Poker Variations

The game we know as ‘Poker’ has its origins almost back in the 10th century, where historians say that it can be traced back to a domino-card game played by a Chinese emperor. There have been various versions of the game from five-card draw to seven-card stud. But, the popular and more widely played version is Texas Hold’em, whose rise to dominance came in the 1970s when it became the featured format of World Series of Poker.

Real money poker’s popularity has been furthered by the increase in digital platforms, where you can now play competitively online and for real money. There are different poker variations that are played on apps like Pocket52.

Various Types of Poker Variants

The various types of poker variants are described below, explaining their different gameplays and challenges. This list will help you understand which variant suits your style the most.

1. Texas Holdem

No-Limit Texas Hold ’em Poker has been the most popular game form since the early 2000s. Because of how simple it is to play, this is one of the few varieties of Poker that has become too popular in recent years.

It is possible to play Texas Hold ’em Poker in various ways. Different betting limits are a frequent starting point for analyzing Texas Hold ’em games. Poker betting regulations and raising the stakes may be found in all varieties of Poker. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the discrepancies in betting limits impact the game of Poker. Hold ’em games are exciting because of their unique betting structure.

In a standard game of Texas Hold’em Poker with a 52- Card deck, each player is dealt two private ‘hole cards’. Five community cards are then placed face-up in stages - Flop, Turn and River. Players have to create the best five-card hand using the two hole cards and three cards from the community deck. The player with the highest-ranking hand or the last remaining player after all rounds of betting, wins the game.

The four rounds of betting in poker are:

• Pre-Flop: After the two hole cards are dealt to all players, the first round of betting begins. Players can choose to fold, call or raise based on their hole cards and sitting positions, as the community cards are yet to open.
• Flop: After the three community cards have been dealt face-up on the table, the next round of betting happens. Players now have the opportunity to adjust their strategy according to the possibilities based on the community cards.
• Turn: A fourth community card opens face-up, and another round of betting takes place. Players now have a fair idea of whether to call or raise their hand, or fold if nothing is forming.
• River: The last and final community card is dealt face-up on the table, leading to a final round of betting. Players will fold, call, check or raise depending on what hands they have formed, after which the final showdown happens to determine the winner.

Texas Holdem Poker

2. Omaha Hi

The Omaha Hi type of Poker is the second most popular in the poker world. In Omaha poker, the highest-ranking hand wins the full pot after each round. Pot-Limit Omaha (P.L.O.) is the name given to Omaha Hi because it has a fixed pot limit.

This poker variant is much like Texas Hold ’em Poker, except for one minor detail like a fixed limit. At the beginning of each hand, each player receives four cards instead of two. As previously, these players must continue to use five cards to construct poker hands. Each time they play, they’ll have to use two of their four-hole cards and three of their five communal cards. Having more cards at the start of each round makes it easier to create a strong hand.

3. Omaha Hi-Lo

There are four rounds of betting similar to Texas Hold’em in Omaha as well. The betting starts Pre-Flop, followed by Flop, Turn and River, with the final showdown if there are more than two players still in the game.

There are several similarities between Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi-Lo poker games. The pot is split evenly after each hand, revealing the game’s best and worst five-card hands. Different combinations of hole cards may be used to reveal the highest and lowest potential poker card ranks in a game of Poker. There are a few requirements to be the player with the highest cards.
Omaha 8-or-Better is another name for this sort of poker game variant. A hand with five cards graded eight or below is known as a “five-card draw.” On the other hand, the straights and flushes are utterly worthless in this kind of Poker. A-2-3-4-5 combination is the most likely lower hand, while 8-7-6-5-4 is the most likely high hand. Observe that the lowest hand is listed from the highest position.

Betting Limits in Omaha Hi Lo

There are four main types of betting limits in Omaha Hi Lo as described below:

Limit Omaha Hi Lo

There are fixed bet sizes in this variant, meaning players can only bet or raise by a predetermined amount.

Pot Limit Omaha Hi Lo

PLO involves a high amount of skill and concentration since there is a restriction of using only 2-hole cards. The betting is restricted only to the pot limit.

No Limit Omaha Hi Lo

This is a variant where players can bet any amount of their chips during the hand, including the ability to go ‘All-In’. This adds an extra layer of strategy and excitement to the game.

Mixed Omaha Hi Lo

It is a combination of two betting methods, limit and pot limit omaha. During limit rounds players can only bet or raise by a fixed amount. But, in pot limit rounds, players can bet any amount up to the size of the pot.

