How Many Types Of Poker Are There
Did you know that there are many different types of poker games? This is quite natural because poker was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century in the United States which means that there was sufficient time for players to develop different variants of this interesting card game.
In case you are interested in playing a specific type of poker game and you are not familiar with the rules and advantages of playing that game, then you’ve come to the right place. We have created a list that includes the most played types of poker games. The list includes a brief explanation of the mechanics of each game. Feel free to choose any game found on our list and rest assured that you will have great fun.
- Learn more about the most played types of poker games
- Read about the poker games with the best odds
- Play the best poker games currently available on the market
Identifying and defeating 7 Types of Poker Players. Jon Sofen 02:01 Jul 19th, 2018 101 Poker. Much like in sports, every opponent isn’t the same. Each poker player has their own style. Some poker players are difficult to beat. Others are a piece of cake. The number of different poker hands is $52choose5$. To count the number of full houses, let us call a hand of type (Q,4) if it has three queens and two 4's, with similar representations for other types of full houses. Observe that (Q,4) and (4,Q) are different full houses, and types.
Our experts were focused on the most popular types of poker on a global level. You will find games that are played by professionals and games played by complete beginners. Now let’s reveal the list of 12 best types of poker games.
1. Texas Holdem
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Community card poker
According to some sources, Texas Holdem was introduced in Robstown, Texas in the 1820s. People really enjoyed this version of poker and it didn’t take much time before it became popular all over Texas and in other places in North America. Today, this is one of the most popular types of poker games.
It’s really easy to understand the rules of this game. It’s played by two to ten people. Texas Holdem includes four rounds/hands. Every player gets two face-down cards also known as hole cards. In addition, the dealer will place five community face up cards in the middle of the table. Every player is free to make combinations with these cards. Obviously, the player that has the best hand in the showdown will win the round.
What Makes Texas Holdem Special?
- Shared community cards make the game more exciting
- You can find this type of poker in almost every land-based and online casino
- It’s easy to learn
2. Omaha
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Community card poker
Many people compare Omaha poker to Texas Holdem poker because they have many things in common, but the fact is that Omaha poker has a few unique rules. It’s interesting that Omaha poker was played in Detroit, Michigan for the first time. It was at the beginning of the 1970s when the first game of Omaha was played and back then, people called it Twice Three. It was brought to Omaha in 1982 and it soon became a hit across the United States.
Omaha is played in a similar fashion like Texas Holdem. However, in this case, every player gets four face-down cards (hole cards). This is the reason why there are just three face-up cards on the table (community cards) that can be used by all players. In addition, players will get two additional face-up cards one per turn. In order to create a combination, you will have to use two hole cards and three community cards.
What Makes Omaha Poker Special?
- Fewer players play this game which means that players that are experienced have more chances of winning
- Larger range of hands which makes the game interesting
- It can be played as a pot limit game or a fixed limit game
3. Three Card Poker
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: Playing against the dealer
Type: Special
Unlike Omaha and especially Texas Holdem, Three Card Poker is a modern type of poker game. It emerged in early 1994 in a land-based casino in Mississippi, USA. The creators were looking for a way to “speed up’ the gameplay and it seems that they have managed to achieve this goal.
One of the most unique things about Three Card Poker is that in this game, players are trying to beat the dealer not the rest of the players. This type of poker will remind players of blackjack when they look at the table layout. On the table, there are three betting options – Pair Plus, Ante, and Play.
Every player places a bet at the Ante spot. After that, every player (and the dealer) gets three cards. To proceed, players have to place a new bet at the Play spot. After that, the dealer shows his cards and compares them to the players. You must have a Queen or higher to qualify. In case the dealer doesn’t qualify, the players will get even money on the Ante wagers and get back their Play money.
What Makes Three Card Poker Special?
- Players are playing against the dealer
- It’s a relatively new game which means less competition
- It’s a straightforward game
4. Seven-card Stud
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 8
Type: A variant of stud poker
Seven-card Stud poker is actually a subtype of stud poker, a type of poker which was introduced in the American Revolutionary War. What’s interesting is that this type of poker was the most popular game of poker before Texas Holdem took the leading position. It’s fun and easy to play a card game.
