Poker Games are found in many shapes and sizes. There are a few basic formats and most of the strange sounding variations are derived from these. Poker games can generally be split into three categories:

- Stud Games (for example 7 card stud)

- Draw Games (for example 5 card draw)

- Shared Hand Games (for example Texas Holdem)

There are some other obscure games that don't fit into these categories, some of the more popular of which are high/low pig, bid poker and guts but these are the main ones.

In almost all types of poker game the hand rankings are the same, with a very few minor exceptions which have become more or less “home-made” rules.

Here are brief descriptions of some variations of poker:

5 Card Draw Poker

5 Card Draw Poker is played by 3 - 7 players. Each is dealt five cards and there is a round of betting based on the hands. After the betting players can now put up to three cards back in exchange for new ones. (There's one exception where a player can exchange four cards if he shows the fifth to be an ace). There's a further round of betting and the best hand wins. Draw poker was once the standard way to play but it has of course been overtaken by Texas Holdem.

7 Card Stud Poker

7 Card Stud Poker is played by 3 - 10 players. Players are dealt two cards face down and one face up and there is a round of betting. Cards 4, 5 and six are then dealt face up with betting on each round. The final card is dealt face down and there is another round of betting before the showdown. 7 Card Stud Poker is still a popular game and is probably second at the moment to Texas Holdem.

Caribbean Poker

Caribbean Poker is a poker game played in a casino beween the player and the dealer. Each gets five cards and the player has to decide whether his card is worth betting on after seeing the dealer's first card. If the player has a better hand than the dealer he is paid out in a fixed odds system depending on the strength of his hand.

The fixed odds range from evens for a pair or high card to 100-1 for a royal flush.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is a fairly complicated casino game played between the dealer and up to seven players. It is played with a joker which counts as either an ace or any card required to complete a flush or straight. There are two variations in hand ranks compared to standard poker rankings, the highest hand is five Aces and the straight A2345 is ranked second to AKQJT.

The players and dealer are dealt seven cards each which they split into two hands of five and two. The five card hand must be better than the two card hand. The dealer then shows his cards and plays against each player, the dealer’s five card hand against the player’s five card hand and the dealer’s two card hand against the player’s two card hand.

If the dealer wins both hands he wins

If the player wins both hands he wins

If each player wins one hand there’s a “push” which means no money changes hands.

If any hand is tied the dealer wins it, so:

Dealer/Tie – dealer wins
Player/Tie – push
Tie/Tie – dealer wins

Texas Holdem (or Hold ‘em) Poker

Oh yes, there's Texas Holdem too! It's by far the most popular poker game in the world today, probably because it is very simple to learn but extremely difficult to master.

Each players is dealt two "hole" cards which they use with the five "community" cards to make the best possible five card hand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Article by Ian McIntosh of www.Love-Texas-Holdem.com Check out the site for the latest poker articles, information and news and get poker freeroll updates in your mailbox every week - for free!

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