Poker Games

Texas Holdem Poker

The game that has been taking the world by storm since 2003 has been texas holdem poker. In texas holdem, each player is dealt two hole cards.  A round of betting ensues. After the round of betting, three cards are dealt in the middle of the table that everyone can play off of.  This set of cards is known as the flop. A round of betting ensues, followed by a four community card.  This is known as the turn.  Another round of betting occurs followed by a fifth card dealt in the center of the table. This is known as the river.  A final round of betting occurs.  After the betting is finished, the players show their hands and the best five card hand takes the pot.  The most popular form of this poker game is no limit holdem. In no limit, a player may wager any amount at any time.  Other forms of holdem include fixed limit holdem, pot limit holdem, and even spread limit holdem.

Omaha

The second most popular form of poker in the world, and the most popular form of poker in Europe is Omaha Poker.  The game is similar to texas holdem poker, but there are two differences. 

First, each player is dealt four cards instead of two cards.  The rest of the game is very similar to holdem.  Like holdem, the community cards of the flop, turn, and river are all dealt with a round of betting after each street. 

The second main difference between Omaha and texas holdem occurs at showdown. At showdown, players must use two cards in their hand, and three on the board to make their best five card hand.  The most popular form of Omaha in the world is Pot Limit Omaha.  Omaha allows more drawing options than texas holdem and on average; there usually is more money in Pot Limit Omaha Pots than there are in no limit holdem pots. 

Other forms of Omaha include Omaha 8 or better.  In Omaha 8, the same rules apply as in regular Omaha, but there is also the potential for a split pot when a player has a five card low hand of five unique cards eight and below.

Stud Poker

One of the oldest forms of poker that your will run across is Seven Card Stud Poker.  Most people grew up playing one type of stud game or another.  In stud, players start out receiving two cards face down and one face up.  Betting occurs, followed by a second card face up.  After another round of betting, players receive a third up cards.  Yet another round of betting occurs, followed by a final up card.  After betting, the last card is dealt to a player face down.  After a final round of betting, players show their cards and the best five card hand wins the pot.  Most stud that you will find is in the fixed limit format, although you can find some pot limit stud on occasion. 

Razz

Two variants of stud that are common are stud 8 or better and razz poker.  Stud 8 or Better is a split pot game played similar to regular stud, but there is an option for a split pot when a player has a qualifying low hand consisting of five unique cards eight and below.  Razz is a lowball version of seven card stud.  There are no qualifiers for stud, and the worst five card hand wins the pot.  Aces are always low in Razz. 

Lowball

A game that has been making a comeback online is Lowball.  There are two versions of lowball.  They are deuce to seven lowball and ace to five lowball.  There are single draw and triple draw variants.  Most triple draw games are limit betting, while most single draw games are no limit.  In either game, each player is initially dealt five cards.  A round of betting then occurs.  Then players decide how many cards that they want to discard.   In triple draw games, there are three draws with rounds of betting after each.  In single draw, there are only two betting rounds, before and after each draw.   

What determines a winning hand varies depending on the game.  In ace to five draw, the worst possible hand wins.  Straights and flushes do not count against your hand, so the best hand is a wheel, or five high in this case.  Aces are always low.  In deuce to seven lowball, straights and flushes count against you.  Aces are always high.  The best hand in deuce to seven lowball is 2-3-4-5-7. 

Badugi

Badugi is a triple draw lowball game involving four cards.  The object of the game is to get one card of each suit.  In the event that multiple players get a four card hand, the lowest hand wins.  If nobody obtains a four card hand, then the best three card hand wins.  If nobody obtains a three card hand, then the best two card hand wins.  Each player is dealt four cards, followed by a betting round.  Players then decide whether they want to draw.  This occurs three times total.  In the end, the player with the best hand wins the pot. 

Five Card Draw

Five card draw is the oldest form of poker offered on most sites.  Each player is dealt five cards, followed by a round of betting.  Players then discard unwanted cards and then a second round of betting occurs.  The player holding the best five card hand wins the pot.  Five card draw games are typically pot limit online.  Sometimes you can find fixed limit cash games. 

Five Card Stud

The last form of poker that you may run across online is five card stud.  Five card stud is dealt and played similar to seven card stud, but only five cards are dealt.  Most versions are played in fixed limit, but on occasion you may find no limit five card stud.

Regardless of the type of poker you prefer to play, you should be able to find somewhere to play.  Obviously the less popular your game is, the less likely it is you will find a large spread of games.  However with diligence, you should be able to find a game that suits your style.