Guide to Omaha Poker

By Jon Young

Play free Omaha poker with our selection of the best online gambling sites. Omaha is the exciting 4-card variant of Texas Hold'em poker that's popular with cash game and tournament players alike.

With our leading reviews, you can discover an online poker site that's legal where you live. Sign up in minutes, make a deposit and earn a poker room bonus when you start playing. Check out our guide for some Omaha strategy and tips while you are at it!

How TopUSCasinos Reviews Omaha Poker Sites

You can get started with Omaha poker sites in a few clicks. But before you start creating usernames and passwords, check out our criteria for choosing the best online rooms for Omaha poker players.

Range of Games & Stakes: Having access to a wide selection of Omaha poker games is the most important consideration when choosing a site. We check the lobby to see whether cash games and tournaments are offered, and at what stakes. We'll also tell you if you can play Omaha online free on that site.

Player Traffic: The top poker sites will attract plenty of players to keep the tables full. Plus, depending on where you live, you might be able to play Omaha poker against players in other states. The best online poker rooms will have busy tables throughout the day and night.

Software & Security: It's vital you enjoy safe online poker without interruptions. The best free Omaha poker websites will weed out bots and provide audited software that ensures a fair shuffle every time.

Customer Support: Got a problem? Great customer service is essential if you want your issue solved quickly. You should get access to customer support by live chat, email and phone. We'll always test support teams with a range of questions when compiling our reviews.

Bonuses & Promotions: All top free Omaha poker rooms will run promotions throughout the year. Earn a welcome bonus when you sign up and keep on claiming free money or cash back the more you play.

Why Play Omaha Poker Online?

Nothing beats the thrill of playing Omaha online. But what benefits does Omaha online have over live games?

Play Anytime, Anywhere: Do you live miles from your nearest brick-and-mortar casino? That's the beauty of playing an Omaha poker game online. Just log in online or play Omaha on your cellphone or tablet. A poker player never has to leave the house!

Try Out Free Omaha Poker Games: All good Omaha sites will let you play for free. Learn the rules and save your dollars until you're comfortable playing the game. You even jump into an Omaha freeroll poker game and earn some real cash.

Enjoy Low Stakes to Suit Your Budget: In a land-based casino, Omaha cash games and tournaments may carry prohibitive buy-ins. Luckily, online poker sites will spread Omaha poker games at stakes to suit a poker player with a smaller bankroll.

Claim a Poker Room Bonus: Whatever game you want to play, the top poker rooms will offer a bonus. Claim a welcome bonus by opening your account or earn rakeback every time you play for real cash.

States Where Omaha Poker is Legal

Omaha poker is now legal in several US states. You can also play free games at many social poker sites. The only way companies can really survive in the US market is if they share player pools, also known as "liquidity."

In 2018, some sites such as WSOP.com and 888poker combined their pools from states where they were legal - New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. So, if you live in Atlantic City, you can enjoy real money Omaha cash games against another player who is based in Las Vegas.

New Jersey: New Jersey was one of the first US states to regulate and license online poker. Now you can play free Omaha poker in New Jersey at nearly half a dozen sites. Major poker rooms offer a range of slick cash games and tournaments, including major online series like the World Series of Poker.

Nevada: The home of the World Series of Poker, Nevada was among the early states that legalized online poker back in 2013. WSOP.com dominates the online poker market in Nevada, offering some of the best Omaha cash games around.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania only legalized online poker and gambling recently. However, for now, gamblers in PA must play Omaha against players elsewhere in the state. The state also boasts just one online poker room - PokerStars PA - but it's easily the largest operator on the planet.

West Virginia: Online poker only became legal in West Virginia in 2019. WV gamblers will be pleased to know that online poker is legal in West Virginia.

Michigan: In 2019, Michigan legalized most forms of online gambling in a blanket move. It's now legal to play online Omaha poker in the comfort of your own home. PokerStars and BetMGM Poker are two popular online poker websites in Michigan.

Delaware: Delaware was an early pioneer of legalized online gambling back in 2013. However, the small state has been relatively slow in launching new Omaha poker sites online. In 2014, the state passed a law allowing the sharing of player pools across regulated states. And in 2015, Delaware players joined Nevadans at the same tables for the first time.

