What are the main variations of the game of Poker? Between small and large variations, the list is not short. Let’s find out the main differences
Three macro categories: community card, draw, stud. Over twenty variations. It’s the world of poker, with different alternatives to play with friends, family, or even online thanks, for example, to Zoom’s in-app gaming experience. And only a few like Omaha, Texas, California Lowball and Razz are listed in the World Series of Poker, the most prestigious event in the world with tournaments and leagues dedicated to green table professionals. But every tournament and game in general also differs in the game modes: here then are the Sit & Go, Freeroll, Multi-Table, Freezout, Heads-up and Turbo.
Freerolls, for example, are those tournaments for which no buy-in is required, i.e. no entry fee. To get an idea of what platforms are available and active leagues, just consult one of the guides on the subject available on the net, just like this one which also includes a list of Poker Freeroll Tournaments. For an overview of the other popular versions of poker, here is a list of five popular game alternatives around the world.
What are the main variations of the game of Poker?
- Texas hold’em. Undoubtedly the most widespread and played. Each player is dealt two face down cards, called hole cards. The dealer deals five, three at the same time and two more in two different rounds: all players can use them to play their hand. The players bet first having turned over each card. The best poker hand wins the pot.
- Omaha. Typical of northern Europe, it is the most famous variant of Texas. The face up cards dealt to each player are four. After that, five cards are placed face up on the table at three different points in the game (flop, turn and river). The best play must necessarily include three community cards and two personal cards. Other specific variants of Omaha are Omaha Hi / Lo, 5 Card Omaha Hi / Lo, 6 Card Omaha.
- Courchevel. In turn derived from Omaha, this variant assigns five hole cards to each player. In a second moment the dealer deals five cards face up (boards) common to all. Each player must use two hole cards of his five together with three boards in order to obtain the best combination with the total of five cards. The main difference between Courchevel and 5 Card Omaha lies in the first card of the flop which is revealed at the start of the hand, before the preflop betting round.
- Razz. Low variant of Seven Card Stud, belongs to the Stud Poker category: the macro-category that includes poker variants played with one or more cards face up. It is therefore played with three cards face down and four cards face up for each player. During each hand the participants are dealt seven cards in total but can only use five to win the pot. A singular feature of the game concerns the type of winning score: it is necessary to obtain the lowest of all. Scales and flushes do not count as high points. The best possible combination is A-2-3-4-5.
- Badugi. An Asian variant of draw poker, Badugi resembles Razz in that it wins the lowest hand. Among all, it is the version that is really different from most types of poker. The ranking of the hands is obviously different: the strongest ones are made up of four low cards of different suits called Badugi. It is played with mandatory bets called blinds: the player to the left of the dealer bets a small blind, while the player to the left of the small blind bets a big blind.
Between small and large variations, the list could expand further: Chowaha, Double-board hold’em, Tic tac toe, Draw Poker, Ace to 5 Triple, Deuce to 7 Triple Draw, Kansas City lowball, Caribbean Stud Poker, Canadian Stud and Telesina are just some of the other alternatives of the French world card game to the green table.