Seven-card Stud poker can be played by two to eight players.
If there are eight players at the table, special rules are applied. You can find two versions of Seven-card Stud poker – a hi/lo version where the highest hand shares the pot with the lowest hand and a high only version where the highest hands take all. In this game, there are four parts – setup, the bring, betting rounds and of course – the showdown.
What Makes Seven-card Stud Special?
- You can play against two to eight players
- A chance to memorize the cards of other players
- No positional advantage before the game starts
5. Five-card Draw
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Type of draw poker
Five-card Draw or Cantrell draw as some people call it is a type of poker which is known for its simplicity. It’s good to know that this type of poker was used as a foundation for the creation of video poker. It is highly recommended to new players who have never played poker before. However, you can rarely find this game in casinos – it’s mostly played with friends at home.
Five-card Draw poker is all about getting the best hand with five cards. Every player gets five cards in the first betting round. After placing a wager, the player can exchange one, two or three cards. There’s another round of betting and after that then players have to reveal their cards.
What Makes Five-card Draw Special?
- A room for bluffing
- A very simple type of poker recommended to beginners
- A fast gameplay
6. Four Card Poker
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: Playing against the dealer
Type: Special
Four Card Poker was designed and developed by Roger Snow, one of the presidents of Bally Technologies, a casino software, and hardware developing company. This variant of poker is based on the Three Card Poker.
Four Card Poker is played with 52 cards (a standard deck of cards). Each player gets five cards while the bank gets six cards. The only difference is that the bank has to reveal one of the cards. So, you are playing against the dealer and the one that has the best four-card combination wins the round. Keep in mind that the dealer has an additional card and that if you fold, the bank will get your ante even if you have a better hand than the dealer.
What Makes Four Card Poker Special?
- You are playing against the dealer
- A chance to win a bonus payout if you have a three of a kind or better hand
- A fast gameplay
7. Razz
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 8
Type: Type of stud poker
There’s no official record about the origin of Razz Poker, but it’s believed that this interesting variant of poker has emerged right after the emergence of Seven-card Stud at the beginning of the 20th century. What’s known for sure is that Razz Poker made its appearance on many popular tournaments in the 1970s.
There are many things that Razz Poker and Seven-card Stud have in common, but the main difference between them is the winning rules. Many people are surprised to hear that in order to win a turn, you have to possess the worst hand (the lowest hand). A maximum of eight players can play this game where every player gets two hole cards and one face-up card. Players will receive seven cards (some of them will be hole cards while the others are face-up cards).
What Makes Razz Poker Special?
- Your basic objective is to have the lowest possible hand
- You can play with between two and eight players
- Razz Poker is found on many poker tournaments
8. Caribbean Stud Poker
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Type of stud poker
Here’s an example of another popular type of poker with an exotic name. The reason why this variant of poker is called Caribbean is simple – it emerged as a popular game on cruise ships. Of course, today people can play Caribbean Stud in land-based casinos as well as in online casinos.
Caribbean Stud Poker is played with at least two players.
Every player gets five cards in the beginning and the dealer has one face-up card. If a player wants to stay in the game they have to double the original ante. The dealer must qualify to proceed. Caribbean Stud Poker comes with progressive payoffs and multiplying payoffs. In other words, this is a game that can lead to very high prizes.
What Makes Caribbean Stud Poker Special?
- Progressive payoffs that usually result in high wins
- Players are trying to beat the house
- Available in almost every casino today
9. Courchevel Poker
Country of origin: France
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Community card poker
Courchevel is a popular ski resort located in the French Alps which was once a well-known destination for casino players too. Courchevel Poker obviously originates from this place and it was based on Omaha Poker.
When it comes to the gameplay, every player in this poker game gets five face-down cards. In addition, the dealer places five face-up (community) cards on the table. The players should use two hole cards and three community cards in order to create their best hand. It’s worth mentioning that there are a few different versions of this type of poker – Limit Courchevel, Pot Limit Courchevel, and No Limit Courchevel. The difference between them is in the bet limitations.
