Irish Poker provides plenty of action for players looking to expand their knowledge and can be mastered easily with experience and study. It is a variation of Texas Hold‘em and Omaha Poker. Each player starts with four hole cards, as if playing Omaha Poker. However, before the flop and after the betting round on the flop is completed, each player must then discard two cards.
Then, as in Texas Hold‘em, each player uses both hole cards along with the board to construct a hand which plays like a standard Texas Hold‘em hand. There is some general interest in Irish poker as a poker variant, and recently one of the biggest online poker rooms added Irish Poker to their repertoire. Advice for new players of Irish Poker is that they should make an effort to play starting hands, as the best chance to making a big hand is on the flop and winning at the showdown.
One of the advantages of Irish poker is that players expand their understanding of how opponents tend to play based on their betting patterns and post-flop actions taken. Following a few beginners’ tips and studying of the game will ensure that players of this emerging variant can be successful. The basic strategy of Irish poker, and player profitability is a good starting hand selection and post flop strategy.
Variations on Irish Poker
There are also a number of variations on Irish poker itself. These include Irish Hold ‘Em or Three-Card Irish and is played with three hole cards, where one is discarded after the flop is dealt. Another interesting variant, called Irish Seven is also played. Each of a maximum of 6 players receive 7 hole cards, with cards discarded after each of the last 3 betting rounds, namely 3 before the turn, 1 before the river and 1 is turned face down at showdown.
Innovations of the Game of Poker
In an Irish Poker game, a key innovation is the Ace that is used as a link card between picture cards and low cards for a straight at eCheck casinos. Players can therefore use the non-standard round the corner poker hand to good effect. A second innovation is the single colour flush, a hand where 5 red or 5 black cards is played, and ranks above a high card hand and below a single pair.
Starting Hand Selection
The strategy in Irish Poker and picking a starting hand to play, is similar to Omaha. Players should be looking for a hand that has multiple ways to connect with the flop to create a big hand. The best possible starting hand is 2 Aces which are suited with 2 big face cards is, as it provides the biggest pair pre-flop along with possible straight and flush draws. Players should be wary of starting hands which can only be played one way successfully. They may find them to be successful in the short-term, but can only cause problems in the long run.
Many players make the mistake of thinking that because they see the additional cards, they feel this means they can play a wider range of hands pre-flop. Beginners should be looking for big hands, which have multiple and various ways of winning at showdown, until they expand on their hand range after gaining some experience.