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An alternative to hold'em
Many, many people have flocked to the internet to play in Texas Hold ‘Em games and tournaments. The no-limit game of this is the ME (Main Event) at the World Series of Poker and is televised and glorified to the hilt.
For this reason, some people feel the game of Texas Hold ‘Em is over-exposed. Others may need a change of pace after the barrage of Hold ‘Em games, but still want to play cards. So what do you do in this case? You learn how to play Omaha.
The good news about Omaha is that you don’t even have to learn all that much- if you already know how to play Texas Hold ‘Em, you pretty much know how to play Omaha, with just a few differences.
The hierarchy of hands remains the same for Omaha, and the flop, turn and river are all the same as well. The difference here is in the amount of hole cards that you are dealt. In a Hold ‘Em game, you are dealt two hole cards and can use one, two or none of those cards to make your best five-card hand.
In Omaha, you are dealt four hole cards. You are only allowed to use two of those four cards to make the best five-card hand possible. The other twist is that unlike Hold ‘Em, you can’t use none of the cards and only use the five community cards. You must use two of your hole cards and three community cards.
For instance, if you are playing Hold ‘Em and a straight ends up on the board, the game is a wash and the pot is split, unless a player has one hole card that can make a higher straight. This would never happen in Omaha- you must use two of your hole cards to make your hand.
Omaha takes some getting used to if you are used to Hold ‘Em. Having to figure out your best hand from four cards instead of two takes some practice and getting used to. Also, it can be frustrating if you are dealt three of the same card, and can only use two of them as a pair. But for this reason, it can also be a fun and exciting alternative to Texas Hold ‘Em.
