Introduction
Courchevel Poker is a comparing game in the poker family of card games. It is a variant of Pot Limit Omaha, which is a popular version of poker played at many casinos.
Courchevel is less popular than its mainline game in casinos but sees considerable play at online poker tables. The game is named after Courchevel, an Alpine Village in Southern France.
How to Play Courchevel Poker?
Courchevel Poker is played using the standard Anglo-American 52-card Deck. Like most Poker variations, between 2-8 Players are able to participate in a game at once. the game borrows the majority of its mechanics from Pot Limit Omaha (PLO).
Setup
Before Cards are dealt, there will be three buttons placed around the Table. The Dealer, the Big, and Small Blind.
Although the casino may offer a proper House-Employed Dealer, the Dealer Button will still be present on the table.
Dealing Cards
- After the Blinds have been paid in, five face-down cards will be dealt to each Player.
- Players can inspect their own cards, but cannot show them to other Players.
Courchevel is distinguished from its mother game in this Pre-Flop phase.
A single face-up community card, called the “Spit” is dealt after each Player has received their cards.
Pre-Flop Betting
Once all of the cards have been dealt, the Player to the immediate clockwise of the Dealer button will take their first turn.
- Players are able to match the Big Blind in order to play the hand or fold their hand without paying anything.
- Players are also able to Raise during this pre-flop phase if they so wish.
However, as Courchevel mainly is a Pot-Limit game, the value of each individual wager is restricted. Players cannot raise more than the total value of the pot.
For example, if the pot is worth $10, then the next betting Player is not allowed to bet any more than $10.
Once each Player has settled their bets, and all participating Players have matched the highest outstanding bet, the pre-flop betting phase has ended.
The Flop
The Dealer will reveal two more cards from the Flop, and a full Flop betting phase will begin. Players are given the same options available to them in the Pre-Flop betting phase.
- They may fold, and surrender the wagers they have already made, but will no longer be obligated to wager.
- They may call, and match the highest outstanding bet.
- Players may also Raise, so long as they do not wager any more than the total value of the pot.
After the Flop’s betting phase, the Dealer will deal the Turn community card. Another betting phase follows, and then the River will also be dealt.
The Showdown
After a final betting phase, players who have not yet folded will participate in the Showdown. Players will reveal their cards, and create the best five-card poker hand that they can.
As in all games of Omaha, Players must use exactly two of their hole-cards, and three of the community cards, in order to form this hand.
Hi-Lo
Some games of Courchevel are played Hi-Lo, meaning the highest value, and lowest value, hands will split the bot 50/50.
However, the majority of games are played “All-or-Nothing”, meaning the single Player with the highest value hand shall take the total value of the pot. The pot will only be split in the case of ties.
Hand Rankings
Below is the standard Poker Hierarchy, used in Courchevel for the purposes of comparing hands during the Showdown phase. These melds are ranked from highest to lowest in value.
| Meld | Example of Meld |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥ |
| Straight Flush | 7♦ 8♦ 9♦ 10♦ J♦ |
| Four-Kind | 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 4♥ 8♣ |
| Full House | J♥ J♠ J♣ 7♥ 7♠ |
| Flush | 2♦ 5♦ 6♦ 9♦ K♦ |
| Straight | 2♦ 3♣ 4♠ 5♣ 6♣ |
| Three-Kind | 7♣ 7♠ 7♥ 10♦ J♠ |
| Two-Pair | 8♦ 8♣ 9♣ 9♥ J♣ |
| Pair | 9♦9♣J♦Q♣A♠ |
If playing as a Hi-Lo game, then Junk hands are also considered to be “good” as they stand to win the lowest ranking and therefore half of the pot.
The best low hand in Courchevel Hi-Lo is the unsuited 2-3-4-5-7.
Courchevel Rules
The game rules are as follows:
- Courchevel is usually played as a Pot Limit game, and as such Players cannot wager any more than the total value of their hand.
- In order to participate in the Showdown, Players will have to call every outstanding bet in the various betting phases.
- Players that fold cannot win any money, even if their hand would have won had they participated.
- The Blinds and Dealer button will move one position clockwise, such that the previous Dealer becomes the Big Blind, and the previous Big Blind becomes the Small Blind.
Playing Example
Suppose that you are dealt the following cards at the start of the game:
6♣ 2♦ K♦ K♠ J♠
And suppose that the Spit is the following:
10♥
This is a very strong starting hand. As two cards of the final five-card Poker hand must come from the personal cards, there are three different possible melds one could form.
With the 6 and Jack, you could possibly form a straight (6 7 8 9 10 or 8 9 10 J Q).
Or the King and Jack could form a Royal Flush, or a normal Flush.
If none of those melds happen to pan out, then there is still the guaranteed pair of Kings that could form into a Full-House or even a Three-Kind.
Strategy and Tips
Tip 1
As Courchevel is an Omaha game, always keep in mind that you can only use two cards from the hole in order to form the hand.
In Omaha, a full meld in the hole is actually rather disadvantageous. It makes it less likely for you to form the meld, as those necessary cards are less likely to appear or impossible to appear in the Flop, Turn, and River.
Tip 2
The Spit allows you as the Player to form the first three cards of your hand.
- This gives a stronger gauge on the strength of your hand than in a normal Omaha game.
- This allows for betting in the Pre-Flop phase to be more aggressive.
Bear in mind that other Players will also be aware of this. Players who are betting very high in the Pre-Flop phase are less likely to be bluffing than they might be in other Poker games.
FAQs
What is the main difference between Omaha and Courchevel?
The key distinction between Omaha and Courchevel Poker is that in Courchevel, players get to see one community card revealed before making their initial bets.
This gives players valuable insight into how strong their starting hands may be, influencing betting strategy right from the pre-flop.
What are the different game limits used in Courchevel?
There are three different game limits used in Courchevel Poker:
- Limit: There is a fixed betting limit for each round.
- Pot Limit: This variant has a maximum bet limit that is equal to the size of the pot. The minimum bet is the same as the size of the big blind.
- No Limit: No maximum bet limit and players can bet any amount of chips they have in front of them.
In general, the Pot Limit variant is the most popular.
What is Hi-Lo Courchevel?
In Courchevel Hi-Lo, the standard rules apply, but the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands.
The extra community card can make it tougher to make a viable low hand though, so players must avoid using community cards that could worsen their low hand.
What is the best hand in Courchevel Poker?
In Courchevel Poker the Royal Flush is the best hand. Following the normal poker hand rankings.
Keep in mind that in the Hi-Lo version of the game, there is a split pot between the best high hand and the best low hand. Players must hold the lowest five-card hand with no card higher than an 8 to win the low half of the pot.
