Poker has numerous variations, most of which emerged within the last two centuries. Whilst the standard order of play appears in most poker game variations, they might differ in other ways, such as hand values and number of betting rounds.
Common ground
All poker games follow the same basic rules. For instance, they will all have an ante or blind, which is the minimum amount that can be wagered in order to play. In some variants, particularly traditional versions, all players pay the same ante; whilst in other games, only a certain number of players pay the ante.
Another common factor among poker games, regardless of the variation, is that they all have betting rounds, where players can bet, call, check, or raise. They will also always be played in competition, with at least two opponents. Furthermore, all poker games tend to have the same hand ranking system; for example trips, full houses, flushes, and the rest.
Most variations of poker can be placed into one of three broad categories. These include draw poker, stud poker, and community card poker. Stud poker, especially five-stud, is generally considered to be the regular, traditional game. In this variant, players’ hands are dealt and are made up of cards that only they themselves can see.
Seven card stud
Seven Card Stud is a close variant of regular poker and was the most popular version of the game before Texas Hold ‘Em came along. However, the game is still relatively widely played and is often one of the varieties offered at many online casinos, such as amongst the GGPoker poker games. The game begins with two cards dealt to each player that are facing down. Unlike traditional Five Card Stud that has three betting rounds, this variant has a possible five.
Texas Hold ‘Em
The most popular poker variant is commonly played in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and is seeing more women taking it up in recent years. It differs from the regular version in that it’s a community card game. There are five rounds: pre-flop, flop, turn, river, and showdown. At the pre-flop, each player is dealt two ‘pocket’ or ‘hole’ cards and then waits for five ‘community’ cards to be revealed. Players can call, raise, or fold and, after this first round, a further three cards are dealt – in the flop – and so on.
Double Flop Texas Hold ‘Em
This poker variation is a community card game played the same way as Texas Hold ‘Em, except that it has two flops. While every player still receives two pocket cards, they also make two separate hands – one for each of the two selections of community cards to be dealt. The pot is often divided between two players, however, sometimes there’s one lucky participant who manages to win the whole lot.
Omaha Hi
Second in popularity to Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha Hi tends to be played as a pot-limit game. This community card game is played just like Texas Hold ‘Em, but with one difference. Whilst the object is still to have the best five-card hand, instead of two hole cards dealt to each player, there are four. In trying to have the best hand, the players have to use two of their four hole cards and just three of the five community cards at the showdown round.
HORSE
Making its debut at the 2002 WSOP, Horse differs from traditional poker in that it’s a mixed game. This variation consists of five poker games played in turn. These are: Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo eight or better.
There are multiple variations of poker. However, whilst newer game variations are popular, the traditional versions are still commonly played.
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