6 Card Omaha Poker Simplified

6 Card Omaha games have been garnering much attention as of lately and if you aren’t very familiar with this poker variation, now is the time to learn it entirely. Poker is a game of variety where everyone has something to perfect. Different players prefer to master different game types and go on to spend as much time on them as possible to earn that much more profit.

With poker tournaments in Indian getting more popular and poker games and poker rules being much more viable, you might want to find the variation that fits you best. Universally, Texas Hold’em happens to be the most popular form of poker played in both online and live poker settings, and it is so by quite the margin. From learning poker hands and all other details of poker, this game is perfect for beginners. However, another highly famous poker game happens to be the Pot Limit Omaha, which in theory, is very much like its popular cousin.

For those familiar with Pot Limit Omaha, the 6 card variant might not be as overwhelming. For those who have never even tried to play Pot Limit Omaha, we are going to keep this as simple as possible so that you can understand the game in and out. This will help you take to the game early, prepare your own game plans, and get started. That said, without further delay, here is everything you need to know about 6 Card Omaha.

Basic Rules of 6 Card PLO

Apart from the obvious inclusion of having to be dealt with six hole cards, the rules and structure for the rest of the game are identical to the traditional Pot Limit version of Omaha Poker. So, to begin with, each player at the table is dealt with no more than six cards to get started. As the game moves forward, five community cards are dealt to be placed at the center of the table. This is something most poker players must be familiar with playing games like Texas Hold’em.

The community cards in six card Omaha are dealt in this order: three on the Flop, a single card on the Turn followed by one last card on the River. During the showdown, the players still in the pot must combine precisely two of their six hold cards with exactly three of the community cards available to create the best possible five card poker hand. The player with such a combination, better than all their opponents, wins the prize pool.

How 6 Cards Create a Difference in Approach

For the most part, everything we discussed so far might make this variation appear to be just as your regular PLO game. However, talking about strategy, having six cards being dealt with as hole cards changes everything. The range of hand combinations you can put up against your opponents is much broader. To make things simple, know that you will require a significantly good hand to progress in a six card PLO game. With four hold cards, there are six possible two-card combinations that you can work with. Increasing the number up to six hole cards raises the amount of two-card combinations from six to 15. This substantial increase in hand combinations leads to a more significant increase in variance.

The Best 6 Card Omaha Starting Hands

While playing with four hole cards in the regular Omaha games, you have six possible two-card combinations to make yourself the best poker hand you can in the game. In the ‘Big O’ variation of Omaha, this number increases to ten combinations. However, in six card PLO games, you have the chance to make anything from 15 possible start hand combinations stretching across your six starting hands. This means that you should be aiming for more than simple-suited aces or kings to be your starting hand. It will benefit you if you try and have as many straight and flush combinations as you possibly can. However, at the same time, keep your eye on drawing to the nuts as many times as you can.  

How to Play the Flop in Six Card PLO

Until the Flop round, you won’t truly know how strong your starting hand really is. This is because Six Card PLO is a flop-driven game at its core. Your goal is to make hands that can guarantee you the nuts. Hence, the better in place your hand is pre-flop, the better are your odds. It is better for you if your cards work in-sync to create flush, straight, and full house opportunities. You should be able to judge for yourself the opportunities you have to make these combinations as you reach the Flop.

What is a ‘Dangler’ Hand in Six Card PLO?

In the usual four hole card Omaha, you would be looking for all of your four cards to work in unison and complement each other. For example, let us say your hold Kc-Ac-4d-Ad. Basically, you possess double-suited aces with two possible flush draws to go with your aces. Having an Ace and King from one suit and an Ace and Four from one suit also gives you two separate straight opportunities.

However, a ‘Dangler’ hand is a combination of cards that does not do that and has nothing to do with the rest of your hole cards. You should be aware of these when you pick your starting hands. You might have to often play with a dangler hand in Six Card PLOs. If you are not okay with that and stay waiting for the perfect hand, then the chances are that you will barely enter any pots.

And that sums up everything you will need to know about Six Card PLOs to at least get started. You can play this version of Omaha, along with much more such fun and exciting poker variations on the official Spartan Poker website. Our interface benefits those who wish to get started with poker just as much as it helps those who are familiar with the game. From learning how to play poker to playing tournaments at the highest level, do it all on Spartan.