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What is Courchevel Poker ?

Courchevel is a variant of 5-card Omaha poker. Let's just say that Courchevel is not a variant for beginners. You'll be dealing with five private cards, which can be intimidating if you're new to the world of poker. Even with a lot of practice, it can be difficult to play multiple Courchevel tables simultaneously. At each street, you'll have to ask yourself which of your two private cards will make the best hand. The draws are also much more complicated to calculate than in Texas Hold'em, for example

It's true that Courchevel is a variant with a lot of action, but if that's the action you're looking for, it's probably best to familiarize yourself with classic Omaha Hi before venturing into Courchevel. If you are used to playing Omaha and are looking for a new challenge, then Courchevel will be perfect for you

Game limits

There are three types of Courchevel:

  • Courchevel limite
  • Courchevel pot limit
  • Courchevel without limits

The most popular variant will undoubtedly be the pot limit variant. Courchevel will also be played mainly as a hi version, i.e. you will always play only to make the strongest hand (according to the usual hand rankings, known in Omaha and Hold'em in particular). It is theoretically possible to play Courchevel Hi-Lo, but the games are very rare.

The course of a Courchevel hand

First of all, let's say that a game of Courchevel is roughly the same as a game of 5-card Omaha. The core of the hand will remain the same: there will be a dealer, two blinds, small and big, the action will always be clockwise, each player will receive his cards one after the other, the betting periods will be the same, the options will be the same (check, call, raise, fold, depending on the previous actions) etc.

Préflop

In Courchevel, each player is dealt 5 private cards one after the other. He will keep his five cards until the showdown, but he must choose only two to make his hand

Flopet (or teat)

The flopet will be a new concept for regular Omaha players. In a classic Omaha game, after the preflop action, comes the flop action. The flop is when the dealer will reveal three community cards simultaneously. The flopet is when a single card is revealed after the private cards have been dealt to the players. The flopet (or nipple) is revealed after the private cards have been dealt and will be part of the flop. This means that the flop, rather than being revealed in one step, will be revealed in two steps; the first card pre-flop and then the next two cards at the time of the usual flop. After the flop, there is a betting period as in Omaha

Flop

This is where the dealer will add the 2 community cards to the flopet to form the three-card flop. After the flop is revealed, a round of betting will take place. The remaining players in the hand will see a turn.

Turn

The turn is revealed as in an Omaha game. It is a single community card, after which there is a bidding period

River

The river is revealed as in a game of Omaha. It is a community card after which a bidding period takes place. The river is the last common card to be revealed. If there are two or more players left after the river, they move on to the next stage, the showdown

L’abattage

The showdown is when the players reveal their cards. Players will have to build the best possible hand using exactly three community cards as well as two private cards.

Courchevel vs Five Card Omaha

Both variants are similar except for the flop. As mentioned above, the Courchevel has a different flop with its flopet; this is the only difference.

What is the impact of the flopet on the game?

The flopet will have the impact of reducing the variance in the long run, which is not a bad thing, given the high variance of Five Card Omaha. Having extra information before betting will give us an advantage. Of course, every player at the table will have the same advantage. Wish you were the one to make the best use of this information

An example

You are in an early position (Under The Gun) with 5-5-Q-T-2. Normally the best play is to fold, but if the flopet is a 5 for example, you will have to change your strategy accordingly. For this reason, always remember that if the flop doubles with the flopet, there is a high probability that a player will have that three of a kind. Imagine a flopet 7 and a final flop of 7-7-2. Since all players have seen the 7 before betting, it's a safe bet that one player will have three of a kind. Even though the Courchevel will only give you one more card in your hand than in classic 4-card Omaha, it will affect the strength of the hands that will see you at the showdown. Make sure you know how to evaluate the relative strength of hands in different situations. Players who are only experienced with Hold'em might be surprised to realize how strong a hand you need to win a multiway pot

In conclusion

If you're a regular 4 or 5 card Omaha player looking for an exciting game that has a little less variance than 5 card Omaha, Courchevel will be perfect for you. For the rest of us who are just starting out or are looking for an alternative to Hold'em, the classic 4-card Omaha Hi is probably a better entry point

It's easier to make mistakes playing Courchevel than it is playing Hold'em, which can be a good thing if you know how to capitalize on your opponents' mistakes, but a bad thing if you're forgetful or new to poker. Finally, please note that the tracker and HUD software will not work for Courchevel games