The Principles of Strategy for Oasis Poker in Three Simple Lessons

Published: May 15, 2014

If you're a casino poker fan, then you've got to learn to play Oasis Poker. It has the most strategy of just about any other type of casino poker, and it employs gameplay elements that aren't often found in the same game. This game is essentially Caribbean Stud with the option to pay the same price as the ante in a non-returnable cost to draw up to two cards before deciding to fold or raise. The introduction of this extra step adds some serious depth to the game, and you need to study up with these three lessons to make sure that you're going to play well.

The first lesson is to realize that the dealer's up card doesn't affect your decision on drawing at all. First off, you should never draw two cards under any circumstances. With that aside, you should always draw one card if you have four to a straight flush even if this causes you to break up a pair. You should draw to four cards to a flush or outside straight draw if you aren't breaking up a pair in the process. Drawing costs a lot, so you should only do it in these scenarios when you're starting out.

The second lesson you should learn for Oasis Poker is that the decision to raise or fold is completely independent from the decision to draw or not. If you draw and miss, then don't feel like you have to stick to your hand by raising. Feel free to draw then fold if it's called for. You should always raise if you have a pair or better, and you should always fold if you have worse than AK-high. For hands where you have AK-high exactly, you need to learn specific rules for when to play and when to fold.

This brings us to our third lesson: how to play AK-high hands. This is a complicated subject, and it's the only time you really care about the dealer's up card. If the dealer's card is queen or lower and matches one of yours, then it's a clear raise. If the dealer is showing an ace or a king and you have a queen or a jack in your hand, then you should go ahead and raise as well. Otherwise, if the dealer has a queen or lower without matching one of your cards, you should only raise if his up card is only higher than zero or one of the cards in your hand.