Archive for December, 2007

How Omaha Poker Is Played

Sunday, December 30th, 2007
In online poker, there is no doubt that the Texas hold-em poker is still considered the most popular. But it probably would not hold that spot for long, as Omaha hold-em is steadily gaining ground in the poker popularity contest. You’ll find many respectable poker rooms and other live dealer casinos offering the Omaha Poker version.

Omaha hold-em, or simply Omaha, is the game of choice of a lot of poker players because it is perceived that the mathematical probabilities that poker nerds look forward to computing are more obvious there. Also, because these probabilities are more apparent, Omaha is said to be more of a game of wits than a game of chance.

Another characteristic that makes Omaha distinct from the other kinds of poker games is that in Omaha, it is not always the player with the highest hand who wins the pot. The object of Omaha is to come up with both the highest and the lowest hand. The two players who got the highest and the lowest hand respectively get to split the pot. In some cases, two or more players tie in having the highest and lowest hand, and so they split the pot amongst themselves. Of course it is entirely possible for just the player with the highest hand to get the whole pot to him/herself.

There are, however, restrictions as to how a hand of cards can be considered a low hand. First, the highest card in the hand should have a value not bigger than eight. Second, the five cards making up the hand should all be unpaired.

In addition, in Omaha, a player makes up his/her hand, be it the highest or the lowest, using exactly two of his/her four hole cards and exactly three of the five community cards.

Here is how Omaha is played, step by step:

1. The dealer deals out the four hole cards to each player one at a time. Once all the players have their cards, an initial round of betting is made. The person to the left of the dealer makes the small blind and the one to his/her left makes the big blind. The other players can then check the big blind, raise it, or fold.

2. After this first betting round is done, the dealer draws out the first three community cards, also called the flop. Another betting round happens, with players raising, checking or folding. Afterwards, the dealer draws the fourth community card, called the turn, which is then followed by another betting round with the subsequent raising, checking or folding. The same happens with the fifth community card, also known as the river.

3. The showdown happens among the players who have not folded after the river is placed down. Again, the players use exactly two of the hole cards and exactly three of the community cards. The players with the highest and the lowest hand win the pot and split it among themselves. If there are no hands that qualified for the lowest hand, then the player who got the highest hand gets to have the pot entirely to him/herself.



You may also be interested in: World Series of Poker Academy

Poker: Strip Poker - Adding Zest to a Boring Game

Friday, December 14th, 2007
Strip poker is just like any other poker game. The difference in playing strip poker is that players strip items of clothing when they lose a bet. Poker developed hundreds of years ago, and strip poker originated from the basic game of poker. Because poker enables one to win while others are losing, the losers then can bet their clothing. This is to take back their cash from the winning opponent. Before, items of clothing are considered of special value.

Strip poker is played like a regular poker game. But strip poker sometimes entice non-poker players to get hooked in the game, a feat that cannot be done by regular poker games. Strip poker adds zest to a dying party. It can bring fun back to your poker games. There are as many strip poker variations as regular poker game variations.

Sometimes, strip poker is used as a kind of foreplay and sometimes it is considered as a way of flirting. Strip poker games can have speedy, medium or slow stripping modes. Excitement can either be withheld or let loose. Speedy strip poker games can start like a regular poker game, but everyone (except the winner of course) removes an item of clothing. This is a very fast way and very good excuse for stripping naked, not to mention this will give you great motivation in playing poker. Medium mode stripping in a strip poker game means that the winner is the only person who is not stripping, but the losers have the option to buy back clothes in the coming rounds. The slowest way of stripping via a strip poker game is when only the person with the lowest poker score will be the one who will strip.

There are countless variations of this game. One variation even makes use of poker chips and that when you lose all your poker chips, you will be required to bet your clothing. This is yet another slow method—if your only objective is to strip. However, stripping in a strip poker game will most likely be for the benefit of the game only, and not just about the stripping per se.

Some strip poker games have been popular. In Jamaica, there is even a strip poker international competition! They employed 4 super models to play strip poker, and the winner takes on serious money. However, this is a for adults only event. And it is very unlikely to see strip poker in the Olympic games! Although, we all know that you’d love to see strip poker players from all over the world battle out for the gold medal.

Because of strip poker’s popularity, there have been thousand of sites dedicated to the game. It can range from intimate poker play, to party poker type games. Also, because of the advent of cyber online technology, strip poker is already available online. Some strip poker games have poker chips, money bets and stripping all combined in the touch of a button, or click of a mouse. Some strip poker sites even has strippers available online. Through a hefty credit card application and registration, one can avail of hours of online strip poker gaming. Some online strip poker sites have pictures that strip as you win, but some have real time strippers that you can view stripping via a web camera. Strip poker, just like any other adult game or enterprise, is regulated in most parts of the world. Some more liberal nations, such as those in Europe have strip poker TV shows! The difference between that and American strip poker shows is that the Euro version allows total nakedness via a TV broadcast!

Whether you are playing strip poker for your foreplay, or as a form of a sexual tease, whether you are playing strip poker party version or just adding the element of stripping to a rather boring game, no one can contest the hours of enjoyment that can only be attributed to poker… Strip poker that is!



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