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Five-card draw poker is the fifth most popular variations of poker and is more popular as a home game than casinos. You’ll rarely see these games in casinos, but is popular online where you’ll find plenty of tournaments going on. The winning hand is decided by the same rules as the Texas Hold’em. This item: Friday Night Poker 135 Poker Variations: If you are looking for additional variations for your home by Tom J Dykema Paperback $24.95 Available to ship in 1-2 days. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Home Poker Tournament Variations You can also throw more home poker variations in the mix. Simple variants like Pineapple and Tahoe are great fun with a good group. For those of you who do not know what those games are, Pineapple is a game where you get three cards, but then you must discard one card before the flop or on the flop.

Texas holdem is the most popular variation of poker played
online and in casinos and poker rooms everywhere in the world.
Its popularity has led to many different variations, both in
casinos and in home and private games.

The first three sections below include information about
limits that Texas holdem and its variants can be played in. Any
of the variants listed in the sections after the next three can
be played in any of the three limits.

The game variants listed in the sections after the limit
sections have varying degrees of popularity. Omaha holdem can be
found in many poker rooms and casinos and is widely available
online. Pineapple can be found in a limited number of poker
rooms, and most of the others are only found in private and home
games at this time.

Limit

A limit betting structure is commonly found in use for Texas
holdem games, but it isn’t as popular as no limit play. In limit
play each betting round has a set betting limit. This limit is
usually one amount during the flop and immediately following the
flop and twice this amount on the turn and river betting rounds.

A limit Texas holdem game with a 4 / 8 limit has bets of $4
during the first two betting rounds and exactly $8 during the
final two betting rounds. So each bet and / or raise is exactly
$4 before and on the flop. If player 1 bets $4 and player 2
raises she must put $8 in the pot, $4 to call the original bet
and a raise of another $4.

Blinds are usually set based on the limits, with the big
blind being equal to the lower betting limit and the small blind
being half the big blind. In the example we just looked at the
big blind would be $4 and the small blind is $2.

No Limit

No limit play has the same blind structure found in limit
games and usually has a minimum bet limit per round, but at any
time a player, when it’s their turn to act, may bet up to and
including the total number of chips they have in front of them.
This is the most common betting structure found in Texas holdem
games and also most of the variations listed below except for
Omaha holdem.

One of the common misconceptions of non-poker players and
beginners is if a player has more money than another and moves
all of their chips into the pot that the player with fewer chips
can’t play or loses automatically. What actually happens is the
player with more chips gets back their chips in excess of the
other player’s total amount.

I player A has $250 and moves all in and player B has $200
and calls, player A receives $50 back so each player has $200 in
the pot.

This can get somewhat complicated if multiple players are in
a pot with differing chip stacks. When multiple players get all
in with different stack sizes the dealer creates different pots
with the main pot being the total amount of the player with the
smallest stack which anyone remaining in the hand can win.

The first side pot will be bets in excess of the amount the
smallest stack held, with only players who contribute to the
second pot eligible to win it. A third, fourth, and so on, side
pot can be built in large multi way pots. You don’t have to
worry about this as the dealer takes care of it, but it’s good
to understand how it works to make sure the dealer doesn’t make
any mistakes.

A pot ends up with four players all in, and the hand starts
with the following chip counts:

• Player A has $700 in chips
• Player B has $800 in chips
• Player C has $900 in chips
• Player D has $1,000 in chips

The main pot ends up with $2,800 in it and any of the four
players can win it. The first side pot has $300 in it and
players B, C, and D can each win it. The second side pot ends up
with $200 in it and only players C and D can win it. Notice that
player D will only have $900 invested because she started with
at least $100 more money than any of the other players.

At the showdown the player who’s eligible for each pot with
the highest hand is awarded that pot. Different players can win
each pot or the same player can win all of the pots. This
example ignores the small amount of the blinds and rake that
often make a pot not come out quite so evenly for instructional
purposes.

Pot Limit

Pot limit is mostly found in Omaha games, but a few Texas
holdem games are played in a pot limit format. One of the issues
with pot limit play is the dealer has to understand how the
betting structure works and be able to quickly determine the pot
size. When playing online the software platform takes care of
all of the calculations, but in live play the dealer needs to be
either experienced, or quite sharp, or both.

The blinds and minimum bets on each round are set by the
house, just like in limit and no limit play, but the maximum
amount any player may bet at one time is the amount of money in
the pot. But the amount of the pot also includes the amount it
takes to call an earlier bet, so a pot sized bet can be bigger
than most players think. Look at the two following examples for
a better understanding of how pot sized bets work.

The pot has $125 in it after the flop and the
first player wants to raise the size of the pot. She bets $125
and play continues to the next player. This is fairly
straightforward and easy, because the player is starting the
betting round.

Using the previous example as a setup, the next
player to act wants to raise as much as possible. The pot now
has $250 in it, but the maximum raise is actually higher than
$250. Though the player must state their intention to raise, the
pot size is calculated by first adding the call of $125 to the
pot and then determining the maximum raise amount. So once the
$125 call is added the pot now has $375 in it, so the player can
raise another $375. So they put a total of $500 in the pot,
which is the $125 call and the $375 raise.

This is why the dealer needs to understand how pot limit play
works and stay on top of the game.

In real life pot limit games it’s rarely this complicated and
most poker rooms let players operate with bet maximums close to
the pot size. If the pot has anywhere between $90 and $110 or
somewhere close to this range a player can bet $100. As long as
players are close to the pot size with their maximum bets it’s
usually acceptable for all of the players. This way the dealer
doesn’t have to keep an exact count on the pot.

