Top 10 Poker Variations You Need to Learn - Short Reviews

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Top 10 Poker Variations You Need to Learn - Short Reviews

 
Poker has existed for centuries, and countless types of poker games have emerged during that period. While Texas Hold’em may be the dominant poker version these days, there was a time when this game wasn't even played, and games like Stud and Draw Poker were far more popular.

If you are new to poker or have been playing for a while but have never tried poker variations other than Texas Hold’em, we will teach you the basics of some other popular poker card games you may enjoy playing.

Let’s look at the most popular types of poker you should probably know how to play and the basic rules you need to understand to sit down and play each.
 

#1 - Texas Hold’em Poker

Our poker games list starts in a very expected place, with Texas Hold’em Poker, the Cadillac of poker as they often call it.
Texas Hold’em is the only game practically all poker players know how to play on some level, but it’s still the one you should probably learn first if you are entirely new to poker.
Texas Hold’em blew up in the early 2000s when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event after qualifying for it for just $86 via an online qualifier.
Since then, No-Limit Texas Hold’em has become the number one poker game in the world and has surpassed all other poker variations in popularity.
With so many learning tools, Texas Hold’em is the one poker game you will have no problem learning, whether it is a tournament or cash game format you want to focus on.

Gameplay

Texas Hold’em is a game played with hole cards and community cards. To start, each player is dealt two hole cards, and two players post a designated small and big blind.
The first betting round goes on, and all players see only their two-hole cards. In No Limit Texas Hold’em, players can raise to the value of their stack, while the Limit variation only lets players make raises one blind at a time.
The first three community cards, called the flop, are dealt across the table for all players to see. Another betting round ensues before the fourth community card, the turn, is dealt.
The turn card is followed by another betting round before the final community card, the river, is dealt on the table.
With all five community cards dealt, all remaining players can use their two-hole and community cards to form the best five-card poker hand possible.
The final betting round in Texas Hold’em happens after the river card is dealt. When all bets are settled, the dealer announces "showdown," and players turn their cards to determine the winner.

#2 – Pot Limit Omaha

The great game of Pot Limit Omaha gained much popularity in Europe in the years following the Poker Boom and quickly spread worldwide like wildfire.
Aside from Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha is the most popular poker variation, possibly because its gameplay resembles Texas Hold’em.
While Texas Hold’em was often considered a nit's game, Pot Limit Omaha is widely considered a wild game with many big bets and crazy action.
While serious Omaha players these days play the game reasonably snugly, you will still find plenty of PLO games where the action is genuinely wild and loose.
Pot Limit Omaha is a game worth learning to expand your poker horizons and add new variations to your portfolio.

Gameplay

Pot Limit Omaha gameplay is very similar to that of Texas Hold’em. The big difference is that you get four-hole cards instead of two to kick things off.
Omaha poker is also played with a pot limit format, which means the maximum you can bet on any street is the size of the pot.
While the betting rounds and streets in the two poker card games are the same, PLO players must always use two-hole cards and three community cards instead of any combination to make their hands.
With four cards dealt to each player in every hand, starting hand selection gets a lot more complex, making PLO an exciting and fun game.

#3 – Omaha Hi/Lo

Omaha Hi/Lo is often called Omaha8 and is a poker variation derived in full from the popular game of Pot Limit Omaha.
Omaha Hi/Lo is played in both limit and pot limit formats. Most often, Omaha8 is played in mixed games, although you will find some cash games or tournaments in this game type on poker sites like PokerStars.
Omaha Hi/Lo features the same rules as PLO, with the big difference being that if any players manage to make a low, the pots are split between the best high and low hand.
The low element adds even more strategic and tactical nuances to the game, making it one of the more intricate poker variations.

Gameplay

If you know how to play Pot Limit Omaha, you will be familiar with most of the Omaha Hi/Lo rules, as all dealing and betting are done the same.
The big difference is that a low hand can be made in this game, which is suitable for half the pot against the best high hand.
The best high hand is based on the standardized poker hand rankings. On the other hand, the best low hand is the lowest possible sequence of cards containing all cards that are lower than eight.
The best possible low hand is A2345, the popular "wheel." Note that every hand of Omaha8 must have a high-hand winner but does not have to have a low-hand winner if no one can make an eligible low-hand combination.

#4 – Big O

Omaha Hi/Lo has been a popular poker variation for many years, but Big O is undoubtedly newer. This game is derived from Five Card Omaha, a variation of PLO in which each player is dealt five instead of four-hole cards.
Big O is Omaha Hi/Lo with five cards, which makes each hand quite complex and allows players to make countless draws and options.
If you hate folding cards pre-flop, Big O will give you a chance to play quite a few hands, but as you learn a proper strategy, you will know that you must be careful with your hand selection in Big O as well.

Gameplay

Big O may seem like quite a bit of gambling at first, as the extra hole card and the fact that you can always go for both high and low make it very volatile.
However, Big O is as complex as any other poker game and is a strategy game where many elements play an essential part.
If you are a PLO or Omaha Hi/Lo player, the only novelty you must get used to is the extra card and the new starting hand ranges you must adapt to.

