PLO6 Rules: Six-Card Omaha

01 / FOUNDATION

What is six-card Omaha?

PLO6 is pot-limit six-card Omaha. Each player receives six private cards, betting follows pot-limit rules, and the strongest legal five-card hand wins at showdown. This guide covers standard high-only PLO6, not a high-low split variant. Standard poker hand rankings apply; the difference is how you build your hand.

Your final hand must contain exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards. You cannot use one private card with four board cards, three private cards with two board cards, or all five board cards. The four unused private cards never become extra kickers.

A lone private heart cannot make a flush with four board hearts. Try the flush trap with the HPD host.

02 / THE FLOW

From the deal to the river

1. Button, blinds and deal. The dealer button marks position. Normally the next two seats post the small and big blinds, then each player receives six face-down cards. Heads-up, the button posts the small blind. Blind sizes and any special table rules are set by the game.
2. Preflop. Action normally starts left of the big blind; heads-up, the button acts first. Facing a bet, you may fold, call or make a permitted raise. If nobody raises, the big blind can check or raise when action returns.
3. Flop. Three shared cards are dealt. In later betting rounds, action starts with the first active player left of the button. With no bet to call, you may check or bet. With only three board cards available, every legal made hand uses all three.
4. Turn and river. A fourth, then a fifth community card arrives, with a betting round after each. You still use only three board cards. Your best private pair can change as new cards arrive; you never lock in two hole cards in advance.
5. Finish the hand. If everyone else folds, the remaining player wins without needing a showdown. Otherwise compare the best legal five-card hands after the final betting round. All-in players may reach showdown without further betting; side pots are settled separately among eligible players.

For example, hold A♥ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 8♠ 7♦ on a Q♥ J♥ 2♣ flop. Q♦ J♣ makes two pair, queens and jacks. If T♥ arrives, A♥ K♥ becomes the best private pair and makes a royal flush with Q♥ J♥ T♥. A later 3♣ changes nothing about those best five cards.

03 / KNOWLEDGE CHECK

PLO6 rules quests

Spot the rule mistake

Try four hands with the HPD host. Choose the cards, correct the mistake, and see how it changes the result.

Your final hand: 2 private cards + 3 board cards.

You can read every example and answer below. Interactive checks need JavaScript.

01

The flush that isn't

Four hearts on the board. Ready to claim a flush?

A standard 52-card deck, high-only PLO6. Build the best legal five from the exact cards below.

Build your strongest legal hand. Pick 2 private cards and 3 board cards.

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♣Q♦J♣8♠7♦

Shared board

K♥9♥5♥2♥3♣

Read the worked answer

Use A♥ K♣ from your hand and K♥ 9♥ 5♥ from the board. That's kings with A-9-5.

Same board. One extra heart in your hand. Build it again.

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♣Q♦J♥8♠7♦

Shared board

K♥9♥5♥2♥3♣

Read the worked answer

Use A♥ J♥ + K♥ 9♥ 5♥: an ace-high flush, A-K-J-9-5.

02

The board doesn't play for you

The board shows Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 8♦. Your private cards still supply exactly two of the final five.

The board has a full house. What do you actually have?

Your 6 private cards

A♠K♣J♥10♠7♣2♦

Shared board

Q♠Q♥Q♦8♣8♦

Read the worked answer

Three queens, with ace-king kickers. You must use two private cards.

Choose the best legal five.

Your 6 private cards

A♠K♣J♥10♠7♣2♦

Shared board

Q♠Q♥Q♦8♣8♦

Read the worked answer

Use A♠ K♣ + Q♠ Q♥ Q♦. The two eights stay on the board.

You brought the pair. Where does it go?

Your 6 private cards

A♠K♣J♥A♣7♣2♦

Shared board

Q♠Q♥Q♦8♣8♦

Read the worked answer

Replace T♠ with A♣. Use A♠ A♣ + Q♠ Q♥ Q♦: queens full of aces.

Four queens still need a fifth card.

Your 6 private cards

A♠K♣J♥Q♣7♣2♦

Shared board

Q♠Q♥Q♦8♣8♦

Read the worked answer

Replace T♠ with Q♣. Use Q♣ A♠ + Q♠ Q♥ Q♦: four queens, ace kicker.

03

Where did the hearts go?

No opponent, exposed or dead cards are known. There are 43 unseen cards: 52 − 6 − 3. Unseen includes cards held by other players; this is not a count of cards physically left in the stub.

How many hearts are unseen?

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♥Q♥J♥8♣7♣

Shared board

10♥9♥2♠

Read the worked answer

13 hearts − 4 private hearts − 2 flop hearts = 7 unseen hearts.

Chance the turn is a heart?

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♥Q♥J♥8♣7♣

Shared board

10♥9♥2♠

Read the worked answer

Keep A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 8♣ 7♣ on T♥ 9♥ 2♠: 7/43 = 16.28%.

Chance the turn is a heart now?

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♥Q♦J♦8♣7♣

Shared board

10♥9♥2♠

Read the worked answer

New example: swap Q♥ J♥ for Q♦ J♦. A♥ K♥ Q♦ J♦ 8♣ 7♣ on T♥ 9♥ 2♠ leaves 9/43 = 20.93%.

What did we just measure?

Read the worked answer

We measured heart arrival on the turn, not winning equity.

At least one heart by the river

With four private hearts: 1 − (36/43 × 35/42) = 30.23%. With two private hearts: 1 − (34/43 × 33/42) = 37.87%. This means at least one heart across the two cards, not hearts on both. These are heart-arrival probabilities, not winning equity.

