How to Play Sviten Special: Rules and Features of Poker

Learn how to play Sviten Special — a unique blend of Five-Card Omaha and Draw. Detailed rules, hand stages, and tips for successful play.

Sviten Special is a unique poker variant that combines elements of Five-Card Omaha and Five-Card Draw. This discipline is rapidly gaining popularity in Europe, especially in the Baltic countries, and regularly appears on the schedules of major poker festivals such as OlyBet Poker. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the rules of Sviten Special, the stages of the hand, the features of the draw and showdown, and also tell you where you can play this unusual format. At the end, you’ll find practical tips for PPPoker club players to help you use the experience of European tournaments in your own game. What is Sviten Special: features and game structure Sviten Special is a split-pot poker game that combines the rules of Five-Card Draw and Five-Card Omaha. Each player receives five hole cards, and five community cards are dealt to the table in stages—through the flop, turn, and river. The main feature of Sviten Special is that the pot is split into two equal parts at the end of the hand: 50% of the pot goes to the best hand according to Five-Card Draw rules —the player uses all five of their hole cards, without using the community cards. The remaining 50% is won by the best hand according to Omaha rules —here, you must use exactly two of your own cards and exactly three community cards from the table. If the same player makes the best hand in both disciplines, they take the entire pot. Most often, Sviten Special is played with pot-limit, where the size of a bet or raise cannot exceed the current pot. However, fixed-limit versions are also found, which are suitable for more cautious players or beginners. How a hand plays out in Sviten Special: step-by-step description For those familiar with Omaha and Five-Card Draw, learning Sviten Special will not be difficult. However, there are important nuances that set this format apart from the usual disciplines. Preflop: After the mandatory bets (blinds), each player is dealt five hole cards. First betting round: Players bet based on the strength of their five cards. Flop: Three community cards (the flop) are dealt to the table, followed by a second betting round. Draw round: After the flop betting, each remaining player has the opportunity to exchange any number of their five cards for new ones (the draw). You can exchange from one up to all five cards. If a player exchanges two or more cards, the new cards are dealt face down. Turn and river: After the draw round, the fourth community card (the turn) is dealt, followed by another betting round, then the fifth card (the river) is dealt and the final betting round takes place. Showdown: If two or more players remain after the last betting round, there is a showdown to determine the winners in both disciplines—Five-Card Draw and Omaha. Important point: after the draw round, players must analyze not only the strength of their five cards for the Draw part, but also how well their cards combine with the community cards for the Omaha part. This requires more complex thinking and strategic planning at every stage of the hand. One-Card Open Rule A special rule applies when exchanging exactly one card. If a player decides to exchange only one card, the dealer first deals the replacement card face up. The player then has a choice: Accept the face-up card —and it becomes part of their hand. Decline it —in this case, the card is discarded, and the player receives a second card face down (which must be accepted). For example, if a player discards one card and the dealer turns over the A♠, the player can immediately take the ace if it improves their hand. If the card is not suitable, the player can decline and receive a new card blindly. Showdown in Sviten Special: how the pot is split and examples At showdown, players compare two completely independent poker hands: For Five-Card Draw —only the five hole cards of each player are considered. Standard poker hand rankings apply (straight, flush, full house, etc.). For Omaha —you must use exactly two of your own cards and exactly three community cards from the table. Standard poker hand rankings also apply here. The winner in each discipline receives half the pot. If one player wins both parts, they take the entire pot. Example of pot splitting: The pot at showdown is €600. Player A makes the best five-card hand for Five-Card Draw, while Player B makes the best hand according to Omaha rules. Each receives €300. If Player A had won both parts, they would have received the full €600. History and geography of Sviten Special: from Sweden to the Baltics Sviten Special was invented in Sweden in 2004. The creator of the game is considered to be Anders "Bengan" Bengtsson, who