Perhaps one of the most daunting realisations for a new poker player is the fact that there are dozens of poker variations out there. Here’s the thing: this revelation doesn’t have to be daunting!
There is no real pressure to learn each and every rule about each and every poker variation out there. With that said, learning about other poker variants will help you broaden your horizon, thus expanding your knowledge of poker in general.
Allow that preface to comfort your exploration of the most popular poker games below, where we’ll discuss how each card game is played and how each game differs from other poker games.
THE THREE MAIN TYPES OF POKER GAMES
In this post, we’ll touch upon many different card games that fall under the ‘poker’ umbrella, but each of them falls under the three main types of poker: community card poker, draw poker and stud poker.
COMMUNITY CARD GAMES
The reason why community card games are called that way is the fact that shared cards (community cards) are used. Their role in a poker game is to help players form a hand combination — seeing as some hand combinations require three, four or even five cards to be valid.
It is important to note that community cards are shared — they are not reserved for any particular player at the poker table. This is where the challenge to form the best five-card poker hand comes into play.
Two of the most popular poker games that feature community cards are Texas hold’em and Omaha poker.
DRAW POKER GAMES
Draw poker games are quite popular too. Their differing quality is that the cards dealt to players are hidden from their opponents. Furthermore, players can choose to improve their hands by replacing a different number of cards — although players are completely free to disregard this option.
Five-card draw and Badugi are two draw poker games, but there certainly are more of them out there.
STUD GAMES
The definition of stud poker games falls somewhere in between that of community card games and draw poker games. In a stud game, players are dealt a mixture of face-down cards and face-up cards in multiple betting rounds.
Two examples of a stud poker game are Seven-card Stud and Razz.
POKER VARIANTS
Although Texas hold’em has been the talk of the town for ages, it might not remain everyone’s go-to forever. Having an idea about the different rules of each poker variant might prove to be fruitful at some point, so why not read up below? You might feel like a change of pace from the same old Texas hold’em hands you’ve been playing anyway!
TEXAS HOLD’EM
Other names: Texas hold em and hold em.
We don’t have much choice but to kick things off with an explanation of Texas hold’em. The most popular version of poker by far, Texas hold’em is a community card game in which players are dealt two cards while five community cards are dealt for everyone to share.
The five community cards aren’t dealt at the same time. Once the first betting round is complete, three cards will be dealt — called the ‘flop’. A betting round will ensue, after which another community card will be dealt — known as the ‘turn’.
The fifth and final community card (called the ‘river card’) will be dealt after yet another betting round. The final betting round (sometimes called the ‘river’ betting round) is called the ‘showdown’, and it is when the last active players compare their hands. The best five-card hand will win the entire pot.
TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER HAND RANKINGS
The Texas hold’em poker hand rankings are as follows, starting from the strongest to the weakest:
- Royal Flush — Consisting of the five consecutive cards A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit, a royal flush is the best poker hand. A royal flush beats all the other hands, and it can only tie with another royal flush.
- Straight Flush — consisting of five consecutive cards of the same suit — is the second-best hand. A straight flush beats all the other hands except for a royal flush and a higher straight flush.
- Four Of A Kind — also referred to as quads, features four cards of the same rank, such as four nines. This hand beats all the other hands, except for a royal flush, a straight flush or another four of a kind of a better rank. For example, a four of a kind made up of four jacks will beat another four of a kind made up of four nines.
- Full house — is made up of three of a kind combined with a pair of a different rank. For example, three eights and two aces would make a full house. Only a royal flush, a straight flush and a four of a kind can beat a full house. If two players have a full house, the one with the highest card rankings will win. The best way to make a full house is when a pocket pair is dealt. Pocket pairs complement a full house pretty well, since other players won’t stand the same chance of making an identical full house that way.
- Flush — consists of five cards of the same suit, but they must not be consecutive cards. For example, 10, eight, five, three and two of diamonds would make a flush. Although desirable, a flush is far from the most powerful hand in the game since it can be beaten by a royal flush, a straight flush, a four of a kind and a full house. Having said that, a flush can beat a straight, a three of a kind, a two pair, a pair and a high card.
