Poker Games
Enjoy playing Poker Card Games to the max
Card games have been around for centuries, and there are as many types of poker card games out there as there are other games combined. I am probably lying, but it sure as hell are a lot of them.
Texas Hold’em is called the “Cadillac of Poker”, something which it has earned its right to, as so many people play it I guess. But there are a lot of other games as well such as Seven-Card Stud, Omaha high/low, crazy pineapple, Chinese poker or simply strip poker. Whatever mood you’re in, there is a unique poker game to play.
In the online world, the most common games are No Limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha, but we have started to see an emergence of seven card stud and HORSE games. It is as though most poker players are becoming increasingly skilled and thus move onto play a game other than Texas Hold’em. Here is a quick run through of the most common games available.
Texas hold’em
Texas hold’em is the most popular of all online poker games. Each player has two hole cards, five community cards are dealt on the board and there are four rounds of betting. If the game goes to showdown, the highest hand wins the pot.
Omaha
Omaha is the second most popular type of online poker game. Each player receives four cards only they can see, you must then use two of them, not three, one or four, together with three of the cards dealt for everyone to create your best five card poker hand. Omaha is mostly played as fixed limit or pot limit.
Omaha high/low
In high/low games, half the pot is won by the player who shows down the lowest hand. Straights and flushes are neglected in the low hands, so in Omaha high/low the lowest possible hand is A2345. A low hand cannot contain any card over eight (that’s why it’s often called eight-or-better). If there’s no low hand, the highest hand wins the whole pot.
Seven card stud
Seven card stud is the most traditional poker game in the US and North America, being played by grand children and grand parents at every other the kitchen table. Each player is dealt two concealed cards and one open card. Then successively each player receives three more open cards and then one last card face down. In seven card stud, there are five rounds of betting.
Seven card stud high/low
Just like seven card stud, only that the lowest hand wins half the pot. The lowest possible hand is A2345, regardless of suits. As in Omaha high/low, there’s a qualifier for the low hands. They cannot contain any card over eight. When no low hand is present, the whole pot goes to the highest hand.
Razz
Razz is the short name for seven card stud low. This game is played just like seven card stud, only that the lowest hand wins the whole pot. High hands don’t count at all. Since there are no high hands in Razz, there’s also no qualifier on low hands. That is, they are not limited to cards below nines. Razz and the rest of the games below are usually available only as real money games.
Crazy Pineapple
Crazy pineapple has become very popular in the latest years. In this poker game, each player receives three hole cards. After the betting on the flop has been terminated, each remaining player must discard one card. From there, the game is played exactly like Texas holdem.
Five card stud
In five card stud, or 5 stud, Each player receives one card face down and one open card. Then, successively, three more open cards are dealt to each player, with betting in between for a total of four betting rounds. The highest hand wins the pot.
Five card draw
Five card draw (5 draw) is another very classical poker game. For many, this game is simply “poker”. Each player is dealt five cards face down. After one round of betting each remaining player can discard any number of his or her cards and draw the same number of new cards from the deck. Then there’s a last betting round and a showdown.
2-7 triple draw
This poker game has seen a huge rise in popularity, not only among high stakes professionals. It plays like five card draw, but players draw new cards three times instead of just once. Contrary to five card draw, in this poker game the lowest hand wins the whole pot. Aces count as high cards and straights are not neglected. Like this, the lowest hand in 2-7 triple draw is 2-3-4-5-7, which explains the name of the game.
A-5 lowball
This poker game is played like 2-7 triple draw, except that aces are low and any straights or flushes are left unnoticed. Players hold five concealed cards and can exchange any number of them for new cards a total of three times. The best hand is A-2-3-4-5.
HORSE, SHOE, RASH, HO, HA, 8-game
All these games are called mixed and are the best poker games according to most pros. Basically you can put together any list of poker games and name it according to the abbreviations for the included games: H = holdem, A = Omaha, O = Omaha high/low, S = seven card stud, E = seven card stud high/low (Eight or better), R = Razz, T = triple draw. The game called 8-game is a Poker Stars specialty. In 2008 WSOP there was a seven-games mixed event.
