Different Types of Poker Card Games: How to Play Poker Online

You’ll notice that I spend more time talking about how to play Texas Hold’em than other variants. That’s because it allows me to introduce concepts you can apply to all poker variants. With that being said, here are the different poker games you can play online, starting with Texas Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em

⚡Texas Hold’em is a poker variant where each player receives two hole cards that can be used in conjunction with five community cards.

If you want to win major tournaments such as the WSOP Main Event, you need to know how to play Texas Hold’em. The fundamentals of Texas Hold’em are:

To fully understand how to play Hold’em, I need to walk you through a hand. Before I do that, here are the four betting rounds (aka streets) that make up a Hold’em hand:

• Pre-flop: the betting round that happens once everyone receives two hole cards.
• The flop: the betting round that happens after three community cards have been dealt.
• The turn: the betting round that happens after a fourth community card has been dealt.
• The river: the betting round that happens after a fifth community card has been dealt.

If one player forces everyone else to fold at any point, they win the pot uncontested. However, if two or more players make it to the river and call the last biggest bet, a showdown takes place. The player with the best five-card hand at this point wins the pot.

Rules and Gameplay

Now that I’ve covered the basics, here’s how a Texas Hold’em hand plays out…

Game Dynamics

• Number of players at the table: six
• Blinds: $1/$2

Pre-flop Action

• Player 1 folds
• Player 2 folds
• Player 3 calls the minimum bet ($2)
• Player 4 raises to $8
• Player 5 folds
• Player 6 fold
• The action goes back to Player 3, who puts in $6 more to call the last biggest bet ($8)

The Flop

Three community cards are dealt: A♦5♣ 7♥

• Player 3 checks (pass the action to the next player without committing any chips)
• Player 4 bets $10
• The action goes back to Player 3, who calls (matches the last biggest bet)

The Turn

A fourth community card is dealt: K♥

• Player 3 checks
• Player 4 checks

The River

A fifth community card is dealt: 2♦

• Player 3 bets $15
• Player 4 calls

Showdown

• Player 3 shows K♦ T♠ (they have a pair of kings)
• Player 4 shows A♠ 9♥ (they have a pair of aces)

Result

Player 4 wins because a pair of aces is better than a pair of kings.

Texas Hold’em Strategies

There’s a ton of skill in Hold’em. You need to master mathematical concepts, so you know the odds of winning in each scenario. You need to master tactics so you can exploit players’ weaknesses. You also need to master psychology, so get into the minds of other players.

The poker skills I focused on when I first started playing Hold’em were:

Omaha

⚡Omaha poker is a variant where each player receives four hole cards, two of which they must use in conjunction with three of the five community cards.

If you want more variance and action, you need to know how to play Omaha. The fundamentals of Omaha are:

Omaha is, in many ways, identical to Texas Hold’em. The action plays out over four streets (pre-flop, flop, turn, and river), everyone can use the community cards, and the aim is to win by making people fold or having the best hand.

The main difference is that you have to use two of your four hole cards, which isn’t the case in Hold’em. This rule, combined with the fact that everyone has four cards, means there are more possible hand combinations.

That’s a fancy way of saying that there are more ways to make hands because you’ve got four cards to work with.

Rules and Gameplay

Here’s an Omaha hand and some questions to consider:

• Player 1 holds A♠ K♦ 7♥ 8♥
• Player 2 holds K♣ J♣ T♠ 9♦

The board shows: K♥ J♦ 2♦ Q♦ T♦

Here are some questions to ask yourself about this hand:

Omaha Strategies

All of the poker strategy points I explained in the Hold’em section apply here. What I will say, however, is that hand selection and position are even more important because, on average, you need stronger hands to win showdowns in Omaha than in Hold’em.

The other Omaha skill you need to master is gappers. Specifically, you should avoid starting hands with large gaps.

For example, if you’re dealt K♥ Q♦ 7♠ 2♠, there are big gaps between all but two of your cards, which makes it harder to make hands. That’s why you want connected starting hands with small gaps, such as 6♠ 7♠ 8♥ 9♥.

