Texas Holdem is the most popular poker played online, in casinos and around the world in people’s homes. If you’re new to poker then this is the game you want to learn first. Read these basic texas holdem rules and you’ll be playing confidently in no time.

Texas Hold'em Rules. In Texas hold’em each player is dealt two cards called their ‘hole’ cards. Hole cards can only be seen and used by one person. The dealer button (denoted by a circular disc) is allocated before hands are dealt to allow for the positioning of the forced bets: small blind and big blind, and also to determine who will act first and last in the hand. Learning the basic poker rules and understanding which of the handful of hands is best can be picked up in minutes. That’s the easy part. That’s the easy part. It’s truly mastering the way you play – and turning poker into a way to make money consistently – that can take a lifetime. Playing Poker Online. A modern day beginner’s guide to poker wouldn’t be complete without at least some reference to playing online. The option to play for real money over the internet, against other players from all around the world, is essentially responsible for the relatively recent surge in the game’s popularity.

According to the official poker rules, this game is played with a standard 52-card deck containing cards from Deuces to Aces. While poker moviesseem to like the idea of adding Jokers in the deck as well, this is not the case in real poker games, and you will hardly find any poker action that includes Jokers in the mix. The rules aren’t particularly difficult to understand. Some forms of poker are a little more complicated than others, but the rules are always relatively straightforward and certainly don’t take a huge amount of time to learn. It’s very unlikely that you’ll be consistently winning money at poker as a beginner.

This is where we would normally give you a table showing where you could play texas holdem, but every single site offers it so instead let us direct you to our top poker sites for the best places to play online.

The Button and Blinds

The order the players receive their cards in is determined by the clockwise rotation of a ‘dealer button’ which is usually referred to as simply ‘the button’. The two players to the left of the button place out a bet before the cards are dealt. These bets are known as ‘the blinds’, and are designed to create action. After all, if there is no money in the pot, who wants to play? The player immediately to the left of the button is called ‘the small blind’ and posts an amount typically equal to one half the minimum bet. The player to their left (two seats left of the button) posts ‘the big blind’, equal to one full bet. So, in a limit game with stakes of $2/$4, the blinds would be $1 and $2 (in a no-limit game the blinds would be $2/$4). The dealer button moves one seat to the left (clockwise) with each new hand that is dealt.

Pre-Flop

Players receive two cards face down that are known as their hole cards, beginning with the small blind and ending with the button. When all cards are dealt out the betting action begins with the player to the left of the big blind. This position has a special name in poker – Under the Gun. This round of betting is known as Pre-Flop. Each player acts in turn in a clockwise direction and has the option to call, raise or fold. Most poker rooms will limit the number of raises that can be made in each round, usually to three or four raises. When the action reaches the small blind they have the option to fold, raise or complete their blind. The big blind is the last to act pre-flop and they can ‘check’ (take no action), raise or fold.

Beginners’ Tip: When you are in the big blind and have a less than ideal hand it is recommended that you just check. Some new players will fold their cards when they have already placed a bet! It’s best to stick around and see what happens next.

The Flop

The dealer burns one card (burn cards are in place in casinos to prevent collusion) and deals out three cards in the center of the table. These cards are ‘community cards’, meaning they are shared by all players in the hand, they are also known as ‘the board’. The first three cards are known as ‘the flop’. In this round (and the two subsequent rounds) betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the button and continues in turn in a clockwise direction. Players have the option to check if the there is no bet in front of them, call a bet that has been made, raise a previous bet or fold.

Beginners’ Tip: If the action has been ‘checked to you’, and you have a hand you think might be hopeless, don’t fold! Just check as well if you do not have to call a bet. You never know what the next two cards will bring. Look at it like a ‘free card’ and hope your hand improves.

If there is a raise, all players who have acted prior to the raise are given a chance to act again. For example, if everyone in the hand checks to the button and the button chooses to bet, the play will continue clockwise around the table again giving all players a chance to call the bet or re-raise.

