Poker

Popular Online Poker Games

There's no denying that across the board the online poker action is hot, regardless of what your poker poison is, but if you've been sticking strictly to a staple like Texas Hold'em or a classic game like Five Card Draw you could be missing out. These days between the basic variations, their high/low spinoffs and betting variances like no limit, pot limit and fixed limit ambitious players looking for some variety in their sessions have virtually unlimited options. Below we explore six of the most popular online poker games.

Texas Hold'em

Of course Texas Hold'em has to come first. This community card style game has been at the center of the online poker industry from its inception in the early 1990s. Though other games are gaining in popularity, Texas Hold'em continues to be the main attraction in both online poker and at all the larger live tournaments.

Texas Hold'em is a classic high card game characterized by four dealing rounds and four betting rounds. Each player starts with two hole cards, and then the remainder of the action is at the center of the table. Five cards are dealt across three more rounds: the “flop” first with three cards and then the “turn” and the “river” with one card each. Every time cards are revealed, another betting round ensues. If at least two players remain in the action after the river, then they will proceed to the “showdown” where each player must reveal their cards to determine a winner. That said, approximately half of all Texas Hold'em hands end pre-flop due to aggressive first round betting.

Omaha

Omaha is another notable community card game, and its fan base is growing rapidly thanks in part to its similarity to Texas Hold'em. What separates Omaha from Texas Hold'em is the use of four hole cards instead of two. Omaha has also inspired its own low-card spinoff in the form of Omaha Hi/Lo. In Omaha Hi/Lo, the pot is split between the players holding the highest and lowest qualifying hands.

Seven Card Stud

Seven Card Stud is one of the oldest poker games still played today, and it's definitely got its own committed crowd of diehard stud players. Unlike the community card games where players share many of their cards, in Seven Card Stud each player's hand is theirs and theirs alone. Seven Card Stud presents a distinct challenge to players that believe they can read their opponents, since half of a player's hand is visible at all times.

Each player receives their cards across five dealing rounds. In the first round, they receive two cards face down and one card face up. This is followed by three rounds with a single up card and then the fifth and final deal of a seventh card face down. This format of mixed face up and face down cards allows for the continued use of popular strategies like bluffing. In the same way that Omaha has a low-card variation, Seven Card Stud also has a low-hand spinoff called Razz. Razz is dealt in the same way, but this time the player with the lowest hand takes all.

Draw

These days it's hard to find a cash draw poker table and even harder to find one that offers consistent action. As the oldest poker game still being played, Five Card Draw still holds an esteemed place in the poker community. While this fast and simple variation is not very popular in online poker rooms, it remains the standard format for virtually all online video poker games.

Mixed Games

If you can't choose between community card and stud-style poker games, then mixed games like HORSE offer the best of both worlds. Popular poker mixed games like HORSE, HOSE and SHOE combine several different poker variations to create a strategy gauntlet. For example, HORSE includes a single round each of Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Stud Eights or Better. Many of the old pros consider these mixed games the truest test of an all-around player's skills.