A selection of popular Poker games
Poker has slowly become a large family unit of related games and is no
longer a single game as it used to be. There are a variety of Poker games
out there - such as Texas Hold'em,
7 Card Stud and Omaha High/Low - and they
all resemble the same principal and object under the name of "Poker".
Poker is played with a regular deck of 52 cards - comprised
of four suits, each having 13 cards ranking as follows from highest to lowest:
Ace (ace can be counted as lowest card in many cases) -> King -> Queen
-> Jack -> 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2.
The object of the game is to simply win the cash in the pot during
the round of play (the pot contains all the money contributed during
the hand). This objective can be achieved through gaining the highest or
best poker hand at the end of the round (after all players including you
have wagered in the beginning of the round). Another method of winning the
pot is through forcing all the other players out of the hand.
A list of all the most popular poker games has been compiled by the Croupier
for you to read through and pick the games you would feel more comfortable
playing. Scroll down to read a brief overview of each game or click on the
'Rules and Strategies' link next to each Poker game to read up on the full
details to get you started at playing any of these games online now.
Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is one of the fastest and most exciting games of poker,
and probably the most popular. It can have up to 10 players each hand, more
than most poker games, and usually operates the lowest limit games in the
cardroom.
To play, everyone gets two down cards (hole cards) and five community
cards (which are face-up in the middle of the table). Your hand is determined
by using the best five of the seven cards and the best hand wins the pot.
Texas Hold'em is a more complex game than first appears, especially when
using the community cards. Always remember that everyone on the table can
use the 5 community cards, and their two hole cards may be better than yours.
Texas Hold'em rules and strategies »
7 Card Stud
Seven Card Stud Poker is probably the most popular of the stud games.
It can result in high pots, and affords you the opportunity to evaluate
the other player's possible hands. There are no community cards, and each
player has four of his seven cards exposed to the other players. There are
five rounds of betting in Seven Card Stud, as opposed to the four rounds
in Hold'em and Omaha.
Rules and strategies »
Omaha High
Omaha is a community card game, similar to Texas Hold'em, but with marked
differences in play and strategy.
In four card Omaha (or Omaha High), each player receives four cards on
the initial deal (pocket cards) as opposed to two cards in Hold'em. To make
a five card poker hand you must use two of your four pocket cards with 3
of the five community cards. The method of play is very similar to Hold'em.
Rules and strategies »
Omaha High/Low - Omaha 8 or Better
Omaha High/Low is a popular version of Omaha. In this game, the highest
hand and the lowest hand get half of the pot each. The low hand must contain
an 8 or better, and no pairs. You can use different cards for the two hands,
and it is possible to win both the high and the low pot. If there is no
qualifying low hand, then the high hand wins the whole pot.
As in Omaha, you must use two cards from your hand and three from the board,
but you can use a different two cards for your high and low hands.
Rules and strategies »
5 Card Stud
Five card stud is very similar to Seven card stud, but obviously you only
get 5 cards. It is probably one of the oldest forms of poker, as featured
in most poker related films. There are no community cards, each player will
end up with one card face down and four cards face up at the end of the
game
Rules and strategies »
Poker Games played typically at an Online Casino
Video Poker
The object of video draw poker is to obtain a five-card poker hand that
contains at least one pair of Jacks or Better Draw Poker. The better your
hand, the better your payoff.
Deuces Wild Poker
Deuces Wild is a version of Video Poker, all deuces are treated as wild
cards. This means that whenever you get a 2, you can use that card as any
card you like. You can therefore change it's face value and/or suit to work
with the hand you have. With Deuces Wild, you have a far better chance of
getting good hands. The casino compensates for this by offering a tighter
payout schedule. You only get paid with a three of a kind or better.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker combines elements of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow
and the American game of Poker. The aim is for both of the player's 2 hands
(their high and low hands) to rank higher than both of the banker's 2 hands.
The player receives 7 cards and makes 2 traditional poker hands - one of
5 cards (high hand), and another of 2 cards (low hand). The rankings of
the 2 hands are based upon a basic poker ranking. Thus, the highest two-card
hand is two aces and the highest five-card hand is five aces (four aces
+ the joker). The Joker can be used only as an Ace or to complete a Straight,
a Flush, a Straight Flush or a Royal Flush.
Carribean Poker
Each player competes only against the dealer, independently of other players.
Your goal is to beat the dealer's hand. You are dealt a hand of five cards-all
visible to you and no one else. The dealer also receives five cards; four
cards dealt face down and one card face up. No additional cards are dealt.
When you have looked at your cards and the dealer's up card, you must decide
whether to challenge the dealer's hand with a bet or to surrender. When
a bet has been placed, the dealer will reveal his four remaining cards and
the hands are compared.
