Poker Games

There are a variety of poker games that can be found both in Casinos and in an Online Poker Room. If you are going to get serious about poker then it is a good idea to learn about all of the various poker games. Although Texas Hold'em might be the most popular, there may be others that you will find to be a lot more interesting and quite a bit more profitable. With that said, it all starts with at least understanding the different types of poker games.

Along with different poker games, there are also different game variations. For example, you can find 3 different variations of Texas Hold'em. There is limit, no limit and pot limit. These are all played with the same rules, however the betting is structured differently. Most games other than Hold'em are played in only a fixed limit and pot limit format. Texas Hold'em is most commonly played in a No Limit format. Still, both pot limit and fixed limit are popular choices for many Hold'em players, especially with the higher limits.

Poker Games

Texas Hold'em

As mentioned above, Holdem is the most popular poker game in the world. The main event in the World Series of Poker is played using this game. Each player is dealt two cards and then there are 5 community cards dealt to the middle of the table for everyone to use. The goal is to make the best possible five card poker hand.

Omaha

Omaha is a very similar game to Texas Hold'em. The biggest difference is that instead of just two cards, each player is dealt 4 hole cards. There are still 5 community cards that are dealt. The other main difference is that you must play two hole cards. Just one card will not make a winning hand. The goal here is to make the best possible five card poker hand.

Omaha Hi Lo

Omaha Hi Lo is a variation of Omaha that has a nice little twist put into it. It is the same game as Omaha except there is also a low hand. That means that the goal is now to come up with the best possible high 5 card poker hand and also the best possible low hand. In order to qualify for a low hand, you must have 5 cards that are 8 or lower. Two being from your hand and three from the board cards. This game is also known as Omaha 8.

Seven Card Stud

Seven Card Stud is a popular poker game that has been played for many years. In this game there are no community cards. At the end of each hand (if you have not folded), then you will end up with 7 total cards in front of you. 3 of them will be face down while the other 5 will be face up. The goal here is to make the highest possible 5 card hand.

Razz

Razz is the same thing as Seven Card Stud, except the goal here is to make the lowest possible hand. Everything else is the same. High hands do not make a difference in this game. The lowest hand possible would be A2345.

Seven Card Stud Hi Lo

This game is a mixture of both Seven Card Stud and Razz. Each hand, there is a high pot and a low pot. The goal of course is to win both, however either one will usually work out pretty well as the pots are usually big in a game like this.

Five Card Draw

This is the poker game that most people think about when they hear poker come up (that is if they are not avid players already). Five Card Draw is the game where each player is dealt 5 cards to their hand. Each player will then have an opportunity to draw for new cards and hold the ones they want. At the end, whoever has the highest hand will win.

Mixed Poker games

There are many different games where all of the above are mixed together. A good example is HORSE. The games played in HORSE are Holdem, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. There are also many other mixed games with different poker games. The games switch after each round.

As you can see, there are many different poker games out there. If you ever decide to play in the World Series of Poker, you will find that there are some very large tournaments that are made up of all of the above poker games. There are also some other poker games that are less common such as Badugi, Pineapple and Lowball. It is a smart decision to learn about all of these various poker games before you start diving in. Playing online for free is a great way to learn the different poker games.