What Makes Courchevel Poker Special?
- Different subtypes of games (different bet limitations)
- Easy to learn
- A type of poker that is becoming more popular worldwide
10. Badugi Poker
Country of origin: Korea
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 8
Type: Special
Badugi is a unique type of poker game which was created in Kores. Badugi is actually a term which is used to describe a specific kind of dog breed that lives in Korea. The specific gameplay of this variant of poker has inspired players to give this game exactly this name.
Badugi Poker represents a triple draw game where players are trying to get the best hand which consists of four cards with no matching values or suits. On top of that, these cards have to be as low as possible. As previously mentioned, there are three drawing rounds and before the beginning of each round players are free to trade up to four (or no cards) cards. Today, Badugi Poker is played in poker rooms around the globe and an online too.
What Makes Badugi Poker Special?
- Completely different gameplay where players are focused on getting the worst possible hand
- Available worldwide both offline and online
- Position plays an important role in this form of poker
11. Chinese Open Face Poker
Country of origin: China
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 4
Type: Special
Even though there are a few stories related to the origins of Chinese Open Face Poker, most people agree that it was invented in Canton, China. It took some time for this version of poker to become popular, but starting from the 1990s, a few popular poker tournaments have included this game in their offer.
Chinese Open Face Poker uses a standard deck of 52 cards. This is a rare, atypical poker game where players won’t find a pot. This means that there are no chips involved and the game is based on points that players get once they compare their hand with the hands of the rest of the players. It is possible to receive bonus points too. In Chinese Open Face Poker, players are receiving 13 cards which are dealt gradually – three cards in the front hand, five in the middle and five in the back hand. The objective is to get more points by winning more hands.
What Makes Chinese Open Face Poker Special?
- There is no pot
- It’s played with 2, 3 or 4 players
- You don’t need special skills to play this game because it’s based (mostly) on luck
12. 2-7 Lowball Poker
Country of origin: USA
Number of cards in play: 52
Number of players: 2 to 10
Type: Type of draw poker
2-7 Lowball, which some people also call California Lowball or Kansas City Lowball, is a type of poker game which was inspired by Draw poker. There’s no information about the origin of this game, but it’s believed that people have started playing 2-7 Lowball poker at the beginning of the 20th century.
It’s worth mentioning that 2-7 Lowball is not a game that you can find in most casinos. This game uses the lowest combos as the most valuable combinations. For example, the best hand a player can get consists of a combination of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 with different suits, hence the name. Ace is always a high card in this game. 2-7 Lowball poker is played with two to six players. They get 5 hole cards and once the first round is over players can trade between one and five cards.
What Makes 2-7 Lowball Poker Special?
- The weakest hand is a winning hand
- This is a rare game
- Players can use a wide range of strategies
Tournaments are popular. Other than High Stakes Poker, all that’s shown on TV is MTTs.
We think what makes tournaments sexy are the large prize pools. People like seeing people play for hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars. And you don’t get that that often with cash games.
It happens often with tournaments, though.
Of course, it depends on the buy-in and game, but many of the events shown on TV are the large ones with a $5,000, $10,000 or even $100,000 buy-in. These tourneys create prize pools that often reach the 7-figure mark. And that creates a lot of buzz.
So, naturally, a lot of people are curious about tournaments.
- What are they?
- How do you get started?
- Where do you play?
- What can you play?
We thought it’d make sense to create a page that answers those questions – and many others.
A poker tournament is a game with a fixed format. Everything is predetermined – the blinds, buy-in, stack sizes, antes, structure and time limit.
The buy-in can vary from free (freerolls) to .05 to $20 to $100,000. There’s always a cut for the poker room, too, which is easier to see online. Most tournaments will be labeled $X+$Y where X goes to the prize pool and Y is the amount the poker room gets.
Once you’re entered you’ll want to log in or show up when the tournament is supposed to start. For sit and go’s (SNGs), that can be whenever, as they start whenever the tables are full. But for MTTs it’s a set time and place. If you’re online the poker room will automatically seat you (randomly) at a table.
