PLO vs Hold’em Equity: Why Omaha Hands Run Closer

The biggest adjustment for Hold'em players moving to Omaha is how close the equities are. Hands that would be huge favourites in Hold'em are small favourites in PLO and nearly even in PLO5. These numbers are exact, calculated over every possible board.

The Same Kind of Matchup in Three Games

The best hand against a random hand follows the same pattern: 85.2% in Hold'em, 70.6% in PLO, 63.3% in PLO5.

Why the Gap Closes

• More starting hands. There are 1,326 two-card Hold'em hands, 270,725 four-card PLO hands and 2,598,960 five-card PLO5 hands. Few of them dominate each other.
• More ways to use your cards. A Hold'em hand is one two-card combination. A PLO hand is six (you must use exactly two), and a PLO5 hand is ten. More combinations mean more ways to hit any board.
• Draws are bigger. Wraps and combo draws can have 15 or more outs, so a draw is often close to even with a made hand.

Draws vs Made Hands on the Flop

In Hold'em, a set on the flop is usually a large favourite. In Omaha, top set against a big wrap is a coin flip.

How This Changes Your Play

• Preflop edges are small, so position and playability matter more than raw hand strength.
• Big draws are often worth getting in; folding them can be the mistake.
• Second-best hands lose more: aim for the nuts, especially the nut flush and the top straight.
• Multiway pots spread equity thin; the best hand often has under 50%.

See every matchup in the poker odds tables, or read how often aces win in Omaha.