Poker is the biggest card game in the world. It is so popular; people go head-to-head to battle each other to win massive cash prizes. Then you find professional poker players who can outsmart and out-bluff anyone. It is truly an exciting pastime. Poker combines skill, luck and, most importantly, strategy. And there are many variations, each with a unique gameplay and style. Let us look at the poker games you can enjoy online.
Texas Hold’em
If we are going to look at popularity alone, then Texas Hold’em wins without trouble. It is the most widely recognized poker game and is the most played version online. Texas Hold’em is played with a standard 52-deck card. The game can be played without only two players and up to 10 if you prefer the big group setting. So, how does it work when you play online poker with friends, hold’em poker?
Well, the same as in the traditional setting at a casino. So, each player receives two private cards, known as hole cards. Then five community cards are dealt and placed face up on the table. The aim is for players to have the best five-card hand using their hole cards and community cards.
Next, let us look at betting – this type of poker has four rounds of betting. The first round is the pre-flop round, where players must say they fold, call or raise. The second round is the flop. Here the first three community cards are dealt. The second last round is the turn, where the fourth community card is dealt. The final round, the river, is where the fifth and final community card is dealt. Remember that when playing this popular variant, be patient but come with your strategy. You will need it.
Omaha
This is another popular variation that works similarly to Texas Hold’em. You play with a standard 52-card deck and also use community cards. The difference with Omaha is that each player is dealt a different number of hole cards. Before betting takes place, each player is dealt four-hole cards. While five community cards are dealt and placed on the table, face up. Omaha Poker’s objective is to make a five-card winning card.
Next, we have the four betting rounds that work the same as hold’em. Much like any other poker game, with Omaha, you need to be able to read your opponent’s behavior and quickly adjust your gameplay to win. Additionally, you need to be able to strategize correctly. There are countless poker strategy tips available today. You can use these guides or adjust them slightly to your style of play.
Seven-card stud
While not necessarily as popular as the other two on this list, it is played online with a standard 52-card deck. You can play with as little as two people to eight players. Each player is dealt seven cards. Three are dealt face down, while four are dealt face up. For a player to win, they need to have a five-card winning hand using the best possible cards from the seven-card combination.
The betting rounds are slightly more than the others, with five. The first round is known as the ante; this requires each player to place a small bet before the game begins. The second round is the third street. Each player is dealt two cards, one facing up and one down. For the third round, known as the fourth street, each player is dealt another card that is faced up. The fourth round is the fifth street, and each player is dealt a card face-up. By the fifth and final round, called the river, each player is dealt one last card face down. Then you are all set to play.
Razz
Much like a seven-card stud, Razz poker requires players to make the lowest five-card hand using any combination of the seven cards. The betting rules also work the same way. Players need to strategize, apply logic and read their opponents’ behavior to play a winning hand.
An interesting tip regarding strategy for Razz poker: players have found that the best-starting hand in Razz is A-2-3. Then, your strategy in a full-ring game is to play only unpaired cards, but they should be at most eight. The idea is for players to avoid making pairs. And to evaluate other door cards and how they compare to their hand.
Five draw cards
This is another classic form of poker played with a standard 53-card deck. Each player is dealt five cards face down. There is only one round of betting, which makes it different from the others on this list. Once the single betting round concludes, players can discard all their cards and select new ones to keep them as is. Once a player selects new cards, there is only one new betting round. After which the best five-card hand wins.
There are several variants of poker available to play online today. But the basic rules and gameplay remain the same. But if you are deciding to go professional and play one of the five, here is some advice: keep a level head, read your opponents (no matter how hard it is to do it online,) stick to your strategy and adjust your gameplay where needed. But also read up on what other professional poker players are saying about the game and its variants. It will come in handy in the future.