Omaha Variants

Omaha can also be played using a high/low format. It’s technically known as Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, and while it’s not hugely popular online, it’s still fun to play.

Omaha Hi-Lo is a split pot game, which means 50% of the pot goes to the best high-value hand, and 50% goes to the best low-value hand. I’ll talk more about low-value hands in the Razz section.

For now, just know that low-value hands have low-value cards, e.g. A 2 3 4 5 is the lowest possible straight.

Seven Card Stud

⚡Seven Card Stud is a poker variant where each player receives seven cards, three of which are dealt face-down and four face-up so everyone can see them.

If you want to go back to one of the original forms of poker, you need to know the rules of Seven Card Stud. The basics of Stud poker are:

Stud is different from Hold’em and Omaha because there aren’t any community cards. Instead, you make decisions based on your own cards and your opponent’s face-up cards.

Rules and Gameplay

A game starts with everyone posting an ante. After that, the player with the lowest face-up card pays the bring-in. The bring-in is 5x the value of the ante. Once the forced bets have been posted, Stud hands can play out over five betting rounds. Here’s a Seven Card Stud hand involving three players:

Game Dynamics

• Number of players at the table: three
• Forced bets: $1 ante/$5 bring-in
• All players post the $1 ante

First Betting Round

• Player 1’s hand = (X X) 8♠
• Player 2’s hand = (X X) 2♦
• Player 3’s hand = (X X) K♠

Player 2 posts the bring-in.

• Player 1 folds
• Player 3 calls the bring-in
• Player 2 checks

Second Betting Round

Player 2’s hand = (X X) 2♦ 3♥

Player 3’s hand = (X X) K♠ J♠

• Player 2 checks
• Player 3 checks

Third Betting Round

Player 2’s hand = (X X) 2♦ 3♥ 6♦

Player 3’s hand = (X X) K♠ J♠ T♣

• Player 2 bets $10
• Player 3 calls

Fourth Betting Round

Player 2’s hand = (X X) 2♦ 3♥ 6♦ 4♠

Player 3’s hand = (X X) K♠ J♠ T♣ A♠

• Player 2 bets $10
• Player 3 calls

Fifth Betting Round

Player 2’s hand =(X X) 2♦ 3♥ 6♦ 4♠ (X)

Player 3’s hand = (X X) K♠ J♠ T♣ 3♠ (X)

• Player 2 bets $10
• Player 3 calls

Showdown

• Player 2 shows 5♥ J♦ 2♦ 3♥ 6♦ 4♠ 8♦ for a straight: 2♦ 3♥ 4♠ 5♥ 6♦
• Player 3 shows A♥ Q♠ K♠ J♠ T♣ 3♠ 6♥ for a straight: T♣ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♥

Result

Player 3 wins because they have a higher straight.

Stud Strategies

The previous poker strategy concepts I’ve explained all apply to Seven Card Stud. The one additional tip I’ll give you is to be aware of exposed cards.

• Firstly, take note of the cards other people are showing.
• Secondly, look at your own cards.
• Finally, think about the cards you know have been dealt and use this information to deduce what possible hands an opponent can have.

Razz Poker

⚡Razz is a lowball variant of Seven Card Stud, which means your aim is to make the lowest value hand with five of the seven cards you’re dealt.

If you like the idea of winning pots with low-ranking hands, you should learn how to play Razz. The basics of Razz poker are:

• How many cards do I get? Seven.
• Are there community cards? No, you get seven cards.
• What is the aim? You need to make the lowest-value hand or win pots uncontested.
• Which betting formats are used for Hold’em? Limit and (sometimes) No Limit.

