If you are a poker player, then you probably know that Texas Hold’em is one of the most poker games. But it doesn’t mean other versions are not good enough to be included in our poker games list. There are a lot of different poker varieties and a ton of websites that offer these types of games.
Below we have listed some of the most famous versions of Poker game. But before you dive in, you need to learn how do you play poker. We have also listed below how you can play poker in different versions and other structures and formats. Let’s start with our poker games list.
Famous Poker Games and Rules of Poker
As we said above, the first thing you need to know is how do you play poker. There is some incredibly crazy game of poker that requires you to pay close attention to the rules.
1. Texas Hold’em
Currently, Texas Hold’em is the most played poker variation. Therefore, Texas Hold’em will almost certainly be the featured game with an extensive range of tables and stakes for players to pick from if you can locate a card room or website that provides poker games.
No-Limit Texas Hold’em is probably the version of Poker that most players—amateurs or professionals—who started playing or were first exposed to the game in the early 2000s are most familiar with. Since the turn of the millennium, it has received the most television attention and has become the most well-known of all poker variations because of its simple rules and hand rankings. The rules of poker for Texas Hold’em are possibly the easiest to understand.
2. Omega Hi
Omaha Hi is the second-most popular poker game after Texas Hold’em. The “hi” in this game refers to the highest hand winning the whole pot at the showdown. Typically, Omaha Hi is played as a pot-limit game, often known as Pot-Limit Omaha (or PLO). It is definitely one of the most loved types of poker.
In essence, this game is played identically like Texas Hold’em, except for a minor variation: each player is given four hole cards as opposed to 2 in Texas Hold’em. As a result, players must only employ three of the five community cards at the showdown and two of their four-hole cards to create the best five-card hand. Omega Hi is also sometimes called the crazy game of poker.
3. 7 Card Stud
Stud poker used to be the most popular type of poker before Texas Hold’em shot to the top of the popularity rankings.
Each player in Stud eventually obtains their unique hand, in contrast to the game above types (which use hole cards and community cards for players to construct the best hand). In addition, while some of the cards in a player’s hand will be face-down and concealed from other players, others will be face-up and visible to all opponents.
4. Badugi
Poker’s “draw” and “Lowball” families encompass this particular poker variation. In addition, the hand rating mechanism that Badugi employs to identify the most incredible hands sets it apart from other poker games. As a result, comprehending Badugi does not always require proficiency in another round of Poker.
The players positioned to the left of the button put forward the small and large blinds to begin the hand. The player to the left of the big blind opens the initial betting round by calling, raising, or folding after each player has been dealt four cards. The remaining players then go through three “draws” in the following rounds, with a betting round occurring after each. You’re sure to love this Poker game after a single game.
5. Horse
HORSE, an acronym for Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz (Stud Lo), Stud (Stud Hi), and Eight-or-Better (Stud Hi/Lo), is a combination of five popular poker variations.
The most common HORSE games are high-stakes live games and a few notable tournament series, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Every game variation played adheres to its standard gameplay regulations. For HORSE, it is essential to know that all games are Fixed Limits, with the same stake/structure applied to each variation. After each orbit of play, the games are rotated to the next, with Hold’em coming first, followed by Omaha, Razz, etc.
6. Razz
In Razz, a variation of Stud Poker, players compete to have the lowest hand. Straights and flushes do not count against a soft hand being made in the ranking system for this game. A-2-3-4-5 would be the lowest/best hand in this game because Aces count as common.
Razz is played similarly to how regular Stud Poker is played: Each player begins by putting forward an ante. After that, each player is dealt two face-down cards and one face-up card. However, in contrast to Stud, in Razz, the player holding the highest face-up card acts first and places either a tiny “bring-in” bet or a total bet of the smaller game increment. The betting round then moves clockwise around the table. If you don’t know how do you play the Poker Razz game, then there are guides online that can walk you through the gameplay.
7. Chinese Poker
Since Chinese Poker doesn’t adhere to any more conventional game patterns, it differs significantly from other poker variations. Despite this, it is still a game suitable for beginners, and the main requirement is a solid understanding of the poker hand rankings.
It should be mentioned that Chinese Poker can be played with as few as two or three people, but it is typically played with four players overall.
Each player receives 13 cards, which they must divide into three hands of varying strengths:
- Their most substantial hand consists of five cards.
- Their middle-strength hand consists of five cards.
- Their weakest hand consists of three cards.
Finally, players reveal their strongest, middle, and highest hands.
8. Short Deck
The short deck is a tremendously entertaining variation of Hold’em that has recently established itself as a mainstay in high-stakes cash games and tournament series. However, due to the removal of cards 2 through 5, hand rankings in this poker game differ slightly from those in more conventional games. Consequently, just 36 playing cards are used to play the game (hence the name).
Players have a better chance of producing some hands with fewer cards, but they must also be cautious because this affects the strength of their opponent’s hands! More minor cards mean increased variance and more frequent formation of stronger hands.
9. Mixed Poker
Mixed poker games can be fun, but some players may find them highly perplexing. In essence, they blend various variations into a single game. Players take turns playing one hand (or several hands) of one variant and then several hands of another. To succeed at these games, you must pay close attention. Some of the more well-liked formats of this kind are as follows.
- HORSE
- HOSE
- Hold’em Mix
- 10 Game Mix
- 8 Game Mix
- Omaha high/ low mixed
Three Main Types of Poker Games
Draw poker, stud poker, and community card poker are the three main subcategories of Poker. Almost all variations of the game will fit into one of these groups.
