Omaha hand rankings in order
Omaha uses exactly the same hand rankings as Texas Hold’em: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. What is different is how a hand is made: you hold four cards and must use exactly two of them with exactly three community cards. That one rule changes which hands are possible on a given board, and it is why Hold’em players misread Omaha hands far more often than they misrank them.
Key facts
- The order of hands is identical to Hold’em; the table below adds what each rank means in Omaha.
- Your hand is always 2 hole cards + 3 board cards: a flush needs two of the suit in your hand, a straight needs two connecting cards.
- You cannot play the board in Omaha.
- Average winning hands are much stronger: straights win 25% of 4-way Omaha showdowns and one pair under 2% (simulation below).
| Hand | Example | In Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Royal flush |      | A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit. You still need two of those cards in your own hand. |
| 2. Straight flush |      | Five in a row, one suit. Commoner than in Hold’em: four hole cards make more draws. |
| 3. Four of a kind |     | Needs a pair of the rank in your hand, or one in hand plus a board pair, or two on the board. |
| 4. Full house |     | Three of a kind plus a pair. Wins about one Omaha pot in five, so build it with care. |
| 5. Flush |      | Five of one suit. Counts only if two flush cards are in your hand: one is never enough. |
| 6. Straight |    | Five in a row, mixed suits. The most common winner in Omaha showdowns. |
| 7. Three of a kind |   | Three of one rank: a pair in hand plus one on the board, or one in hand plus a board pair. |
| 8. Two pair |   | Two different pairs. A solid Hold’em hand that is rarely enough at an Omaha showdown. |
| 9. One pair |    | One pair. Wins under 2% of 4-way Omaha showdowns; in Hold’em it wins a quarter of them. |
| 10. High card | | No combination. Almost never wins an Omaha pot that reaches a showdown. |
Side-by-side card examples for every rank are in the poker hand rankings guide; which four-card hands are worth playing before the flop is in the PLO starting hands guide.
The exactly-two-hole-cards rule
Every Omaha hand is built the same way, with no exceptions:
- Pick exactly two of your four hole cards. The other two do not exist at showdown.
- Add exactly three of the five community cards.
- Your hand is the best five-card combination you can make under those two constraints, judged by the table above.
With four hole cards there are six two-card combinations, and with five board cards ten three-card groups: sixty possible hands to check. At the table nobody counts them; you learn the patterns below. To verify any hand instantly, use the hand calculator in Omaha mode.
The three most misread Omaha hands
All three mistakes come from Hold’em habits, where one hole card, or none, can make a hand.
“I have the nut flush”
Four hearts on the board and the A♥ in your hand: in Hold’em this is the nut flush. In Omaha it is a pair of kings. A flush needs two hearts from your hand, and you have one. Any opponent holding two hearts has a flush; you do not.
“The board plays”
In Hold’em everyone can play this board: aces full of kings, usually a split pot. In Omaha you cannot play the board: it is always exactly two from your hand plus three from it. Your best hand is Q-Q with three aces, aces full of queens, and it loses to anyone holding a king.
“My straight uses one card”
The jack would complete a jack-high straight in Hold’em, where one hole card is enough. In Omaha J-6, J-A or A-A with three board cards makes no straight, so this hand is a pair of aces. The board’s own 10-9-8-7 does not play without two connecting cards in your hand.
What actually wins an Omaha pot
We dealt 40,000 four-player hands to showdown with our calculator engine and recorded the winning hand in Omaha and in Texas Hold’em on the same deals. Omaha winners sit two ranks higher on average: plan on needing the nuts, or close to it, in a multiway pot.
| Winning hand | Omaha | Hold’em |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Flush | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Four of a Kind | 1.9% | 0.6% |
| Full House | 20.4% | 8% |
| Flush | 18.1% | 8.7% |
| Straight | 24.9% | 13.1% |
| Three of a Kind | 12.8% | 11.1% |
| Two Pair | 20% | 33.8% |
| One Pair | 1.6% | 24.1% |
| High Card | 0% | 0.6% |
Royal flushes are counted inside straight flushes. The percentages are for deals where everyone stays to the river; in real play weak hands fold earlier, so showdown winners run even stronger. Check your own chances on any street with the odds calculator.
Omaha vs Hold’em at a glance
| Feature | Omaha | Texas Hold’em |
|---|---|---|
| Hole cards | Four | Two |
| Cards you must use | Exactly two | Any number, even none |
| Playing the board | Impossible | Allowed |
| Hand rankings | Identical | Identical |
| Most common winner (4-way) | Straight (24.9%) | Two pair (33.8%) |
| One pair wins | 1.6% of showdowns | 24.1% of showdowns |
New to four-card poker? Start with the PLO starting hands guide, then practise reading boards risk-free at the free tables in Appeak Poker.
Omaha hand rankings FAQ
Are Omaha hand rankings different from Texas Hold’em?
No. Omaha uses the same ten hand ranks in the same order, from royal flush down to high card. What changes is how you make a hand: in Omaha you must use exactly two of your four hole cards plus exactly three community cards, so the same board produces different hands than in Hold’em.
How many hole cards do you use in Omaha?
Always exactly two of your four, combined with exactly three of the five community cards. Not one, not three, and never the board alone. This rule has no exceptions and causes most misread hands.
Can you play the board in Omaha?
No. Playing the board, using all five community cards, is only possible in Hold’em. In Omaha two of your hole cards are always part of your final hand, so a board like a straight or a full house is never automatically yours.
Why doesn’t my flush count in Omaha?
Because a flush needs two cards of the suit in your own hand. With one heart and four hearts on the board you have no flush: the mandatory second hole card breaks it. The same applies to straights: two of the five cards must come from your hand.
What hand usually wins an Omaha pot?
In our simulation of 40,000 four-player showdowns, straights won 25% of Omaha pots, full houses 20%, two pair 20% and flushes 18%. One pair won under 2%. In Hold’em, by contrast, one pair and two pair together win more than half of all showdowns.
What is the best starting hand in Omaha?
A-A-K-K double-suited: two big pairs and two nut-flush draws. The top 30 starting hands, with equities, are in the Pot-Limit Omaha starting hands guide.
Are PLO and Omaha hand rankings the same?
Yes. PLO (Pot-Limit Omaha) is the same game of Omaha with pot-limit betting, so the hand rankings and the two-hole-card rule are identical. Hi-lo variants such as Omaha 8 add a separate low hand, but the high hand still follows this table.
How can I check an Omaha hand?
Switch the free poker hand calculator to Omaha mode, enter up to six four-card hands and the board, and it names each player’s best hand and the winner, applying the two-hole-card rule for you.