Common Omaha Terms and Meanings

Below is a list of some common terms that other Omaha players will throw around without hesitation. If you want to be respected at the table, you better know what they are saying and know how to throw a few words of your own in. Most of these terms are more than specifically Omaha meanings but you'll no doubt hear them often when playing Omaha!

Flop – the flop is the term used to refer to the first three cards that the dealer puts into the shared cards in the center of the table

Turn Card – the turn card is the term used to refer to the fourth card that the dealer puts into the shared cards in the center of the table

River Card – the river card is the term used to refer to the fifth card that the dealer puts into the shared cards in the center of the table

The Nuts – the nuts refers to the best possible hand given the current state of the cards. For example, if the flop came up 3D 7D JD, then the person holding the ace of diamonds plus at least one other diamond would have the nuts.

Second Nuts – the second nuts refers to the second best possible hand given the current state of the cards. For example, if the flop came up 3D 7D JD, then the person holding the king of diamonds plus at least one other diamond would have the second nuts. Although this is not the best hand at the moment, it is not a guarantee that some player has the ace of diamonds paired with another diamond as above. You should always play a second nuts hand unless you are pretty certain someone has the nuts.

Third Nuts – you can probably guess what this means

The Wheel – the wheel is a special term to refer to the nuts low hand in an Omaha Hi Lo game. This of course is the lowest possible hand of A 2 3 4 5. If someone obtains the wheel, there is no way another player could beat their low hand, regardless of what other cards come up (though a tie is not out of the question)

Nut Draw – nut draw refers to the situation where a player may not have the best current hand, but that there is a card or cards that could come up on the turn or river card to push them into the lead.

Second nut draw, third nut draw, etc.

Open Ended Straight Draw – open ended straight draw refers to having 4 of the five cards to make a straight in succession. For example, having 3 4 5 6 means that your straight could be completed by either getting a 2 or getting an 8.

Inside Straight Draw – inside straight draw refers to having 4 of the five cards to make a straight, but not in succession. For example, having 3 4 6 7 means that your straight could be completed only by getting a 5.

I hope these terms have been helpful. Our Poker Dictionary may help you even more. Don’t be afraid to throw these around as they are pretty common and will make you look more like a pro and a more serious player. It might even make the fish easier to catch!