Poker isn’t just a game – it’s many games, each with its own twists and turns. Which types of poker games you play will depend on your capacity for risk as well as your skill level. This article breaks down the different types to help you choose the right poker variant.

Understanding the Different Types of Poker

Most people are familiar with Texas Hold’em poker, which is the variant that dominates top-level tournaments such as the World Series of Poker. However, there are many types of poker other than Texas Hold’em.

Overall, poker falls into three main categories: Draw, Stud, and Community Card poker. Draw poker is the oldest, being the original card game made famous by Wild West characters such as Wild Bill Hickok. 

In this poker type, players are dealt cards face down, which they can swap out in hopes of forming a winning hand. In Stud poker, players are dealt both hole cards (face down) and face up, meaning they can make bets based on opponents’ cards as well as their own. 

Stud is generally very nuanced and demands a high level of skill. Community Card games are those in which players form hands based on hole cards and cards turned face up on the table. These are called community cards because all players can use them to form hands. Texas Hold’em and Omaha are examples of Community Card poker.

Each poker category has a number of variants with their own nuances.

Popular Poker Variants Explained

Texas Hold’em

Most players get their introduction to poker through one of the different Texas Hold’em poker game variations. In this poker type, players receive two hole cards, and the dealer places five community cards face down on the table. An initial betting round begins, and players call, raise, or fold, purely on the strength of their hole cards and their opponents’ best. 

Next comes the flop: The dealer turns over three community cards and another betting round takes place. After that, the dealer turns the fourth community card (known as the turn, or fourth street), for another betting round. Finally, the dealer reveals the last community card (the river, or fifth street). After a final round of betting, players either fold or take part in the showdown. The winner is the player with the strongest five-card poker hand based on their hole cards.

Omaha

Omaha poker plays out much the same way as Texas Hold’em, with the important difference that players receive four hole cards, not two. The five community cards are shared, just like in Texas Hold’em. However, in Omaha poker, the final hand must include two hole cards and three community cards, whereas in Texas Hold’em, you can use any combination of hole cards and community cards. As a result, the poker math behind Omaha is much more complex. This is definitely not one of the best types of poker for beginners, but it’s very appealing for those who enjoy strategic play.

Seven-Card Stud

This classic poker stud used to dominate poker tournaments until it was eclipsed by Texas Hold’em. Recently, Seven Card Stud has been making a comeback, especially in mixed poker games.

Absent from this game are community cards. Instead, players get their own cards. Three cards are dealt to each player in the first round – two hole cards and one face-up card, also known as a door card. A first betting round takes place, and the remaining players then receive another face-up card.

This pattern repeats until players have six cards each, four being face up. The final (seventh) card is dealt face down. A last betting round takes place, and players show their holdings, with the strongest five-card hand taking the pot.

Razz

This is a lowball version of Seven Card Stud, meaning that it’s not the highest hand that wins. Instead, the aim is to make the lowest hand. Aces are low, and straights and flushes don’t count. The strongest hand in this variant is A-2-3-4-5, known as the “wheel.”

2-7 Triple Draw

This is another lowball poker variant in which aces are high (and undesirable), and straights and flushes count against you, so the strongest hand (the wheel) looks like this: 2-3-4-5-7.

Gameplay begins with five cards being dealt to each player. A first betting round takes place, and players then enter a drawing round, in which they can swap out up to five cards to build a stronger hand. This is followed by another betting round, a second drawing round, a third betting round, a final drawing round, and the final betting round. Then comes showdown, in which players show their hands and the strongest five-card hand carries the day.

Pineapple & More

The abovementioned games are the most important poker types to get started with. However, there are many more variants to play with.

Pineapple Poker, for instance, plays like Texas Hold’em, except players get three hole cards and have to discard one of them after the flop.

Double Flop Poker is Texas Hold’em with a twist – the flop comes with six cards instead of three, forming two boards and two different pots to bet on.

There are also other variants, such as Red Card Poker and Wild Card Poker, though these are typically reserved for home games and are not offered in regulated online poker platforms due to fairness and standardization requirements. All these additional variants seldom feature in official tournaments, but they can make for an exciting evening of mixed poker games at home.

Factors To Consider When Choosing a Poker Game 

Choosing a poker game involves more than simply learning how to play the different types of poker. There are a number of factors to consider.

Your Skill Level

Were you born with the skills you need to play poker, or do you just muddle along for the fun of it? The more complex the poker math, the more skill you will need to compete. If you are more of a casual player, a tricky game like Omaha could be frustrating.

Game Speed and Complexity

Poker table dynamics play an important role at the highest levels of poker. In Community Card games, this means you have to read your opponents’ actions based on their table positions. This challenging aspect isn’t a factor in Draw and Stud games.

Bluffing vs. Math-Based Strategies

Some poker types, such as Omaha, are heavy on poker math, while simpler types, such as Draw Poker, lean more towards bluffing. Texas Hold’em is somewhere in between. Your personality type will determine whether you prefer bluffing in poker games rather than a math-based strategy.

Cash Games vs. Tournaments

Over and above the poker game differences outlined above, it’s important to choose a game format. This comes down to deciding between cash games vs poker tournaments. In cash games, you can buy in and play against the same opponents until you decide it’s time to leave – or you lose your chips. In poker tournaments, you only risk losing your buy-in, but you can only make money if you play your way through a whole field of opponents and reach the money stage.

Matching Poker Variants to Your Play Style

Are you a naturally aggressive player or more risk-averse? Are you the type who can read and exploit opponents’ weaknesses, or do you prefer to calculate the odds? The answers to these questions will determine your play style, which is an important factor in deciding which type of poker to play.

For Strategic Thinkers

Generally, you will find four broad types of poker players. Loose aggressive players are highly skilled and take the biggest risks, while tight aggressive players play for value. Tight passive players tend to be risk-averse and fold out most hands, while loose passive players go along for the ride and often lose money. Texas Hold’em definitely favors aggressive players, while aggressive bluffing can play a role in Seven Card Stud. Passive player types are better off with the kind of odds-based play found in Omaha, Razz, and 2-7 Triple Draw.

For Risk-Takers and Aggressive Players

Do you have an aggressive or defensive poker strategy? If you’re more on the aggressive side, you’ll want to look at the betting structure of the games you play. In No Limit games, there’s no cap on how much a player can bet – you can go all in at any time. 

Limit games, on the other hand, specify the maximum bet a player can make. If you’re a more defensive player, playing a game like Limit Texas Hold’em could be more fun than No Limit – you’ll get to play more hands without being crushed by aggressive opponents.

For Beginners and Casual Players

“So which poker game should I play?” Players without much experience will be pleased to know that it doesn’t matter too much whether they play Texas Hold’em or some lesser-known poker variants – experienced players are always going to chew them up. When it comes to how to pick a poker game, what’s important is to find cash games or tournaments with stakes or buy-ins that suit your budget and skill level. That way, you can work on your strategy without losing too much money at first. With enough dedication, you’ll rise through the ranks.

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