If you are a poker fan, you probably already know the peculiarities that this game has in comparison with others. Its high strategic component, the importance of reading the opponent’s game, the mathematical formation and the point of chance it maintains is an extremely attractive combination that dazzles more and more players.
However, it must be taken into account that there are many styles of poker and that an expert in one style of play does not necessarily have to be a master in another. While it is true that Texas Hold’em Poker is the most famous modality, there are other poker variants that you may find equally interesting.
If you want to know more about them, we invite you to read a little more: find out how the different types of poker differ!
What different types of poker exist?
When it is mentioned that a poker room allows access to tables with different types of poker, we usually reduce the list, almost automatically, to two variants: Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker. But poker is actually a game that goes much further, and there are other variants that should not go unnoticed.
There are many types of modalities and each one has its particularities. There is a style that even combines the rules of five different types of poker, so you can say that there is a kind of poker for every type of player, from those who prefer faster games to the purists, lovers of more relaxed styles.
If you want to know the different types of poker that exist, join us for this brief review in which we tell you how to play some of the most popular poker variants.
Most popular poker variants
Texas Hold’em Poker
But let’s talk first about Texas Hold’em: it is by far the best-known poker variant in the world. It is the most played and, despite its complexity, it attracts more and more players. There will always be a new generation of players playing Texas Hold’em.
It is the perfect variant for players who prefer to play with real money, although it can also be played without going to a cash table, but it is usually the preferred modality for those who do want to bet with real money.
This variant has a 52-card deck and consists of four betting rounds. First, two cards are dealt face down to each player and three community cards are placed face down in the center of the table.
When the first betting round is over, the three community cards will be revealed and two more cards will be added face up, forming the 5 community cards. These last two cards will be interspersed in two consecutive betting rounds, known as turn and river.
It is a modality that makes use of the standard categorization of hands. Therefore, the royal flush is the strongest hand, and the high card is the weakest.
Pot-Limit Omaha
If Texas Hold’em is the most famous poker game in the United States due to its Texan origin, Pot-Limit Omaha is more frequently played in Europe.
This modality has a different betting style. Big bets have a place here, that is why it is the most played variant by those who prefer to play big.
Here, each player receives four-hole cards, and the maximum bet will always be equal to the number of chips in the pot. However, although each player receives four cards, he/she can only use two of them to form a hand with the other three community cards. Although it is not the preferred mode for amateurs and newcomers, it is an ideal style of poker to learn how to play other poker game types.
Omaha Hi-Lo
The main difference between Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo is that in the first mode the player receives four cards, but can only use two to form a hand with the community cards, while in the second mode the player is obliged to use all four.
This is so because in Omaha Hi-Lo the player seeking victory is not only obliged to form the highest hand, but also the lowest one. The premise is simple: the player who manages to form both the highest and the lowest hand wins the pot.
The hand ranking is identical to that used in Texas Hold’em. The only difference is that to rank the lowest hand, all the cards in the hand must be 8 or lower.
Seven – Card Stud
It is one of the oldest poker game types. Also called 7 Card Stud, it used to be the king of the poker rooms, before Texas Hold’em started to be so popular.
Seven Card Stud is a game of limits, slow pace and a lot of brains. It requires patience and brains to create effective strategies. This calm style, as opposed to the frenetic spin tournaments or no-limit games, has caused its popularity to decline, although there are still purists who prefer this slower style of play.
It is played, as its name indicates, with seven cards. However, there are no community cards in this game, one of the most popular poker variants. At the beginning of each round, each player is dealt three cards, two face down and one face up, after paying an ante. At the end of the first round, everyone receives a fourth card face up. The process is repeated with the fifth and sixth cards. When the seventh card is reached, it is dealt face up.
Those who reach the final phase must show all their cards to determine the winner. Victory is decided by standard poker hand rankings.
H.O.R.S.E.
H.O.R.S.E. is a game for professionals. The name derives from several styles combined: Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Seven-Card Stud and Eight or Better Seven-Card Stud.
We say it is for professionals because it requires to know the rules of the five poker styles to the letter, and also to be moderately competitive in all of them. Although it is possible to compensate the deficiencies in one style with a good performance in the rest, it is preferable to try to improve in all of them to try to be the most complete player at the table.