1. Draw Poker
In some popular poker variations known as “draw poker,” players can discard (remove cards from their hands) and draw new cards to assemble a more substantial hand. Five-Card Draw, Triple Draw Lowball, and Badugi are just a few draw poker variations. Draw poker games can be played in three different formats:
- Limit (set bet sizes).
- Pot-limit (maximum bets allowed for each hand).
- No limit (where you can bet any amount up to your current stack).
2. Stud Poker
When Draw Poker’s popularity declined in the middle of the 19th century, Stud Poker first appeared. As a result, demand for Stud Poker, specifically Seven-card Stud, increased in America. It won’t take you a lifetime to master this skill-based game. Over multiple betting rounds, a variety of face-up and face-down cards are dealt to each player. Typically, Card Stud Poker is a non-positional game. In this case, the player who places the first wager on each round is subject to change from round to round.
3. Community Card Poker
They are shared and used by all community card players in the game; community cards are so named due to the card community. Games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha are examples of card community games since they all use shared cards, community cards, and hole cards, which are personal cards that each participant in a community card game can only see. Texas Hold ’em community cards, for instance.
The board in Poker refers to the entire configuration of the shared community cards. Usually, the dealer arranges them in a row side by side. The merchant must arrange the poker community cards in a few varieties.
Additional Types of Poker
For most forms of Poker, the one that is ranked at the highest position wins the pot. But there can be two additional types of games where this isn’t the case.
1. Lowball
The lowest hand wins in lowball or soft poker forms of the game. Lowball poker refers to Five Card Draw poker played low, though any poker game can be reversed and played low. Different Lowball variations employ various hand ranking schemes, which are listed here. Whether an Ace is high or low, hands with five other rankings perform better than hands with combinations.
Typically, blinds are used to play California Lowball, although an ante may also be used. The two players standing directly to the dealer’s left put out the vast blinds after the dealer paid the small blind. The small blind is the same as the starting wager.
2. High Low Split
Generally speaking, high-low split games, like Omaha Hi/Lo, are some of the more challenging poker variations. In these, the player with the highest and lowest hands split the pot evenly. A player might occasionally hold both the best hand and the worst hand at the same time. These games aren’t suggested for beginners because of their complexity.
3. Betting Structures/ Limits
Most poker variations can be played with various bet structures or limitations. These establish the restrictions on how much you can wager and raise in multiple circumstances. You should be familiar with the three primary betting structures: fixed limit, no limit, and pot-limit.
4. Fixed Limits
Games with fixed limits have predetermined outcomes. Be it your bet or increase. Poker has its bounds. Your pot has a defined boundary. When playing the game, players at a fixed limit table have the following options:
- He can call the big blind.
- He is permitted to raise, but only within the established limitations.
- Alternatively, he can fold, give up his hand, and wait for a new deal.
Every round of betting in fixed-limit games often contains a limited amount of raises allowed by the players. Three is typically the maximum.
5. No Limit Poker
When there is no limit, Except for the size of the blinds, there are no restrictions in hold’em. In contrast to other limited pot structures, no-limit poker allows you to raise a maximum number of chips in front of the table. Please keep in mind that just because your player raised his bet, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will win the stack. You cannot bring the deal to your property and throw it into the mix.
6. Cap Limit
There is a cap on how much you can wager in this scenario per hand. Big blinds are much more pertinent in this case. It is handled as if you are playing all in once you have hit the cap.
Table Size/ Number of Players
The size of the table, or more precisely, the maximum number of players per table, can also be used to categorize poker games. Regarding the number of players permitted, there are three formats: full ring, short-handed, and heads-up.
- Full Ring
When seven to ten players are present at the poker table, this style of poker play is considered. You can play this kind of Poker online or in a casino (called “LIVE poker”). The rules of the poker game version you play here are still the same; however, the playing style is different from when there are few participants at the table.
- Short-handed
Any poker table with less than six players is said to be playing “short-handed” Poker. If we wish to maintain our win rate from a full-ring background, we must make the necessary adjustments. Depending on the game, winning may require patience and sustained effort. Players frequently believe that something is amiss if they don’t start making money right away. Nothing is wrong than it is.
- Heads Up
Any variation of Poker in which the hand is played out between just two players is called heads-up poker. This is because poker is played against another player. You can play almost every variation of poker heads-up. As if there were more players present, the heads-up game of Poker is played by its own set of regulations. However, several community card poker games, like Texas Holdem, have heads-up variations.
Which Is the Best Poker Type for You?
Choosing the best poker format to play poker is one of the crucial things you should concentrate on before doing anything else if you’re just beginning your exciting poker journey.
It’s also one of the most complex choices you’ll have to make, especially if you’ve never played Poker before.
We can only advise you to educate yourself as much as possible about the many types, varieties, formats, and structures. By doing so, you may decide more intelligently which game is most likely to suit your needs.
Beginner Tip – Poker How to Play
The key to playing poker and winning at Poker is making accurate judgments and setting realistic thought-processing objectives. In addition to playing Poker for real money, you may constantly learn new strategies. Plus, you need to have a basic understanding of how to play poker.
You are headed for a mistake if you think that any hand can make you a winner. As one of the top poker tips, failing to be cautious enough with one’s opening poker hands is the most frequent error by beginners. Undoubtedly, some pointers can increase your winnings, but you must also realize that some hands might increase your losses.
