ShareThe history of poker is a hotly debated topic. For years, historians and gamblers have been debating the game’s origins. Most agree that it began to be played in the 1800s, in the southern regions of the United States, specifically on riverboats traveling the Mississippi river.
Whether that is the case or not, poker has grown to become one of the most popular card games in the world. It is not a staple of casinos, gambling websites, and even friendly gatherings all across the globe. But, what many don’t realize is that poker is not a game itself, but rather a category of card games.
The Different Poker Variants
Whether you are playing at a casino online, a land-based establishment, a poker room, or with friends, everyone is playing a different version of the classic. You’ve certainly heard of games like Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, or X Card Stud; these are all different versions of poker, with the same basic premise, though slightly altered game structure.
The rules and structure of the game may vary, but the basic premise remains the same; each player must have a better combination of cards in their hand. Still, a lot of people are intrigued by the different versions of poker. Indeed, online casinos like https://casinodays.com/fr-ca may feature just one, or multiple of these versions. But, what are the most popular options? That is what we want to know.
Texas Hold ‘Em
There is no doubt that Texas Hold ‘Em sits on top of the poker world right now. It is, without a doubt, the most popular poker version right now. As the name suggests, its origins can be traced to the USA’s biggest state, and its rules, while complicated, are actually surprisingly easy to pick up on.
In Texas Hold ‘Em, a dealer has to give two cards to each participating player. Then, they discard two, before placing three down on the, so-called, common area. Once players have placed bets, two more cards are discarded and two more go to the common area.
The players can then use both the cards in their hands, and those in the common area to make matches that are allowed in poker. It may seem more complicated on paper, but when one is actually playing it, the game is surprisingly simple to pick up, and can get quite fun.
As things stand right now, Texas Hold ‘Em is the most popular poker variant, both online and in land-based casinos. A lot of noteworthy players, like Jon Van Fleet have expressed their enjoyment for Texas Hold ‘Em, and it will likely continue to grow in popularity in the future.
Pot-Limit Omaha
Pot-limit Omaha, named for the US city of the same name, was once upon a time at the top of the poker world. However, the advent of Texas Hold ‘Em quickly knocked Omaha down to second place. Still, there are those who prefer the older game, and it remains a staple of casinos all over the world.
So, how does one play pot-limit Omaha? In some ways, it is similar to Texas Hold ‘Em. Each player is handed four cards. Though, it is worth noting that there are versions of the game that use five or even six. They then use those four cards to make winning combos with five community cards.
However, there is a catch here. At least half of the cards in the players’ hand must be included in the combinations. This ramps up the game’s difficulty, and ensures that players won’t hit a draw just by making use of a particularly lucky set of community cards.
Pot-limit Omaha specifically refers to a variant of the game where players are restricted in their betting. There are also other popular versions, most notable No-Limit Omaha, and Hi-Limit Omaha. While not as popular, they do get a lot of attention online, and in land-based casinos.
Five Card Draw
If you’ve never played poker before, but you want to start, Five Card Draw is the game to do it with. As the name suggests, the game is played with five card in each players’ hand. The game starts when each player is dealt five cards. Then, they make a wager.
Once the wagering is done, players can replace anywhere between one and four cards in their hand. Once that is done, the game officially begins. As you can see, the rules and gameplay of Five Card Draw are quite simple. But, the game itself can get quite complex.
Rather than luck and skill, five card draw is all about bluffing. There are two ways to win here; either you get lucky, or you bluff your way to the top, and force the opponents to fold. This level of strategizing is why poker gets compared to chess a lot; the game is much more than simple luck.
Today, five card draw is not very popular in most land-based poker rooms. In fact, it is most popular in home games between friends. However, online casinos have taken note of this version’s popularity, and are including it in most of their games. Meaning, five card draw is most people’s intro to poker.
Chinese Poker
For the longest time, Chinese poker was not a noteworthy game on anybody’s list of the top poker variants. However, online casinos have played a huge role in popularizing certain games, and introducing them to the greater public.
As the name suggests, the origins of Chinese poker can be traced to China, specifically the city of Macau, which to many is known as the Las Vegas of the East. Chinese poker is a fairly simple game, that many use as their first introduction to poker.
The way it works is, each player is dealt 13 cards. Then, the players divide their 13-card hand into three distinct hands (called settings), two of which contain five cards, and one of which contains three. The settings are ranked based on strength in three categories: front (strongest), middle, and back (weakest).
Once the bets have been made, each player must announce whether they are playing their hand, or whether they’ve decided to fold. It certainly seems complicated, but once you’ve given it a shot, the game becomes quite simple, and a lot of fun.
