Omaha Poker Variations: PLO, Hi-Lo, 5-Card & More

Omaha poker has several variations, but they all share one unbreakable rule: you make your hand from exactly two of your hole cards plus exactly three of the five board cards. What changes between variants is the number of hole cards, the betting format, and whether the pot splits high and low. The main variations are Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Five-Card and Six-Card Omaha, Courchevel, and Big O.

The core variations at a glance

Variation	Hole cards	Pot	Signature twist
Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)	4	High only	The standard game; pot-limit betting
Omaha Hi-Lo (8 or better)	4	Split high/low	Best low of 8-or-better takes half
Five-Card Omaha	5	High only	Six two-card combos, bigger draws
Six-Card Omaha	6	High only	Even more combinations, huge equities
Courchevel	5	High (or Hi-Lo)	First flop card dealt before betting
Big O	5	Split high/low	Five-card Hi-Lo with a low qualifier

Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)

The default and most popular form. Each player gets four hole cards and the best five-card high hand wins the whole pot. The betting is pot-limit — the maximum bet is the current size of the pot — which keeps preflop pots controlled while allowing large postflop leverage. This is the game most people mean by “Omaha.” Start with what is PLO poker for the full ruleset.

Omaha Hi-Lo (Omaha 8 or Better)

Same four hole cards, but the pot splits between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. A low must be five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower (the “8 or better” qualifier). You can use different two-card combinations for your high and your low from the same hand. If no one makes a qualifying low, the high hand scoops the whole pot. Our Omaha Hi-Lo rules cover the split and the low qualifier in detail.

Five- and Six-Card Omaha

Adding hole cards multiplies your two-card combinations and pushes equities closer together. Five-Card Omaha gives ten two-card combinations instead of the four-card game’s six, so wraps and big draws appear more often. Six-Card Omaha goes further still, producing enormous drawing hands and near coin-flip all-ins. Both remain single-deck games, which caps table sizes because the cards run out faster. See Five-Card Omaha rules for how the extra card reshapes strategy.

Courchevel and Big O

• Courchevel is a five-card Omaha variant where the first flop card is exposed before the opening betting round, giving players early board information. It exists in both high-only and Hi-Lo forms and is popular in mixed-game rotations.
• Big O is essentially Five-Card Omaha Hi-Lo with an 8-or-better low qualifier. The extra hole card makes qualifying lows and nut highs both easier, creating action-heavy split pots. Our how to play Big O guide breaks down the split-pot dynamics.

Betting formats layer on top of the variants

Any Omaha variant can be dealt under different betting structures, which change how big the pots get:

• Pot-Limit (the standard for Omaha): the maximum bet equals the current pot size. This is the near-universal choice because it keeps preflop pots sane while still allowing large postflop leverage.
• Limit: bets and raises are fixed increments. Omaha Hi-Lo is often spread as a limit game, especially in mixed rotations, because the split pot suits a capped structure.
• No-Limit: rare for Omaha, because with four cards and close equities, uncapped betting produces enormous preflop all-ins that flatten the skill edge.

So “Pot-Limit Omaha” names both the four-card game and its betting cap, while “Omaha 8 or better” is often played limit. Variant and betting format are two separate choices stacked together.

Which should you play?

Pot-Limit Omaha is the right starting point — the widest games, the deepest strategy resources, and the cleanest ruleset. From there, Hi-Lo teaches you to read boards two ways at once, and the five- and six-card games sharpen your nut awareness because second-best hands lose more often. Courchevel and Big O are best saved for after you are comfortable with PLO and Hi-Lo, since they combine an extra card with a twist that punishes loose play hard.

Omaha’s variants are a family united by one rule and separated by card count and pot structure. To explore related community-card games beyond Omaha, visit the other variants hub, or keep building your Omaha foundation on the Omaha and PLO hub.