Rules and Gameplay

The most important concepts to get your head around when it comes to Razz are:

• Low-value cards are desirable
• Flushes and straights don’t count against your hand
• Aces are low (i.e. their value is equivalent to one)

Based on these principles, hands are defined by their highest value card. Here’s an example:

• Player 1 shows A♠ 2♥ 3♦ 4♠ 5♥
• Player 2 shows A♣ 2♦ 3♥ 4♣ 6♦

💡Who wins this hand and why? Player 1 wins because their highest value card is a 5, while Player 2’s highest value card is a 6.

Razz Poker Strategies

In conjunction with the poker strategy concepts I’ve already mentioned, keep these things in mind when you play Razz:

• Don’t enter pots with hands that contain one or more high-value cards. Specifically, any card worth 8 or more is considered high.
• Don’t play pairs. Unlike flushes and straights, pairs decrease the power of your hand.
• Don’t forget about other people’s cards. As a variant of Stud, Razz has exposed cards. Keep a mental note of what they are so you can make better reads.

Five Card Draw

⚡Five Card Draw is a variant where each player has the option to hold or exchange their starting cards.

If you want a simple variant that allows you to transition to casino-style poker games, I recommend learning Five Card Draw. The fundamentals of Five Card Draw are:

Five Card Draw is the easiest poker variant to understand. Everyone starts with five cards. Those who remain active after the initial betting round can exchange their cards before a final showdown.

Rules and Gameplay

Here’s how a Five Card Draw hand plays out:

Game Dynamics

• Number of players at the table: Four
• Small Blind $1/Big Blind $2

First Betting Round

Each player gets five cards only they can see:

• Player 1 folds
• Player 2 raises to $6
• Player 3 calls
• Player 4 folds
• Player 5 calls

Second Betting Round

The remaining players can hold or exchange as many cards as they like.

• Player 2 exchanges three cards
• Player 3 exchanges two cards
• Player 5 holds all five cards

Another round of betting takes place

• Player 2 checks
• Player 3 bets $10
• Player 5 calls
• Player 2 folds

Showdown

• Player 2 shows A♣ A♦ K♥ 4♠ 4♦ for two pair
• Player 5 shows A♥ Q♥ 8♥ 3♥ 2♥ for a flush

Result

Player 5 wins because flushes beat two pair.

Five Card Draw Strategies

Five card draw is a mathematical game. That means you need to know the odds of hitting cards when you draw. For example, if you need one card to complete a flush, there are nine possible cards you can hit.

Why? Because there are 13 suited cards in total, and you have four of them. You can’t know what other people have, so you have to assume there are nine cards that can make your flush.

Let’s put this in the context of our example:

• Four players receive five cards each.
• That means 20 cards from a deck of 52 have been dealt.
• That leaves 32 cards before the draw, nine of which can make your flush.
• Result: the odds of hitting a flush are 9/32 x 100 = 28%.

Working out your drawing odds isn’t too difficult, but there are poker calculators online that can help.

Once you know the odds of hitting your card, you can decide whether it’s worth continuing. If the odds are low, you should probably fold. If the odds of drawing useful cards are high, it’s probably worth playing.

Other Poker Variants and Formats

If the most popular poker variants don’t pique your interest, here are some options that might. The following list contains casino games that put you in a heads-up showdown versus the dealer.

Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is a casino game where you have to beat the dealer. A Caribbean Stud hand plays out like this:

• You place an ante bet.
• You receive five cards, and so does the dealer (one of the dealer’s cards is exposed).
• At this point, you have two options: fold and forfeit your ante bet or place a call bet that’s double the value of your ante.

If you call and go to a showdown, the dealer’s cards are revealed. One of two things can happen at this point:

• If the dealer doesn’t have at least an ace and a king, you win by default. The payouts in this scenario are 1:1 on your ante bet, and your call bet is returned.
• If the dealer has an ace and a king or better, the winner is the person with the best five-card hand. If that’s the dealer, you lose your money. If you have the best hand, you win 1:1 on your ante bet, while the return on your call bet is based on the strength of your hand.

The payouts for call bets in Caribbean Stud Poker are:

Pai Gow Poker

How do you play Pai Gow Poker? Your job is to make two hands from seven cards.

