One wonderful thing about poker is that there is always something new and exciting surrounding it. New to the world of poker is Omaha hold’em, a variation of Texas hold’em where four cards are dealt instead of two.

The additional cards force you to make a choice of which cards you want to play. You have more options than in Texas hold’em, but you also have more decisions to make. In essence, the crux of the matter is which two of the four cards in your hand do you want to play based on the community cards dealt on the table. With Texas hold’em, there is no choice to make, you must play the cards you have been dealt to you to your best ability. With Omaha, you still play with only two cards, but it’s up to you which two those will be.

With Omaha you have more hands to play and more chances at winning. If poker were all about the cards, it wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is. If cards are all you want for enjoyment, stick to a game that doesn’t involve your wallet. It is the betting in poker that offers the thrill of risk and a whole new strategic learning experience. You will be more focused on the game because your money is involved.

The whole ruling and game play behind Omaha is the same as Hold’em, everyone is dealt their four cards that they can use to play a round of poker. If you decide to play, you will need to make the minimum bet for that round, called the big blind. Depending on your hand you can call it, raise it, or fold.

After the first round of betting the first set of community cards are dealt onto the table, the flop, where you can then assess the strength of your hand. Another round of betting will then commence and once again you can call, raise or fold your hand. After everyone has completed their betting the next community card, called the turn, is then dealt onto the table and there is another round of betting.

Following the deal of the last card, the final round of betting, the river, begins. This final card will make you or break you. Lose and you play another round to make it back, win and you play another round because you’re hot. You learn the strength of your opponents hands at each new round of betting. With more experience you will know how much to bet and when.

The real challenge of poker then is to make the unpredictable predictable. Your opponents are unpredictable when the round starts, but then after playing close attention to their play and using your well-honed insightfulness, you learn their style. Now that opponent is predictable and you have a much better chance of overcoming him.

With experience and the effort required to sharpen your people-reading skills, you will overcome your opponents every time - well, that and a little luck.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Red Star Rakeback as well as Carbon Rakeback.

Tags: Poker

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