The world of poker largely revolves around Hold’em and Omaha, but for beginner and intermediate players, playing endless hands of ABC poker can get monotonous. To shake things up a little, why not get together with some friends and try some fun poker game variations? This is your chance to try out new styles of play, test out new strategies, and take a few chances without putting your online poker bankroll at risk. Once you’ve set the scene for a great night playing poker at home, you just need to decide which game it’s going to be. Here are some to choose from.

Draw Poker

Do you remember how to play Five-Card Draw? It’s the granddaddy of all poker variants, but it fell out of favor compared to Hold’em years ago. Today, though, draw poker is making a comeback, as players look to explore poker possibilities beyond Texas Hold’em. 

Five Card Draw

Also known as Five Card Stud, this variant is really straightforward. Each player pays an ante and is dealt five cards face down. Players then bet based on their holdings. Those who have not folded can swap out up to four cards. Another betting round takes place, and the best five-card hand wins.

If you’re keen to refresh your memory on this evergreen poker variant, consult BetMGM’s guide on how to play Five Card Draw like a pro.

Seven Card Stud

The most readily available draw poker game currently is the Seven Card Stud game. It’s a challenging variant with more complicated gameplay than most players are used to, which makes it a great option to play with friends. 

Players are dealt two cards face down and one card face up. The player with the lowest-ranking card starts the game with a bring-in, and a betting round takes place. Those who stay in then receive another face-up card. The player with the best face-up combination begins the second betting round. Each player is dealt an additional face-up card, and another round of betting takes place. This process is then repeated. After that, the remaining players are dealt a final face-down card, and the final betting round takes place. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.   

Lowball Draw Poker

This type of poker challenges players to win by making the lowest hand to win the pot. Lowball is typically either Ace-to-Five (A-5) Lowball or Deuce-to-Seven (2-7) Lowball, also known as Kansas City Lowball. Basic gameplay is the same as Five Card Stud. After the initial betting round, each player is dealt five cards face down and can draw up to four cards.

Come showdown, it’s the lowest hand that rules. In A-5 lowball, straights and flushes don’t count, and aces are always low. The best possible A-5 hand (known as “the wheel” or “the bicycle”) is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high. In 2-7 Lowball, aces always count high, and the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2.

Tip: In all lowball games, pairs and three-of-a-kind are bad. Any hand with no pair will beat any hand with a pair, while a one-pair hand will beat two pairs or three-of-a-kind.

Seven-Card No-Peek

Not to be confused with Seven-Card Stud, this game is all about having fun. It’s all about the luck of the draw, or deal, and requires very little strategy. The only risk to calculate is your stake as the game moves around the table. 

Seven-Card No-Peek works like this. Each player is dealt seven cards. Play and betting open when the person to the left of the dealer turns over just one card. Everyone places a bet, and the next person to the left turns over a card. If it’s higher than the first player’s, they stop turning and all bets are on. If it’s lower, the player keeps turning until the total face value of their cards is higher than the hand of the player to their right. If all seven cards are turned and the hand is still lower than the previous player’s hand, the hand is dead. Betting and playing then pick up again until the last player is left standing.

Double Flop Hold ‘Em

This Texas Hold ‘Em variation is double the fun and definitely one of the best poker variants. Bets are placed between the flop (which is dealt with six cards, three for each of the upper and lower board) and the reveal of the turn and river cards. With only one deck in play, everyone has a sporting chance of figuring out what’s being held versus what’s on the table. The best five-card hand on each of the upper and lower boards wins. If you’ve got the best hand on both — jackpot. If not, each winning hand takes a half share of the pot.

Cincinnati Poker

Move over, Omaha Poker, here comes Cincinnati Poker. With four cards per hand and four cards face-up in the middle, any combination of the player’s hand and board cards can be used to make the best five-card hand. After each round of betting, just one community card is revealed. This is a great game in which to learn what a strong hand really means.

Baseball Poker

Speaking of Cincinnati, here’s one for the Reds. Really just a variation of stud poker, this one uses baseball’s three strikes, three outs, four balls, and nine innings terminology to give those cards a special value.

 A 3 in the hole is wild. Players can also match a 3 played in the open with the value of the pot and turn the 3 wild. The other option is to fold. A 4 dealt in the open gives that player an additional hole card and nine is a wild. If you and your friends all baseball fans, this variant will make the evening just that little bit more fun.

Aviation

This is a small variation on classic Hold’em, where players are dealt four instead of two hole cards, all face down. Before and straight after the flop, each player must select a card to discard. It’s a high-pressure decision. After that, you play by the usual Texas Hold ‘Em rules, all the while hoping you didn’t throw away the best card you were ever dealt.

Guts

You’ll definitely need some of those to see this game through. There are many types of poker players, so be sure your friends are the kind that appreciate the concept of risk and reward, starting with a decision on the ante. 

Each player is dealt two or three cards face down, and the first player declares “guts” or “no guts.” If you say “guts,” you’re in the game, and you place a predetermined ante. “No guts” is a fold. 

Once all bets have been placed, cards are revealed, and the winning hand takes the pot. But it doesn’t stop there. For the next round, everyone who had “guts” and stayed in the game but lost must place a bet equal to the size of the previous winning pot. Anyone who had “no guts” places a bet equal to the amount of the original ante. 

Because of the way the pot can snowball, this game is one of the most fun poker game variations. It can be pretty lucrative, too.

Blind Man’s Bluff

It’s unlikely that this variant will ever feature in a poker tournament, but it’s a great poker game to play with friends for a laugh. After you’ve been dealt your cards, you don’t look at your hand. Instead, you hold your cards on your forehead so everyone else can see. How much faith do you have in your hand, knowing what everyone else has? Your bet will do the talking.

Crazy Pineapple

It’s anyone’s guess where this challenging poker variant got its name from, but it will test you to the limit. The first round of betting happens after each player receives three cards, before the flop. After the flop, players place a further bet based on how the flop now affects their hand, but at this point, they must also choose one card to discard. From this point onward, the game plays out according to classic Texas Hold ‘Em rules, with all the twists and turns you might expect.

Red River Hold ‘Em

This is a fun variant of the poker game known as Texas Hold ‘Em. In Red River, if the river card is a red suit, a further card is dealt until a black turns up. This might happen soon, or it might take long enough for it to look like a red river is running across the table.

Wild Card Poker Variants

Count Down

Count Down adds a twist to popular poker variations like Seven Card Stud and Texas Hold’em. Basically, it introduces a wild card immediately before the final betting round. To determine the wild card, count how many players are left standing. If, for example, there are three, then all 3s are wild. This can make for a Hold’em shootout after the river. Note that community cards will not count as wild. 

Follow the Queen

In this one of the many poker variations we’ve looked at, the queen features as a wild card in a Seven-Card Stud format. When a queen is dealt face up on the board or to a player, the next card dealt and all those with the same rank are considered wild. This can get complicated, as the wild card can change repeatedly within a single hand. You’ll all need your wits about you for this one.

Wild Poker

Speaking of wild cards, this variant allows the dealer to name any card to represent another. If 5s are wild, for instance, you can use any 5 to complete a flush, a straight or a straight flush, or even use it as an ace. This poker variation can be applied to any format. 

Be Adventurous with Online Poker at BetMGM

Who knew there were so many variations or different formats of the beloved game of poker? Depending on how competitive or light-hearted you’re feeling, there’s a version for every mood. You can even play draw poker online. Download the BetMGM Poker app and select your favorite poker variations for a great online experience.