There are hundreds of different poker variations. Of course, we won’t cover all of them in this article; instead, we’ll look at only the most popular ones. But why should you be interested in learning about other types of poker rather than dedicating all your time to mastering the standard and most widely-played Texas Hold’em?
The reason is that different types of poker require players to use different skills—some rely more on logic, others on mathematics, mental stability, etc. Furthermore, the role of luck varies significantly across different poker variants. This means that in some games, even beginners have a decent chance of winning, while in others, professionals tend to have the upper hand.
Another reason to study different types of poker is their popularity in online poker rooms. Naturally, no game can compete with Hold’em in terms of popularity. However, the less popular a game, the more likely you are to encounter weaker opponents in it. This creates a dilemma—have a huge selection of opponents in popular poker games or seek out rarer tables and tournaments, where you may have an advantage over your opponents (provided you excel in that variant of poker).
Texas Hold’em
Currently the most popular form of poker, although it hasn’t always held that title throughout the game’s history. Nevertheless, in every top poker room, Hold’em is the most commonly played format.
The goal in Texas Hold’em is to defeat all opponents and win their chips. This can be achieved by having the strongest hand at showdown or by forcing opponents to fold by betting aggressively.
Each player starts with two hole cards, which they use to decide whether to bet, call, or fold. If more than one player remains after the initial betting round, the dealer places three community cards on the table.
Each remaining player can then form a combination using their two hole cards and any three of the community cards. Based on the strength of their hand, they decide their next move—whether to raise, call, or fold.
There are then two more betting rounds, with the dealer revealing a fourth and fifth community card, respectively, between each round. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, they reveal their cards, and the strongest hand wins the pot.
Omaha
The rules of Omaha are similar to Hold’em, with the same betting rounds and five community cards dealt in sequence by the dealer. However, in Omaha, each player is initially dealt four hole cards instead of two.
In Texas Hold’em, players could use any combination of their hole cards and community cards to form a five-card hand. In Omaha, however, they must use exactly two of their hole cards and three of the community cards.
Omaha Hi-Lo
In both Texas Hold’em and regular Omaha, higher-ranked hands are considered stronger. Omaha Hi-Lo is a poker variant in which both the highest-ranking and the lowest-ranking hands are rewarded. The high hand, or “Hi,” has the highest cards, while the low hand, or “Lo,” has the lowest.
To qualify for the Lo hand, a player must have five cards ranked 8 or lower, with no pairs, three-of-a-kinds, or four-of-a-kinds. Thus, in Omaha Hi-Lo, the pot is split between two players—the one with the strongest high hand and the one with the strongest low hand. If no qualifying Lo hand exists, the pot goes entirely to the Hi hand.
Seven-Card Stud
This type of poker differs significantly from the previous ones. There are no community cards, and each player receives seven cards. Initially, three cards are dealt to each player, with one face-up and two face-down. Then, a betting round begins. If more than one player remains, the game continues with a fourth card dealt face-up.
In Seven-Card Stud, betting is usually limit-based, meaning bet sizes are restricted. Meanwhile, Texas Hold’em and Omaha often use no-limit rules, allowing players to bet all their chips at any time.
After the fourth card is dealt, another betting round takes place. Then, a fifth and sixth card are dealt face-up, and the seventh card face-down. There is a betting round after each new card. This means the game can end at any stage if all players but one fold.
There is also a variation called Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, where the pot is divided between the highest and lowest hands.
Seven-Card Stud is known for requiring extensive information about opponents’ hands, as four out of seven cards are visible, making luck less of a factor compared to games like Hold’em.
Razz
Razz is a low-hand variant of Seven-Card Stud. The rules are nearly identical to Stud, except that only the lowest-ranking hand wins. For this reason, Razz can be thought of as Seven-Card Stud Lo. Unlike in Hi-Lo games, no minimum card value is required for a Lo hand.
The rest of the rules remain the same as in Seven-Card Stud, meaning each player receives seven cards, four of which are face-up. The player with the lowest hand (in standard poker terms) wins.
Five-Card Draw Poker
Any poker variant with “draw” in its name allows players to replace some of their cards. In this variant, each player receives five face-down cards. After assessing their hand, players bet, and then they may exchange any number of their cards for new ones from the deck.
Five-Card Draw has two main variations. In the first, after the first draw, players have one more betting round and, if more than one remains, reveal their hands to determine the winner. The second version allows two rounds of card exchanges, with a betting round after each.
2-7 Lowball
The rules of 2-7 Lowball are almost identical to Five-Card Draw. However, unlike Five-Card Draw, players aim to form the weakest hand possible to win.
In 2-7 Lowball, the lowest possible hand is 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 of different suits. Straights and flushes count against you in this game, making the combination stronger (and thus losing). Also, in 2-7 Lowball, the Ace is not considered the lowest card.
This rule might seem strange to beginners since the Ace is the highest card. However, in Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, and Razz, the Ace can act as either the highest or lowest card.
Badugi
Badugi is another rare poker variant that also resembles 2-7 Lowball in concept. The main difference is that the strongest hand consists of the weakest cards, with no pairs, and all four cards must be of different suits.
So, we’ve reviewed some of the most popular poker variations you can play in poker rooms. Choose the variant that suits you best and allows you to fully utilize your skills.
