People think Texas Hold 'em is the only poker game on earth, but the reality is that poker variations are nearly infinite! 

While various games have varying betting structures, gameplay, and rules, the principle of getting the best poker hand and beating opponents remains the same across all poker variants. 

This article will review the most popular poker variations for beginners, exploring the basic rules, gameplay, and winning strategies. 

Read on to find out which game is the best choice to start your poker journey.  

1. Texas Hold’em: The Most Beloved Poker Game!

Texas Hold’em is undoubtedly the most famous and popular poker game of all time. If you visit a physical or an online poker room, it is very unlikely to not find the Texas Hold’em with varying betting limits as the featured game. The Main Event of the WSOP, the iconic poker event that takes place every year in Vegas, features the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em (NLHE) tournament, where thousands of poker enthusiasts compete over a big pot. 

The objective of the game is to form the best five-card poker hand using a combination of your two private "hole cards" and five community cards dealt face-up on the table(board). The best five-card hand wins and takes down the pot. 

Game Rules

The game is played using a standard deck of 52 cards. The game begins with two players placing mandatory bets known as blinds, Big blind and Small blind. Then, all players place Ante or mandatory bets, and each player receives two private cards face-down. 

The dealer deals five community cards face-up on the table during three stages known as “streets of betting.” 

  • Flop: three cards are dealt

  • Turn: one card is drawn

  • River: one card is dealt

Like every other poker game, Hold’em is a combination of skill and luck. You must make decisions based on your hole cards and the community cards, considering your hand strength, the betting action, and your opponents' potential hands. You can fold(give up your hand), raise(increase the amount of bet placed before you), call(place the same bet as your previous player), or check (pass the turn without betting). 

 

Knowing how to bluff, reading opponents, and making calculated risks are key elements of successful gameplay.

Betting Structure & Hand Rankings

In Texas Hold’em poker, betting occurs before the flop (preflop), after the flop, turn, and river.   

Hand rankings, from highest to lowest, are Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. 

What Happens If Two Players Tie?

If two players get the same hand values, it is a tie, and if none of the following tiebreakers can determine the winner, the pot is split evenly between the winners. This is known as a "chop pot" or "split pot". 

  1. If you and another player have the same hand ranking, the player with the highest card wins. For instance, if both of you get a pair of Aces, the player with the higher kicker, the highest card that isn't part of the pair, wins. This is known as "High Card Tiebreaker."

  2. If the high cards do not break the tie, the second-highest card is compared, and so on, until someone wins the pot. This is known as "Kicker Tiebreaker."

How Easy & Popular Is The Game?

Texas Hold 'em is one of the most popular poker variants due to its simplicity and strategic depth. Learning the basic rules is relatively easy, making the game beginners-friendly. However, you need to practice enough and learn advanced poker strategies to master the game and develop effective strategies.

2. Omaha Poker

Omaha poker is a community card poker variant that shares similarities with Texas Hold'em but has some distinct characteristics.

Players receive four hole cards instead of two and must use exactly two of their hole cards plus three community cards to make their best hand. 

The game has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to top online casinos, with some suggesting it could eventually become more popular than Texas Hold'em.

Variations

One notable variation is Omaha Hi-Lo. It is unique because it features two winners per hand, making it an interesting alternative to the standard format(more on this in the next section). 

Gameplay

Omaha poker follows a structured sequence of betting rounds and card dealing. The game begins with each player receiving four private hole cards. The action then proceeds through several streets: 

  • the flop (first three community cards), 

  • the turn (fourth community card), 

  • and the river (fifth community card). 

Players can bet, check, raise, or fold between each street based on their hand strength and position.

Hand Rankings

The hand rankings in Omaha follow the standard poker hierarchy, from highest to lowest: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. However, an interesting quirk in Omaha is that four of a kind as starting cards is actually one of the worst possible hands, unlike in other poker variants where it would be extremely strong. 

Streets of Betting

The betting structure typically follows a fixed pattern. In fixed-limit games, smaller bets are made during the first two betting rounds, while larger bets are reserved for later streets. Each round provides players the opportunity to act in turn, moving clockwise around the table. Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) is the most popular variant, where the maximum bet size is limited to the current pot size.