To start, you place a bet. After that, you have set seven cards into two hands:

• A high (aka back) hand consisting of five cards
• A low (aka front) hand consisting of two cards

Your high hand must be stronger than your low hand. For example, if your low hand is 2-2, your high hand must be better than a pair of deuces.

The dealer also makes two hands, which means there are three possible outcomes:

• You win both hands
• You win one hand
• You lose both hands

The payouts in Pai Gow Poker range from 2:1 up to 8:1 if you can make a seven-card straight flush across both hands.

Badugi Poker

Badugi is a variant of Draw Poker that was first popularised in Asia. It spread to the West after professional poker players began using it as a way to pass the time in between tournaments.

Here’s how to play Badugi Poker:

1. Two players post the blinds, just as they would in Hold’em. From there, everyone receives four cards.
2. A betting round takes place, and those who remain in the hand can hold or draw as many cards as they like.
3. Two more draws take place before a showdown.
4. The aim is to make the best low hand with different suits and no pairs. The best hand in Badugi is A 2 3 4 (all different suits).

Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker, often known as Open-Face Chinese Poker, is similar to Pai Gow. The aim is to make three hands with 13 cards:

• A front hand consisting of three cards
• A middle hand consisting of five cards
• A back hand consisting of five cards

Hands must increase in value, i.e. the back hand must be stronger or equal in value to the middle hand, and the middle hand must be stronger or equal in value to the front hand.

Players earn points for each hand they win. Points are often converted into cash amounts, and the overall winner is the first person to reach a set number of points.

The Rise of Online Poker

The first online poker sites, including Planet Poker, appeared online in the late nineties. However, it wasn’t until 2003 that the industry took off, thanks to an accountant from Georgia called Chris Moneymaker.

Moneymaker qualified for the $10,000 WSOP Main Event in 2003 by winning his seat online. He paid the princely sum of just $86 to enter the satellite that won him his seat. From there, he went on a run that WSOP broadcaster Norman Chad called “inconceivable”.

When all was said and done, Moneymaker outlasted 838 players to win the 2003 WSOP Main Event and turn his $86 investment into a $2.5 million top prize.

The fairytale story sparked a revolution. Everyone wanted to follow in Moneymaker’s footsteps. Attendance figures at the WSOP soared, and thousands of players started playing poker online.

Now known as the Moneymaker Effect, the boom has created a multi-billion-dollar industry that literally has games for everyone.

My Thoughts on Online Poker

I love online poker. It’s how I first learned the game, it’s where I’ve had my biggest wins, and it’s a medium that’s always evolving. I wasn’t sure the industry would recover after US regulatory changes in 2011.

However, with the US and other countries now set on how they regulate online poker, the game is healthier than ever. Online poker tournaments are seeing record numbers, and the cash games I play are as juicy as they were back in 2010.

If you’re still on the fence about playing poker online, I’d urge you to consider these three things:

1. Online poker sites offer a variety of games at all stakes. From $1 Hold’em tournaments to high-stakes Omaha, there’s something for everyone online.
2. The main reason I love online poker is that you can play whenever you want. I don’t have to withdraw cash, drive to a casino, get some chips and wait hours for a good hand. All I have to do is log in, click, and play.
3. The final reason I use online poker sites is tracking. As well as being able to keep notes on players, you can track your own play. This allows you to manage your bankroll, which, as I’ve said, is one of the most important skills in poker.

My Final Thoughts on the Different Types of Poker

So that’s it. As you can see, there are plenty of different ways to play poker. You’ve got popular variants like Hold’em that require skill, timing and psychology. You’ve also got high-variance poker games like Omaha and mathematically led variants such as Draw. The top-rated online poker sites listed on NewCasinos.com give you the chance to play every popular variant at stakes you’re comfortable with. That’s important because responsible gambling is the foundation for success in poker. Master this, and there are endless possibilities at the best online poker sites.