Best Starting Hands in Omaha Hi Lo

Hands that are either 8 or lower are considered low hands in Omaha Hi Lo. The best starting hands are:

• A A 2 3 (Suited or Double Suited)
• A A 2 4 (Suited or Double Suited)
• A A 2 5 (Double Suited)
• A A 3 4 (Double Suited)

Best Qualifying Low Hands

To win the low half of the pot, players must have 5 cards ranked 8 or less with no pairs to qualify. The low hand is also referred to as the wheel. The best qualifying low hands are:

• 5 4 3 2 A
• 6 4 3 2 A
• 6 5 4 3 2
• 7 5 4 3 2
• 7 6 5 2 A

Omaha Poker

4. 5-Card Omaha

If you’re a fan of Omaha, this is the game for you. Have a seat at the table for the game of five-card Omaha. Instead of the regular four-hole cards, players are dealt five in this kind of Poker. However, players will still need to employ two of their hole cards and three of their community cards to get the greatest possible hand.

One additional card has also made it simpler for players to develop and produce strong playing hands because of the inclusion of another card. Despite this, the pot-limit format will be used for the game. Conversely, a no-limit tournament may be possible under certain circumstances.

5. 5-Card Draw

None can do much about how a player is dealt the cards in this version of Poker, but you can use a little technique! Make the finest possible five-card hand.
First, everyone is given five cards, and the betting begins. To go to the next round of betting after placing your wager, you may swap up to three cards before placing your next bet. After that, the winner is determined by whose hand is the strongest among the remaining players.
It’s a simple game, but players frequently attempt to see if they can get an edge by gauging their opponents. Your opponent’s hand might be revealed by how many cards they choose to draw in their first round of betting. They may be bluffing in the hopes that you’ll fold.

6. 7-Card Stud

7 Card Stud is a classic poker variant, where each player is dealt a total of 7 cards throughout the hand, three face down cards and four cards are placed face up. Players have to form the best five card hand from their seven cards.
The game has five rounds of betting, starting with a forced bet from the player showing the lowest value face-up card. Unlike Texas Hold’em, there are no community cards opening on the table. The main objective of 7 Card Stud is to win by having the highest-ranking hand or making others fold.

How Each Round of 7 Card Stud Happens

7 Card Stud involves several rounds of dealing and betting. Here’s how it works:

• Starting Cards: Each player is dealt 3 cards in the first round, with 2 face-down hole cards, and 1 face-up door card.
• Subsequent Rounds: Over the next three rounds, players are dealt one card face-up in each round.
• Final Round: The 7th card is dealt face-down. Eventually, all players must have a total of 7 cards, 4 face-up and 3 face-down.

7 Card Stud Poker

7. Badugi

The ranking system of Badugi is similar to that of conventional Poker, with the exception that aces are now low-value cards rather than high-value ones. Instead of five cards, the dealer deals four to each participant, and then a betting round starts. Once the first draw round has begun, each player may draw up to four cards simultaneously. Next comes the second round of betting, followed by a fourth card draw and the third round of betting. A last round of betting precedes the showdown and is followed by the final draw. The person with the best poker hand out of their four cards is the winner.

Badugi is a lowball draw poker game, where the players aim to create the lowest ranking 4 card hand. The cards have to be of different suits with no pairs or duplicates. The main objective of the game is to form the best ‘Badugi’ hand by having the four lowest distinct cards in different suits, with Aces being counted the lowest.

The player with the lowest hand (smallest possible high card) in terms of rank and unique suits wins. Hands with fewer than four cards due to duplicates or repetition of suits is considered weak in ‘Badugi’. For example, A 2 3 4 (all different suits) beats A 2 3 5, and hands with 3 cards beat those with 2 or less.

Badugi Poker

8. Chinese Poker

The dealer deals each of the two to four players 13 cards at the start of the game. Each player’s cards are divided into two sets of five cards, with one set of three cards. Chinese Poker gives each of these hands a name: the three-card hand is called the front, while the two five-card hands are named the middle and the rear. The idea is to have the lowest-ranking hand on the front and the highest-ranking hand on the rear. The player places their cards in the following order on the table:

• First, the front hand, face down and the farthest away from the player
• Second, the middle hand, face down and closer to the player.
• Third is the rear hand which is also known as the back hand, face down and the closest to the player.

Each player makes a statement about whether or not they are playing their hands. If this is the case, there will be a public announcement of their upcoming royalties! (the group decides these units before the game). Participants receive points based on the cards they reveal, and the winner is awarded royalty units.

