While many people may think of poker as just one game, the reality is that poker includes many different poker variations, each with their own rules, strategies, and nuances.
From first-timers seeking to learn a new game, to pros willing to try their hand at a number of the different types of poker games, the options that flood the gaming floors are vast. Variations of poker, such as the well-known Texas Hold’em, to more obscure games, like Badugi, all have a place in expanding your skill set.
It’s time to really explore just how many variations of poker are there. We will explain their rules, strategies, and interesting differences. You will see just how different various poker games are in terms of gameplay and complexity.
Different Poker Games
While Texas Hold’em is often the first game that comes to mind for most players, there are plenty of other variations of poker that introduce exciting dynamics, allowing you to flex different cognitive muscles beyond classic No Limit Hold’em. Some games are all about bluffing and psychological play, while others deal with deep mathematical understanding. Players will need to dive deep into the different strategies of each of the different poker card games to find what poker avenue is the best for them to pursue.
Exploring the different poker variants can be a fun way to learn new games and help sharpen skills that will translate to other poker variants. For example, Omaha is essentially a more complex version of Texas Hold’em with two extra cards. Seven-Card Stud and Razz, on the other hand, run with completely different gameplay, betting structures, and hand rankings.
There are also more obscure games on the poker games list, like Pineapple and Badugi, that add interesting twists to the traditional poker experience. Players should consider broadening their horizons to other types of poker games, as they will likely help them become better overall players.
Below, we’ll detail the rules and characteristics of various poker games, from the very well-known to the ones you may only see at a home game. Every one of these variations of poker has something different to offer. Understanding what makes the different games of poker actually different will help you find the one that best fits your play style.
Texas Hold’em
Of all the different poker games, Texas Hold’em is by far the most popular game on this poker game list. It’s the game that most people are familiar with and is usually thought of when someone mentions poker. This is mainly because of its presence in major tournaments and televised cash games.
Each player in Texas Hold’em receives two cards, known as “hole cards,” and five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table. Players make their best possible five-card hand using the community cards and the two hole cards. There is a round of betting pre-flop, post-flop, post-turn, and finally post-river. For a more detailed look at Hold’em, check out our complete guide on how to play Texas Hold’em.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 10/10 – Texas Hold’em is the undisputed poker king, thanks to its presence in high-profile tournaments and it’s simplicity to learn and play.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 8/10 – The phrase that is often said about Texas Hold’em is that it is easy to learn, but very hard to master.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 9/10 – Although the rules are simple to learn, the strategy behind Texas Hold’em is intricate, meaning that there is a wide skill gap between the best and worst players.
- Opportunity to Play: 10/10 – Texas Hold’em is offered everywhere. If a cardroom offers poker, then they will be offering Texas Hold’em.
Limits and Betting Variations
Texas Hold’em is played with multiple betting structures, including No-Limit (the most common), Limit, and Pot-Limit. In No-Limit Hold’em, players can bet any amount of chips, up to their entire stack, at any time. In Limit Hold’em, betting is restricted to a fixed amount on each street. Pot-Limit Hold’em allows players to bet up to the current size of the pot. However, it is worth noting that Pot-Limit Hold’em is rarely seen anymore.
Omaha
After Hold’em, Omaha is likely the second most popular of the types of poker games, having increased in popularity over the past few years. The game plays similarly to Texas Hold’em, but with two extra hole cards that add complexity and more potential hand combinations.
This makes Omaha the game choice for most players looking to gamble it up and have fun. Omaha is widely available online which is evident in our how to play omaha poker online guide.
The primary difference from Hold’em is that each player is dealt four cards, rather than two. The same five community cards are still in the middle of the table, and players must use exactly two cards from their hand, and three community cards from the board, to make the best possible five-card hand.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 9/10—Omaha is extremely popular, but it’s not as widely played as Texas Hold’em.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 7/10 – The added hole cards can initially be confusing, but the overall gameplay is straightforward and very similar to Hold’em.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 8/10—Omaha offers more possibilities to make big hands than Texas Hold’em, requiring players to adapt their strategy. More draws and big hands mean players must learn new ways to win.
- Opportunity to Play: 8/10—Omaha is available in many poker rooms, but it’s not as commonly played as Texas Hold’em. However, it can be found in almost all online cardrooms.
Limits and Betting Variations
Omaha can be played in Limit, Pot-Limit, and No-Limit formats, just like Texas Hold’em. However, Pot-Limit Omaha, or PLO as it is more commonly referred to, is easily the most popular Omaha format and the one you will see in most cardrooms.
