Follow us as we investigate the Top 13 poker online casino game variations, taking into account their popularity, simplicity of play, and fundamental rules and strategies.
There are other types of poker than Texas Hold’em. Nowadays, gamers have access to a huge variety of game versions.
In this post, we’ll go over a few of the many types of poker, how to play them, some fundamental technique, and how well-liked they are right now.
Join us as we introduce you to the diverse world of poker formats!
Texas Hold’em
The most popular poker variant at the moment is Texas Hold’em. If a card room or website offers poker, Texas Hold’em will almost certainly be the featured game, with a wide range of tables and stakes available to players.
No Limit Texas Hold’em is probably the most well-known game among amateur and professional poker players who have started playing poker or been exposed to it since the early 2000s. Since the turn of the millennium, it has been the most popular and televised poker variant, and its hand rankings and rules are simple to understand.
Popularity: 10/10 – In 2003, Chris Moneymaker won the $10,000 WSOP Main Event for $2.5 million with a satellite entry that cost $86. This made everyone who watched want to experience the same fame, money, and glory as this amateur did. The largest-ever “poker boom” occurred when online poker was launched around the same time. Not only were many inspired players able to easily learn how to play poker, but they were also able to play it from the comfort of their own homes using the Internet. Years later, this boom has contributed to making NLHE the most popular poker variant and the Cadillac of Poker.
Learning Ease: 8/10 – Hold’em is a straightforward game to learn and master. After mastering the game’s fundamentals, which are already relatively straightforward, there are a plethora of instructional materials—books, videos, and articles—that provide strategic insights.
Gameplay: To begin, the two players to the left of the button made “blinds,” which are forced bets. After each player has been dealt two hole cards, clockwise action begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Call, raise, or fold are all options for players.) The “flop,” or hand of three cards, follows this initial betting round.
All players can use these “community cards” simultaneously to try to make the best poker hand. One more community card (the “turn”) is dealt after a betting round, followed by another betting round and the final “river” community card. Any remaining players in their hand must then reveal their cards following one more betting round. The winner of a five-card poker hand is the player with the best two hole cards and five community cards.
Pros: Poker is a game that can be played almost anywhere because of its popularity.
Cons: Hold’em’s popularity has its benefits and drawbacks. Since the poker boom happened more than 15 years ago, a lot of informational products and articles have been made to help people learn the game faster. The skill gap between professional and recreational players has been reduced thanks to this factor.
Omaha Hi
Omaha Hi ranks second among poker’s most popular games in terms of popularity. The highest hand winning the entire pot at showdown is referred to as the “hi” in this game. Pot-Limit Omaha (or PLO) is the more common name for Omaha Hi, which is typically played as a pot-limit game.
In a nutshell, the rules of this game are identical to those of Texas Hold’em, with one minor difference: Each player receives four hole cards instead of the usual two. Players must use two of their four hole cards and only three of their five community cards at showdown in order to make the best 5-card hand as before. Making a winning hand in this game becomes much simpler as the number of 2-hole card combinations increases by 6 and players are dealt more cards at the start of each hand!
Popularity: 8/10 – Unlike Texas Hold’em, PLO tables and games will not be available in all casinos and card rooms; However, despite having fewer tables than Hold’em, a growing number of them will offer it as their second poker variant.
Learning Ease: 8/10 – This game is very simple to learn if you already know Texas Hold’em, as there are many similarities between the two. Strategically, hands at showdown will typically be higher than in Texas Hold’em because it will be easier to make a good hand in PLO. In addition, because you will have a greater number of them, blockers—cards in your hand that prevent your opponent from holding those cards—will become significantly more important in PLO.
Gameplay: Action proceeds similarly to a Texas Hold’em hand, with two distinct distinctions: 1) Four hole cards are dealt to players instead of two; (2) if Pot-Limit Omaha is the variant being played, the sizes of bets and raises are typically limited to the size of the pot.
Pros: Due to the increased number of hole cards dealt, it will be easier to build a strong hand.
Cons: Because equities between hands frequently run much closer together in Omaha Hi than in Texas Hold’em, the variance is quite high. To ultimately assist in improving the strength of their hand, players can utilize various combinations of their hole cards.
Omaha Hi-Lo
Similar to Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8-or-Better) divides the pot equally between the highest-ranked 5-card poker hand and the lowest hand at showdown. For both the high and low hands, a variety of hole card combinations can be used. However, it is important to note that certain requirements must be met before the “low” half of the pot can be distributed.
The “8 or better” part of the name comes into play here because the five cards that make up the “low” hand must all have a rank of 8 or lower. In addition, straights and flushes are not counted against a hand in this variation. Any A-2-3-4-5 combination would be the lowest possible hand, while 8-7-6-5-4 would be the highest qualifying “low” hand. Keep in mind that the lowest hands are ranked starting with the highest card. For the lower half of the pot, for example, 6-5-4-3-2 would be preferable to 8-4-3-2-A.)
