Poker Variations

Generally, if you ask someone what type of poker they play, they might say Texas Holdem poker. The popularity of this particular poker game has skyrocketed over the past few decades. And most professional poker players play this type of poker in the World Series. They compete at the highest level to see who comes out at the top.

Several types and variations in poker are seen these days. The three main types of poker games are stud, draw and community card games. In most cases, the dealer chooses what kind of game the players are supposed to play. However, during online poker tournaments in India, the format they use to play poker is the get-go type of poker.

Variations in poker are many. All of them follow a specific play pattern that uses the same poker hand rankings. Many players play their favourite online poker game with their friends or family, while others love trying new variations in poker. Let's try to learn and understand some of the various forms of basics poker game.

List of Poker Variants

Texas Hold’em Poker Variations

The most popular poker variation is the texas hold'em poker. And if you take a chance to surf the web for card games, you will most definitely find this particular poker to be played by all. The game has a wide range of selections for tables, and even stakes that players can choose from different variations.

Most players, who have played this game since the early 2000s, will surely know that the No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker is the best. It is one of few poker types that has been overly popularized the past few years because of how easy it is to play the game.

Texas Hold’em Poker has many variations and types. The first and most common way of looking at Texas Hold’em games is the differences in how the betting limits function. Raising the stakes or poker betting rules is found in all forms of pokers. So, it is no surprise that the differences in betting limits make a significant difference when playing poker. This format of betting is what makes Hold’em games interesting

Omaha Poker Variations

Omaha Poker is also known as pot limit omaha poker. Some of the different omaha poker variations are:

• Omaha Hi
• Omaha Hi/Lo
• 5-Card Omaha

All these variants follow the same omaha poker rules as the Texas Hold’em poker. The two significant differences between them are that players get four hole cards rather than two. And finally, the players must try to make the best hand with two of their hole cards and three of their community cards.

Omaha Hi

Omaha Hi is the second most popular poker variant in the community. The 'Hi' in Omaha poker refers to the highest best hand being rewarded the entire pot at each segment's end. Omaha Hi is otherwise called Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) because it has a pot-limit that poker players cannot exceed.

In simple terms, this poker game variations is similar to Texas Hold’em poker with just one small difference. The four-hole cards are handed to each player instead of two at the start of each hand. These players still have to try to make the poker hands with five cards, the same as before. They will have to use two of their four hole cards and three of their five community cards after each play. Since the players are given more cards at the start of each round, building a high hand becomes manageable over time.

Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi-Lo is a poker game that is similar to the Omaha Hi poker type. The main difference between these two poker types is that the pot gets equally divided into two at the end of each hand, showing the highest and lowest five-card variations. It is possible to use various combinations of hole cards to bring out the highest and lowest poker card rankings. Nonetheless, certain conditions are to be met for achieving the lowest hand in the pot.

This type of poker game variation is also called Omaha 8-or-Better. Its name comes from the five cards making up the lowest hand to be ranked eight or less. Also, note that the flushes and straights do not have any value in this type of poker. The lower hand poker probability are A-2-3-4-5 combo, whereas the high hand possibilities are 8-7-6-5-4. Notice that the lowest hand is always ranked from the highest order.

5-Card Omaha

If you like playing the Omaha Hi, the five-card Omaha is the game for you. In this poker type, the players are dealt with five-hole cards instead of the standard four. Nonetheless, they will still have to use precisely two of the hole cards and three of their community cards to create the best possible hand. And due to the addition of one more card to the game, it has become easier to build and create chances in forging strong playable hands. However, the game is to be played in the pot-limit format. But, in some cases, there are chances for a no-limit tournament.

