Omaha Hold'em
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About
Texas Hold'em is the hottest poker game around. Some of the most excitement in a Texas Hold'em game occurs when the game has been narrowed down to two players who are playing "Heads Up" to determine the final winner. Riverboat Gambler contains several different variants of Texas Hold'em carnival games. In all of those games, the Player is playing heads up against the Dealer.
A Riverboat Gambler Player requested that I add "Omaha Hold'em" to the array of games in this app. In all of my research, I was unable to find an example of a casino carnival game that was played like Omaha Hold'em. I did find, though, that Omaha Hold'em is a fascinating twist on Texas Hold'em. Based on what I had to do in order to deliver some of the other variants of Hold'em, I decided to try to put something together. Perhaps if someone has seen this game in a casino, they will reach out to me and help me fix anything I've gotten wrong.
After placing equal Ante & Blind wagers, the Player and the Dealer are each dealt four cards. Five Community cards are also dealt. Both the Player and the Dealer will share the Community cards to create their best possible five-card poker hand. However, both the Dealer and the Player must use two of their four initial cards when creating their final hand. This means they may only use three of the five Community Cards.
A structured betting approach is used in this game. Wagering is allowed after the intial cards have been dealt, after the first three cards ("The Flop") have been exposed, or after the last two cards ("The Turn & The River") have been exposed. If the Player opts not to bet at any of these three stages, she may Fold the hand and sacrifice her Ante & Blind wagers.
Unlike Ultimate Texas Hold'em and some other variants, the Dealer is not required to make a minimum hand in order to qualify.
How To Play
Starting the Game
To start the game, the Player must place matching wager amounts for the Ante & the Odds. These wagers are made by tapping the Ante or Odds spaces. Each tap will increase those wagers by the default amount ($5, $10, $25, $50, $100) that has been specified in Preferences. The maximum amount for the Ante wager is $500.
For all wagers, once the maximum, allowable amount has been reached, an additional tap will reset the wager amount to zero. A wager can also be reset by pressing a spot and holding for a brief moment.
Dealing Cards
The Deal button becomes enabled once an Ante wager has been placed. Pressing the Deal button starts the game by dealing four cards to the Player, four cards to the Dealer, and five Community Cards. The Player and the Dealer will share the Community Cards to create their individual five card poker hands.
Wagering
During the game, there are three opportunities for the Player to wager and conclude the hand: After the initial cards are dealt, after the Flop, or after the Turn & River.
In order to place a wager, the Player must first select two of the four cards in his hand that will be used to make a final hand. Cards are selected and unselected by tapping them.
After the initial cards have been dealt, the Player has the option to Check or to Bet. If the Player decides to bet, the wager must be 3 or 4 times the amount of the initial ante. To wager 3 times the Ante, the Player may tap the Play spot one time and then press the Deal button. If the Player opts to bet 4 times the initial Ante, he need only tap the Play spot twice. After the second tap, all cards will be revealed and the hand will end.
If the Player opts to Check during the first round of wagering, the first three Community Cards ("The Flop") will be revealed. At this point, the Player again has an opportunity to Check or to wager. This time, if a wager is placed, it must be an amount twice the original Ante amount. As before, once the wager has been placed, the remaining cards will be revealed and the hand will end.
If the Player opts to Check during the second round of wagering, the final two cards ("The Turn & The River") will be revealed. At this point, the Player is able to see all seven cards from which he can make a five-card poker hand. Now, the Player must either wager an amount equal to the original Ante amount or Fold the hand. Either action will end the hand. If the Player decides to Fold the hand, all wagers will be forfeited.
If the Player completes the hand without folding, his best five-card poker hand will be compared to the Dealer's best five-card poker hand to determine a winner. If the Player wins the hand, he is paid even money for the wagers that were made for Ante and Play.
The Blind is only paid for winning hands that are a Straight or higher. Additionally, an Ante bonus is paid for those hands. The Ante Bonus payouts are defined in the Payouts Table.
Quick Replay
The hand ends after all cards have been revealed.
After a hand completes, if the Player presses the Deal button, a new hand will be dealt and the same Ante and Blind wager amounts from the preceding hand will be made. If the Player does not want to repeat the last set of wagers, play will resume after the Player has adjusted the wagers and pressed the Deal button.
Pay Table
Ante & Play Wagers | |
| Winning Hand | 1 to 1 |
Blind Bonus | ||
(Must Beat Dealer) | ||
| Royal Flush | 500 to 1 | |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 | |
| Four of a Kind | 10 to 1 | |
| Full House | 3 to 1 | |
| Flush | 3 to 2 | |
| Straight | 1 to 1 | |
| Other Winning Hands | Push | |
| Maximum Payout: $50,000 | ||