How to Play Pot-Limit Omaha: PLO Rules, Hand Ranks & Odds 

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What is Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)?

The game of Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) was first introduced to Las Vegas casinos by Robert Turner in 1982. It’s similar to Texas Hold’em poker in many ways, with some major differences. Players are dealt four hole cards instead of two, the pot size limits betting, and two hole cards must be used to make a poker hand. 

PLO became very popular in Europe in the early 2000s and eventually entered the online poker world as well. Its faster pace and higher variance make PLO the preferred choice of players who enjoy action, bigger pots, and closer preflop equities. 

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Rules of Pot-Limit Omaha: Everything You Need to Know

Pot Limit Omaha rules are more complex than Texas Hold’em’s, but the game still draws many basic rules from the “Cadillac of Poker.” Much like Texas Hold’em, the game is played with four betting rounds and five community cards. 

Here are the key Pot Limit Omaha rules you need to know:

• # of Cards: Each player is dealt four hole cards
• Betting Rounds: Bets occur across four betting rounds (preflop, flop, turn, river)
• Shared Cards: A total of five community cards are dealt
• Making Combinations: Two hole cards and three community cards must be used at showdown
• Bet Sizes: Players can only bet or raise to the size of the pot
• Winning: The winner is determined according to the standardized poker hand rankings

How Pot-Limit Betting Works in PLO

Pot Limit in Omaha poker means you can only bet a maximum size. In a sense, this keeps things simple, but calculating the pot size isn’t always easy.

The pot size is always equal to money already in the pot, plus three times any outstanding bet. 

For example, if you are playing in a $0.10/$0.25 game (as shown above):

• A player raises to $0.85 preflop
• The pot size was $0.35 (the $0.10 small blind and $0.25 big blind)
• Multiply the bet by 3 ($0.85×3=$2.55) 
• Add the money that was in the pot ($0.35)
• The total is $2.90, meaning your maximum allowed bet size is $2.90 

This means a pot-sized bet would be $2.90 in this scenario.

In a postflop scenario, the same calculation applies. For example, if there is $30 in the pot, and a player bets $20, the pot size is $30 (the pot) + $60 (three times the outstanding bet) = $90. 

You can continue applying this formula in all situations, and you will never get the pot size wrong again. 

How to Make Hand Combinations in PLO

While the poker hand rankings in PLO are the same as those in NLH, there is one significant difference in how hand combinations are made. 

In PLO, you must use precisely two hole cards and exactly three community cards to make a five-card hand. This is in contrast to NLH, where you can use any number of hole cards and community cards to make your hand. 

For example, if you hold AsAdAc9h on a flop of Ah8c4d, you don’t have quad Aces, but only a set of Aces. Since only two hole cards may be used to make your five-card hand, you can only use two of the Aces from your hole cards to make a poker hand. 

As another example, the player in the image below does not have a flush, despite seeing five spades (two on the table and three in their hand).

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Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) Hand Rankings

The poker hand rankings in PLO are identical to those in Texas Hold’em. If you are already familiar with how poker hands work in NLH, you will also know which hand beats which in PLO. Just keep in mind that the way hands are made in PLO is significantly different from that in NLH. 

Here is a look at all the possible poker hand rankings in PLO:

Poker Hand	Hole Cards	Community Cards
Royal Flush	Ad Kd Kc 7c	Qd Jd Td 6s 2c
Straight Flush	9h 8h 6c 4d	7h 6h 5h Jd 2s
Four of a Kind (Quads)	Qs Qc Jh Jd	Qh Qd 8s 5c 7d
Full House	Th Ts 8d 5c	Td 7h 7c 4d 2h
Flush	Kh Jh 9d 7d	Ah 9h 7c 4s 3h
Straight	Jh Td 7h 4c	As 9c 8s 7c 4h
Three of a Kind	As Ad 9s 6d	Ah Th 7c 5d 4c
Two Pair	Kh Jh 8s 7s	Ah Kd Js 9h 5c
One Pair	Ah Ts 9s 7c	Ad Kh Qd 8s 5d
High Card	Kh Qd 9s 6c	As Td 8c 4s 2h

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How to Play PLO: Step-by-Step Guide

It’s time to learn how to play PLO, one step at a time. We will guide you through a full hand of PLO, from start to finish, showcasing every decision point you may come across. 

Each PLO hand follows this pattern, so once you have mastered it, you will be ready to play your first PLO game.

1. Choose to Call, Fold, or Raise

Your first decision in PLO comes preflop. You may choose to fold your hole cards if you don’t like them, call the value of the big blind, or raise to the size of the pot. If another player raises before you, you can still fold, call the raise size, or place another raise. The size of the pot limits all preflop raising. 