Game Variations
While Omaha is traditionally played in a four-card format, players have added more cards for more action. Be on the lookout for five-card Omaha, sometimes spread in online and live cardrooms. The rules are the same: two cards from your hand and three from the board, but you are given a bonus hole card to start.
You may not think this one card would make that much of a difference, but any experienced player will tell you it greatly increases the action. Get ready for tons of big pots and big swings.
Omaha Hi-Lo
Omaha Hi-Lo is a split-pot variation of Omaha where half the pot is awarded to the best qualifying high hand, and half the pot is awarded to the best qualifying low hand (if one exists). Players can use the same hole cards for both hands.
Basics of the Game
Each player is dealt four hole cards, and the five community cards. To win the high portion of the pot, a player must have the best hand according to standard hand rankings. To win the low half of the pot, a hand must consist of five cards ranked eight or lower, with no pairs.
The “eight or better” format means the low portion of your hand must have the highest card of 8 or lower to qualify. Flushes and Straights do not count against you, and the best low hand you can make is Ax,2x,3x,4x,5x, or a “Wheel.”
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 7/10 – Omaha Hi-Lo is popular in certain poker circles, especially for players who enjoy the challenge of split-pot games.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 6/10 – The concept of split-pot poker can be tricky for beginners.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 9/10 – The dual nature of the game (high and low hands) requires players to think carefully about both types of hands.
- Opportunity to Play: 5/10 – Omaha Hi-Lo is offered in some poker rooms, but it’s less common than traditional Omaha or Texas Hold’em. The most common place you will see split pot games played is in tournament poker.
7-Card Stud
Before Texas Hold’em’s popularity surged, 7-Card Stud was the most popular version of poker. In this game, there are no community cards, with each player receiving seven cards. The first two cards are dealt face down, followed by four cards face up, then a final card face down to finish with seven.
Stud is played in a limit betting format, and the goal is to make the best possible five-card hand using your seven cards. The game is played in five betting rounds, and players must rely on the cards they are dealt, along with the information they can gather from the other players face-up cards. Take a closer look at Stud using our complete guide on how to play 7-Card stud.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 6/10 – Seven-Card Stud has fallen in popularity but is still a classic among poker enthusiasts. Grizzled grinders from poker past still find Stud to be one of the best games.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 7/10—The rules are straightforward, but the lack of community cards can make the game more challenging to learn.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 8/10 – Seven-Card Stud is a game of memory and observation, and the strategy revolves around knowing when to fold, call, or raise based on your hand and the visible cards on your opponents board.
- Opportunity to Play: 5/10 – It’s harder to find 7-Card Stud games online and in live cardrooms compared to Hold’em or Omaha. Once again, the most common place you will see Stud is in tournament formats rather than cash games.
Razz
Razz is won by making the lowest hand, not the highest. It is played in a limit betting structure with the same play format as Stud, where you are dealt seven cards. However, unlike most poker variants where the best or highest hand wins, Razz awards the pot to the player with the worst hand.
In Razz, aces are low, and straights and flushes do not count against you. Players try to make the lowest five-card hand possible using their seven dealt cards. Like the low portion in an Omaha Hi-Lo pot, the best hand you can make in Razz is Ax,2x,3x,4x,5x, or a “Wheel.” To get a better understanding of how to play Razz poker, check out our complete guide.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 5/10 – Razz is considered a niche poker variant on the poker games list, mainly played in tournaments or home games. However, high-stakes cash Mixed-Games will often include Razz as one of the staples.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 7/10 – The rules are simple, but the strategy can be tricky to master.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 6/10—Since Razz is a limited game that is played in the Stud format, a specific strategy is often used, and players can learn the game fairly quickly.
- Opportunity to Play: 4/10 – Razz is rarely offered online poker rooms or casinos, though it can be found as one of the staple mixed games in lots of tournaments.
Stud Hi-Lo
Stud Hi-Lo takes the best parts of Stud and the split-pot aspect of Omaha Hi-Low. Players compete for the best high portion of the pot and the best low portion.
The game is played in the exact same playing and betting format as standard Stud with each player being dealt seven cards. However, half of the pot is awarded to the best low hand, provided the low hand qualifies.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 5/10 – Stud Hi-Lo is another niche poker variant, often only found in high-stakes cash mixed games, and tournament poker.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 6/10 – The rules are similar to 7-Card Stud, but players must also consider the low hand. This can make for tricky situations that do not come naturally to the average player.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 8/10 – Players must balance strategy between aiming for a high hand and a low hand. Players will be forced to make tough decisions on each betting street about if they should continue or not.