Occasionally you’ll play against a player who can keep the
running pot amount in his or her head and announce it whenever
anyone needs to know. This can be a bit intimidating, but most
of these players aren’t any more than decent poker players. Just
because you can keep track of a pot doesn’t mean you’re a great
poker player.

Pineapple

Pineapple poker is played exactly like Texas holdem except
you start with three hole cards instead of two. You discard one
card face down before the flop. Traditionally you discard your
third card after the pre flop betting round, but in some places
you discard it before the pre flop betting round. It doesn’t
really matter which way you play, as long as you stay
consistent.

Most Pineapple games are played as no limit, but it can
easily be played in limit and pot limit. In comparison to Texas
holdem, Pineapple hand values run a little higher, but not
extremely so. Three of a kind hands and flushes are more likely
to happen in Pineapple because it’s easier to start with a
pocket pair and it’s more likely to have two cards of the same
suit.

Overall, if you can beat Texas holdem you should be able to
quickly adjust your game to be a winning Pineapple player. The
same concepts of tight and aggressive play tend to do well in
Pineapple, just like in Texas holdem. Poor players tend to play
too many hands in Pineapple because they have a third starting
card, making it look like they have a better hand than they
really do.

Crazy Pineapple

Crazy Pineapple starts the same way as regular Pineapple, but
you don’t discard your third hole card until after the betting
round following the flop. This tends to make players stay in the
hand longer, leading to larger average pots than in a similar
Texas holdem game. It’s usually played in no limit format.

The average winning hand strength is better than in a Texas
holdem game because of the extra starting card and the
possibility to see six total cards before the turn and river.
Just like regular Pineapple, if you’re a good holdem player you
shouldn’t have much trouble adjusting your game to be a winning
Crazy Pineapple player.

Omaha Holdem

Omaha holdem, often just called Omaha, is the second most
popular form of poker played online and in poker rooms around
the world. The main differences between Texas holdem and Omaha
are each player receives four hole cards instead of two, and
each player must use exactly two of their hole cards and three
community cards to make a hand.

Omaha is sometimes played as high only, like Texas holdem,
but it’s also played in high / low, usually with an eight high
qualifier. Though 7 Card Stud can be played high / low, Omaha is
about the only game found at this time that is played for low.
Razz is a low only game, but finding a game is almost
impossible.

In a high / low Omaha game the pot is split between the best
high hand and the best low hand if a qualifying low hand is
shown down. A qualifying low hand must have five unpaired cards
ranked eight or below. See our Omaha poker section for a
complete explanation of the rules.

From a strategy standpoint if you’re starting to play Omaha
and have been playing Texas holdem, the most important thing to
remember is just because you have twice as many hole cards it
doesn’t mean you can play twice as many hands. You should
actually play no more hands than a winning Texas holdem player
does, and many good Omaha players play fewer hands.

The other important thing that trips up many beginning Omaha
players is never forget you have to use two of your hole cards.

You can’t use more or less than three community cards. This
can lead to costly mistakes if you forget it.

Omaha, in both high only and high / low, can be played in no
limit, pot limit, or limit, but most games are limit and pot
limit.

Aviation Holdem

Aviation holdem is a cross between Omaha and Pineapple. You
start with four hole cards and discard one before the flop and
another one after the flop. This form of holdem is rare and most
players aren’t familiar with it. The odds of it passing Omaha in
popularity aren’t good because it’s almost exactly like Omaha
high only, but in Omaha you keep all four cards for the entire
hand.

Home Poker Game Variations

The value of winning hands at showdown is almost identical to
Omaha high only, which means better than the average Texas
holdem hand, but not outrageously better. Winning Texas holdem
players and wining Omaha payers won’t have much trouble
adjusting to Aviation holdem winning play.

Tahoe Holdem or Lazy Pineapple

Tahoe holdem, also called Lazy Pineapple in some places, has
each player receive three hole cards and keep them throughout
the hand. It’s a cross between Texas holdem and Omaha. Other
than three hole cards it plays exactly like Texas holdem.

This variation can be played in a high / low split version
like Omaha high / low, but it’s rarely played this way. The
average winning hand value is slightly better than Texas holdem,
but not extremely better.

Speed Holdem

Of all of the variations listed on this page Speed holdem is
probably the rarest and is only found in home or private games.
In Speed holdem each player is dealt four hole cards and each
player immediately discards two of them. Then all five community
cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. This is
followed by the single betting round and showdown.

All other rules are the same as a normal Texas holdem game
and Speed holdem can be played in limit, pot limit, and no limit
varieties, but it’s almost always played in no limit.

Summary

It’s easy to get bored playing regular Texas holdem, which
leads to all kinds of problems. When you get bored you may play
too many hands, let your mind wander so you miss important parts
of the game, and just play worse than normal overall.

Now you know how to play many of the popular variations of
Texas holdem, so the next time you start getting bored or just
want a change, look for one of the variations listed above. Or
get some friends together and start your own game of Pineapple
or Tahoe holdem.

The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.

Popular poker variants[edit]

The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:

• Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
• Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
• Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.

Here are more common rule variations:

1. Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2. High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
3. Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
4. Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
5. Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
6. A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
7. A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
8. Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.^[1]

Mixed poker games[edit]

Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.

Other mixed games include:

• H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
• H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
• H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
• O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
• H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
• Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
• Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).

Specific poker variant games[edit]

Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.

High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]

Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.

Follow the Queen[edit]

This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.^[2][3]

Countdown[edit]

In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.^[4]

This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.

Billabong and Shanghai[edit]

Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.

Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.

Guts[edit]

Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.

Five-O poker[edit]

Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a “Five-O” win.

Poker Variations Rules

Chinese poker[edit]

List Of Home Poker Variations

Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.

Home Poker Game Variations

Kuhn poker[edit]

Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.^[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
2. ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
3. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
4. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
5. ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).