Advanced dealer's choice

Courchevel

A five-card Omaha variant where the first flop card is exposed before preflop betting begins.

Courchevel mixed poker rules

Courchevel is an advanced dealer's choice mixed-game variant. Before you play it, confirm the exact house rules, the winning hand definitions, the betting structure, and whether the pot is high-only, low-only, split, or scored across multiple boards or hand systems.

  • Players receive five private cards.
  • One board card is exposed before the first betting round.
  • Players still make the best hand using exactly two private cards and three board cards.

Rule tips

  • Say the Courchevel objective out loud before the first deal so every player is using the same rule set.
  • Track which half or board you are actually competing for before adding bets.
  • Prefer hands with multiple ways to win instead of one-way draws that can be trapped by stronger made hands.

Common rule mistakes

  • Assuming the game uses the same lowball or split-pot rules as a familiar variant.
  • Chasing one side of the pot with no backup equity.
  • Missing a duplicate suit, paired rank, dead card, or board requirement that changes the hand value.

Hand values

  • Standard Omaha high rankings usually apply.
  • The exposed card changes blockers, wrap value, and nut potential immediately.
  • Hands connected to the exposed card gain value.

Starting hand advice

  • Hands that interact with the exposed card are stronger.
  • Suited aces and connected broadways remain valuable.
  • Avoid hands blocked or dominated by the exposed card texture.

Common beginner mistakes

  • Ignoring the exposed flop card in preflop ranges.
  • Overplaying non-nut draws in a five-card Omaha structure.
  • Forgetting the exactly-two-card rule.

Courchevel starting hands

Courchevel starting hand chart by position.

Courchevel is five-card Omaha with one flop card exposed before betting, so starts need nut potential and a plan for that door card.

5 private cards plus one exposed flop card Early, middle, button, blinds Make nut Omaha hands with exposed-card information
Early position Nut-heavy only

Open or complete

  • Double-suited connected broadways
  • A-A with connected sidecards
  • A-K-Q-J-x with suit support

Continue with

  • Nut suits
  • Wraps using exposed card
  • Top set plus redraws

Avoid

Danglers, weak pairs, and hands that only like one exposed card.

Drill: Say how the exposed card changes your hand before opening.

Middle position Add connected depth

Open or complete

  • Five connected cards
  • Suited ace plus wraps
  • High pairs with coordinated sidecards

Continue with

  • Nut wraps
  • Redraws to nuts
  • Position on one-pair ranges

Avoid

Small pairs with no suit and no wrap.

Drill: Rank each start by nut suit, nut straight, and set value.

Button Use exposed-card edge

Open or complete

  • Connected double-suited hands
  • Nut blockers with wraps
  • Hands that attack capped ranges

Continue with

  • Exposed card improves your range
  • Position-backed draws
  • Nut blockers

Avoid

Button calls that make non-nut straights or weak flushes.

Drill: Choose three button opens based only on the exposed card.

Blinds Defend nutty

Open or complete

  • Premium double-suited starts
  • A-A with connectivity
  • Exposed-card nut wraps

Continue with

  • Closing price
  • Nut redraws
  • Strong blocker story

Avoid

Out-of-position five-card hands full of second-nut traps.

Drill: Fold every blind hand with a dangling card and no nut suit.

Courchevel strategy

Core strategy before you sit in the game.

Use these decisions after the rules make sense. The goal is to know what the hand is trying to win, which starts are worth playing, and which mistake costs the most bets.

Primary objective

One exposed flop card

Starting point

Hands that interact with the exposed card are stronger.

Street plan

Suited aces and connected broadways remain valuable.

Main leak to avoid

Ignoring the exposed flop card in preflop ranges.

Five example hands

Play the hand all the way to the final street.

Each example shows the street-by-street line and why the decision changes as price, public information, draw count, opponent action, or pot objective changes.

Nut low with high backup

Courchevel

Courchevel gives you a premium low start with a suited ace and connected high cards.

Hand: A 2 K Q double-suited, flop 7-8-K, turn 3, river Q.

  1. Preflop Raise or call depending on position and multiway texture.

    A-2 plus high-card backup can compete for both halves.

