Community Card Poker

At about the time of World War II, many modern poker games featured community cards. These community cards are dealt face up at the center of the table and are shared by all the players. Each player is privately dealt an incomplete hand. This hand is then combined with the community cards in order to make a complete hand. Rules for each community card poker game stipulates how the private cards may be combined with the shared cards. Here the two most popular community card games are described: Texas Hold'em and Omaha.

Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular online poker game in card rooms across the web. Two cards are dealt face down to each player and then five community cards are dealt face up at the center of the table. Each player uses the community cards along with their "hole cards" to make the best five card hand. There are no restrictions to how the cards may be combined. Both, one or none of the private cards may be used to create the best hand. The last case is referred to as playing the board, only using the community cards.

Texas Hold'em is often abbreviated as just Hold'em. In the old days "hold'em" might actually have been "hold me" or "hold me darling". After World War II, the game picked up in professional poker circles. By the time that the World Series of Poker started, it was the main game. For the last few decades it has become the most popular poker game among the common run of people as well.

That the game is the unthreatend leader with tons of games available, that the world champion of poker is crowned at the no limit Texas Hold'em event, can be explained in one simple statement: Texas Hold'em is straightforward – it is easy to learn the basics and begin playing – but always leaves space for improvement – the game that involves more skill (no limit) than any other form of poker. Texas Hold'em is the Cadillac of poker.

Omaha

Omaha or Omaha Hold'em is a very popular game that is deceptively similar to Texas Hold'em. If Texas Hold'em is the Cadillac of poker then Omaha is the Hummer of poker. The betting rounds and the layout of community cards are identical. There are really, only two differences.

In Omaha each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. That is why it is said that one should always expect the best. If the board includes three card to a royal flush such as: K Q J. It is simply much more likely that someone has made a Royal Flush than it is in Texas Hold'em, although it obviously only "more likely" and not likely.

The second difference is that although each player gets nine cards to choose from in Omaha, players can not choose freely among the cards. Instead each player's best five-card hand must be constructed from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of their own cards. So if the board showed A K Q J, then a royal flush would no longer be possible as two of each player's cards must be used.

Still with four cards in the hand the possibilities are great. In Omaha it is possible to hold the nuts on the flop and yet for a good reason fear being out drawn. That is why the game is better played as pot-limit than no-limit. The eight or better hi/lo split pot version suits this game very well.