There’s no doubt that Texas Hold’em is the most popular variation in the world. While new and lesser-known poker variants such as Badugi and Razz are slowly gaining ground, Texas Hold’em game variations continue to dominate the most lucrative international tournaments. 

One reason for its popularity is its compatibility with different betting structures, such as Limit, Pot Limit, and, especially, No Limit. These structures accommodate all player types, from the most conservative to the most wild.

No matter the limits on betting, Texas Hold’em plays the same, with the dealer button and blinds rotating clockwise with each hand. Each player receives two face-down hole cards, with which they can use any of the five community cards – dealt as the flop, turn, and river cards – to create a winning five-card poker hand. There are four rounds of betting – preflop, post-flop, post-turn, and post-river. The rules remain the same for how to play Texas Hold’em.

Limit Texas Hold’em

This guide to Texas Hold’em poker starts with the most conservative format. As the name states, Limit Texas Hold’em limits how much a player can bet or raise in any given hand. The minimum bet allowed is the size of the small blind, and the maximum bet is the size of the big blind.

For example, in a $5/$10 Limit Hold’em game, the small blind is $5 and the big blind is $10. The minimum bet is going to be $5, and the maximum bet is $10. If a player wants to raise that bet, they can raise to $20. This limits the amount of money that can be bet in each round and the overall size of the pot.

The bottom line is that this betting structure makes it more difficult to lose money quickly, making it one of the best poker game variations for beginners who are still finding their feet.

No Limit Texas Hold’em

Most players already know how to play No Limit Texas Hold’em, as that’s the Texas Hold’em variation to which most are introduced. When comparing Limit vs No Limit Texas Hold’em, it’s obvious that the latter is much more dynamic. That’s simply because there’s no cap on how much players can risk at any time. This allows for the common all-in move that puts all of a player’s chips at risk. This happens in cash games, wherein a player who loses an all-in can buy more chips or leave the game, but it is more common in tournaments.

Tournament Hold’em played in the No Limit format can put players at risk at any time in the tournament if they choose to move all-in. While reentry tournaments allow players to buy their way back into a tournament, the influence and opportunity of the shove create tension and excitement. These features help define why No Limit formats dominate the most popular poker variations.

Pot Limit Texas Hold’em

This is the most complicated of all the Texas Hold’em game variations. Pot Limit Hold’em puts a limit on the maximum raise amount, and that limit is the size of the pot.

Pot Limit Texas Hold’em strategy varies somewhat from Limit and No Limit, as it can limit the level of risk. However, the pot can grow quite quickly, with several raises in a round of betting, so players can exploit those limits based on the size of their opponents’ chip stacks.

This leads to complicated poker math and difficult betting decisions, so it’s best to do some research into how to play Pot Limit Texas Hold’em.

Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) Variants

Players keen for a challenge can enter Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit Texas Hold’em MTTs, either live or online at BetMGM. In addition to the familiar gameplay, the challenge can include exciting poker tournament formats:

Freezeout: In this type of tournament, when you run out of chips, your time in the tournament comes to an end. 

Knockout: Half the prize pool goes to the top finishers and half as prizes to players who eliminate other players. Knockout prize values are established in advance and awarded as players are knocked out. For example, in a $22 KO tournament with a $2 rake, $10 goes to the overall prize pool and $10 goes to any player who can knock you out. As a result, you can win money by eliminating opponents even if you don’t make the final table.

Bounty: The bounty tournament format also allocates half the buy-in to the prize pool. The other half, though, is a bounty that’s placed on specific players. This makes it a bit different to the knockout format, where you earn a small prize for eliminating any player.

Rebuy: In a rebuy tournament, players who lose all their chips can buy their way back into play.

Sit & Go Tournaments

MTTs can endure for many hours or even days. As an alternative, Sit & Go tournaments are single-table tournaments for between six and 10 players. Play begins as soon as enough players are registered, and it ends when all players but the winner lose their chips. A typical Sit & Go tournament takes 90 minutes or less to complete, and the most you stand to lose is the buy-in. (Think about how much money you can lose in open-ended cash games vs Hold’em tournaments).

What’s there to choose between MTTs vs Sit & Go Poker? It all depends on how much time you want to spend at the table. Think about how much money you can lose in cash games vs tournament Hold’em.

Unusual Texas Hold’em Variations

Before you go looking for types of poker other than Texas Hold’em, have you tried all that Hold’em has to offer? In addition to being one of the most popular poker variations in itself, Texas Hold’em now comes in different sub-variants that each offer a different kind of thrill.

Turbo and Hyper-Turbo Texas Hold’em

Players with a need for speed love Turbo and Hyper-Turbo Texas Hold’em tournaments. That’s because these formats play out in 60 and 45 minutes, respectively. The blinds increase rapidly, leading to aggressive short-stack play that can leave a player breathless.

Zoom (Fast-Fold) Texas Hold’em

Tired of waiting for hands to play out once you’ve folded? With Zoom poker, also known as Fast Fold poker, you don’t have to. Instead, you can fold your cards and be transported to a new table with completely different opponents.

Pineapple

The difference between Pineapple poker and regular Texas Hold’em is simply that you’re dealt three hole cards instead of the usual two. After the initial betting round and before the flop, you have to choose a hole card to discard. Once you’ve discarded your unwanted hole card, the game plays as normal.

Short Deck (6+ Hold’em)

In Short Deck poker, you play Texas Hold’em with a stripped 36-card deck with all twos, threes, fours, and fives removed. With no cards lower than six in play, you stand a much better chance of getting a full-house than a flush.

Royal Hold’em

This variant is even more dynamic than Short Deck Texas Hold’em. That’s because it’s played with a 20-card deck containing only the cards 10 through ace. As a result, you can expect a higher frequency of strong hands in play. It’s one of the types of poker you can play with friends who are really passionate about the game.

Heads-Up Texas Hold’em

For the most aggressive action out there, look no further than Heads-Up poker. In this one-on-one shoot-out situation, when you’re the dealer, you’re the small blind and you’re under the gun, while your opponent is the big blind. This then swaps for the next hand since there are only two players in the game. This means that there’s no chance to fold quietly – you have to make big decisions with every hand you play.

Play Poker Online at BetMGM

Keen to get your online poker game on? Play poker with real money at BetMGM and explore different types of Stud poker as well as the most popular Hold’em formats, including Texas Hold’em betting structures such as Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit. 

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned player or a beginner, you can enjoy BetMGM’s online poker welcome bonus when you register for the first time.