Chinese Poker

9. Community Card

These games, such as Texas hold ’em and Omaha are a variant on traditional Poker and require the dealer to distribute cards to each player. In addition, community cards are on the table that has been dealt face-up. The communal cards and the players’ pocket cards are combined to form a single hand for each participant.

10. Draw Poker

It is a version of regular Poker that enables players to trade cards, typically up to three cards, with the dealer after receiving their initial set of cards. The participants then form a hand by combining the new cards with the existing set.

11. Pineapple Poker

It is a variation of Texas hold ’em with a few key differences. Each player starts with a hand of three pocket cards, and after looking through them, one of them is discarded. So the first betting round begins. Afterward, the rules of Texas hold ’em apply. The Crazy Pineapple Poker variant is identical, except that the players keep all three of their pocket cards until the round before the dealer gives the fourth card, also known as the turn card. Lazy Pineapple Poker is a variation of Pineapple Poker that doesn’t need a player to discard a card until the dealer flips over or deals the river card (the final card of five community cards).

Pineapple Poker

12. Razz Poker

If you’re looking for a form of lowball poker game that doesn’t use typical card rankings, a razz poker game is what you’re looking for. The game’s purpose is to play a low hand rather than a high one. Players cannot trade cards in Razz, which is a stud game.

Here is a list of the best hands in Razz poker:

• Wheel: 5 4 3 2 A, this is the best possible hand in Razz and the absolute lowest.
• 6 4 3 2 A: Second best hand in Razz, and only one card higher than the wheel.
• 6 5 3 2 A: Slightly worse hand, considering 5 and 6 are higher cards.
• 6 5 4 3 A: A solid low hand, but slightly worse than the others considering the 5, 4, and 3.
• 7 4 3 2 A: This is the best possible hand that includes a seven in it.
• 7 5 4 3 A: Another low hand with seven as the highest card.
• 7 6 4 3 A: Slightly bad hand with six and seven being on the higher side.
• 8 4 3 2 A: 8 is literally going high in Razz terms, but this is the lowest hand with an eight in it.
• 8 7 6 5 4: This is the highest you can go in Razz, with all the high value cards. This is the worst hand to have.

Razz Poker

13. 2-7 triple draw Poker

Before betting begins, the dealer hands each player five cards face-down. After that, the first of three drawing rounds starts, in which each player may exchange cards from their hand with those dealt by the dealer. There will then be a second round of betting and a second drawing. After then, there will be a final round of betting, followed by the third round of drawings.

There are two ways to win in 2-7 triple draw poker:

• Having the lowest five card hand: The 7 5 4 3 2 (unsuited) is considered the lowest possible hand in 2-7 triple draw poker.
• Forcing opponents to fold: You can also strategically bluff or make aggressive bets to force your opponents into folding their hands.

14. HORSE Poker

HORSE is the most prevalent mixed game that incorporates five different poker disciplines. In addition to Texas Hold ’em and Omaha, the rotation also includes Razz and the two varieties of Stud, one of which is Stud Hi/Lo. It is common in live games to play this game for huge bets. Horse poker is one of the few games that have appeared in the World Series of Poker. Playing all five forms of Poker in one sitting requires players to be aware of the regulations.

HORSE Poker

15. Short Deck Poker

Short-deck is another variant of Texas Hold ’em. Most high-stakes cash games and tournaments now include short deck poker. The rating system is a little different from the typical poker ranking method. Full house poker loses to flushes in this variation, as the twos and fives are mysteriously omitted from the deck. Short-deck Poker, as a result, is played with a deck of 36 cards.
With fewer cards, players have a higher chance of quickly putting up a solid hand. However, keep in mind that your poker opponent has a similar edge. In addition, since there are fewer cards in play, your opportunities to get better variant cards are almost limitless.

Poker Variations you can Play on Pocket52

Pocket52 offers the two most popularly played formats of poker – No Limit Hold’em, better known as Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha, also known as PLO. In PLO, the app offers 3 different variants; PLO 4, PLO 5 and PLO 6. The difference in the three PLO variants is the number of hole cards the player is dealt at the start of the game – 4, 5 and 6. Both these formats and all the variants are available to play on cash game tables and cash tournaments as well.

Conclusion

These are some different variations of Poker that have received love globally, be it online or as a card game. It’s good to master one type of Poker. But if you don’t want to feel bored while playing the same game every time, try other variants. Don’t forget the main reason why this game is played! Enjoy gaming!

FAQs on Poker Variations:

Also read:

• How to Win a Poker Game
• Free Online Poker Tournaments
• Online Indian Poker