| Some poker variants. The basic poker hand names and rankings are constant. A full house is always 3 of one rank and 2 of another and it always beats a straight. There are however many popular variations. Changes in how many cards a player is dealt and which if any cards are presented face up for everyone to see can have a dramatic effect on the skill level and strategy of the game. There are also variations in the betting structure.. ie wagers can be unlimited, limited to the pot size, or limited to a predetermined amount for each betting round. Some hi/low variations will split the pot between the lowest and highest hands. Texas Hold'em Deal: 2 cards face down to each player, five cards face up to the table. Play: A round of betting after the deal, then three of the table cards are turned up (flop). Another round of betting follows. One more table card is flipped (turn), followed by another round of betting. The last card is flipped (river), a final round if betting ensues, and finally a showdown in which players that have not folded present their best hands using any combination of their 2 and the table's 5.. Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular poker game. "No Limit Hold'em " is the game played at the World Poker Championships. This relatively easy to learn fast paced variant of poker makes it the popular choice that many casual players can enjoy. Omaha Deal: 4 cards face down to each player and five cards face down to the table. Play: Identical to Texas Hold 'Em except that the final hands must include exactly 2 of the player's four cards and exactly 3 of the table's five cards. 7 Card Stud Deal: 2 cards face down 1 card face up to each player. Play: A round of betting is followed by each player getting a face up card. This continues until each player has 6 cards. The last (7th) card is dealt face down, last betting round and a showdown. 5 card draw Deal: 5 cards are dealt face down to each player. Play: There is a betting round after the deal. After the betting round, each player may exchange up to three cards. Another round of betting follows and then the showdown determined the winner. |