From there you’ll have a stack of chips to play with. You’ll have the same amount as everyone else, unless the tournament offers re-buys and add-ons. Then the tournament will start.
A tournament will play very much like a cash game. Once every one posts their blinds, antes, etc., each player is dealt their cards. Then they play according to that game’s and variation’s rules.
But unlike cash games, tournaments have levels. Each level will be a predetermined length – it can be 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, and so on. Each tourney will be different. But after the time’s up, when the next level starts the blinds will be higher.
How Many Types Of Poker Games Are There
For example, in a turbo 18-man on PokerStars, the blinds start at 10/20. After 5 minutes they go to 15/30, then 25/50, 50/100, and so on.
This is important to pay attention to, because if you don’t continue to add chips to your stack, eventually the blinds will be large enough that you’ll be blinded out. Then your tournament is over.
The tournament continues like this until one player remains with all the chips in play.
Players are then paid according to the structure set from the beginning – although this does change a little in the beginning if the tournament allows late registrations (players can sign up and pay to play after the tourney starts).
The number of players paid will depend on the number of players in the tournament. SNGs are always fixed. For example, in a 9-10 man SNG 3 players are paid. In an 18-man SNG four players are paid. It’s seven in a 45-man and 9 in an 180-man. It just depends on the tourney.
When you play online any money you win will be put into your account balance automatically. We think some sites reserve the right to pay the next day on larger tournaments and payouts, but none that do this come to mind.
And that’s basically a tournament and how it works in a nutshell.
You’ll find tournaments online, in live casinos (not all are major “events” either), and even played in homes. They’re a great way to get LOTS of entertainment and value out of a fixed amount of money.
What Types of Tournaments Can You Play?
There are LOTS of tournaments you can play. The most popular game played is Texas holdem.
How Many Kinds Of Poker Are There
But since the “poker boom” more and more games are played in tournament form. And that includes both online and live (and shown on TV too).
That means you can play games like omaha, stud, razz, HORSE, other mixed games, and others, in tournament format. No limit is obviously the popular betting limit, but depending on the game, limit and pot limit is used, too.
And, as we mentioned earlier, stakes vary wildly. Online you’ll find stakes starting from free to .05 to around $500. There are some larger ones (including SNGs), but that’s where the bulk of tournaments fall. The Sunday Majors (the biggest tourneys of the week online) usually fall between $200 and $500.
Offline, you’ll find many tourneys starting at $20 to $500. It just depends on the room. But for the larger “events” they’ll start around $500 or $1,500, and then climb from there.
Other than the game and stakes, one other choice you’ll have to make is the type of tournament you’ll play. There are LOTS of them.
Here are the most common options:
- Freezeout – Most tourneys fall into this category. Once you bust you’re out of the tourney.
- Rebuy – Like a freezeout, except that for a short period (usually the first couple of levels) you can buy into the tourney again when you bust.
- Turbo / Super Turbo – The levels are much faster. Instead of 20+ minutes, they’re something like 3-10 minutes. This requires a big change in strategy. And the faster the blinds the more luck that’s involved.
- Guarantee – This is any tournament where a prize pool is guaranteed, no matter how many players show up. This is great because if the players don’t make up the prize pool, the room will. This is called an overlay.
- Satellite – These are tournaments where the prize are seats to a more expensive/higher value tournament.
For example, several years ago we played a 5-table shootout for $15 that awarded a few seats to the Sunday Million, which you could buy into directly for $215.
Another good example is Chris Moneymaker – he won a $40 satellite to a higher dollar satellite, which then awarded him a seat to the WSOP Main Event which has a $10,000 buy-in.
Here are the most common options:
- Bounty/Knockout – In these tournaments you pay a little extra. That little extra goes to a “bounty” which is paid whenever you or someone else knocks a player out of the tournament. For example, if there’s a $5 bounty on each player’s head, and someone knocked you out, they’d get your $5 chip.