04

Build the pot raise

Fictional practice chips. The street begins at 100; an opponent bets 50. You have 0 committed this street and 500 behind. Pot now 150; call 50. No side pots, rake or additional bets. You may raise; the minimum raise increment is 50. The cards supply continuity, not a recommendation to raise.

Call first. What is the pot after your 50-chip call?

Your 6 private cards

A♥K♥Q♦J♦8♣7♣

Shared board

10♥9♥2♠

Pot now150

To call50

Behind500

Read the worked answer

150 + 50 = 200 after your call.

Now raise by that 200. How many NEW chips do you put in altogether?

Pot now150

To call50

Behind500

Read the worked answer

Call 50 → pot becomes 200 → raise 200 → new chips 250. Pot immediately after: 400, before any opponent response.

The pot-limit ceiling is 250. How many chips can you actually add?

Pot now150

To call50

Behind180

Read the worked answer

New betting example: only 180 behind. Add 180: call 50 + raise 130; pot becomes 330 before any response. This raise exceeds the stated 50-chip minimum; other short all-ins need a separate legality check.

What is your maximum additional contribution, and your total street commitment?

Pot now180

To call30

Behind500

Already committed this street: 20. This is a new betting example; your action has reopened.

Read the worked answer

New betting example: the street starts at 110; you bet 20; the opponent raises to 50. Pot now = 110 + 20 + 50 = 180. With 500 behind and 30 to call, add at most 240; your street total is 260. The pot becomes 420 before any response. The last raise increment was 30 and your action has reopened.

04 / INTERACTIVE PRACTICE

Build a legal PLO6 hand

Choose two private cards and three board cards. The lab ranks your selection and compares it with every legal selection for that scenario. It evaluates a made hand; it does not calculate your chance of beating opponents. Multiple selections can share the best rank.

05 / BETTING MATH

How pot-limit betting works

When facing a bet, calculate the biggest pot-sized raise in two stages. Let P be the entire pot immediately before your action, including all chips already bet this round. Let C be the additional amount you must put in to call.

Suppose the pot was 100 and an opponent bets 50. The pot before your action is now 150, and calling costs 50. Your call makes the pot 200, so you may raise another 200. You contribute 250 in total. If you had no chips committed this street, that is a raise to 250; the pot becomes 400 after your action.

If you have already put in 20 this street, “new chips” and “raise to” differ. With P = 180 and C = 30, your maximum additional contribution is 240. Your total street commitment would be 260. With nothing to call, C = 0 and the maximum bet is simply the current pot.

Your stack and the betting rules also limit raises. Your remaining stack limits how much you can add. If it is below the call, you can call all-in for less than the full amount. A raise normally must be at least the last full bet or raise increment; a smaller all-in may not reopen action. This calculator does not account for prior betting, the minimum raise, side-pot eligibility, or reopening rules. The room’s rules and dealer determine which actions are legal.

06 / SHOWDOWN

PLO6 hand rankings

Compare the category first, then the relevant ranks within it. A royal flush is the ace-high straight flush, the strongest version of that category. The ace can also be low in A-2-3-4-5, but a straight cannot wrap around from king through ace to two.

1. Straight flush · five suited, consecutive cards
2. Four of a kind · four equal ranks
3. Full house · three of one rank, two of another
4. Flush · five of one suit
5. Straight · five consecutive ranks
6. Three of a kind · three equal ranks
7. Two pair · two different pairs
8. One pair · one matching pair
9. High card · none of the above

For two pair, compare the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the kicker. For full houses, compare the three-of-a-kind rank first. For flushes, compare the highest card, then the next, continuing until a difference appears. Always compare the legal five-card result, never all six private cards.

If two players’ best legal five-card hands have identical ranks and kickers, they tie and split the relevant pot. Suits do not break ties. Unused hole cards do not break ties either. Any odd chip is awarded according to the room’s rules.

07 / DRAWS AND EQUITY

Suited cards, blockers, outs and equity

A suited private pair can combine with three board cards of that suit. Extra cards of the same suit in your hand cannot join that flush; they also remove potential board cards from the deck. “More hearts” therefore does not automatically mean “more ways to complete a heart flush.”

Compare A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 8♣ 7♣ with A♥ K♥ Q♦ J♦ 8♣ 7♣ on T♥ 9♥ 2♠. In both cases, 43 cards are unseen: 52 minus six private cards and three flop cards. The first holding leaves seven unseen hearts; the second leaves nine.

Count the unseen hearts in Quest 3. Compare both holdings and distinguish the chance of completing a heart flush from your equity.

To find the chance of a heart by the river, subtract the chance of missing twice from one: 1 − (36/43 × 35/42) for seven hearts, or 1 − (34/43 × 33/42) for nine. After a non-heart K♠ turn, one community card remains to be dealt: the river-heart chances are 7/42 = 16.67% and 9/42 = 21.43%.

These figures assume a standard deck and no other known or exposed cards. They describe the available information, not a claim that opponents hold no hearts. Known dead cards or information about opponents can change the calculation. A heart may complete your flush without making it the winning hand.

08 / FORMAT CHECK

PLO4, PLO5 and PLO6

Adding another private card gives you more pairs to choose from, but the hand-construction rule stays the same. The extra combinations make careful hand reading more important; their number alone does not tell you your chance of winning.

In PLO6, there are 15 legal selections on the flop, 60 on the turn and 150 on the river: 15 private pairs multiplied by 1, 4 or 10 board triples. These selections overlap. They are neither independent hands nor independent chances of winning.

To compare poker apps, see HPD’s PPPoker guide, PokerBROS guide and ClubGG guide. Confirm the exact six-card format and current table conditions with HPD support before joining.