Omaha Winning Strategies

Successful Omaha strategy requires a multi-faceted approach. Key elements include understanding starting hand selection, position play, and adapting to community cards. Players must be particularly mindful of potential hand combinations since they're working with four hole cards instead of two. It's crucial to remember that you must use exactly two cards from your hand and three from the board to make your final hand. Poker positions become even more critical in Omaha than in other poker variants, as having more information about opponents' actions helps make better decisions.

3. Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi-Lo is a fascinating twist on regular Omaha poker. The most exciting part? Every hand has two potential winners! You're not just playing for the highest hand anymore - you're also competing for the lowest hand. This makes the game twice as interesting and creates more winning opportunities.

How It Works

Just like in regular Omaha, you'll get four hole cards, but here's where it gets interesting - you're trying to make two separate hands: your best high hand AND your best low hand. You'll still need to use exactly two of your hole cards plus three community cards for each hand. The pot gets split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand.

The Low Hand Rules

Here's the tricky part that makes the game so fascinating - not every hand will qualify for a low. To make a qualifying low hand:

  • Cards must be 8 or lower,

  • Aces count as low,

  • Straights and flushes don't count against your low hand,

  • And the lowest possible hand is A-2-3-4-5 (called "the wheel").

Betting Strategies

Playing Omaha Hi-Lo requires a betting approach different from that of regular Omaha. 

You must look for:

  • Cards that can work for both high and low hands (called "scooping" when you win both).

  • Starting hands with an Ace, as it can play for both high and low. In other words, Ace can be used to make the best low hand, A-2-3-4-5. It can also make the best high hand, a Royal Flush(Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten).

  • The position becomes even more crucial because you track twice as many possibilities.

Why People Love It

This type of poker has gained immense popularity due to more action, winning opportunities, and complexity it offers compared to the standard Omaha game. Since players play for two different hands, competition over the pots becomes so thrilling, especially when players get opposing strong hands. It's like playing two games at once, which keeps things really exciting, requiring more brain work.

Remember, while the game might seem complicated at first, once you get the hang of it, Omaha Hi-Lo can be one of the most rewarding and entertaining types of poker out there! 

Poker variations infographic

4. 7-Card Stud Poker

Seven-card stud is played with two to eight players around a table. Unlike Texas Hold'em, each player receives their own unique set of seven cards throughout the game, with no community cards in play. Three cards remain hidden from opponents while four are exposed, creating an intriguing dynamic of known and unknown information. The game begins with all players posting an ante, and the player showing the lowest-ranking card must make a compulsory "bring-in" bet to start the action.

Hand Ranking & Card Values

The hand rankings in 7-Card Stud follow traditional poker hierarchy, starting with the Royal Flush at the top and descending to a simple high card. A Royal Flush consists of A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit, while a Straight Flush is any five consecutive cards of the same suit. Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, and Straight follow in descending order. Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card round out the possible hand combinations. Understand the hand rankings as you must make the best five-card hand from your seven cards.

Gameplay & Rounds of Betting

The game consists of multiple streets of betting. It begins with players receiving two face-down cards and one face-up card, known as "Third Street." 

Then, players receive one face-up card on each Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth rounds of betting. Each betting round comes after one round of dealing the cards. The final card, dealt face-down on Seventh Street, leads to the last betting round. 

7-Card Stud typically plays in a fixed-limit betting structure, making it more predictable than no-limit games. The game starts with all players posting an ante(forced bet), followed by the bring-in bet from the player showing the lowest card. Each subsequent betting round allows for a bet and up to three raises. 

5. Razz Poker

Razz is a unique variant of Seven Card Stud poker where the goal is completely opposite to traditional poker - you're trying to make the lowest possible five-card hand. Still, you should get the best hand, which, in this particular game variant, is the lowest-value hand. It's an interesting twist that emerged when poker transitioned from 20-card to 52-card decks.

Basic Rules

Compared to most poker games, including Texas Hold'em and Omaha, Razz doesn't use community cards, and Aces are always counted as low. This is the most important Razz rule to remember. Another crucial twist to this game is that Straights and Flushes do not count against your low hand.

The game is typically played with 2 to 8 players, and online casinos do not typically offer live dealer Razz games. 

How To Play Razz Poker

Razz follows a similar structure to Seven Card Stud explained above with the following key differences:

  • Players receive seven cards throughout the hand.

  • Players must make their best five-card low hand from those seven cards.

  • The lowest possible hand wins the entire pot.

What Makes It So Unique?