Popularity: 4/10 – Although this poker variant isn’t nearly as popular as Omaha-Hi, it can still be played in some online poker rooms and at large tournament series and events.
Learning Ease: 4/10: In this poker variant, players must consider both high and low hand combinations rather than simply attempting to make the best, highest-ranked hand, as in Omaha Hi. This variation is also a little more complicated than Omaha Hi because you have to know what constitutes a qualifying “low” hand and how those hands are ranked.
Gameplay: Similar to Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi, the hand proceeds with five community cards and multiple betting rounds occurring before, during, and after the flop, turn, and river, respectively. The pot is split equally between the highest and lowest hands at showdown. The highest hand wins the entire pot in the event that there is no qualifying low hand.
Pros: It is therefore easier to win (at least a portion) of the pot in any given hand because the pot is split equally between the highest and lowest hands.
Cons: Because players may be attempting to make either the highest or lowest hand (or both), bluffing is a less prominent aspect of the game. As a result, a greater number of players will remain until showdown than in other poker variations. As a result, making well-timed bluffs is less important than hand selection (to make both low and high card hands simultaneously).
7-Card Stud
Stud poker was the most widely played form of poker prior to the meteoric rise of Texas Hold’em to the forefront of poker’s popularity.
In contrast to the games mentioned earlier, which require players to make the best hand using hole cards and community cards, each player in Stud ultimately receives their own hand. While some of the cards in one’s hand will face up and be visible to the other players, others will face down and be hidden from view.
Popularity: 4/10 – As previously stated, despite once having its moment of prominence, Stud is no longer the most popular poker game. Currently, it is mostly played in select tournaments, usually those that only feature Stud or a variety of variants.
Learning Ease: 6/10 – This is one of the easiest poker games to learn because the objective is to simply make the best five-card poker hand. However, it is difficult to master strategically because each player has their own hand with only a few cards exposed. If you want to succeed in this game, you will need to develop the ability to read your opponent’s potential strength of hand and compare it to your own.
Gameplay: Additionally, an ante must be offered by all players dealt into a hand. After that, each player gets two cards with their faces down and one card with their faces up. First, the player who has the lowest face-up card must either make a small “bring-in” bet or a full bet of the game’s smaller increment. The betting goes on in the clockwise direction.
The remaining players are dealt another face-up card after the betting round is over. Now, the player with the exposed cards with the highest value is the first to act, and if they choose to bet, they must make a bet of the smaller increment. After that, one more face-up card is dealt to each street, followed by the betting rounds for Fifth Street and Sixth Street. After both streets, the player with the highest combined value of exposed cards acts first, and the larger betting increment is used in both betting rounds.
On Seventh Street, each player is dealt one last card face down, and they must use the remaining seven cards to form the best possible five-card hand. Showdown occurs following the final betting round, and the player with the best hand wins.
Pros: Being dealt your own poker hand while simultaneously being able to see four of your opponents’ seven cards is a fun experience.
Cons: When playing stud, a limit betting system is typically used, limiting one’s potential profits per hand. When compared to losing a big bet, the significance of winning a big bet is much greater.
2-7 Triple Draw
In this exciting variation of poker, each player is dealt a five-card hand that only they can see—no face-up or exposed cards—and that no one else can see. In this low ball version of poker, players have three chances to draw to try to get the best “low” hand.
It is essential to keep in mind that straights and flushes do not count against making a low hand, in contrast to some other “low” forms of poker. In addition, keep in mind that aces always rank high in this game. As a result, the best hand in this game is 7-5-4-3-2. Additionally, it indicates that a hand like A-2-3-4-5 is an Ace-high rather than a straight.
Popularity: 4/10 – Despite its declining popularity in recent years, this poker variant is frequently played at low stakes. Poker variations such as 2-7 Triple Draw are typically found most frequently in mixed games.
Learning Ease: 7/10 – Understanding and learning this form of poker is relatively simple. The gameplay is simple and straightforward. To put it simply, you need to know what straights and flushes are in order to avoid thinking that you have them in your low hand. However, making the lowest, unpaired 5-card hand is very straightforward to comprehend.
Gameplay: Players to the left of the dealer button are required to place small and big blinds before any cards are dealt in Triple Draw. These are forced bets. Following the distribution of five cards to each player and the beginning of a betting round, players have the option of either discarding all of their cards and drawing five new cards or remaining silent (known as “standing pat”). Each hand results in three draws. The betting round that follows each draw round always begins with the first player still holding a hand and seated to the left of the button.
Pros: Instead of just one draw opportunity, you now have three chances to try to make the lowest-ranked hand. Additionally, because you only have five cards (as opposed to seven or more in other forms of poker), it is simple to determine your hand strength.
Cons: You can’t see any of your opponents’ cards. Therefore, there is nothing you can use to determine your opponents’ lowball hand strength. Due to the fact that you are attempting to make the lowest 5-card ranked hand (instead of the highest), some players may not find this poker variant to be as entertaining as others.