Before Playing An Online Poker Game, Check Out Our Guide To The Basic Rules of Poker

Mobile Omaha Poker

You can also enjoy Omaha poker online through your mobile phone. Download the app, log in, and make deposits, all at the swipe of your finger. The lobby and tables will be specially adapted to work on your smaller touch screen.

Android

All legal mobile Omaha sites in the US offer a downloadable app for Android. Just install the app direct from the Omaha poker site. Don’t forget to change your phone settings to allow downloads from "Unknown Sources."

Apple

If you use an Apple device, you can download and install a poker app from the App Store. Make sure you’re running the correct version of iOS before you install. Then, simply log in using your existing account username and password.

Top Recommended Omaha Poker Sites

Several online poker sites now offer legal Omaha cash games and tournaments in the US. These are the best operators who have years of experience offering Omaha games to the international market.

PokerStars

PokerStars is far and away the world’s largest online poker site. It now operates legally in the US in states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. PokerStars probably boasts the biggest range of Omaha cash games in the US, with stakes starting at just $0.01/$0.02. Tables get busy around the $0.25/$0.50 level.

BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker runs on the partypoker US network and has undergone a full revamp in recent years. While BetMGM Poker was already running cash games and tournaments in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, it opened its tables to Michigan players in early 2021. You can play Omaha or Omaha Hi-Lo cash games and Sit 'n' Gos on the site. Plus, you can earn iRP reward points every time you play for real money.

888poker

888poker operates legal poker sites in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, plus the only online poker room in Delaware. They also provide the software for Nevada’s WSOP.com site. There are over half a dozen Omaha variants to discover at 888 US, including Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit versions of Omaha Hi and Hi-Lo. 888 also spreads a Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo game where the betting switches mid-game.

How to Play Omaha Poker

Ready to get playing Omaha poker free or for real money online? The process is smooth, and you can start playing in no time.

Step 1: Select one of our top-rated poker rooms online. Just click on a review to read our experts' evaluation.

Step 2: Download the poker software and register your account. Top poker rooms will have dedicated Windows clients to download. Some also provide Mac software. In most cases, you can simply log on via your web browser and play instantly.

Step 3: Now it's time to create an account. Come up with a username and password, and provide some details such as:

  • Full name and address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Last 4 digits if your SSN
  • Input the poker promo code (if applicable)

Step 4: Now make a deposit. Open the cashier tab and select a valid payment option. In the US, you can usually make a poker deposit via Play+, debit or credit card, e-wallet such as PayPal, or online bank transfer. You can even make a deposit in person at a land-based casino that is the licensing partner for the poker room.

Step 5: Find a poker table. Open the poker lobby and filter the games by cash game, tournament or Omaha variant. You can even sort games by stake size. As long as you have the required funds, you'll be able to enter a tournament or sit down at a cash poker game.

Omaha Poker Rules to Know

Omaha poker is an easy game to learn, but it has some huge swings due to the high number of cards in play.

The Deal: At the start of a hand, every player is dealt four "hole" cards that are hidden from other players. The two players to the left of the dealer place enforced bets called "blinds." The big blind is worth double the small blind.

Pre-Flop: After the deal, the first of several betting rounds takes place. Generally, Omaha is played pot limit. That means the maximum raise is equal to the size of the pot when the last bet has been called.

Flop: After betting is finished, the first three community cards are dealt. These are shared by all players left in the hand.

Turn: Another betting round takes place, after which a fourth card - the "turn" - is added to the board.

River: There is another round of betting, followed by a fifth and final "river" card.

Showdown: Once the betting has finished, all players left in compare hands. You must make the best 5-card hand formed of any two hole cards plus any three community cards.

Omaha Poker Hands

Hand rankings in Omaha follow those in Texas Hold'em:

Royal Flush (e.g. 10-J-Q-K-A of same suit)

Straight Flush (e.g. 3-4-5-6-7 of same suit)

Four of a Kind (e.g. 4-4-4-4-A)

Full House (e.g. 2-2-A-A-A)

Flush (e.g. 2-5-6-7-J of same suit)

Straight (e.g. 5-6-7-8-9 of different suits)

Three of a Kind (e.g. 6-6-6-J-10)

Two Pair (e.g. K-K-A-A-7)

One Pair (e.g. Q-Q-6-9-10)

High Card (e.g. A-6-2-3-K)

Omaha Poker Variants

The very best Omaha poker sites offer a range of variants to try. It's worth noting that most games are either played Limit or Pot Limit. So, if you're used to playing No Limit games like Texas Hold'em poker, you'll need to be familiar with the betting.