- Straight — consists of five consecutive cards of different suits. For example, a K-Q-J-10-9 of different suits would make a straight flush. Should they be of the same suit, those cards would make a straight. Straights beat a three of a kind, a two pair, a pair and a high card. A straight of a higher rank or any hand better than that will beat a straight. You might come across the phrase ‘Broadway straight’, which refers to the best possible straight hand of 10 through ace.
- Three Of A Kind — three cards of the same rank are required to make a three of a kind, which only beats three other hands: a two pair, a pair and a high card.
- Two Pairs — a two pair consists of one pair of the same rank and another pair of another rank. For example, two jacks and two queens. A two pair beats any one pair as well as high cards.
- One Pair — A pair simply consists of two cards of the same rank, such as two queens. A one pair beats a high card and, at most, a one pair of a lower rank.
- High Card — a high card is the worst hand possible. It is made up of five cards that don’t form any of the hands listed above. A high card won’t beat any made hands except for another high card of a lower rank.
TEXAS HOLD’EM BETTING LIMITS
There are three types of poker betting limits in Texas hold’em: Limit hold’em, Pot Limit hold’em and No Limit hold’em. In each, players will have to abide by certain betting rules that aim to reshape the conventional betting structure of Texas hold’em.
- In Limit Texas hold’em, the limit comes into effect when looking to bet and raise. For example, a €5 Limit hold’em poker game will only allow bet increments of €5. This way, all players’ bet amounts cannot fall between €5 and the next multiple of five; say, €7 or €19. Under this betting structure, players can only bet €5, €10, €15, €20 and so on.
- In Pot Limit Texas hold’em, the betting structure takes into account value of the pot, in that players cannot bet more money than the pot is worth — this goes for betting and raising. For example, a pot value of €10 would mean that players cannot bet more than €10 at that moment. Should they bet, say, €5, the pot value would then be €15; placing the new pot limit at €15.
In this way, the pot limit format changes the betting dynamic quite considerably; thus, in turn changing players’ strategy as well. - As the name suggests, No Limit hold’em is a no-limit game in which players do not have to abide by predetermined betting structures. In this format, players can bet as much as their chip stack allows.
TEXAS HOLD’EM SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Very popular
Ease of learning: Moderate to simple
Gameplay simplicity: Moderate
OMAHA HOLD’EM
Other names: Omaha hold em, Omaha Hi or Omaha poker.
Texas hold’em and Omaha hold’em are similar in quite a lot of ways, which is why we’ve decided to explain it before moving on to more different poker variations.
First off, the most glaring difference between Texas and Omaha hold’em is that each player is dealt four hole cards instead of two, whereas the four betting rounds are identical. At showdown, players will compare their hands, but only specific combinations of hole cards and community cards are accepted. Players have to use at least two of the four hole cards to make their final hand.
BETTING ROUNDS
Overall, the action in Omaha poker isn’t tough for new players to grasp, especially if they’ve had experience with Texas hold’em in the past. The two forced bets (the big and small blinds) are placed in what is called ‘preflop’. After that, the first three community cards are dealt.
The second betting round ensues, after which the players still in the hand decide how to act. The third betting round then comes along, and the fourth community card is dealt. When the fifth and final community card is dealt, the last round of betting begins and players still active will reveal their hands.
Remember: players must use at least two of their own cards to make their final hand. Here’s an example: a hand consisting of 5c-Ad-Qd-3s with a board texture of 2d-3c-6d-9d-Jd will have made an ace-high flush, since two of the four hole cards have been used to complement the five community cards.
OMAHA HOLD’EM SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Popular
Ease of learning: Moderate to simple
Gameplay simplicity: Simple
OMAHA HI-LO
Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most interesting poker variations out there, mostly because it is a split-pot game. This means that, at showdown, 50% of the pot will be awarded to the strongest five-card hand and the remaining 50% will be given to the poorest five-card hand.
