How to Play Pot Limit Courchevel Hilo 8-or-Better
Let the Fun Begin!
Courchevel Hilo 8-or-Better, a game that can be played on PokerStars, is one of the games that will feature in the weekly mixed games cash game at Portomaso Casino, Malta, that will start to run from 15 February 2024. It is a great, fun game!
For players who have only played No Limit Texas Hold Em (NLHE), there are some things that need to be learned to adapt their game to Courchevel Hilo:
Pot Limit betting.
This is a split pot game, with the best high poker hand only taking half of the pot, the other half going to the best qualifying low hand… IF there is a qualifying low hand!
The use of a qualifier for low: players have to use two low cards from their hand, and three from the board, to qualify for a low hand. And those cards all have to be 8 or lower and unpaired. So on some boards - for example KK3/6/J - it is not possible for there to be a qualifying low. There are only two cards on that example board that are 8 or lower and a minimum of three is required. In the event there is no qualifying low hand, the best high hand will scoop the pot.
Each player is given FIVE hole cards, not the two that are familiar to NLHE player. And to make a hand, the player MUST use two of those cards - no more, no less.
Here comes the fun part… the first card of the flop is exposed before any betting takes place! So there is a sneak preview of what the flop might bring before you have to bet any chips.
There is very little information online to help new players learn how to play this game and to provide any strategy advice. Here are a few things you might want to look at:
The Poker: All the Games Podcast will have an episode devoted to Courchevel Hilo that is due to go live in the first week of March 2023.
PokerStars has a comprehensive guide to help you learn the rules here. Bear in mind that the game at Portomaso Casino will feature this game as a Pot Limit variant.
There is a YouTube video here where you can watch someone play the game on PokerStars for ten minutes with some dance music in the background!
The lack of information available online is a sign that there are not hordes of Courchevel Hilo professionals out there looking to take your money, so this is probably a good game for newcomers to mixed games poker: if you’re going to swim, stay away from the sharks, right?!