  2. Flop Continue, but do not overclaim the high side.

    You have low potential and top pair, but better high draws can exist.

  3. Turn Pressure when the low completes and your high improves.

    You can win low and still have two-pair or redraw equity for high.

  4. River Value bet or call based on quarter risk.

    Another A-2 can share low, so the high half decides how hard to push.

Takeaway: Courchevel rewards scoop pressure, not blind attachment to the nut-low label.

Quartered-low warning

Courchevel

Several players continue on a low board in Courchevel.

Hand: A 2 9 J, board 3-4-8-K-6.

  1. Preflop Avoid chasing with no suited ace, backup low, or high path.

    Bare A-2 can be profitable only when it is not always sharing.

  2. Flop Call small, avoid raising without high equity.

    The low draw is live, but the high side is weak.

  3. Turn Check the number of opponents before adding bets.

    More opponents means more chance someone shares A-2 or has a better high.

  4. River Call one bet, avoid raising when the high half is gone.

    Winning half or a quarter is not worth creating extra bets.

Takeaway: The expensive leak is paying full bets to win a shared half.

High-only trap on low boards

Courchevel

You start with a strong-looking high hand in Courchevel, but the board runs low-heavy.

Hand: K K Q J, board 2-5-8-T-4.

  1. Preflop Treat high-only hands as position-sensitive.

    They can win big high pots, but split boards reduce their value.

  2. Flop Slow down when two low cards arrive.

    Opponents with A-3, A-4, or wheel cards now have strong equity.

  3. Turn Fold to heavy action if no nut redraw exists.

    You are often playing for half while opponents freeroll.

  4. River Do not pay off just because kings looked premium preflop.

    The final board favors low and straight holdings.

Takeaway: High-only strength must be revalued each street when low boards develop.

Counterfeit protection

Courchevel

Courchevel gives you a low draw that can be counterfeited if the board pairs your low cards.

Hand: A 2 5 K, board 3-7-9-2-Q.

  1. Preflop Prefer A-2 with backup low cards.

    The 5 protects you when one low card is counterfeited.

  2. Flop Continue because multiple low cards can still qualify.

    A-2-5 has more durability than bare A-2.

  3. Turn Recheck your live low after the 2 hits.

    The board counterfeit changes which two hole cards make your low.

  4. River Bet only when the protected low and high equity justify it.

    Counterfeit protection keeps you alive but does not guarantee a scoop.

Takeaway: Backup low cards turn fragile draws into hands that can survive bad turns.

Nut high versus split pressure

Courchevel

You make a strong high hand in Courchevel, but the low draw is obvious.

Hand: A K Q T, board J-9-3-4-2.

  1. Preflop Enter when the hand has nut high potential and enough coordination.

    Broadway wraps can win high, but need awareness of low boards.

  2. Flop Pressure the wrap and backdoor low blockers.

    The straight path has equity and can fold weak high hands.

  3. Turn Bet made high only if low draws are paying too much.

    You may be winning half, so value needs worse high hands or fold equity.

  4. River Call or value bet based on whether low qualified.

    If low gets there, the high half alone changes bet sizing.

Takeaway: Strong high hands are still strategic decisions when the pot can split.

Advanced Courchevel strategy

Move from rules into pressure points.

Advanced play is less about memorizing the format and more about finding the exact spot where fixed bets, split-pot pressure, live cards, draw counts, or house rules change the best line.

Pressure point

Say the Courchevel objective out loud before the first deal so every player is using the same rule set.

Range adjustment

Track which half or board you are actually competing for before adding bets.

Exploit target

Chasing one side of the pot with no backup equity.

Review question

After each Courchevel hand, ask whether the final action matched the hand value, pot type, and visible information.

Courchevel drills

Practice the decisions on this page.

This page includes 20 Courchevel drills. Work through the drills tied to this game before moving to another variant so the rule, starting-hand, and mistake patterns become automatic.

Name the winning condition

Rule recognition

Deal 20 Courchevel examples and state the core rule before checking the result: Players receive five private cards.

Score one point only when the rule is named before the hand is solved.

