Alternative poker games to play today

Thanks to TV and game time with friends, Texas Hold ’em is probably the most familiar poker variant. However, you can try many more fun poker games, all of which have quirky rules. If you can master these games, you could be on to a winner because only a few get good at them. Read on as we explore alternative poker games to play.

Omaha

The more you play poker games, the more you hear about Omaha poker being the game for maximum action. The rules are a key part of the game’s success. The principles of Omaha poker, like other poker games, are similar to those of Texas Hold ’em, which means if you know how to play one, you’re in good shape to play the other.

In Omaha poker, you get dealt four cards rather than the standard two in Texas Hold’em. This opens up the opportunity to make many more hands, hence why it is considered such an action game. A pair of aces in Omaha will likely not be the winning hand, given all the straight and flush possibilities that other players may make.

One key rule of the game is that you must make the best poker hand possible using exactly two of your four cards and three of the community cards.

There are further variants of Omaha, including fixed limit, and Omaha hi/low.

Seven-card stud

Seven-card is another of the types of poker game that were popular in the old days but can still be played today. You have likely seen this game in Western movies.

Each player gets two cards face down to start, followed by one card face up. The player with the lowest value upcard pays the bring-in, and the betting round then takes place. Another upcard is then dealt to the remaining players, followed by a further betting round. This process continues with the third and fourth upcards dealing with betting rounds after each. Finally, a seventh card is dealt face down.

The player with the best five-card poker hand from their seven cards wins the pot.

Razz

Razz poker, sometimes known as “seven-card razz,” is a stud variant that gained popularity alongside other “lowball” games several decades ago. Razz is a card game that is played with two to eight participants. The rules of Razz are quite similar to those of seven-card stud poker. The first two cards are handed face down to each player, followed by a third card that is dealt face up.

When each player has two down cards and one door card, it’s time for betting to begin. The person with the best Razz hand, which is the lowest-valued card, initiates the betting round.

Pairs are always considered “high”, meaning a player with K Q has a better two-card Razz hand than someone with 2 2. This is because the hand’s value is only as low as the highest card in it.

H.O.R.S.E

Many players have branched out to other poker variations in a quest of both gentler games and a new challenge since hold’em games have become increasingly difficult over time.

H.O.R.S.E is one of the more common mixed games that players have embraced and is a popular addition to the World Series of Poker schedule in Las Vegas. Each component game is played as a single ‘round’. Fixed limit Hold ’em is the first game, followed by Fixed Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud (High Only), Razz (Seven Card Stud Low), and finally Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo. The game returns to Fixed Limit Hold ’em after the Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo round is completed, and so on.

The button is frozen when going from Omaha Hi/Lo to Razz. As a result, nobody skips blinds or pays extra blinds when the game turns back to Hold ’em (after Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo).

There is no Pot Limit or no limit here; hence all of the component games have fixed limits. You play fixed limit hold ’em, then fixed limit Omaha hi/lo, and so on, with the same limitations for the full game rotation.

Final Thoughts

There’s no boredom in the world of poker as there is a wide range of variants to explore. Also, you may play online or offline if you wish. It’s a good idea to try play money games first while you get used to learning a new game, otherwise, you may as well throw your money away!