suggested mixing Omaha and Five-Card Draw during a short mixed-game session. The new format was so well received by the group that it soon became a regular part of their home games, and then spread throughout Sweden, Finland, and other Scandinavian countries. Sviten Special has become especially popular in the Baltic poker community. The largest tournaments in this discipline are held here, and the game has become a hallmark of many regional poker festivals. Where to play Sviten Special: OlyBet Poker tournaments and festivals Those who want to try Sviten Special in a live tournament should look at OlyBet Poker festivals. This series regularly includes mixed games in its schedules, and Sviten Special is a regular guest at events such as the festivals at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. In 2025, the WSOP Circuit in Tallinn hosted a separate Sviten Special tournament for the first time, with a €555 buy-in and a WSOP Circuit gold ring awarded—this was a historic event for the discipline. The OlyBet Showdown Tallinn 2026 schedule featured a six-handed Pot-Limit Sviten tournament, and at OlyBet Showdown Vilnius there was a €200 Pot-Limit Sviten tournament. OlyBet’s partnership with The Festival Weekend also gave the game an additional platform: in 2026, special Sviten Special tournaments were held in Vilnius and Tallinn alongside disciplines such as TORSE, Crazy Pineapple, Big O, and other mixed games. So, if you want to play Sviten Special in a live tournament, OlyBet festivals in the Baltic countries are among the best places to do so. WSOP Circuit Tallinn 2025 : €555 Sviten Special—the first ever standalone tournament in the discipline with a WSOP Circuit gold ring awarded. OlyBet Showdown Tallinn 2026 : six-handed Pot-Limit Sviten. OlyBet Showdown Vilnius : €200 Pot-Limit Sviten. The Festival Weekend 2026 (Vilnius and Tallinn) : regular Sviten Special and other mixed-game tournaments. Glossary: Sviten Special terms Five-Card Draw —a classic poker variant where players receive five cards and can exchange some of them for new ones. Omaha —a popular poker discipline where each player has four (or five, as in Sviten Special) hole cards, and there are five community cards on the table. The hand must use exactly two hole cards and three community cards. Split-pot —a divided pot, when the winnings are split between two (or more) best hands according to different criteria. Pot-Limit —a betting limit where the maximum bet or raise is equal to the current size of the pot. Fixed-Limit —a betting limit where the size of bets and raises is fixed and does not depend on the pot. Draw —the stage when players can exchange some of their cards for new ones. One-Card Open Rule —the rule that when exchanging one card, the replacement is first dealt face up, and the player can accept or decline it. Practical aspects: strategy and nuances of Sviten Special Success in Sviten Special requires the ability to simultaneously evaluate the prospects of two completely different hands. It’s important not only to build a strong hand for Five-Card Draw, but also to keep track of how your cards fit for making a powerful Omaha hand using the community cards. The draw round adds extra strategic depth: if your five cards are not strong enough for the Draw part, you can try to improve by exchanging cards. At the same time, it’s important to remember that exchanging cards can weaken your chances in the Omaha part if you discard key cards for combinations with the community cards. The One-Card Open Rule adds an element of information and psychological pressure: your opponents see which card you could have received and can draw conclusions about your hand and strategy. Overall, Sviten Special is a game for those who enjoy complex decisions, deep analysis, and unusual situations at the table. What this means for PPPoker club players For PPPoker club members, learning the rules and strategies of Sviten Special opens up new horizons for developing poker skills. Even if this format is not yet available in your club, studying its mechanics will help you better understand split-pot games and mixed disciplines, which are becoming increasingly popular at international series. Practicing Sviten Special develops the ability to analyze several lines of play at once and make decisions with two independent goals in mind. This is useful not only for mixed games, but also for raising your overall strategic level in poker—especially in club games with unusual formats and rules. If your club gets the chance to play Sviten Special, you’ll be ready for new challenges and able to surprise your opponents with your knowledge of the nuances of this discipline. And the experience of the best European festivals, such as OlyBet Poker, can serve as an excellent guide for organizing your own mixed tournaments on the PPPoker platform.