You’d be very busy for a long time if you tried to learn all types of poker. There’s speculation about the card game’s origin. Some say it evolved from an ancient Persian card game, or that a 10th-century Chinese emperor invented an early form of poker. Most agree that the 17th-century game Poque, which was popular in France and Germany, is one of the closest resemblances to early poker.

These days, how many types of poker are there? After hundreds of years and games around the world, lots of varieties have emerged. We’re going to cover different types of poker, even some that most people haven’t heard about.

Ace-king is one of the best starting hands in Texas hold ‘em

Types of poker usually fall into one of these three main categories:

  • Draw Poker

Players are dealt cards which they can exchange throughout the betting rounds to make stronger hand combinations.

  • Stud Poker

This type of poker deals a mix of face-up and face-down cards to players over betting rounds.

  • Community Card Poker

Players use their own cards and shared cards, called “community cards,’ to make hand combinations. More shared cards are revealed with each betting round.

What type of poker do you prefer?

Cash games usually don’t have fixed start and finish times, so players can come and go from the tables whenever they please. The chips players use for betting have a direct cash value. A $1 chip at a cash game table is worth $1.

Poker chips in tournaments do not have a 1-to-1 cash value. At the end of the tournament, the remaining players will split up a prize pool. There are lots of different styles; some have faster speeds, second chances, and even bounties for eliminating other players.

Texas hold ‘em players receive two face-down cards, known as “hole cards.” Players must use their two cards with the five community cards to form a hand combination. There are four betting rounds; pre-flop, flop, turn, and river. As the betting rounds progress, players see more community cards, starting with three on the flop, then one more on the turn and river. Through betting, you can pressure opponents to fold better hand combinations or go for value when your hand is strong.

888poker is a great place to start playing Texas hold ‘em

The action is driven by blinds and position. Every round, two players make small mandatory bets before cards are dealt. This puts value into the pot and drives action.

There’s so much to Texas hold ‘em; read our in-depth guide to find out more.

Omaha poker is very similar to Texas hold ‘em. There are four betting rounds and five community cards, but players have four hole cards instead of two. That means players have more possible hand combinations and more draws. You’re dealt four cards, but you must use two of them; no more and no less. Of the five community cards, you must use exactly three.

Our full Omaha guide fully explains this great poker game.

Omaha 8 (Omaha Hi/Lo)

In Omaha hi/lo poker (Omaha 8), the pot is split. Players get four private cards and five community cards dealt over the betting rounds. The best “high hand” wins half of the pot, while the best “low hand” wins the other half. Low hands qualify by being 8 or lower, like a straight from three to eight. The best low hand is a straight from ace to five. High hands are the same as regular Omaha hand combinations.

Most major poker sites offer Omaha hi/lo games

Other Types Of Omaha Poker:

  • 5-Card Omaha: this version of Omaha is played with five hole cards instead of four. Players must use two of their cards, plus three community cards.
  • 6-Card Omaha: Just like regular Omaha, except players receive 6 hole cards rather than 4.

In short deck poker, the 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards get removed, giving us a deck of 36 cards instead of the standard 52. The hand combinations are slightly different in this kind of poker, which has become popular on partypoker and PokerStars, as well as poker apps like PokerBros and PPPoker.

Short deck (6+) poker became very popular in a short amount of time

Five Card Draw uses an ante instead of blinds. At the beginning of the action, each player at the table puts the ante into the pot. The dealing begins after this; each player will receive five cards face-down. The aim of this game is to make a strong combination of 5 cards. After the first betting round, there's a chance to exchange up to four cards to improve your hand.

Other Popular Draw Poker Games:

  • 2-7 Triple Draw: gives players three chances to draw better hands and form a low 5-card combination.
  • 2-7 Single Draw: only gives one chance for players to exchange cards.
  • Badugi: is an Asian poker game where the lowest hand wins. Players are dealt four cards and they may exchange any number of them to form a hand combination. A hand without pairs and with four low cards is the strongest.

In open-face Chinese poker, players are dealt five cards face up, then take turns drawing cards until each has a total of 13. Players arrange these cards into three hands, the top, middle, and bottom. The top and middle hands are made of five cards and the bottom is made of three cards. These hands get compared and points are awarded to the winner. PokerBros and PPPoker are apps that both have OFC tables.

Cards are dealt and players arrange their best hand combos

In 5-card stud, players are dealt five cards after paying their antes. One face-down card is dealt, followed by a face-up card. Whoever has the lowest exposed card must make a mandatory bet to get the action started. Other players have to match this, raise, or fold their cards. When the mandatory bet is matched, another face-up card is dealt to each remaining player. This continues until players have four face-up cards, with one face-down. The hidden card is revealed after the last betting round, and the player with the strongest poker hand wins the pot.

Other Kinds Of Stud Poker:

  • Seven Card Stud: this variation uses seven cards instead of five, but players can only use five in their hand combination.
  • Seven Card Stud 8: this is a split pot game with the same structure as 7-card stud. The high hand combinations are traditional, but the low hands must contain 8s or lower to qualify.
  • Razz

One of the oldest forms of poker is called Razz, a game where the lowest hand wins. The players all receive three cards after paying an ante. They’ll be dealt three more face-up cards and one face-down card. The aim is to make the lowest possible combination of five cards; a straight from ace to five is the best hand possible.

When you play mixed games, it means that the game will change between different types of poker. On one hand, you might be playing Texas hold ‘em, then Omaha poker on the next. One of the most popular mixed games is called HORSE, which uses Texas hold ‘em, Omaha, razz, stud, and stud hi/lo.

As you can see, poker isn’t limited to just a few formats. PokerStars is one site that offers the most popular types of poker, plus most lesser-known games like razz, stud poker, and mixed games. The busiest tables at any poker site are usually Texas hold ‘em and Omaha, but you can still find opponents for some of these niche games.

PokerStars hosts large tournaments alongside their cash games

888poker and partypoker are also top sites for Texas hold ‘em and Omaha poker games. They both have great bonuses for new players, soft competition, and trustworthy reputations. You can find software and game reviews for both sites by clicking on the names in the last sentence.

We mentioned a few poker clubs like PPPoker and PokerBros in this article. You can play hold ‘em, Omaha, OFC, and short deck as a member of a club. This means you encounter a smaller pool of players, rather than the entire player base. Check out GipsyTeam’s poker club reviews right here.