What Are the Best Variations of Poker?
There are myriad variations of poker out there and players tend to specialize in different games. Which are the best games? That’s a subjective question, but there are a few games that have become more popular than others and it will be useful to look at which ones those are and why.
Many of the poker games you may have grown up playing have fallen to the wayside to some extent in the wake of the new wave of popularity poker is experiencing. Games you may have enjoyed in the pre-televised poker era include Wild Card games, in which one or more cards may be changed by their holder to represent any card the player wishes, such as Baseball or Follow the Queen and Trump Card Games, where a specific card awards its possessor half, or in extreme cases the whole pot, games such as Chicago or Man with the Ax. The reason these games are no longer so popular is that poker is more and more becoming recognized as a game of skill and these types of games severely reduce the skill element. Also, many players now are getting their poker experience online and online casinos mirror their real life counterparts, which have never dealt any of these types of games. The games that are most commonly played in casinos, both the online and brick and mortar varieties, are Hold`em, Omaha, Omaha Hi Low Split, Seven Card Stud and at some casinos, Pineapple. Here’s a brief look at each.
1. Hold`em
By far the biggest poker game right now, its popularity can be attributed to its use to determine the World Series of Poker Championship and its compatibility with television. With five community cards, Hold`em has the fewest cards to keep track of and therefore is the easiest for television viewers to follow. In Hold`em, each player gets two cards (called the hole or pocket cards). There is a round of betting followed by a “flop” of three cards in the middle of the table, which all players can use to make their hand. Then a “turn” or “fourth street” card is added, followed by another round of betting and then a “river” or “fifth street” card is put down, followed by a final round of betting. Whoever remains in the hand makes their best five card poker hand using any combination of the two cards in their hand and the five community cards (“the board”).
There are generally no Antes in Hold`em, the action is driven by two forced bets, called blinds. The small blind, one to the left of the dealer, puts in half the minimum bet and the player one to his left, the big blind, puts in a full bet. Players who want to stay in the game must at least match the big blind’s bet. Both the small and big blinds have the option to raise when the action gets back to them. The dealer rotates clockwise each hand so that no player has any advantage. The player to the left of the dealer (also called “the button”) always acts first, so one’s position at the table becomes a very important element in Hold`em.
2. Omaha
Omaha is a variation of Hold`em in which you start with four cards in your hand instead of three. The twist is that you must use exactly two of the cards in your hand, no more, no less. This can lead to some confusion for new players, as they may think, for example, that they have a flush when their Ah Th 3h 9s sees a board of 8h 2h Qc when in fact they only have four to a flush. In a full ring game in Omaha, 45 of the 52 cards in the deck are in play, so unlike in Hold`em, you very often need the best possible hand to win. For example, if the board pairs (e.g. 8h 8s Kd 2d 6d), you will almost always need a full house to win the pot, whereas in a Hold`em game a flush or even trips is often sufficient.
3. Omaha Hi-Low
Omaha Hi Low is a “split” game, meaning half the pot goes to the best hand or “high” hand and the other half goes to the worst, or “low” hand. In most high low games, straights and flushes do not count against your low, so the best low hand is A 2 3 4 5, also called a “wheel.” In Omaha Hi-Low, the goal is to “scoop” or win both halves, so hands that play both ways, such as A K 2 3, have great value.
4. Pineapple
This variation, played less frequently, is a three card version of Hold`em. Each player is dealt three cards. What distinguishes this game is that players must discard one of the three, either before or after the flop, depending on the variation of Pineapple being played and then play the rest of the game as normal Hold`em.
5. Seven Card Stud
This is one of the oldest forms of poker. Players are dealt two cards down (the “hole” cards) and one card up. There is a round of betting and then players are dealt three more up cards, one at a time, with a round of betting after each and finally one last down card, after which there is a final round of betting and players make their best five card poker hand out of the seven available to them. There are no blinds in this game, the action is driven by Antes, a prescribed amount that each player puts into the pot before the deal, as well as a “bring-in,” a percentage of the minimum bet that the lowest up card showing must put in after the initial deal of three cards. Players who wish to remain in the hand must either match the bring-in, or “complete” it to the minimum bet. Who acts first is determined (after the initial betting round when the “bring-in” acts first) by who has the highest hand showing, so position at the table is not an issue.
Which of these is best? It really all depends on you and your preferences. It’s said that Omaha is more popular in Europe, Hold`em on the West Coast of the United States and Seven Stud on the East Coast. With the explosion in online poker however, there are plenty of opportunities for you to try whichever one suits your fancy (except Pineapple, which is usually only found in select live casinos). Good luck in whichever games you try.
Rick “Stone Face” Ellers started playing poker while he was a paratrooper stationed in Fort Bragg, NC. He currently writes part time for PokerListings.com where you can learn about the exciting World Series of Poker and find great information about Online Poker Rooms.
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