- SNGs – We mentioned these a bit already, but these are smaller tournaments with fixed fields that start once all the seats have been filled. These are great to play between tournaments or as a variance buster.
- Deep Stacks – You start with a deep(er) stack than normal. Instead of 1,500 chips it might be 3,000. Or instead of 5,000 you might start with 10,000 or 20,000.
- Shootouts – With these each table plays until there’s one player left. Then all these players play a final table. For example, in a 5-table shootout, the winner from each table would play a 5-handed final table for the prize(s).
- Steps – This is common online. It’s sort of like a satellite tournament, but broken down even more. You might have 6 steps, starting from the lowest stakes (
For example, you buy in directly to step 4, and if you win, you get to play step 5. Once you get to the last level the prize is usually a seat to a higher value tourney.
The great thing about these is if you lose, often times you get to play the step over or move down a step depending on where you finished. Even if you win nothing you get LOTS of value out of these.
Those are the most common tournament variations. But depending on where you play you’ll find other variations.
One unique thing about poker tournaments is you’ll find many events and series to join.
A series is simply a set number of tournaments hosted by a poker site or venue. They’ll have higher buy in tourneys, satellites to all the series tourneys, and maybe give out jewelry to the winners.
Here are the major tournament series in both online and live poker.
- World Series of Poker (WSOP)
- 50+ events with a bracelet and money going to the winner. Played in Las Vegas once per year starting in May/June. The Main Event final table plays in November.
- World Poker Tour (WPT)
- Similar to the WSOP. Played throughout the year. The winner of each tourney gets a bracelet.
- Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP)
- One of PokerStars’ online series.
- World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)
- Another PokerStars’ series. Played in the fall.
- Aussie Millions
- A smaller event held in Australia. Known for having some of the highest buy-ins in history.
- European Poker Tour
- Owned and sponsored by the Rational Group (previous owner of PokerStars). Similar to the WPT, but held in different venues throughout Europe.
Those are the major events which are held once or twice per year. But you also have the Sunday Majors which are held once per week.
We say this as if you’ll find a major tournament series every Sunday at every poker site online. But that’s not really the case. PokerStars really has a monopoly on this. Right now they have 12 events running every Sunday with buy-ins ranging from $1+re-buys to $11 to $530 – and satellites running to all of them. Guaranteed prize pools for each event vary from $25,000 to $1,000,000.
Many sites run a (much) smaller version of PokerStars’ Sunday Majors. Sometimes they’ll host several larger tournaments throughout the week instead of all in one day. It just depends on the site.
How to Choose a Tournament to Play
Choosing a site to join for tournaments can be tricky. You could go a few different ways.
For example, you could join a new site where they’ll have smaller guaranteed tournaments. These often have overlays. You’ll have less players to fight through for the same prize pool.
However, these tournaments don’t get very big. And there’s not very many of them offered. On top of that, many sites have shut down tourneys when too few players show up instead of honoring the guarantee.
We prefer to go the other way. Look for sites that are established with lots of traffic and tournaments. We believe there’s more value in that. Not only will tournaments run more often, but there will be tournaments of all shapes and sizes. Tournaments with different games, variations, buy-ins, and blind levels/structures.
We would also look for a poker site that offers lots of live/online satellites. Often times the competition for the higher dollar buy-ins isn’t much greater than the lower stakes – it’s just a matter of who can afford it. Satellites give you a way to afford it.
From there choosing a tournament is rather straightforward. You want to choose a game and variation that you like and/or are good at. You might want to look at the blinds too, to make sure you choose a speed (normal to fast) you like and the structure jumps up in blinds at a comfortable pace. But we don’t think most players need to worry about stuff like that.
They should just find a game and get signed up instead.
Conclusion: Get More Out of Your $5 Than Just a Latte
There you have it – an overview of poker tournaments, how they work, and different types of tourneys you can play.
From here it’s a matter of choosing a game and getting started. If it were us, we’d choose a $5 or $10 turbo MTT with a starting stack of 1,500 and 3,000. Maybe find one that offers bounties – which can be lots of fun.
WAY more fun than you’ll get out of your $5 latte from Starbucks.