You’ve probably already heard of poker, but did you know there are hundreds of variations of the game out there? From Texas Hold’em to Omaha Hold’em to Stud Poker, there are countless ways to play this game that you might want to try, whether you are looking to get better or just enjoy the thrill of betting against other players. Here are some poker variations that every player should know before playing them.
Texas Hold’Em
The most widely played variation is Texas Hold’em, a card-based version of Poker. In it, each player starts with $10-$20 in chips and two cards face down on his/her side. Players may then make bets by placing their wagers on one of four different cards (two suits) while opponents call those bets. When all cards have been dealt, the first to act flips over their bottom card and the player who has the highest hand wins. If no one busts, the pot is split between the winning player(s).
Omaha Hold’Em
This variation, also known as Seven Card Stud, is very similar to Texas Hold’em, except instead of holding two cards, each player holds seven cards that include five community cards and the dealer’s upcard. The dealer deals himself the top three cards and puts down two more (the “hole” cards). As in Texas Hold’em, the winner is determined by comparing the best hand from among the remaining cards. It is slightly less popular than Texas Hold’em because the action can be slower with this variation, meaning that an aggressive game could put off beginners. However, since the table usually contains only seven players, it is possible for anyone to win if someone else busts early in the game.
Stud Poker
Also called Four Card Stud, this game requires four cards and a standard deck of 52 cards. Unlike Texas Hold’em, where both the dealer and players must hold two sets of cards, Stud Poker requires only the dealer to hold two cards. This means that the players do not need to use both hands at once; they simply wait until the dealer makes his turn. Once he does so, each player would like to match the dealer’s hole card and can place his bet accordingly. The lowest and highest pairs count as high cards and the next pair counts as a medium pair. The remaining cards determine low cards. A flush beats any other set.
High Low Split Pot
This variation takes two forms: High Low Split Pot and High Low Split Game. In either case, two or more players start with equal amounts of money in front of them before the game begins. Each player then places equal bets — including blinds, ante, and antes after the blinds — on which seat will receive the winning hand. For example, if Player 1 bets 100¢, Players 2 through 4 each bet 50¢ apiece, and Players 5 through 10 each bet 25¢. Then the first person whose hand matches the dealer’s wins. If no one pays off, the pots are split between the winners. But if everyone wins, the total pot is theirs!
Split Games
While Poker isn’t considered a true gambling sport due to its non-cashable nature, many casinos offer variants of the game that allow players to bet real cash. These games are often referred to as “splits.” They include Split 9 or Better and Five Handed Splits (which require that five or more players show hands with identical poker rankings), All-In Split Three-Way Draw Poker, and several variants of Seven-Card Stud (including Red Dog).
Pai Gow Poker
A popular Chinese variant of Poker, Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. It includes four decks, each containing ten cards.
First, the dealer shuffles the four packets once and cuts them into six stacks of 13 cards. Then, each player receives one stack per hand. After making the initial betting round, the dealer turns over eight of the cards from his/her stack for every hand. Cards rank in order according to suit (as in regular Poker): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7.
Each player may fold (refuse to play), check (bet half of what s/he had originally bet), call (bet his/her original stake) or raise (increase the amount of wager on his/her current hand). The higher the bet, the better the hand. Two hands are dealt simultaneously, resulting in a showdown. When this happens, all players who have active hands compare their cards face-to-face. Whoever has the best hand wins the pot.
There are different rules governing how to deal out the eight cards. One version is called Tiger Style, where the dealer gives the first two cards to one player, the third to another player and so on. Another version of this rule is called Dragon Style, where the first two cards go directly into the middle.