- Opportunity to Play: 4/10 – Like Razz, Stud Hi-Lo is less common than other variants.
5-Card Draw
5-Card Draw is one of the simplest and most traditional types of poker games, and is likely the original version of poker. It is also a very popular among the types of home poker games. In this game, each player is dealt five hole cards. They must choose to discard any number of cards or no cards to try to improve their hand.
Players are dealt five cards face down before a round of betting occurs. They then have the option to discard none or up to all of their cards, and replace them with new ones in an attempt to make the best hand. As with all the different poker games described in this article, we also have a more detailed look at how to play 5-card poker.
Game Ratings
- Popularity: 4/10 – Though it may be one of the oldest games, it is no longer one of the most popular.
- Ease of Learning the Rules: 9/10 – The rules are easy to understand, making it a great game for beginners.
- Strategy Learning Curve: 6/10 – The strategy is simple, but the game becomes more interesting with betting patterns and bluffing. This is one of the main games that you need to learn to “read” your opponent.
- Opportunity to Play: 2/10 – This game is almost never seen in public cardrooms but can still be played in some mixed-game tournaments.
2-7 Lowball
2-7 Lowball is a variation of lowball poker and is a bit different when it comes to the types of poker games. The goal is to make the lowest possible hand using five cards. However, in this lowball format, pairs, straights, and flushes all count against you.
Basics of the Game
Players are dealt five cards and looking to make the worst hand possible. Depending on what format of Lowball you are playing, there will be rounds where you throw away a card and draw a new one.
The easiest way to think about the best hand in 2-7 lowball is to flip the typical hand rankings on their head. For example, in 2-7 a royal flush would be the worst hand you could make, while the best hand that you can make is 2x,3x,4x,5x,7x with no flush, as you only have seven-high.
Game Variations
- Triple Draw: This is typically played in a limit betting format, and players can draw three times to improve their hand.
- Single Draw: This is typically played in a No Limit betting format and players only have the option to draw once to make their hand.
Badugi
Badugi is one of the more niche poker variations. It uses a four-card hand, and ultimate goal is to make a “Badugi,” which is a hand with four different suits. Pairs count against you and you are, once again. looking to make the lowest hand.
Basics of the Game
Badugi is a draw poker game in which the objective is to create the lowest possible hand, without a pair, using four cards of all different suits. Each player is dealt four cards, and, after a round of betting, they have the option to discard any number of cards and receive replacements to improve their hand.
The best hand in Badugi is ace through four with each card being a different suit. Check out our complete guide on how to play Badugi poker for even more information.
Short Deck
Short deck, also commonly referred to as 6+ Hold’em, uses a 36 card deck rather than a standard 52 card deck. The game is played like Texas Hold’em, but all of the 2’s through 5’s are removed from the deck. This makes it much easier to make very strong hands, and also changes the math of the game, causing the classic hand rankings of Texas Hold’em to change slightly.
Hand Rankings Difference
The main difference in short deck is, flushes beat full houses. This will often confuse new players, but it is vital to the understand if you want to play this variant. There are also some changes to the bottom end of a straight.
In a Hold’em, the lowest straight you could make is a five-high straight or ace through five. In short deck, the lowest straight you can make is a nine-high straight or Ax,6x,7x,8x,9x, due to the cards that are removed. If you want a more comprehensive look at how to play short deck poker, our full guide is a great play to go.
Pineapple
Pineapple falls somewhere between Hold’em and Omaha but with a twist and can be one of the more wild poker games to play. Players are dealt three cards but they have to discard one of them. In standard Pineapple, this discard happens before the flop, but in Crazy Pineapple, it happens after you see the flop.
Other Poker Games
The games listed above are your most common games, however there are still plenty of other more obscure games such as Chinese Poker, Baduecy, and Drawmaha, each offering a unique twist on traditional poker game types.
Types of Poker Recommendations
If you are unsure of where to start on your poker journey in the sea that is different poker games, here are four recommendations:
- Texas Hold’em: The most popular and widely played types of poker games.
- Omaha: A great option for players who enjoy Texas Hold’em but want more action.
- Stud Hi-Lo/Omaha Hi-Lo: These will teach you the basics of Stud and Omaha while also learning how to play split pot games.
- 5-Card Draw: A simple and accessible poker game for beginners and experienced players alike.