Poker Games

Poker is a universal pastime that dates back to the 1700’s - and possibly even earlier than that. Over the years a hundred poker variants have come and gone but a few have made a lasting impression on the world and are still played on a very wide-scale level.

Games like Texas Holdem and Omaha may dominate the scene today but there are still loads of other games out there, and more importantly - TONS of Online Poker Sites that have many of these available to play for real money or for fake chips. And depending on the casino, many land-based gambling establishments will occasionally deal games like 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz, or even HORSE.  

Here is a list of some of bigger and more frequently-played poker games:

Texas Holdem

Texas Holdem, or more simply Holdem, is by far the most played poker game in the modern day. Holdem’s popularity stems from how easy it is to learn but how difficult it is to master. In Texas Holdem, each player is only dealt two cards while the rest of the cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. The player to make the best five card poker hand using any combination of his hand and the cards on the table wins the pot.

Omaha

Omaha is Texas Holdem’s close sister and is the second-most played poker variant in the world. The one major difference between Omaha and Texas Holdem is that in Omaha every player gets 4 hole cards instead of two. This makes Omaha exciting because players can use these cards to make strong hands more often. But be warned; everyone else will also catch stronger hands more often.

5 Card Draw

This is the classic game that people think of when they hear the word “poker.” Five-Card Draw is the game you see in cowboy flicks and is also probably the first gambling game you ever played with your grandfather. In five card draw, everyone is dealt five cards and they get one chance to pick new cards. After that, the best hand wins. Like Holdem this game is simple to learn but difficult to master.

5 Card Stud

This game is similar to 5 Card Draw except three of each player’s cards are dealt face-up. This makes hand reading a little easier and adds an extra dimension of strategy to the game. 5-Card Stud is rarely played today but it was wildly popular in the 19th century. There are still 5 Card Stud games played on the internet but they can be hard to find.

7 Card Stud

7-Card Stud is the most popular of the stud games and can be considered 5 Card Stud on steroids. The two games are similar except in this one players are dealt seven cards, there are more betting rounds, and bigger hands come around more often. Most poker sites offer this game and it is a staple in the mixed game called H.O.R.S.E.

The “Hi-Lo” Games - a.k.a. the “8 or Better Games”

Omaha 8/b (Omaha Hi-Lo) and Stud 8/b (Stud 8/b) add yet another layer of strategy to both of their counterparts. In the Hi-Lo games, every pot is split between the best poker hand and the lower poker hand. One guy might win half the pot with a full house while another girl might win the other half with a hand like A2346. Sometimes you can get lucky and win both halves, but that’s a tough order to fill.

Razz

Razz is played the same as 7 Card Stud except the goal is to get the lowest poker hand, not the highest poker hand. This is also similar to Stud 8/b except there are no high hands in Razz. Razz is also sometimes called 7 Card Stud Low. This game is fairly popular now days and is one of the games featured in H.O.R.S.E.

2-7 Triple Draw

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a wild game marked by big pots and lots of betting action. Players in this game have to learn to stay calm because wild swings are common with the winners and losers trading places multiple times through the course of an average game. Triple Draw is slowly become more popular and is offered at many online poker sites.

H.O.R.S.E.

HORSE isn’t actually its own game - it’s just a collection of poker games played at a single table. The game switches between five different poker games at regular intervals. Sometimes a timer is used, other times a certain number of hands is used to determine how often it switches to the next game. The HORSE lineup includes Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud (7 Card Stud) and Eight or Better (7 Card Stud 8/b). Someone clever realized these five games spelled “horse” and the name stuck. Plus it’s an easy way to remember which game is coming next!