A very big favourite among all kinds of poker players, Omaha Hi-Lo shares traits from both Texas and Omaha hold’em, with the only difference being the one we described above.
All the betting rounds occur the same way as Texas and Omaha hold’em variants do, while players must still use two of the four hole cards along with any three community cards to form a hand.
OMAHA HI-LO SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Somewhat popular
Ease of learning: Moderate
Gameplay simplicity: Simple
FIVA-CARD OMAHA
As its name suggests, Five-card Omaha is played using five hole cards instead of the four used in other Omaha variants. The rule to form a hand remains the same: players must use two of the five hole cards along with any three cards on the board.
The extra hole card is a very significant difference, since it allows for more hand combinations to be made; thus, the possibility for making strong hands is that much greater! In fact, players who enjoy encountering strong hands frequently usually opt for Five-card Omaha if available in online poker rooms.
One of the biggest cons tied to Five-card Omaha is the fact that a significant bankroll and strong mental fortitude are required to play. This is due to the fact that the abundance of strong hands will make for quite a volatile dynamic, where players can win and lose quite haphazardly.
FIVE-CARD OMAHA SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Popular
Ease of learning: Moderate
Gameplay simplicity: Simple
FIVE-CARD DRAW
Five-card draw is also a popular version of poker worth explaining. As happens in Texas hold’em, Five-card draw includes two forced bets through the big and small blind to get the action going. After that, players are dealt a five-card hand.
BETTING ROUNDS
The first betting round resembles that of Texas hold’em too, in that players have the option to fold, call or raise before the next round of the game begins. Players then have the option to dispose of any number of cards dealt to them. Said cards will be replaced by the dealer and another betting round begins.
Once the second round of betting is complete, the showdown begins. At this stage, players will compare their hands with one another. The best five-card hand will win the pot. Should a player place a bet and no other player call, said player will win the pot without having to compare their hand with others.
To sum it all up, Five-card draw resembles Texas hold’em in more ways than one — the most significant similarity being the same poker hand rankings. This poker variant is easy to learn and very fun to play, thus making it a very attractive option for poker players who want to branch out into new poker variations.
FIVE-CARD DRAW SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Moderate to simple
Gameplay simplicity: Simple
SEVEN-CARD STUD
One of the oldest poker games of all time is none other than Seven-card Stud. This poker game is said to have been around since the mid-1800s, and, although its popularity has dipped in recent decades, Seven-card Stud will always be a classic that attracts die-hard fans of the game.
Let’s start off with the basics. Seven-card Stud is a community card game in which players are dealt their own individual board of seven cards each—which is the reason why a maximum of eight people can play the game and not more. Similarly to Texas hold’em, the best five-card hand wins the pot.
BETTING ROUNDS
Seven-card Stud kicks things off without the forced bets. Once players place an ante at the start of the hand, they will be dealt two hole cards and one face-up card. The player with the worst upcard of the table must place what is called the ‘bring-in bet’, which is simply a forced bet.
The bring-in (the player who places the forced bet) will act first by putting the minimum bet, or any wager within the predetermined betting limits. The option to fold is always available.
In the following street, the fourth face-up card is dealt to each active player, but this time, it is the player with the best upcard who acts first. By that point, every active player will have four upcards and two hole cards. Players with no hand draws usually fold at this point in the street, since it is unlikely that they will be able to compete at showdown.
The fifth and final betting round (known as the ‘river betting round’) is when the player with the best five-card hand wins the pot according to the standard poker hand rankings. Seeing as seven cards are dealt to each player, players can only use five cards to make their best hand.
Another important point to be wary of is that, in Seven-card Stud, suits are important when it comes to deciding the bring in. The suit ranking is as follows (starting from the strongest to the weakest): spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Moderate
Gameplay simplicity: Moderate
RAZZ
Razz isn’t anywhere near as popular as other poker games, but the entertainment factor is definitely there once you’ve grasped the general concept of the game. Razz is known as the lowball version of Seven-card Stud, with the difference lying in the hand rankings.
