Cincinnati Rules: A Quick Rundown of Cincinnati Poker

Cincinnati poker is a fun pastime that many people choose as a breath of fresh air when they grow bored of the more traditional variants. Of course, before they can be successful, they need a good grasp of the Cincinnati rules. In essence, it is just like Omaha Hold'Em with the exception that low hands aren't considered winners at any time. Thus, it's a hybrid of the Omaha and Texas variants that makes for an exciting home game. It's often difficult to find in online casinos, but there are a few that can offer it.

It can be enjoyed as a limit or no-limit session. If there is a limit, the ante is generally set at 10%. If there isn't, then all of the participants will generally agree on a "blind" that everyone can afford. Once the antes or blinds have been put up, then whoever is appointed as the dealer (the person holding the button) will give each participant four face-down cards for personal use. Then, a round of betting takes place and individuals are encouraged to check, bet, or fold here depending on what they receive.

Once the initial deal is out of the way, four community cards will be introduced to the participants with betting rounds after each. At the end of this, individuals will see a total of eight across the board - counting their own and those for community use - with which they can create the best possible five-card hand. Whoever manages to do so wins the pot, and those who have hands of equal value will split the pot. As such, it's easy to see why Cincinnati rules make it a hybrid of traditional games that most poker aficionados know and love.

There are some options that people tend to throw in here and there to make things more exciting, too. For instance, sometimes individuals are dealt five personal cards, though professionals claim that this negates the possibility of any rational strategy and seriously limits the number of people who can participate in any round. Similarly, there are some people who feel that wagering five times per round is a bit much, so they reduce it to four by eliminating a wager before the first 'flop'.

Aside from simply learning Cincinnati rules, one must also learn a few basic strategies that apply primarily to this variant and no other. Because there are so many options available, high-valued hands are frequent and it isn't uncommon to see four of a kind, high flushes, and even royal flushes from time to time. Some people tend to think that a high pair is going to be enough to pull them through, and this just isn't the case very often. Placing conservative bets here is always better than going 'all-in' at the first potential winner. Anyone who wants to play the best online Hold'Em will do well to learn this variant and the others from which it was derived. After all, in this pastime, versatility can work in anyone's favor.