Omaha Hi: In Omaha Hi, only the best hand wins. The best hand is the royal flush (10-J-Q-K-A suited).

Omaha Hi-Lo/Omaha 8-or-Better: In the Omaha Hi-Lo poker variation, the pot can be split between the best high hand, and the best qualifying low hand. To qualify as a low, the hand must contain five cards worth 8 or lower.

6-Card Omaha: 6-card Omaha, also known as 6-O, is a fun online variant found at the biggest US poker sites. Every player receives six hole cards instead of four. They must use two hole cards with three community cards to form the strongest poker hand possible.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Check Out Our Online Poker Strategy & Tips

Tips for Winning at Omaha Poker

Omaha is the exciting variant of Texas Hold’em that you can now play legally online in a handful of US states. In Omaha, you play four hole cards instead of two, but be careful - the draws and redraws constantly force you into reassessing your hand. Here are some basic Omaha strategies for beginners employ.

Learn to Play Pot Limit: Omaha is usually played Pot Limit, so it’s different from the No Limit Hold’em games you might be used to. With Pot Limit, the maximum raise you can make is the total pot size. There are no all-ins, unless the Pot Limit rules allow.

Play Four Hands, Not Two: In Omaha, you have four starting cards, and you must use two to form a poker hand. Remember when evaluating your hand strength that you’re effectively making four pairs of cards at the start. Each of them must make a good connection with the flop.

Pocket Aces Aren’t That Strong: A-A is a great starting hand in Texas Hold’em, but it’s not that great in Omaha if your other two cards are rags. For example, Ah Ad 5s 6c isn’t a huge favorite over an opponent's hand like Kh Kd Qh Jc, which has connected cards and flush draw possibilities.

Always be Drawing to the Nuts: How strong is your hand now? And how good is it when the next card comes? If you’re not drawing to the best hand or second-best hand (“near nuts”), you might have to consider folding.

Don’t Play Too Many Hands: Omaha is a drawing game, certainly much more than Hold’em is. That means most hands in Omaha are pretty close in strength pre-flop. Players will be competing a lot more flops and seeing quite large pots due to the pot limit betting structure. Bet strong hands only, and bet them in position.

What to Expect at an Online Omaha Poker Table

An online Omaha table looks a lot different from a real-life one you’ll find in your local casino. But essentially, the gameplay and betting are exactly the same.

You will be assigned a seat and you’ll be able to see yours and your opponent’s chip stacks in front of you. Some poker sites will also display the stacks in terms of big blinds. In addition, you might be able to see your opponents by their real names, not their aliases.

At the start of a hand, your blinds will be paid in automatically. You will be prompted every time it’s your turn to fold, call or raise. You’ll also be able to chat to the other players using the on-screen chatbox.

Beyond Omaha Poker

Since online poker began, there have been many predictions of Omaha being the next big thing to overtake Texas Hold’em. Unfortunately, the reality is that the speed and simplicity of Hold’em means it is unlikely to be overtaken.

That means you won’t find as many Omaha games online as you will Hold’em. But it also means that if you have even a moderate grasp of the game, you can make real profits.

Don’t be afraid to switch it up and try other less-popular variants like Stud and Razz. Jump in at the micro-stakes levels or play a freeroll and get a feel for the game.

Omaha Poker FAQ

In Omaha poker games, every player is dealt four hole cards instead of two. In addition, you must use two of your hole cards when making a five-card poker hand.

Yes. In Omaha, there are far more hand combinations to watch out for than in Hold'em. You must always be aware of drawing hands that can improve with every additional community card.

A wrap is a straight draw in Omaha where you have over eight possible "outs" to improve your hand. With lots of outs, you have a better chance of drawing or redrawing to the nuts.

The best hand in Omaha is A-A-K-K with two different suits. Other top Omaha poker hands include A-A-J-10 double-suited, A-A-Q-Q double-suited, and A-A-J-J double-suited.

The best way to guarantee long-term profits is to practice on free Omaha poker tables. The best sites at TopUSCasinos boast lots of free-to-play Omaha games where you can hone your skills.

Contributors

Jon Young is a writer and magazine editor with over 12 years' experience in the gaming sector. He has written on everything from poker and slots to casino, sports betting and mobile gambling. When not trying to take down the Mega Moolah jackpot he can be found playing poker tournaments in casinos.

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