Poker has been popular among players for over two centuries now. Naturally, there is a vast number of different poker games that cater to everyone’s taste. They attract many either to join a tournament or create one in the comfort of their homes. Therefore, before mentioning the most popular poker games, we’ll first rank the hands:
- High card — if you can’t form any other combination, then you can single out the highest card
- Pair — if you get two same cards, regardless of their suit
- Two Pairs — the same as the above, only you need to have two different pairs
- Three of a Kind — if you get three same cards and they differ in suit, then you have a three of a kind (e.g. 5-5-5)
- Straight — if your hand can be arranged numerically, then you have a straight (e.g. 6-7-8-9-10)
- Flush — unlike the above, all cards have to be of the same suit, and they don’t have to be in sequence (e.g. J-4-5-6-7 of hearts)
- Full House — if you get one pair, along with a three of a kind, then you have a full house (e.g. 9-9-9-2-2)
- Four of a Kind — this entails four same cards. The suit can be different.
- Straight Flush — this is a combination of flush and straight, that is, all cards need to form a sequence and have the same suit (e.g. 5-6-7-8-9 of spades)
- Royal Flush — the same as the above, only you need to get the highest cards (e.g. 10-A-J-Q-K of hearts)
Furthermore, the “high card” hand is the weakest from the above ten, whereas the strongest is the royal flush. Now that we’ve explained poker hands, we’ll touch upon different poker games that might interest you.
Texas Hold’em
If we were to rank each and every game according to their popularity, this one would take the cake. Its name has become synonymous to real money poker games. And it’s not only available in poker rooms all over the world, but you can find it on some social media platforms as well.
Furthermore, the game begins after the small and the big blinds are paid and once each participant gets two hole cards. Then the game has three rounds during the course of which five community cards take center stage in the middle of the table. The phases are known as the flop, the turn, and the river. Each of the phases is followed by a betting round where the players can opt to raise, bet, or call. At the end of the last round, showdown commences, and the person with the highest hand will get everything from the pot.
Omaha
This has become another popular poker game. Most often than not, the pot-limit variant is played. This version is extremely popular in Europe.
Moreover, many compare Omaha to the aforementioned Texas Hold’em. But you’ll notice the difference from the very beginning. Namely, every participant receives four hole cards in the beginning. Also, the betting rounds and game phases are the same as those in Texas Hold’em. They too include the flop, the turn, and the river. And don’t forget — you must use two hole and three community cards to form your winning combination.
Seven-Card Stud Poker
A couple of decades ago, this was the go-to game in the USA. It is still a prominent form of poker, and most commonly, people decide to play it as a limit game. This means that all wagers are fixed. Additionally, it has elements which differentiate it from the above-mentioned games. Namely, players don’t flop here. We’ll mention the basic rules below.
So community cards are not included. In simple terms, every player is dealt seven cards. Before the beginning, participants are required to place an ante in order to get three cards — two of which are face down and one is face up. After this, the person who has the weakest visible card needs to bring in. The game continues with players either folding, raising, or calling. Following this, the dealer hands out the fourth card, which is also revealed. And during this round, the participant with the strongest hand is the first to bet.
Additionally, the same goes for the fifth and the sixth card. And lastly, the participants receive the final card face down and need to make a wager. Ultimately, the remaining players face off in a showdown and the strongest hand wins.
Chinese Poker
Chinese Poker is the newest variant, and many recommend having four players. In this game, each participant receives 13 cards. Therefore, these cards have to be separated into three different hands:
- The bottom hand — a player needs to ensure that this one is comprised of five highest-ranking cards
- The middle hand — it also has five cards, but they’re weaker than the above
- The front hand — it has three cards, and they’re the lowest ranking ones
The players then go against each other to decide who has better hands. During the game, a participant receives a point if their hand is stronger than the opponent’s.
Five-Card Draw Poker
Many believe that this is the simplest poker game out there. However, you shouldn’t underestimate it — it’s still poker after all.
The dealer ensures that every participant has five cards. After this, they place a bet. The players examine their cards and decide whether they want to discard any of them. And the maximum amount of cards they can discard is three. Of course, they’re replaced with new ones, which, hopefully, can increase the strength of their hand. In the end, participants engage in a showdown to see which one has the best card combination.
Summary
To conclude, we’ve singled out five types of real money poker games. There are many more variants, but these are the most famous ones. Although the article mentions the basic rules, keep in mind that, while playing poker, you need to be patient and remember that this is a game of skill. So what are you waiting for? Start practicing one of them now.