Top 5 Poker Variations Every Player Should Know

Poker isn’t a single game, it’s a whole genre with its own plot twists, character arcs, and unexpected endings. Everyone knows Texas Hold’em, but sticking to just one variant is like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and only grabbing fries. There’s a whole spread of styles out there, each with its own rhythm and strategy.

Some games reward cold math, others reward nerve. Some are about playing the cards, some are about playing the people. But the best players? They know how to adapt, and that starts with knowing what’s out there.

Here’s a look at five poker variations that have earned their seat at the table. Each one brings something different, and if you want to keep your game sharp (and your sessions interesting), they’re worth getting to know.

1. Texas Hold’em – The One Everyone Thinks They’ve Mastered

If you’ve played poker even once, chances are it was Texas Hold’em. It’s the poster child of the game — fast, dramatic, and deceptively simple. Two cards in your hand, five on the table, and endless ways to make your move.

Texas Hold’em Rules:

• Each player gets two hole cards.
• Five community cards are dealt in stages (the flop, turn, and river).
• The goal is to make the best five-card hand using any combo of the seven cards available.
• Four betting rounds: pre-flop, flop, turn, and river.

Sounds easy, right? That’s part of the trap. Hold’em is beginner-friendly on the surface, but under the hood, it’s a mental minefield of probabilities, psychology, and timing. You’ll need to read your opponents as much as your cards, and know when to fold a “decent” hand that’s actually going nowhere.

Why It Holds the Crown:

• Clean rules, fast pace, and bluff-heavy gameplay.
• The format of choice for nearly every major poker tournament.
• Easy to start playing, hard to stop obsessing over.

Hold’em is where most players get their start. Just don’t let its simplicity fool you, the skill ceiling is sky-high, and you’ll never really stop learning.

2. Omaha – Hold’em’s Wild, Card-Slinging Cousin

Omaha looks like Texas Hold’em at first glance, but don’t let the familiar layout fool you. This game is chaotic in the best way. With four hole cards instead of two, it’s all about potential, and just as often, heartbreak.

Omaha Poker Rules:

• Each player receives four hole cards, face-down.
• Five community cards are dealt just like in Hold’em.
• Players must use exactly two of their hole cards and three community cards to make their hand.
• Four betting rounds, just like in Hold’em: pre-flop, flop, turn, and river.

This little rule — exactly two from the hand, not just any combo — trips up a lot of players. It also opens the door to wild draws, sneaky outs, and some of the biggest pot swings you’ll see.

Why Players Love It:

• More cards = more action. Hands hit harder and more often.
• Great for players who like math, risk, and fast-changing boards.
• High-value hands are common, second-best hands lose money fast.

Omaha rewards big-picture thinking. If Hold’em is chess, Omaha is speed chess with twice the pieces. You need to track more variables, avoid falling in love with pretty hands, and be ready to let go when the math doesn’t check out.

3. Seven-Card Stud – No Flop, No Problem

Before Hold’em took over the poker world, Seven-Card Stud was the main event. No community cards, no wild swings, just a slow-burning battle of memory, observation, and calculated moves. It’s poker in its rawest form, and it doesn’t care if you’ve memorized your Hold’em ranges.

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Seven-Card Stud Poker Rules:

• Each player gets seven cards over the course of the hand — three face-down, four face-up.
• There’s no flop, no turn, no river, just a sequence of cards dealt one at a time.
• The goal? Make the best five-card hand from the seven you’re given.
• Betting happens in five rounds, starting after the initial three-card deal.

It’s a game where the information is right in front of you, literally. Everyone’s upcards are on display, and sharp players will use that visibility to track folded cards, spot blockers, and make smarter bets.

Why It Still Holds Weight:

• Zero bluff-fluff. This one’s about logic, not luck.
• Rewards memory and attention over flashy plays.
• Forces you to focus on what is and not what might be.

Seven-Card Stud is a quiet assassin. No huge boards or wild all-ins, just pure poker grit. If you can stay sharp across multiple streets and pick up on what others miss, this game pays off.

4. Five-Card Draw – Old School and Still Slick

This is the poker variant most people learned sitting around a kitchen table or seeing it in a movie. No flop, no fancy formats — just five cards in your hand, a chance to swap some out, and then it's go time. It’s the original bluff-fest, and if you can read people, you can clean the house.

Five-Card Draw Poker Rules:

• Players get five private cards.
• One round of betting.
• Then they can draw, discard and replace up to three cards (sometimes four if they're holding an Ace).
• One more round of betting, then showdown.

No shared cards, no exposed information, just your hand and your opponent’s poker face. It’s less about big math and more about instincts.

Why It’s Still Worth Playing:

• Short, sharp hands with classic poker tension.
• Great for improving your bluff game, especially when the cards aren’t cooperating.
• Pure, uncluttered poker; just you and the draw.

Five-Card Draw might not headline tournaments anymore, but it still teaches valuable fundamentals. It’s a crash course in hand reading, controlled aggression, and knowing when to fold that “almost” hand before it drains your stack.

5. Razz – The Game Where the Worst Hand Wins

Razz flips everything you thought you knew about poker upside down. High cards? Bad. Pairs? Worse. Aces? They’re low now. In Razz, you’re not chasing straights or flushes — you’re trying to brick your hand into oblivion and walk away with the pot.

Razz Poker Rules:

• Each player gets seven cards in total (like in Seven-Card Stud).
• No community cards, and betting follows the Stud structure.
• The goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand.
• Straights and flushes don’t count, and Aces are low, so the best hand is A-2-3-4-5 (aka the wheel).

So yeah — a hand like Q-Q-10-K-8 that looks rough in Hold’em is downright tragic in Razz. You want low, unpaired, and unsuited.

Why Razz is its own kind of beautiful:

• Completely rewires how you evaluate hands.
• Great for players who like quirky strategy games.
• Usually part of mixed games like HORSE — and it’s often the round that catches people off guard.

Razz keeps you honest. It punishes big egos and rewards restraint, patience, and the ability to fold trash fast. It’s weird, it’s tilted, and once you get the hang of it — it’s kind of brilliant.

One Game, Five Ways to Win

Every poker variation on this list has stood the test of time, not just because they’re fun, but because they challenge different parts of your game. Some push your memory. Others test your nerve. A few reward creative risk… and punish hesitation.

The beauty of poker is in the mix. Switching up your format keeps things fresh and gives you a deeper edge, especially when your opponents are stuck playing just one way. Now that you’ve got the rules down, all that’s left is to pick your game and play it well. Because in the end, the best poker players aren’t just good at one style, they’re fluent in all of them.