Here is how the hand rankings differ in Razz:
- Aces are still the best card in the game, but they are always considered the lowest-ranking card.
- Straights and flushes don’t count against a hand.
- On the other hand, pairs do count against a hand.
This way, the lower the card, the more desirable it is. Hands are therefore described as using their lowest-ranking card, for example, a 2-4-7-10-J would be described as an eight-low.
Granted, it will be challenging for players to get accustomed to this format if they’ve been playing Texas hold’em exclusively, but with time and practice, calculating the lowest-ranking hand will become second nature to them.
BETTING ROUNDS
The action in Razz is almost identical to that of Seven-card Stud, in that the player who acts first is the one with the highest-ranking (worst) card, whereas the player with the lowest-ranking (best) card will kickstart things in later streets. Once the obligatory antes are placed, the cards are dealt and the action can begin.
The name of the streets is quite different when it comes to Razz. The first round of betting is called the ‘third street’, since by that point, each player will have been dealt three cards: two hole cards and one upcard.
As we’ve mentioned, the player with the worst card acts first, and if two players have the same worst card, the suit would be the tiebreaker. Once this is decided, the player will pay the bring-in bet and the rest of the players can act.
The ‘fourth’ street will see the player with the best card act first once another upcard is dealt. At this point, the table’s active players will have two upcards and two hole cards. The ‘fifth’ street includes the same betting structure once another upcard is dealt. The same goes for the ‘sixth’ street.
The ‘seventh’ street is the final betting round in Razz, where a hole card is dealt to the last active players of the table. Should there be more than one active player, showdown will determine the winner.
One of the frequently reported issues players have with Razz is that calculating the worst and best hand is quite challenging. Additionally, determining the best low hand cannot usually be done without remaining active during later streets; thus, more often than not, costing you more than it is worth.
Nevertheless, Razz has its own way of standing out from the many variations of poker—an advantage that is quite attractive for a poker player who has grown bored of perhaps the more conventional poker games.
RAZZ SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Difficult
Gameplay simplicity: Difficult
BADUGI
Badugi falls under the ‘draw poker’ umbrella in which players can replace cards with the goal of forming the best possible hand. This game differs from the rest not just with its hand rankings but also in the way hands must be formed. In Badugi, the player’s goal is to form the lowest possible four-card poker hand using different suits.
In this poker game, aces are low and suited or paired cards are do not complement our hand; that is, they work against a player’s efforts to make the lowest possible hand. For example, 6D-5H-3-C-2S is called a ‘Six-high hand’ and it is quite a good hand in this poker game. Not only is the highest card six, but the suits are all different.
BETTING ROUNDS
This poker game starts off just like any Texas hold’em or Omaha variant, with the small and big blinds posted by the player directly to the left of the button and the other two to the left of the button, respectively.
Seeing as this is not a community card game, the words ‘preflop’ and ‘flop’ aren’t used. With a total of four betting rounds — of which three are drawing rounds — Badugi’s real action starts with the four hole cards dealt to each player. The first betting round then commences.
Once all the pre-draw bets are placed, players can decide to discard whichever card they deem weak to their desired poker hand — they can discard all four cards, too! Players can then draw any number of cards they have discarded from the pile, or they could also ‘standpat’, which means keeping all of their cards.
There are three betting rounds in the post-draw, two of which are followed by an opportunity to draw. The final round of betting will be followed by showdown, where the remaining players compare poker hands. Remember: the lowest possible four-card poker hand using different suits wins.
DIFFICULTIES WITH BADUGI
There are two major cons when it comes to playing Badugi. First off, Badugi is a fairly recent invention, with its roots going back to the 1980s.
This means that you might have quite a hard time coming across this as an online poker game, although you might find it in mixed poker games or poker tournaments.