Razz is particularly interesting because it's essentially Seven Card Stud Low. This reverse ranking system creates a different strategic approach than traditional poker games, making it an increasingly popular variation among poker enthusiasts. However, the reverse hand ranking makes the game less beginner-friendly. As a beginner, if you start with a reverse poker hand ranking system, you will find the other versions that follow the standard poker hand rankings challenging to learn and master. 

6. 5-Card Draw Poker

I should have explained it first, as the game is known as the granddaddy of all poker games! If you are a fan of Western movies, you must recall scenes where cowboys huddle around a table playing poker; 5-card draw poker. Still, the game lost the popularity competition to Texas Hold’em. Although you will find 5-card draw with varying betting limits at physical and online casinos, the game is not quite popular.  

The Basics & Rules

To start, each player gets five cards face-down (remaining hidden from other players throughout the entire game), and after one round of betting, you can give up cards you don't like and draw new ones. Simple, right? That's what makes it perfect for poker newbies. You don't need to worry about complex community cards or multiple betting rounds – it's just you and your five cards.

How To Play 5-Card Draw

Before the dealer distributes the cards, everyone should place an initial bet. Then the game starts with everyone receiving their cards. 

What makes the game quite interesting is that players can discard up to three cards (sometimes four if they’ve got an Ace) and draw new ones. This gives you a second chance to build the best possible hand. After everyone's done swapping cards, there's one final betting round, and in the end, the best hand wins.

Similar to other poker games, 5-card draw can be played in three formats:

  • Fixed limit: Min & Max betting amounts are pre-set.

  • Pot limit: You can bet or raise up to what is already in the pot.

  • No limit: Bet or raise as much as you want (just like in those poker movies!). 

Most home games stick to fixed limits to keep things friendly and your wallet happy. While the game may seem old school, it is the best poker variation to start with for beginners as it is pretty easy to learn and teaches fundamental poker skills like, hand reading, bluffing, and bankroll management. 

You may also find the following three most common variations of 5-Card draw poker at some physical or online casinos:

  1. California Lowball: Where the worst hand wins.

  2. Triple Draw: Giving players three chances to swap cards.

  3. High-Low Split: Where the pot splits between the highest and lowest hands.

7. Short Deck Poker

Short Deck poker, or as it is better known, 6+ Hold 'em, is a fun variation of Texas Hold 'em with unique rules and hand rankings, making it quite popular among poker fans, especially in high-stakes Asian poker rooms and online platforms.

Basic Rules & Hand Rankings

Short Deck is played with removed cards from 2 through 5 from all suits, leaving you with just 36 cards instead of 52. This simple removal creates a lot of changes, including more action, bigger hands, and closer equities, where monster hands appear more frequently, and the action never stops.

Because of the missing cards, the probabilities shift, changing the traditional hand rankings:

  • Flush beats Full House (yes, you read that right!)

  • Three of a Kind beats Straight

  • Ace can still play low for a straight (A-6-7-8-9)

This twist in hand rankings often catches newcomers off guard but adds an exciting strategic element to the game.

The game follows a similar structure to Texas Hold'em:

  • Players receive two hole cards

  • Betting rounds occur pre-flop, flop, turn, and river

  • Best five-card hand wins

The main difference? Those missing cards make strong hands much more common. Prepare to see more premium hands and closer showdowns!

You can play Short Deck in two main betting formats:

  • Button Ante: Where the button posts an ante, and blinds are smaller.

  • Traditional Structure: With standard big and small blinds.

Most high-stakes games prefer the button ante structure, which encourages more action and larger pots.

Last Few Words

Poker variations offer an exciting twist on traditional poker that is perfect for action lovers. While beginners might need some time to get used to some types of poker games, especially with the modified hand rankings in games like Short Deck, the increased action and excitement make poker worth learning, regardless of the variation. Whether you're a pro or  recreational player, different poker games can provide a fresh and thrilling experience.

Ready to get in on the action? Join the irbet365 online casino and remember to start small, learn the basics and rules modifications, manage your bankroll, and most importantly – have fun! 

FAQ

  1. How many types of poker are there?

There are many types of poker, over 100 games, but the most common ones are Texas Hold'em and Omaha.

  1. What is the most popular type of poker?

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular type of poker.

  1. What is 5-card poker called?

5-card poker is called Draw Poker and is known as the granddaddy of all poker games. 

  1. What is the hardest type of poker?

Omaha Hi/Lo is considered one of the hardest types of poker due to its complex hand combinations and strategic nuances.