The Most Popular Types of Poker

Poker has been one of the most popular card games in countries worldwide for many years. Many people sometimes play it at the casino gaming table and on the computer.

There are many varieties of this exciting game. There are several dozen of them, so we cannot cover all types of poker in this article. But we will tell you about the most popular ones here. From our review you will learn about the most popular types of poker, game rules, winning combinations and more. And finally, you can decide which form of this popular card game to try your hand at.

Texas Hold ’em

This game is the most popular type of poker, ranking first. The secret of its popularity lies in the ideal balance between simplicity of gameplay and excitement.

This type of poker is often discussed in magazines and newspapers, on television, and Internet sites. For example, on the 1win website – one of the most popular services for various bets and online games, this game is quite popular.

A game of Texas Hold ’em always begins with preflop – a mandatory investment in the pot. Next, each participant receives two pocket (face down) cards, which they will use throughout the entire distribution. Throughout three rounds, five community cards are dealt face up to the center of the table:

• flop – the output of the first three positions of the board;
• turn – fourth position;
• river – fifth position.

Each stage of the distribution is a kind of auction, where the bank acts as a lot – it increases with each round and can amount to vast sums of money. During the game, participants can perform the following actions:

• bet – make a bet;
• call – equalizing the bet;
• raise – raising the bet;
• check – skip a move;
• fold – pass.

If only a few people are left in the game after a round of betting on the river, it is time for the showdown stage. In it, the remaining players show off the strength of their hands (cards). The bank is taken by the one who managed to collect the best combination.

Omaha Hold ’em

Omaha takes a respectable second place. Its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years due to its fast-paced gameplay and strategic challenges.

The rules of this game are very similar to Texas Hold ’em. The only difference is that in its classic version, players receive 4-hole cards, and their hands must be made up of 2-hole cards and three community cards. Thanks to the ability to choose pocket cards, there will be more hand options, significantly diversifying the gameplay.

There are several types of this game:

• Classic four-card pot-limit Omaha is a bet-limit game;
• Omaha Hi-Lo – this variation differs from the original only in that the pot goes to not only the participant with the best cards. Here, two poker combinations are taken into account: high (the strongest combination) and low (the weakest combination);
• Five Card Omaha – differs from the classic version only in that at the preflop stage, each player is dealt five cards, of which he can use only 2 to form his hand. Here, they play according to pot limit rules: the maximum allowed beta amount depends on the size of the pot. That is, the player will not always have the opportunity to bet all his chips;
• Courchevel is an exciting variation of five-card Omaha with one unique point: the first community card is dealt preflop;
• Oklahoma – the rules of this game are also very similar to the classic version, but after the flop and turn stages, the remaining players must discard 1 card each. Then, each will have two hole cards, which must be in the winning combination.

Seven Card Stud

Ranked third. Before the advent of Texas Hold ’em and Omaha, this type of poker was the favorite of many players. Its popularity has decreased, but many traditional poker fans still love to play it.

Seven Card Stud is characterized by the presence of an ante (obligatory bet) and five rounds of betting (the so-called “streets”). Each player is dealt four face-up cards and three face-down cards. The game aims to make the highest five-card combination out of the seven received.

At the beginning of the game, players receive one door card (open to everyone) and two closed ones after collecting the ante. The participant who gets the weakest card by suit and value makes an opening bet (bring-in).

Next comes bidding time, where players place bets in a clockwise direction. After this, everyone is dealt another face-up card, and the next stage of the game begins.

The player with the most potent combination of open cards opens the auction. If there are several such participants, this is done by the one sitting to the dealer’s left.

The “fifth street” stage begins, and the next face-up card is dealt. At this stage, the bets are doubled.

Next, a hole card is dealt, “sixth street” occurs, and the final “seventh street.” At the end of the auction, all participants open their cards to compare the combinations they have collected. The player whose hand turns out to be the strongest wins the game and takes the entire pot.

Other Less Popular Types of Poker

In addition to these three, there are other slightly less common types of poker. Among them, the most common ones are:

• Five Card Poker is a more straightforward form of poker that is often played at home with family or friends. Here, each player receives five private cards and betting rounds;
• Raz is a unique variation of seven-card stud where the smallest hand always wins;
• Chinese poker (13 cards) is an unconventional variation where players deal 13 cards into three separate hands.

In addition to the types of poker we have listed, there are many others. Finding the perfect option will not be easy for you and will take time. We advise you to start with Texas Hold ’em and only then move on to studying lesser-known varieties of this exciting card game. Sooner or later, you will definitely find the type of poker ideal for you.