When it comes to poker there’s only one game you need to master – Texas hold ’em.
But if you start playing online, you’ll soon realize that this isn’t always the case. There are hundreds of different variations of poker out there, each with its own unique rules, strategies, and quirks. Not only that but players come from all walks of life and play at different times of the day. So now you might be wondering: Which variation should I learn first?
We’re here to answer that question today! In this article, you’ll discover the basics of all the various types of poker games in existence.
Types of Online Poker Games
Before we go any further, let’s have a quick look at what some of the many different varieties of online poker are and where they fall into the spectrum…
Classic Card Games
These games are by far the most popular type of online poker. They also tend to be the easiest to get started with as they don’t require much more than just your personal computer and an internet connection. As such, these games are perfect for beginners who want to dip their toes into the world of online gambling without having to worry about complicated or confusing terminology.
Texas Hold ’Em
This is probably the most well-known form of poker in the world. It was developed in the 1980s and has become almost synonymous with casinos across the globe. If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas you’d recognize a Texas Hold ’Em table. The biggest difference between standard Hold’Em and Omaha is that in Texas Hold’Em every player receives a set of cards face down and the other holds them until he/she decides to show his/her hand.
Omaha
Omaha is played exactly like traditional Hold ’Em except that instead of receiving a full set of cards, a player is dealt four cards. When each player makes his / her best five-card hand, those hands are compared. A player must win on a particular round before proceeding to the next round.
Razz
Razz is basically like a slightly simpler version of Texas Hold ’Em. Instead of holding onto your cards face down, you actually need to draw three cards from the deck before being able to make a bet. This means that the betting structure changes to suit the number of draws you perform. For instance, if you perform 2 draws, then you will have to place bets twice the size of 3 draws.
The goal in Razz is to make the best 5 card hand possible and try to beat your opponents to earn the highest payout for yourself. But unlike regular Hold ’Em, a loss doesn’t mean you lose a hand. Instead, when a player loses, he ends up with no money.
Since the payouts in Razz range from 1 to 8, it can be quite tough to win even if you end up losing every single time. And because you only receive 4 cards per deal, this means that your chances of winning a decent amount of money are significantly reduced in comparison to a normal Hold ’Em session.
Stud Poker
Stud is arguably the simplest variant of all poker games. All of the basic tricks and concepts associated with dealing, betting, and drawing still apply but in this game, your opponent only sees the one card that you were dealt.
You, therefore, have a much easier chance of hitting your initial three cards straight or flush as opposed to other classic card games. Another major advantage of this game is that it can often run over longer periods as it doesn’t have the same strict rules regarding when a hand can end.
Classic Draw Poker Games
These types of card games typically involve a dealer shuffling a new pack of playing cards after every session. With some versions of these games, players may be required to remove their hands from the table while still remaining seated. In others, however, the dealer simply sweeps the used cards off the table and replaces them by arranging the new ones precisely in the same way as before.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow is considered to be the forefather of modern-day poker games. The first record of the game shows that it was played in China around 1600 AD. Originally, it was merely a board game played with tiles similar to dominos. It wasn’t until many years later when Chinese immigrants began bringing along their games to North America that pai gow poker really took hold. Today, pai gow is played not only at land-based casinos and poker rooms but also online through sites offering various variants of poker.