Practice Trainer

Explain the betting or draw structure

Rule recognition

Pause before each action and say how this rule changes the decision: One board card is exposed before the first betting round.

Write the decision change in one sentence.

Practice Trainer

Confirm the hand-building rule

Rule recognition

Run 15 quick hand checks where the first question is: Players still make the best hand using exactly two private cards and three board cards.

Mark every missed rule as a review spot.

Practice Trainer

Rank the hand class

Hand value

Sort 20 sample holdings by strength using this standard: Standard Omaha high rankings usually apply.

Group each hand as premium, playable, marginal, or fold.

Practice Trainer

Find the fragile value hand

Hand value

Choose five hands that look playable, then explain when this warning matters: The exposed card changes blockers, wrap value, and nut potential immediately.

Keep only hands with a clear improvement or showdown plan.

Practice Trainer

Build a premium-start list

Starting hands

Write ten Courchevel starts that fit this rule: Hands that interact with the exposed card are stronger.

Reject any start that cannot explain its main way to win.

Practice Trainer

Separate playable from speculative

Starting hands

Sort 25 starts using this checkpoint: Suited aces and connected broadways remain valuable.

Tag each speculative hand with the exact card, board, or street it needs.

Practice Trainer

Fold the pretty trap

Starting hands

Find ten attractive-looking hands that fail this warning: Avoid hands blocked or dominated by the exposed card texture.

Write the fold reason before looking at the result.

Practice Trainer

Pick the next-card plan

Street plan

Before every continue, name the cards or streets that improve the hand in Courchevel.

Use this cue as the standard: Say the Courchevel objective out loud before the first deal so every player is using the same rule set.

Practice Trainer

Pressure or pot-control decision

Street plan

Run 12 spots where the only decision is whether to apply pressure or keep the pot controlled.

Anchor the answer to: Track which half or board you are actually competing for before adding bets.

Practice Trainer

Opponent range check

Street plan

Before calling down, name the opponent hands that continue worse and the hands that punish you.

Use this adjustment: Prefer hands with multiple ways to win instead of one-way draws that can be trapped by stronger made hands.

Practice Trainer

Fix the most common mistake

Leak repair

Replay 15 hands where the leak is: Ignoring the exposed flop card in preflop ranges.

Write the prevention rule before choosing an action.

Practice Trainer

Catch the second leak

Leak repair

Build a mini-drill around this mistake: Overplaying non-nut draws in a five-card Omaha structure.

Stop the hand on the street where the mistake first appears.

Practice Trainer

Repair the expensive habit

Leak repair

Find five examples where this mistake becomes costly: Forgetting the exactly-two-card rule.

Name the cheaper action and the reason it is better.

Practice Trainer

One exposed flop card

Decision cue

Turn this Courchevel cue into ten flashcards with one correct action and one trap action.

A flashcard passes only when the reason is specific to this game.

Practice Trainer

Five-card Omaha logic

Decision cue

Run a five-minute warmup focused only on this cue before playing Courchevel.

Record the first hand where the cue changes your choice.

Practice Trainer

Exactly two private cards

Decision cue

Create 12 close spots where this cue decides between call, raise, draw, pat, or fold.

Keep the decision explanation under two sentences.

Practice Trainer

Exposed texture changes ranges

Decision cue

Use this cue as the review label for your next Courchevel session.

Tag at least three hands that prove whether the habit is improving.

Practice Trainer

One-orbit review drill

Full-hand review

Review one full Courchevel orbit and write the objective, hand value, pressure point, and mistake risk for each hand.

The drill is complete when each hand has one next-session adjustment.

Practice Trainer

Teach the game back

Full-hand review

Explain Courchevel to another player using the rules, starting hands, mistakes, and example on this page.

Any rule you cannot explain becomes tomorrow's first drill.

Practice Trainer

Example hand

How to think through it

If the exposed card is T, hands like A-K-Q-J-x gain immediate wrap and nut-straight value, while disconnected pairs lose appeal.

Quick quiz

Check the first concept.

Courchevel

Before you play this game, what is the first rule or hand-value adjustment you need to remember?

Show a good answer

One exposed flop card.

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