Also Check :- 3 Card Poker

Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC Poker)

Chinese poker is unique from the other different kinds of poker available in the community now. It is not your traditional type of poker. With that kept in mind, we can say that this game is still at a beginner level. And what can genuinely improve your game is to memorize the primary poker hand rankings. Open-face Chinese poker OR ofc poker transitioned from regular Chinese poker. However, it is not required to know the poker rules of regular CP for you to enjoy OFC. Similar to the other poker games variation, the OFC players draw cards from a single deck. Their primary focus throughout the game for any player would be to attain the best possible hand. This poker variation is unique because no bets are placed during each round of play. Instead, they play on a point basis system. The entire game is tallied with points, just like the heart card game online or the gin rummy games.
Some of the OFC Poker variations are:

• Pineapple OFC poker
• Double-check OFC poker
• Turbo OFC poker
• Backhand poker
• Middle hand poker
• Front hand poker

This type of poker game variation is easy to understand and play. You could say that the game is not as popular as Hold’em poker, but it is certainly fun to play this game. If you know how to play Texas poker, you can easily play Pineapple. Also, this game has never been played at the World Series of Poker. It has only been played at small EPT events

Must Check :- Mobile Poker

Stud Poker Variations

Stud poker is the most popular type of poker to be played. The game even now has a fan base where players join to compete in poker tournaments. In stud poker game, the cards are shuffled in a predetermined order of face-up and face-down cards with betting rounds at the end of each round. For example, we have the five-card Stud and the seven-card Stud.

Must Check :- Video Poker

This specific type of poker is quite different from the typical types. In this game, hole cards and community cards are not used. Players only use owned individual cards. There are certain instances in the this card game online where some cards are faced down and hidden from players, while other cards are faced up for the opponents to see.

Draw Poker Variations

Each player will be given a hand at the beginning of each round. The cards dealt with are mostly faced down. But after betting, players have the chance to change their hands. They can either discard the card or keep it. example of this type of poker tash game is the five-card Draw poker and 2-7 Triple Draw Poker

Must Check :- Online Poker Promotions

2-7 Triple Draw Poker

This form of poker allows the players to choose their five-card hand with poker rules that there will be no face-up or exposed cards. In this poker game variation, the players will have three chances/attempts to select the best possible low hand. Unlike its other poker types, the flushes and straights play an essential role in obtaining the best hand. Also, the aces are always ranked higher. An example of making the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2, but this does not mean a hand like A-2-3-4-5 is not ranked higher.

Interested In:- Free Poker Practice

5-Card Draw Poker

This type of poker game requires the players to create the highest ranked five-card hand. Just as the name suggests, the game ends with whoever has the most significant hand. At the start, the players get to choose their cards. These cards will remain hidden from the opponents to prevent mal-practice. As the game progresses, you can develop a firm hand to beat the other players. However, the game has a high-risk, high-reward factor, making it impossible for you to read your opponents' cards.

Also See :- Basic Rules of Texas Holdem

Horse Poker

The game of HORSE stands for five different types of poker games. Namely, the Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud, and Eight-or-Better. This game is often played with high stakes in live games. horse poker also one of the few games to be featured in the World Series of Poker. Having to play the five types of poker in one-go, the players will have to keep in mind the rules involved in playing this game.

Razz Poker

It is a poker type where all the players look to make the best possible low hand. Razz poker game's ranking system is designed for not counting straights and flushes against the lowest hand. Also, the aces are ranked lower, such that the best possible hand could be A-2-3-4-5.

Short Deck Poker

Short-deck Poker is a variant form of the Texas Hold’em poker type. Now, short deck poker game has become the staple in most high-stake cash games and tournaments. The ranking system is slightly different from the average poker rankings. Here, the flushes beat full house poker, and for an odd reason, the two's and five's are removed from the deck. Hence, the game is played with just 36 cards, giving it the name short-deck poker.

Lesser cards mean that the players have better chances of making a strong hand faster. But, do not forget that your poker opponent also has the same advantage. Note that with fewer cards involved in the game, your chances of getting higher variant cards are boundless.

Badugi

This kind of poker game is similar to the draw and lowball poker variations. Badugi is played differently from the other types of cash game because it uses a high-ranking system to achieve the best hand. Even if you are a skilled Badugi player, there will be new areas to explore each time you play the game.

How to play poker

All types of Poker games are about reading your opponents and trying to figure out whether they are bluffing or not in context of how to play poker. A traditional poker game is mostly played at hotel-casinos where there are many visual clues available for you to deal with your opponents. However, poker these days are played online. In online poker game, the cards are distributed in the same manner as the Texas Hold’em poker. You are given cards at the start of each round. The player with the best possible poker winning hands the pot. As for the pot's limits, it all depends on the players whether to have a pot-limit or no-limit structure.