Casino Poker: Every Variant Explained

Discovering Poker Variants

When the average player thinks of poker, they instantly picture a Texas Hold’em table. And that makes perfect sense. Hold’em is the most widely played by far, played at the WSOP Main Event and featured prominently in virtually every Hollywood film. Yet, the world of casino poker is far more varied than most think. There are dozens of fascinating poker variants, each with its own unique set of rules, strategies, and betting structures. Whether you are tired of standard Hold’em and want to try a different game, or you just need an easy game to learn, this comprehensive guide to casino poker variants explains every game.

The Main Poker Games

• Texas Hold’em: The Modern Classic: Playing Texas Hold’em, each player gets two face-down cards. Five public cards appear on the table in the middle for everyone. You build a hand and the five shared cards to build the best possible five-card poker hand. The player with the best hand at showdown wins the pot.
• Omaha: High-Octane Poker: Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) is famous as the wild, volatile cousin of Hold’em of poker. It also uses five community cards. The key distinction is that every player holds four cards rather than two. But the rule is strict: exactly two hole cards. Since four cards create more options, hands are dramatically stronger. Nut Flushes lose, whereas two pair wins in Hold’em. It uses Pot-Limit rules rather than No-Limit.
• The Game Before Hold’em: Before Texas Hold’em dominated the poker world, Stud was the standard game. Different from community card games, Stud has absolutely no community cards. Each player gets their own seven cards: some shown publicly, some kept hidden. Players read both their own cards and the visible cards and use that to guide decisions. It requires a much stronger memory and sharp focus than Hold’em or Omaha.

The More Unusual Games

In conclusion, the poker universe is vastly deeper and more varied than casual gamblers think. Texas Hold’em is an incredible game, but dedicating yourself to only one format is like only ever listening to of book forever. Try PLO for wild variance. Sample Seven-Card Stud for the historical challenge. The more poker variants you learn, the more well-rounded a competitor you will be.