The Turn and River

After betting on the flop is completed the dealer burns another card and places one card out on the board, known as the ‘turn card’. The turn card is followed by another round of betting that follows the same procedure as on the flop. When betting on the turn ends the dealer burns one last card and places a fifth card on the board, which is called ‘fifth street’ or, more commonly, ‘the river card’. This card is followed by a final round of betting in the same method as the flop and turn rounds. When all betting is complete, it’s time for the showdown! Players turn their hands face up to show their best possible five card hands using any combination of their two cards and the five cards on the board.

Beginners’ Tip: Don’t forget your ‘kicker’! A kicker is the nickname for the card that is ‘left over’ when a player has made a hand. They are used to decide the winner in the event two or more players have the same hand. Make sure you have a high ranked kicker to ensure you can beat someone with the same hand as you!

The Winner

A player can win the pot outright or a pot can be split (also called a ‘chop’) among two or more players. Because players can use both, one or none of their hole cards to make a hand, you will occasionally run into a situation where players are ‘playing the board’, meaning the best hand they can make is the five community cards. Of course, a hand does not have to go to a showdown to be over. Sometimes a player will bet or raise and everyone else in the hand will fold. This ends all action in the hand and player who bet or raised is the winner.

Let’s take a look at some examples of winning hands:-

These are just a few examples of situations that you will encounter. Every hand plays out a little differently, and there are many outcomes. Keep in mind that it’s always the best five card hand possible of all seven cards.

Good luck at the tables!

Table Of Contents

Omaha hold'em, often called simply Omaha, is an exciting poker game that is strikingly similar to Texas hold'em, although it does have a number of differences to set it apart.

Unlike Texas hold'em, a game in which the preferred betting structure is no-limit, the most popular betting structure of Omaha games is pot-limit.

Games of this type are referred to as pot-limit Omaha, abbreviated as PLO poker.

The first major difference you'll instantly be aware of when playing PLO poker instead of hold'em is that each player is dealt exactly four hole cards instead of two.

However, players don't use all four hole cards to make a hand because they can only use two of them.

In fact, players must use exactly two of their hole cards along with three of the community cards to make a five-card poker hand.

Let's see an example:

• A player holds — a strong starting hand in pot-limit Omaha.
• The five community cards read

In a pot limit Omaha game, the player does not hold a flush despite holding the .

Neither does the player have a Broadway straight.

The player actually only has a pair of kings with an ace-kicker.

This may seem a little confusing when you first sit in a PLO game, but it quickly becomes second nature. You just need to play enough Omaha hands to get used to this and to learn how to read the board correctly.

SEE ALSO: Learn Omaha Poker at GGPoker with Daniel Negreanu

What is Pot-Limit Omaha?

To know more about the basics of the game, you can visit these pages:

• How to play Omaha poker: the official rules of the game explained in the easiest way possible.
• Why You Are Losing at Pot-Limit Omaha (With Ryan Laplante): Poker poker pro Ray Laplante helps you become a better player in a 2-minute video lesson.
• Eight Common Mistakes Beginners Make in Pot-Limit Omaha: 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba shares her thoughts on the most common mistakes beginners make when they approach Omaha poker.
• Best Free Poker Sites in 2020: a list of the top sites to practice Omaha poker for free or play real money games with bonuses.

Main Differences Between Omaha Poker and Texas Hold'em

Besides starting with four hole cards rather than two, there are a few more differences between Texas hold'em and Omaha games.

The Action Preflop

One such difference is that preflop hands in pot-limit Omaha run much closer in terms of poker equity than they do in hold'em.

• In Texas hold'em, a hand such as is an 82.36% favourite over before the flop hits the board.
• In Omaha poker a hand such as will only beat 59.84% of the time.

This closeness in preflop hand strength is one factor leading to players playing more hands, seeing more flops, and PLO being more of a drawing game than hold'em is.

This creates larger pots with the majority of the chips often going into the pot after the flop is dealt.

Hands Strenght

Another key difference is the fact you generally need a stronger hand at showdown to win at pot-limit Omaha than you would in a Texas hold'em game.

In hold'em, it is not uncommon to win a hand with two pair or even a single pair. In Omaha poker, these hands are rarely the best by the river.

The Betting Structure

The other significant difference between pot-limit Omaha and no-limit Texas hold'em is the betting structure.

