Every poker room offers Texas hold ‘em. You can’t always find an Omaha game.
• You like games with minimal variance. There are many instances in hold ‘em where one hand is a monster favorite over another, even preflop, which gives you clear equity. That’s rarely the case in Omaha.
• You enjoy playing against only a few opponents at a time. Many pots in Texas hold ‘em are heads-up after the flop, whereas community pots are much more common in Omaha.

Play Omaha If:

• You love big pots and huge action (and don’t mind massive swings). Your edges are often smaller in Omaha, which means you’ll have to press thin value and take more risks. That said, many recreational players are terrible at the game, so your variance could be even lower than in hold ‘em if you know how to table select.
• You’re comfortable with post-flop play, especially in multiway pots. There’s not as much clearly defined equity preflop in Omaha as there is in hold ‘em, so you’ll have to do most of your decision-making after the flop — and likely against several other players.
• You’re not afraid of bluffing or semi-bluffing. While you can win at lower stakes by just playing solid hands in hold ‘em, it’s harder to get paid off at the end in Omaha. You’ll have to be willing to gamble on draws — or push people off made hands on the river.

Ready to Give Omaha a Try?

If you’ve spent years building up your Texas hold ‘em game, the thought of trying your hand at a new form of poker may seem daunting.

However, the learning curve for Omaha isn’t as steep as it may first appear. The two games are quite similar, and poker is poker — most of the core concepts translate across all varieties of the game.

So the next time you’re playing Texas hold ‘em at online poker sites and find yourself paying more attention to the TVs on the wall than the action on the table, maybe get up and ask the floor person if they have an Omaha poker game running.

After all, you can’t truly call yourself a degenerate until you’ve played every game in the house, right?