Other Poker Variations
When you first enter the world of online poker, you could be forgiven for thinking that there is only one variation of the game: Texas Hold’em. While it is true to say that this is the form of the game played by the vast majority of players, there are some other types of poker that offer great excitement and loads of chances to win some money though, and they are looked at below. Why not add some variety to your poker playing today by getting to grips with one of them?
Omaha
After Texas Hold’em, Omaha is the next most popular game at Bitcoin poker rooms (you can see a full list here). Most games at a casino feature two to nine players, and the hand rankings are exactly the same as Texas Hold’em. To start the game, each player is dealt four hole cards, which are only visible to the player. After these four cards are dealt, a betting round ensues. The remaining players will then get to see three community cards, before betting again. Then another card is dealt, followed by a round of betting, and this is then repeated once again. Therefore, at the end of the hand, the player will have four hole cards, plus five community cards.
You might think that having four hole cards makes the game easier than Texas Hold’em, but this is not the case. This is because players have to use exactly two of their hole cards to make their hand. The fact that more hands can be made also means that there’s more chance of your opponent having a good hand, so it pays to be cautious when playing this game, and to remember that a strong Texas Hold’em hand isn’t necessarily a strong Omaha hand.
Omaha Hi-Lo
As the name suggests, this is a form of poker strongly related to standard Omaha. The rules are exactly the same as Omaha, aside from one huge aspect – the pot is divided between the player with the highest hand, and the player with the lowest – hence the name Hi Lo. Low hands do have to meet one important price of criteria in order to be eligible though, as they must be eight-high or worse. It should also be noted that, should there only be one player left at the end of the hand, this individual will take the entire pot for themselves.
It is also possible for a player to win both the Hi and the Lo parts of the pot, as they can use different cards from their seven to make a five card hand to suit the purpose. So, for example, if a player had A-2-K-K and the board was 3-4-7-8, they could win the Hi pot with a hand of K-K-3-7-8, and then win the Lo pot with a hand of A-2-3-4-7. Aces always count as a low card when contesting the Lo pot.
7-Card Stud
The big difference between 7-Card Stud and many other forms of poker is the fact that there are no community cards, meaning that each player uses cards that are completely unique from the next. To start with, all players are dealt two cards face down and one card face up. Betting then ensues, and the remaining players will then get another card dealt to them face up. The pattern then continues until the remaining players have two private cards and four face-up cards. Finally, players are dealt a card face down.
The object of the game is to make the best possible standard poker hand (full hand rankings here), using a combination of any of the cards in your hand. Where 7-Card Stud differs from Texas Hold’em is in the need to pay particular attention to the hands of your opponents. For example, you could have a flush, but you need to look at your opponents’ face up cards and ascertain whether they have something better. You can also use their cards to work out how likely it is that you’ll get the card you need.
5-Card Draw
This is the type of poker that many players first started out playing, as it is the easiest of them all to master. Each player is first dealt five cards, before then going through a round of betting. Those remaining can then choose to trade in up to three of their cards for new ones, before a final round of betting takes place. The winner is then the player with the best poker hand – or the player who manages to get all others to fold.
Despite being common many years ago, this form of poker is now no longer popular at casinos, mainly thanks to the lack of skill it requires when compared to other forms of the game.
Limit Hold’em
Those who have played Texas Hold’em before will know that the bets that can be made are unlimited – if you fancy betting $1,000 into a pot worth $10, you’re more than welcome to (although it might not be a smart move). Limit Hold’em stops this though, as it limits the amount a player can bet. It is generally the case that, before the flop and immediately after the flop, the most a player can raise is equal to the big blind. After the turn and river, raises are generally capped at twice the size of the big blind. 5-Card Draw is often played as a limit game.
The main difference between limit and no limit from a player’s perspective is that it’s much more difficult to protect a hand in limit Hold’em, as it’s impossible to bet big to dissuade other players from continuing. Also, pot odds play an even bigger role in limit Hold’em, as the game is more structured and therefore certain best practices should almost certainly be followed – there’s much less room for flair or unusual plays.
Pot Limit
Like Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit puts a cap on the amount a player is able to bet. However in this instance, the size of the bet is limited by the total amount in the pot (including any bets). Pot Limit gives players more flexibility than Limit, and is most often found at Omaha games.