Image: The player has Kh Th 5h Ad and needs to choose an action

2. See the Flop

The dealer now deals the flop, made up of three community cards. If you haven’t folded your cards preflop, you will get another chance to act on your cards after the flop is dealt. As soon as the flop is dealt, you will have enough community cards at your disposal to build full poker hands. 

Image: The flop is Ts 3c Ah, giving the player two pair with Tens and Aces

3. Choose an Action

Once the flop is dealt, remaining players are given a chance to act again, starting with the small blind. This time around, you may check your option (pass the action to the next player) or place a bet up to the size of the pot. If another player bets in front of you, you will be able to call or raise the bet, or fold your cards; however, the check option will be unavailable. 

Image: The player decides what to do when another player bets $0.07 into a pot of $0.21

4. Repeat for Turn & River Rounds

The dealer deals the two remaining community cards over two streets (turn and river). After each of these is dealt, the remaining players will have a chance to act on their hands. The same options are available as the ones we described for flop action. Players take turns acting on their hands, starting with the small blind and ending with the dealer button.

Image: The player reaches the river with two pair – Aces and Tens

5. Show Cards at Showdown

Once all river betting is completed, players are asked to turn over their hole cards for a showdown. At showdown, players should turn over their cards starting from the small blind if no river betting occurred. If there was betting on the river, the player who took the last aggressive action should turn their cards over first. 

Image: The player wins the pot against the other player, who shows a weaker two pair

6. Decide a Winner & Start a New Round

The dealer compares the players’ hole cards and determines the winner in accordance with the hand rankings. It is much more common for the dealer to make a mistake comparing hands in PLO than in NLH, so make sure to stay vigilant and announce your hand verbally whenever possible. Once the pot is awarded to the winner, the next hand can start. 

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PLO Odds: Learn Important Drawing Odds for Pot Limit Omaha

PLO is a “game of draws,” as drawing hands have significant value and are often played very aggressively. 

With more hole cards at your disposal, you are much more likely to flop draws, and massive straight draws called “wraps” are possible. Here is a look at the poker odds of some of the most common draws you may end up having in a PLO hand and what your chances of improving by the river are:

Draw Type	Number of Outs	Odds
Six Card Wrap	20	68%
Five Card Wrap	17	60%
Open-Ended Straight Flush Draw	15	54%
Gutshot Straight Flush Draw	13	48%
Flush Draw	9	35%
Full House with Three Pair	6	24%
Open-Ended Straight Draw	8	31.5%
Gutshot Straight Draw	4	16.5%
Full House with Two Pair	4	16.5%
Quads with a Set	1	4.3%

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PLO Strategy for Beginners: Tips to Raise Your Skill Level 

It’s time to get into some basic PLO strategy. These simple tips will teach you how to get around a PLO poker table and hold your own against more experienced competition. Keep in mind that these are only the most basic tips, with a more comprehensive strategy found in our detailed PLO strategy guide. 

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PLO Variants: Different Styles of Omaha Poker to Try

While PLO is one of the most exciting poker games available at CoinPoker, it’s not the only one. You will find several other variants on our platform, each with its own unique twist on the game of poker:

• Texas Hold’em Poker: NLH is the world’s most popular poker game and the most widespread poker variant at CoinPoker. Play with two hole cards and no limit betting, and join thousands of poker players at the tables. 

• Five Card PLO: PLO5 is an even more action-packed version of PLO, as another hole card is added to the mix. The other rules remain the same, but the extra hole card makes every hand even more exciting. 

• Video Poker: If you want to play a simpler version of poker, video poker is the ideal game for you. Our video poker machines require only a simple strategy, as other players are not involved. 

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Learn the History of Pot-Limit Omaha

Pot Limit Omaha dates back to the 1980s. While it’s unclear who invented the game, it was first popularized by the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, with Robert Turner introducing the game to Bill Boyd, the manager of the Golden Nugget card room. In the early years, the game was often called “Nugget Hold’em.”

Omaha made its first appearance on the big stage at the 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which solidified it as a major poker variant. Over the 1980s and 90s, PLO spread to Europe and grew in popularity in card rooms across London, Helsinki, and Vienna. 

In the years of the Poker Boom, PLO gained global popularity. It was introduced at major online poker sites and quickly became the game of choice for many seasoned professionals. Today, PLO is the second most popular poker variant, trailing only behind Texas Hold’em Poker.

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We’ve Got the Best Online PLO Games – Try Them Today

Are you ready to start playing PLO yourself? Join CoinPoker today and play the game with hundreds of players at our PLO tables, with stakes ranging from just $0.01/$0.02 to as high as $1,000/$2,000. Apply your newly found PLO knowledge at the low stakes, master the game, and build your way up to our high-stakes tables, where the best players in the world await. 

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