The second issue most players have with Badugi is that it is quite hard to get accustomed to. Not only are hands made with four cards — as opposed to the usual five — but suits influence hands greatly. With such a drastic change to conventional poker rules, Badugi might be a hard nut to crack for most players.
BADUGI SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Difficult
Gameplay simplicity: Difficult
2-7 (DEUCE TO SEVEN) TRIPLE DRAW
What we have on our hands is a very remarkable poker game that is both peculiar and extremely entertaining. A hint of how this poker game works lies in its name: 2-7 Triple Draw.
The deuce-seven hand, while the worst in Texas hold’em, makes the nuts (the best possible hand) in this poker game. In fact, the poker hand rankings of 2-7 Triple Draw work exactly the opposite of how they do in Texas hold’em.
For example, A-2-3-4-6 is not a very good hand in this poker game since aces are always high. As a result, this hand would be beaten by a hand such as 2-3-4-5-7.
Additionally, seeing as 2-7 Triple Draw falls under the ‘draw’ category of poker games, players can replace cards as they see fit, since there are no community cards.
BETTING ROUNDS
Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw includes two forced bets through the big and small blind to get the action going. After that, players are dealt a five-card hand.
This poker game kicks off just like any Texas hold’em or Omaha variant, with the small and big blinds posted by the player directly to the left of the button and the other two to the left of the button, respectively.
Seeing as this is not a community card game, the words ‘preflop’ and ‘flop’ aren’t used. With a total of four betting rounds — of which three are drawing rounds — the game’s real action starts with the five hole cards dealt to each player. The first betting round then commences.
Once all the pre-draw bets are placed, players can decide to discard any card they deem weak to their desired poker hand — they can discard all five cards, too!
Players can then draw any number of cards they have discarded from the pile, or they could also ‘standpat’, which means keeping all of their cards.
There are three betting rounds in the post-draw, two of which are followed by an opportunity to draw. The final round of betting will be followed by showdown, where the remaining players compare poker hands.
In summation, 2-7 Triple Draw differs from traditional poker in a very unique way while not being too overwhelming to learn. Once you wrap your head around the fact that the lowest five-card hand wins, this poker game becomes very entertaining. Getting there is a process, but as always, your mileage may vary.
2-7 (DEUCE TO SEVEN) TRIPLE DRAW SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Simple
Gameplay simplicity: Simple
SHORT DECK
Other names: Short Deck poker and Six Plus Poker.
As its name suggests, Short Deck is played with a shorter deck — 36, to be precise — which is why it revamps quite a lot of aspects of traditional poker. This poker trait was actually quite common in the past, but it isn’t incorporated in too many variations nowadays.
With fewer cards in the deck, Short Deck doesn’t need much to provide a completely different experience to poker than the rest of the games we’ve mentioned so far. The missing cards are those from two through five of all suits. For that reason, aces are used to form a straight of A-6-7-8-9 instead of A-2-3-4-5 in standard poker.
BETTING ROUNDS
Short Deck is a community card game in which players are dealt two cards while five community cards are dealt for everyone to share.
The five community cards aren’t dealt at the same time. Once the first betting round is complete, three cards will be dealt. A betting round will ensue, after which another community card will be dealt.
The fifth and final community card will be dealt after yet another betting round. The final betting round is when the last active players compare their hands. The best five-card hand will win the entire pot.
Short Deck is growing in popularity, which is music to the ears of all the fans of this superb poker game. Although somewhat rare in most poker rooms, this poker game is gaining traction and might be introduced to your poker room pretty soon if it isn’t available already.
When it comes to the potential cons of Short Deck, there aren’t too many to share. Once you get a hang of the fact that cards two through five are missing from this poker game, you’ll quickly get accustomed to the new and improved odds of making a great hand. Of course, that is a double-edged sword since other players can make strong hands just as easily!
SHORT DECK SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Moderate
Gameplay simplicity: Moderate
CHINESE POKER
One of the most — if not the most — unique poker games is Chinese poker, where players are dealt a whopping thirteen cards instead of the usual two, four or five.
