Sviten Special, a hybrid poker variant combining Five-Card Omaha and Five-Card Draw, is gaining traction at OlyBet Poker festivals and recently made history with its first standalone WSOP Circuit event
Sviten Special is a unique poker variant that merges elements of Five-Card Omaha and Five-Card Draw into a single split-pot game. The format has become increasingly visible at OlyBet Poker festivals, particularly in the Baltic region, and recently reached a milestone with its debut as a standalone event on the WSOP Circuit in 2025. The game’s structure and rules set it apart from more familiar poker formats, offering players the chance to compete for two halves of the pot in every hand.
How Sviten Special Is Played
Each hand of Sviten Special begins with every player receiving five hole cards after the blinds are posted. The first betting round follows. Next, three community cards are dealt face up as the flop, leading to a second round of betting. After the flop, players still in the hand have a single opportunity to draw: they may discard any number of their five hole cards and receive replacements. If a player chooses to exchange exactly one card, the replacement is dealt face up, and the player can either accept it or reject it for a second, face-down card, which must be kept.
Once the draw phase is complete, the turn and river community cards are dealt, each followed by a betting round. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, the hand proceeds to showdown, where the split-pot structure comes into play.
Split-Pot Showdown and Hand Rankings
At showdown, the pot is divided equally between two disciplines. Half the pot is awarded to the best Five-Card Draw hand, which uses all five of a player’s hole cards and follows standard poker hand rankings. The other half goes to the best Five-Card Omaha hand, which must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards. If a single player holds the best hand in both formats, they scoop the entire pot. Sviten Special is typically played as a pot-limit game, though fixed-limit versions are also possible depending on the event or venue.
Where to Find Sviten Special Events
Originating in Sweden, Sviten Special has established a strong following in Scandinavia and the Baltics. OlyBet Poker festivals, especially those held at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn, have become key venues for the game’s growth. The format’s profile rose further when the €555 Sviten Special event at the 2025 WSOP Circuit awarded a gold ring, marking the first time the variant was featured as a standalone tournament on the series. For context on how major poker events in Europe are structured and reported, see this coverage of a recent high-stakes tournament: EPT Barcelona Super High Roller field update.
While Sviten Special remains a niche offering compared to Texas Hold’em or standard Omaha, its hybrid structure and split-pot mechanics have attracted a dedicated player base. The game’s inclusion in major festival schedules signals growing interest and potential for further expansion in European poker circuits.
Split-pot poker games like Sviten Special require players to understand two sets of hand rankings and strategies within a single hand. In split-pot formats, the pot is divided between two different winning hands—often based on different rules or combinations—so players must balance their approach to maximize their chances in both disciplines. This structure increases complexity and can lead to larger pots when a player manages to win both halves, a scenario known as “scooping.”