#5 – Short Deck Poker

Another variation of Texas Hold’em, Short Deck Poker (6+ Hold’em), is popular with high-stakes gamblers and poker players in Asia and beyond.
Recently popularized by the Triton Poker Series, Short Deck is a high-volatility game played with just 36 cards. In it, equities run close, and the money quickly gets into the pot.
Short Deck appears to be the new favorite game of Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan, so there is no reason you should not learn it, too, as it may someday be just as popular as Texas Hold’em or PLO.

Gameplay

The basic idea of Short Deck is very similar to Texas Hold’em, with two hole cards dealt to each player and five community cards spread across the table.
However, Short Deck is played without any deuces, treys, fours, or fives, which makes it much easier to get dealt hands like AA or KK.
Another significant change to the rules in this poker version is that flushes beat full houses, as they are harder to make, and that Aces can be used as the lowest cards for a 9-high straight (instead of a 5).
If you can master these few extra rules, you will efficiently and quickly transition from Texas Hold’em to Short Deck and become a decent player of this new game format in no time.

#6 – Five Card Draw

Of all the games on our poker games list, Five Card Draw may be played on a professional level the least often but is one of the most entertaining.
If you have never played Five Card Draw, you will probably be shocked at how simple the game is to learn and how fun it is to play.
Five Card Draw is a true bluffer’s paradise, as it allows you to bluff in every hand, as you choose, and always decide if you care about making the best hand or simply making your opponents fold.
While Five-Card Draw is most often played in home games these days, poker sites like PokerStars also offer real money online games 24/7.

Gameplay

Draw poker games used to dominate the poker world, and their simple gameplay and rules are a part of what's made them so popular.
In the Five Card Draw, you will be dealt with five hole cards you can only see, and there will be no community cards on the table.
Instead, every player will get to discard as many of their cards as they want once and receive new cards from the deck instead of them.
There are only two betting rounds in Five Card Draw, which is why the game is played without betting limits, which makes it ideal for overbetting, bluffing, and aggressive play.

#7 – Pineapple

If you are looking for a fun and silly poker variation you can play with your friends, Pineapple is the ideal game.
That said, Pineapple is a very real poker game. It is sometimes played in major poker festivals' side events and online series.
Pineapple is a variation of Texas Hold’em, but one that will allow you to play many more hands and spice up the action on an entirely new level.

Gameplay

Pineapple is a poker variation that’s easy to learn if you can already play Texas Hold’em, as the rules are mostly very similar.
The one big difference is that you are dealt three cards in Pineapple but are forced to discard one at one point.
Classic Pineapple: You discard your third card immediately. Still, there are other versions, such as Crazy Pineapple and Lazy Pineapple, in which you discard your third card after the flop or after the river.
In either case, you will start a hand of Pineapple with three hole cards and finish it with two, and the selection of the card to throw away will be what makes you or breaks you.

#8 – Seven Card Stud

This brings us to Seven Card Stud, a poker game that has lost much popularity in recent years but used to be the absolute number one game in the past.
Unlike many games on our poker games list, Seven Card Stud and its variations have nothing to do with Texas Hold’em besides the hand rankings.
If you have only learned how to play the big bet games, learning Seven Card Stud will open the doors to several new games like Five Card Stud, Razz, and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo.

Gameplay

Players are dealt up and down cards exclusive to their hand in all poker variations derived from the Seven Card Stud.
In Seven Card Stud, you will receive seven cards, three down cards, and four up cards that everyone can see.
Seven Card Stud is always played as a limit game. The player showing the lowest up card posts the bring-in, and all players at the table post an ante bet.
Players take turns betting, raising, and calling before further cards are dealt, one at a time. The goal is to make the best five-card hand from the seven cards available to you or make every other player fold their cards before the showdown.

#9 – Badugi

Another poker variation that only a small portion of the poker community can play is Badugi, a fun mix of lowball and draw poker.
In this game, you aim to make the lowest possible hand of cards of different suits, which can be more complex than it sounds.
The great thing about Badugi and its variations is that it is a game that will be new to most of your group, which means you can all start on the same level and learn the game together. If you want to play online, be prepared for stricter competition and some capable Badugi players waiting for you.

Gameplay

Badugi is a draw poker game with lowball elements. All players are dealt four starting cards and have the right to draw up to three times after the initial deal.
There is a betting round between each draw, and you can draw anywhere between zero and four cards each time.
The goal is to make a hand of small cards of different suits, with A234 in four suits being the absolute best hand possible.

#10 – 8 Game Mix

Eight Game Mix consists of eight different poker games and is considered the most complex poker game in the world.
The high rollers in Vegas have added even more games to it, making 10-game, 12-game, and more mixes to truly test the depths of each player’s poker understanding.
To be a master of 8 Games, you must be at least pretty good at most games and a master of at least one or two, or you will stand no chance against the mixed game sharks out there.

Gameplay

Eight Game Mix comprises eight popular poker variations, including Texas Hold’em, PLO, Omaha8, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud 8, Razz, and 2-7 Triple Draw.
Depending on the rules, the game will change each orbit or after a specific time, with the next game from the list being dealt next.
Each player at the table is forced to play hands in each variation, allowing players to play each game on the list or lose money by paying blinds and ants and folding their cards.
8 Game Mix is reserved for elite poker players. I would not recommend getting involved for any significant stakes until you are genuinely prepared to play each game at a reasonable level.