How to Play Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)
Practice it against the bots, freeQuick start
- You get 4 private cards; 5 shared cards come out like Hold'em.
- Your hand must use exactly 2 of your cards and exactly 3 from the board.
- Pot-limit: the biggest bet or raise is the size of the pot.
- Same hand rankings and betting rounds as Hold'em.
PLO looks like Hold'em with extra cards, and the extra cards mean bigger hands and huge draws. The one rule that trips everyone up: exactly two from your hand, exactly three from the board. No more, no fewer.
Every game here uses Dojo Coin: play money with no real-world value. You can buy it with Buy Coin (not sold in Washington state), but you can't cash it out. It's just for practice.
How a hand plays
- Button and blinds. The dealer button moves one seat left each hand. The two players to its left post the small and big blind. No antes. In tournaments everyone starts with 5,000 chips at blinds of 10/20, and the blinds go up every set number of hands.
- Deal. Everyone gets 4 cards face down.
- Preflop. The player left of the big blind acts first. The big blind acts last and may raise even if everyone just called.
- Flop, turn, river. Three shared cards, then a fourth, then a fifth. A betting round follows each, starting with the first player still in to the left of the button.
- Showdown. Each player's best hand made from 2 hole cards + 3 board cards is compared. Best hand wins.
If everyone else folds, the last player wins the pot without showing. Heads-up: the button posts the small blind and acts first preflop; after the flop the big blind acts first.
Betting rules
On your turn you can check (if nobody has bet), bet, call, raise or fold. If you could check for free, the site checks for you instead of folding.
- Smallest bet: one big blind. Smallest raise: at least the last full bet or raise this round.
- Biggest bet or raise: the pot. Picture yourself calling first; your raise can be as big as the whole pot after that call. The Pot button does the math for you.
- Short all-ins don't reopen the betting for players who already acted, unless they add up to a full raise.
Example: blinds 50/100, pot 150, you're first in. Call 100 (pot is now 250), then raise 250 more. Your pot-size raise goes to 350.
Hand rankings
Same high-hand rankings as Hold'em, from royal flush down to high card. See the full hand rankings table.
Tricky spots
The one-heart "flush." Board 9♥ 6♥ 2♥ K♥ 4♣, you hold A♥ J♠ J♦ 8♣. Only one heart in your hand, so no flush. Your best is a pair of jacks.
The one-card straight. Board 5♣ 6♦ 7♠ 8♥ Q♣, you hold 9♠ A♦ A♣ K♥. One nine isn't enough: the second hole card has to fit too. Best hand: a pair of aces.
Trips on board. Board Q♠ Q♦ Q♣ 5♥ 5♠. You can only use three board cards, so you need a pair in your hand (or a queen plus another card) to make a full house.
FAQ
How many hole cards do you use in PLO?
Exactly two of your four hole cards, plus exactly three of the five board cards. Never one, never three.
How do you calculate a pot-size raise?
Call the current bet first, then raise by the size of the whole pot after that call. Pot-size raise = current bet + pot after your call. The Pot button does it for you.
Is the hand ranking different in Omaha?
No. PLO uses the same high-hand rankings as Hold'em. Only which cards you may use is different.
Can four of a suit on the board give me a flush?
Only if you hold two cards of that suit. One suited card is never enough in Omaha.