In no-limit hold'em, players can bet any amount they wish, up to the size of their stack.

Omaha poker, however, is 'pot-limit,' meaning players can only bet the total size of the pot including their call.

Need help to understand the concept of pot-limit games? Let's look at another example.

Imagine a PLO poker hand that is contested between two players.

The pot has $100 in it, which means the maximum the first player can bet is $100.

When it is the second player's turn to act, that player can only bet a maximum of $400.

This is worked out by adding the initial size of the pot ($100), plus the size of the opponent's bet ($100), plus the second player's call of the first bet ($100).

This equals $300, which when added to the $100 call makes the maximum bet $400.

Betting is easier when you play online

While this can be confusing until you are used to playing the game regularly, betting in pot limit Omaha poker is a lot easier if you play online.

When playing Omaha games online you can simply click the 'pot' button and the software figures out the correct amount for you.

SEE ALSO: Want to Play Omaha Games Online? Check Out 888Poker!

Need help? Ask the Dealer to count the chips for you

In a live pot limit Omaha game, if you announce 'pot' before betting the size of the pot, the dealer will assist with the calculations.

Basic Pot-Limit Omaha Strategy

Pot-limit Omaha poker is a complex game, which makes it difficult to come up with the perfect strategy for playing it.

There are a number of pointers that you can remember that can form the basis for a solid pot limit Omaha strategy:

• Be patient with your starting hand selection. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that any four cards are worth playing.
• A bare pair of aces isn't as good as in hold'em. Two aces can help form a strong preflop hand in PLO poker, but unless they improve on the flop you're unlikely to win the pot, especially in a multi-way contested pot.
• There is less bluffing in PLO poker. While bluffing does occur, it's less prevalent in most players' PLO strategy than happens in hold'em; a show of strength in PLO is likely to be a strong hand.
• Draw to the nuts. Although there are times when you can play a weaker draw aggressively, drawing to the nuts is the best idea.

• Stop thinking like a hold'em poker player. Many Omaha poker players come from a no-limit hold'em background and play the game as such. They'll overvalue one-pair and two-pair hands, as well as open-ended straight draws (with eight outs).

  The latter is particularly problematic since in PLO poker it is possible to have 'wrap' draws with up to 20 outs with the perfect hole card and community card combination!

SEE ALSO: Dealing With Variance in Pot-Limit Omaha

Quick Strategy Tips to Be a Good Omaha Player

While Omaha might not be as 'straightforward' as Texas hold'em, these are some simple strategy tips that will help you get better results at the table — faster.

Go through this list of essential Omaha poker tips, memorise them, and you'll know what to do to become a better player right.

Know what hands to play / fold. The nature of PLO requires you to be smart and take a holistic approach to the cards that compose your starting hand.

Avoid the danglers, for example.

Whenever you decide to play a hand with a 'dangler' (a card that doesn't connect to any of the other cards in your four-card starting hand), you force yourself to play with three cards.

Why is this bad, you ask?

You might think this isn't too bad, especially if the other three cards that compose your hand seem promising.

Think about your opponents, for a moment.

If they go for a 'more conservative' pot limit Omaha poker strategy, they stay in the hand only if they can still play with all four cards, not just three.

By entering the hand with three cards, you are giving others an advantage they shouldn't have.

READ ALSO: You Play Too Loose in These 3 Preflop PLO Situations

Don't play too many hands. Note: this is not only the most important Omaha poker tip you can ever learn — it is a lesson that you should keep for all the poker games you'll ever play in your life.

Once you realize that Omaha poker games have good hands (a few) and bad hands (a lot more), you need to accept the consequences of that.

Select the hands you play and go only for the premium hands.

Omaha, like hold'em, is a game where you need to know when it's time to play and when it's best to fold your cards.

Be patient. Wait until your starting hand fits the range you should play, use the information you have to read your opponents and decide whether you should continue or not.

Know how to read the board and assess the other players' hand strength. Unless you are so good at detecting poker tells that the police use you as a real-life lie detector…be careful.

Omaha poker can become a very expensive game and one where the players don't bluff as much as in hold'em.

