Types of Poker – A Detailed Description!

New to online poker? We’ve got you covered. Our full guide provides all the information about the different types of poker, glossary, video poker, and more

One of the reasons why poker is popular in South Africa is that there are many variations for players to choose from. However, playing poker for the first time can be intimidating, especially if you don’t have enough knowledge of the game. Poker is a skill game that requires practice and an optimal strategy to increase the odds of winning. This article is your ultimate guide to learning everything about poker. We’ve covered the types of poker, popular variations, common terms, cash games and tournaments, and much more.

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Main Types of Poker Games

Online gambling sites offer a lot of different casino games, and game poker holds a special place among them. As earlier mentioned, there are different types of poker games you can find in leading online casinos in South Africa. These games vary in gameplay, rules, features, and odds. The following are the main poker variants:

Stud Games: Stud games are newbie-friendly as the rules are easier to follow. In this poker game, players are forced to show some of their cards. This allows their opponents to have some information about their hands.

Draw Games: Draw poker is popular, allowing players to get a better poker hand by replacing some cards. The popular draw games in casinos are five-card and seven-card draw poker.

Mixed Games: Mixed games is when you play more than one type of poker in a single sitting. Many people choose the H.O.R.S.E combination that includes Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven Card Stud.

Community Games: A community card poker is where you combine hidden cards and shared community cards to form the best winning poker hand. 

Types of Poker Review

Popular Types and Variations of Poker

Among all casino games, one of the most popular is Poker, there are different types of poker you can play to increase your experience and chances of winning. Though the objective of the game is the same, the rules of playing may vary from one poker variation to another. The following are the most popular variations you can find in popular casinos in South Africa:

Texas Hold’em: This game is the oldest and most popular poker variation. This casino game attracts many people with its simple rules. Each player in this game receives two cards, and then five community cards are dealt face down. The winner in Texas Hold’em is the player with the highest ranking hand. In spite of its simplicity, the game is quite hard to muster, and its dynamic gameplay attracted millions of people around the world.

2 to 7 Triple Card Stud: In 2-7 triple card poker, players receive five cards face down before the first round of betting. Players have the option to swap cards from the existing ones from the dealer. The game accommodates a maximum of seven players.  

3-Card Poker: Many online casinos offer three-card poker which is a relatively new addition to poker games. This variation is played using a single deck with 52 cards. Three-card poker can be played in three different ways. The options are betting against a dealer with Ante, playing a pair plus wager, or choosing both. The Game is played against the dealer, it is very simple and fast-paced, which makes 3 card poker pretty popular at online casinos.

Pai Gow Poker: Pai Gow poker is another popular variant inspired by the classic Chinese Dominoes game. This game is played in the same way as a standard poker game, only that players have two hands and not one.

Caribbean Stud – The game uses the standard ranking of poker hands. This is one of the most common varieties of poker in which the game is played against the casino represented by the dealer. You are up against the casino and your hand must beat the dealer, no need to worry that you have to beat the other players at the table. The Caribbean Stud poker is played with a standard deck of fifty-two cards without jokers (except in special cases) on a poker table with special markings.

Omaha Poker: In Omaha poker, there are four betting rounds, and five community cards are dealt. You can choose to play Omaha hi/lo, where each player creates a five-card hand that is high and low. The unique thing with Omaha is that players are dealt four-hole cards and not two.

High/Low Chicago: With high/low Chicago poker, you’re playing with the highest or lowest stake. Also, this game has simple gameplay, and the winner is the player with the highest-spade face-down card. 

5-Card Draw: A five-card poker game starts with dealing each player five cards. Players have the option of trading in up to three of their cards for new ones. The winner is the player with the best five cards at the end of the final round of betting.

Other Types of Poker

  • Follow the Queen: If you’ve played any 7-stud poker, you will find it easy to play Follow the Queen as they follow the same rules. The unique thing with this slot is there are no wild cards if the Queens are not flipped. 
  • Let It Ride Poker: Let It Ride is pretty new compared to other variants. The gameplay in this game is impressive, and winnings are based on luck. The good thing is that players can apply strategies to increase winning opportunities.
  • Badugi: Baduki has many similarities, including ranking structure with traditional poker games. The difference is that the aces are low and not high in Badugi. The winner is determined by the highest hand out of the four cards.
  • Chinese Poker: Chinese poker is a fun game where the dealer gives each player 2 to 4 cards. The cards are split into two hands with five cards and another hand with three cards. The objective of this game is for the front hand must be the lowest in ranking and the back to be the highest-ranking hand. 
  • Pineapple Poker: Pineapple poker shares many features with Texas hold ’em, but with some changes in the gameplay. Players are dealt three cards, and they can discard them after looking at them. There are different versions of this game, such as lazy pineapple poker and crazy pineapple poker.

Less common variations of Poker

As aforesaid, there are numerous variations of poker games that we cannot cover of them in a single article. Other less common poker games you’ll come across are short deck, Mississippi stud, horse, razz, limit hold’em, and many others.

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Common Terms in Online Poker

The following are common terms you will come across as you play different types of online poker games. They include:

  • Ante: This is the minimum amount you are supposed to bet to start playing poker.
  • Blinds: There are two blinds in poker – small blinds and big blinds. The small blind is the player on the left side of the dealer, and the big blind is the one to the right. 
  • Call: The process of putting the minimum stake required to start playing.  
  • Check: This is when a player does not want to continue betting.
  • Raise: To place a bet that is bigger than the minimum amount needed. Raising causes all bets to increase.
  • Turn: A turn is the fourth community card that is played alone face down.
  • Bluff: When the hand can not win, you continue playing to fool other players.
  • Showdown: This is the final round of playing poker where players reveal hands or folds.

Video Poker – What is it?

Video poker refers to a fixed-odds poker machine game. This game is based on five cards drawn online or on terminal machines. What differentiates video poker from slot machines is the element of skill. Video poker hands follow specific rules and players should play it in an optimum manner. In playing video poker, players are dealt a five-card poker hand before choosing the cards they want to keep and discard. The popular variations of video poker are jacks or better, deuces wild, bonus poker, and double bonus poker.

Live Video Dealer

A live video dealer is responsible for giving cards, calling bets, and other activities in a live casino game. This is completely different from video poker, a game on its own. 

New to online poker? We’ve got you covered. Our full guide provides all the information about the different types of poker, glossary, video poker, and more

Cash Games and Tournaments

Cash games and tournaments are additions to poker you must understand how they work. Although these games basically work in the same way, there are some key differences between them. 

Punters play cash games on a single table, while tournaments can involve multiple tables. Another thing is that players exchange money for chips in cash games, whereas in tournaments, they buy chips using the same amount. Lastly, players have the option to quit at any time in cash games, but a tournament only ends when one winner gets all chips.

Our Verdict about Types of Poker

At this point, we hope you have found all the answers you need about types of poker. Poker is a game you can play at leading online casinos in South Africa, nowadays. Being a game of skill, you must learn poker rules and practice regularly to increase your odds of winning. Also, ensure you create a good strategy and follow the tips we’ve shared to optimize your ways to win. Always choose a reputable online casino, whether playing poker for real money. or for fun.

FAQ

Sure, you can improve your poker skills by playing online for free

There are four types of poker games you can play - Stud, Draw, Mixed, and Community games

Yes, you can play any poker variation on your mobile phone, as well as on personal computers

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