In Chinese poker, players have to divide their 13 cards into three different hands: 2 hands containing 5 cards and one hand containing 3 cards. The goal is to make the highest-ranking hands in each of the three hands.
Seeing as players receive a good 13 cards each, Chinese poker doesn’t usually allow for more than four players to participate.
Once players arrange their cards into different hand groups, players can ‘surrender’ or play their hand(s). After that, the hands are compared and the scoring decides the winner.
GAME RULES
Here are the three main Chinese poker rules:
- Surrender: This rule is optional, and it is predetermined before the game kicks off. Surrendering is when a player pays a fixed amount of money (according to their initial deal) if they lose two to three hands and do not end up playing against other opponents.
- Foul: If cards are placed in the wrong order, the player must pay other players an equal sum as if they’d have lost all three of their hands (except for ‘surrendered’ players).
- Outright win: An outright win is granted when a player makes three straights or three flushes in their three hands. Such an outcome will win said player the game, regardless of the hands obtained by other players.
Overall, Chinese poker is quite a particular poker game. Its many unique traits can attract players as easily as it could lose them, and this is somewhat reflected in the fact that its popularity leaves much to be desired. Since 1996, the World Series of Poker has stopped including Chinese poker.
Moreover, the scoring system can be quite complex unless an adequate amount of effort is made to study and understand them.
What we’ve covered is barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the nitty-gritty of the game, but it serves to be a snippet of what the gameplay looks like. Although Chinese poker is one of the more complicated poker variations, it can still be entertaining to players who devote adequate time to understanding it.
CHINESE POKER SUMMARY
Variant popularity: Not popular
Ease of learning: Difficult
Gameplay simplicity: Difficult
BEST POKER VARIATIONS
So what exactly are the best poker variants out there? Mixed poker games, stud games or perhaps just the classic Texas hold’em?
Answering that question is quite a complicated thing to do, especially with such a variety of poker variants out there. Having said that, we’ll attempt to list the best three poker games on the basis of entertainment and simplicity to understand.
- Texas hold’em: A classic round of hold’em is the most popular version of poker played in the world, and there are quite a few reasons for that. Not only is it straightforward to understand, but it’s also highly entertaining.
The game mixes luck and skill, with a reliance on the latter more prevalent the more hands are played. Furthermore, Texas hold’em can be found in every poker room out there, as well as in all the major poker tournaments around the world. - Omaha Hi-Lo: This type of poker is extremely entertaining due to the fact that the pot is divided into two: the best hand and the worst.
In that light, Omaha Hi-Lo creates a dynamic between poker players that isn’t very common. The entire poker room won’t follow one single direction; that is, making the best five-card hand.
Instead, in Omaha Hi-Lo, half the table might well be looking to make the lowest-ranking hand of the lot, thus standing an equal chance of winning some of the pot. - Short Deck: With cards two through five eliminated from the deck, Short Deck makes for some very good hands — a perfect trait for players who enjoy seeing strong hands frequently.
Moreover, Short Deck is steadily growing in popularity, which means that it will make more and more appearances in poker tournaments as time goes on.
All in all, each of the three variants mentioned above is, in our opinion, the best in terms of ease of comprehension and the entertainment factor. The rest of the variants might well be more fun than these are, although they will definitely require more homework to be done compared to these three.
Before looking to play any cash games, it is important to fully understand the poker rules of the game you’ll be playing as well as research the best way to play.
MOST POPULAR POKER VARIANTS
Why learn to play a specific poker game if there barely is anyone playing it?
That’s a very valid point. Learning how to play poker can be a very tedious process, and it would be quite a shame if you couldn’t put your skills and knowledge to the test when the time comes.
Here are the most popular poker variants out there:
- Texas hold’em
- Omaha Hi
- Short Deck
- Five-card Omaha
- Horse
If you want to view any of the less-popular games being played, make sure to tune in to mixed tournaments, where mixed games are played for the fans of different poker variants.
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