How to play
Courchevel is Five-Card Omaha with one twist: the first card of the flop is turned face up before the first betting round, so everyone sees part of the board before they decide to play. Here you sit at a pot-limit cash table with one to five computer opponents. Everyone starts with 1,000 chips, the blinds are 5 and 10, and a fresh 52-card deck is shuffled for every hand.
- Five hole cards and one board card. Everyone gets five cards face down, and one community card is dealt face up right away.
- Preflop betting with that card already showing. The button (D) moves each hand and the two players to its left post the blinds.
- The flop adds two more community cards (three in total), then the turn and the river, with a betting round after each.
- Exactly two plus three. Your hand is the best five cards from exactly two of your five hole cards and exactly three community cards, as in all Omaha games.
- Pot limit. The most you can raise is the size of the pot after you call; the Pot button sets the largest raise.
Side pots, the uncalled bet and split pots work as in Omaha. When an opponent runs out of chips, a new player takes the seat with 1,000 chips; if you run out, you can get 1,000 free credits at a new table. Your table is saved between visits.
Strategy
Use the open card. Before the flop you already know one board card. A hand that pairs it, or has two cards of its suit, or connects with it for a straight, is worth much more than the same hand in regular Five-Card Omaha.
Fold hands that miss the first card. With five cards and a visible board card, most players will have something. Hands that have nothing to do with the open card are usually not worth a raise.
Aim for the nuts. As in all five-card Omaha games, second-best flushes and the low end of straights lose a lot of chips.
Watch the paired board. When the open card pairs on the flop, full houses become likely.
More poker. For the version without the early card, play Five-Card Omaha. For split pots, try Big O.
If you enjoy Courchevel, try Crapless Craps or Craps next.
