Four Variations of Poker That You Should Try
3 minutes
Posted by: Ivan
Whether you've never strayed from the original game that you learned to play, or you're something of a poker variations connoisseur, it's always nice to read about different types of poker.
It might be that you've tried them before but could use a refresher, or they might be completely new to you. You might even discover a potential new favorite.
We've rounded up four interesting varieties of poker that should appeal to every taste and preference. Whether you prefer to stick to the most popular format or want something new and exciting, this article will help you.
Texas Hold'em
If there's one variation of poker that most people know, it's this one. It's popular all over Europe, played in Vegas, and enjoyed all over the globe!
Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular variety of poker, played widely online and in brick and mortar casinos. Global Poker is one of the sites offering a chance to play texas holdem online, alongside quite a few other variations.
If you want to get some practice in before trying out for a tournament, then this site could be a good place to do it. If you've never played poker before, Hold’em is a great option to get you started.
You'll start play by being dealt two hole cards, face down, which you shouldn’t reveal to anyone else. These are followed by five further cards dealt to the center of the table, face up for everybody to see.
These are the community cards, and the opportunity to bet will come after each round is dealt.
The aim of the game is to use the community cards to make the best five-card poker hand that you can, combining them with both, one or none of your hole cards.
It's sensible to fold if your hand is poor to avoid having to bet more money on it. However, if you're a particularly good bluffer, then you can use this to your advantage to get other players to fold good hands.
If you're the last one standing after everyone has folded, then you automatically win the pot, so it's a good skill to have.
Five-O Poker
Five-O Poker is a lot like Texas Hold’em, except you play five hands of five cards simultaneously, rather than one at a time.
All but one of the cards in each hand is dealt face-up, and it's up to you to make sure all of your hands are as strong as possible.
After just one round of betting, the hands are matched up with your opponent's hand. Whoever has the stronger hand in at least three of the five hands is the winner, unless, of course, a player folds.
Those clever and lucky enough to win all five hands win what is called a Five-O, hence the name of this variation.
Countdown
Countdown is also a five-card game in which every player is dealt five cards at once, face down. After bets are placed, you can choose to replace anything up to three cards from your hand.
In all of the card-replacing rounds, there is a charge to change cards, which doubles as the hand goes on.
There follows a round of betting, the opportunity to replace up to two cards, another round of betting, and the opportunity to replace one card.
The final round of betting is next, and everyone shows their hand. Whoever has the highest hand according to standard hand rankings wins the pot.
Follow the Queen
Follow the Queen is, unlike the previous varieties, a seven-card game. The pattern of play is quite similar to that used in 7 card stud, but with a few interesting twists to spice up the action.
This variety gives the queens special abilities, so any queen dealt face up is wild and can be used to substitute for any other card you need to complete a winning combination.
That’s not all, either. The next card dealt immediately after the queen also becomes wild, and that’s why this poker variation is called what it’s called.
If it happens that another queen is dealt face-up, it will cancel the wild card ability of the previous card, and the card dealt immediately after the new queen will become wild instead.
While the rules are a bit confusing and take some getting used to, it's a poker variation worth exploring if you're tired of the same old games. We'd suggest starting with small stakes first, though, as things can get pretty wild pretty fast in this game!