If a large bet comes on the board, you better save your hero call for another poker game and fold. Most Omaha players use big bets to protect their hand. Calling their alleged bluffs can be very, very costly.

Understand How Odds and Outs Work. The concepts of odds, outs, and equity are important in all poker games, including pot-limit Omaha.

If you struggle to do the math and understand how everything works, you better rely on the usual beginner's formula.

Start with a free odds calculator and continue using the tool until you learn how to do the calculations in your head.

Three Things NOT to Do in Pot Limit Omaha Poker

While in Sochi, Russia, for an 888poker Live event, PokerNews'own Tiffany Michelle approached 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba to talk about Pot-Limit Omaha.

With more than $100,000 in PLO tournament winnings and an 11th-place finish in a PLO event at the World Series of Poker, Saliba is known (and respected) to be a good Omaha poker player — perhaps even the best one in the 888poker team.

In her conversation with Michelle, Saliba touched on the three most common mistakes she sees poker players make at the table when they play Omaha poker.

Don't Freak Out When Short Stacked

'When you have seven or 10 big blinds (BB) you are not that short. You still have a lot of room to pick your spot and to pick your right hand,' Saliba explains.

Confirming one of the Omaha tips we shared earlier, patience is the key. 'You need to be very patient. I see too many people just going crazy [because] they think they are super-short.'

'Poker is about survival,' Saliba continues. 'Tournaments are about survival. PLO is like that, too — just perhaps at another level. You need to learn to manage risks all the time..'

Don't Play a Lot of Hands

If you thought our list of Omaha strategy tips was the only one mentioning the sheer volume of hands beginners play — think again.

'You have four cards,' Saliba explains. 'I know they look pretty — but this is the same for your opponent.'

If you plan on staying in the hand and invest your stack, 'you really need to have strong high cards, high pairs, drawing for the nuts.'

'You shouldn't be playing multi-way pots with weak draws or [small] pairs. You have to select the hands you play.'

Don't Assume It's Just Like No Limit Hold'Em

It's no secret that the majority of players that get into Pot Limit Omaha poker come from Texas hold'em.

According to Saliba, many of them make one common mistake: 'they think Omaha poker is simply hold'em with four cards.

'There are a lot of differences between the two games in terms of hands, of strength, theory, approaches, and more.'

'There are so many things that before you start playing PLO you should stop and study the game. Omaha is not as simple as people think.'

Best Starting Hands in Pot-Limit Omaha Poker

Like other variants of poker, pot limit Omaha success begins with solid starting hand selection.

The very best Omaha poker players in the world play a wide range of poker hands, but those new to the game should stick to hands that are stronger and therefore easier to play.

The best PLO poker starting hands are those that have a big pair in them and some connectedness that allows them to improve post-flop.

Ideally, your hands will be what is known as 'double-suited,' meaning you have the chance to flop two different flush draws.

E.g., is a nice double-suited starting hand with a big pair.

Computer simulations show that double-suited is the best pot-limit Omaha starting hand.

Flopping a set with this hand means you'll always have top set, while any flush draw will be to the nuts.

Other strong hands containing a pair of aces include and , while double-suited run-down holdings such as are also very playable.

SEE ALSO: You Can't Play Them All: Evaluating Starting Hands in Pot-Limit Omaha

Final Considerations

As you have probably gathered, pot-limit Omaha poker is an exciting game that creates big pots, and sees players make big hands regularly.

As great as this is, the big thing you need to consider is playing Omaha poker requires a larger bankroll than hold'em variants mostly because of the closeness in the strength of hands both preflop and postflop.

It's common to not have more than 60% equity on the flop against a single opponent, which can and does lead to some crazy swings!

Poker Rules Explained

When you run good at pot limit Omaha, you usually run very good, but the flipside is also true. Remember it when you play!

Poker Beginners Rules Printable

Top Omaha Poker Sites

_{This article was originally published on March 1, 2016. The last update includes new info, including a list of practical Omaha strategy tips and Vivian Saliba's insights on the most common mistakes beginners make when they play Omaha poker.}

Beginner Poker Rules

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