Poker Games

Along with its simple basic objectives, skill required to master it, social aspect and the glamorisation from TV shows and films, another factor for poker's appeal is that it is actually not just one game. Whilst they may share some common characteristics, there are various different versions and types of poker game available, with some of the most popular being described below:

Texas Holdem

The rise of Texas Hold 'Em has been largely thanks to the internet, with this poker game being easily the most popular amongst online poker players and as a consequence now also probably the most popular in casino card rooms too, not to mention home poker games. Part of its success can be traced to the introduction of televised poker tournaments where the five communal or community cards on the table made following the action much easier than having to keep track of so many cards in each individual's hand as is the case in a game such as Seven Card Stud poker.

Real Money Texas Holdem Poker

Seven Card Stud

Appearing at around the time of the American Civil War, Seven Card Stud poker is similar to Texas Holdem in terms of hand rankings and betting, but instead of having communal cards each player has their own, making it much less likely that two players will have a similar hand, which can make it difficult to predict what hand an opponent is likely to be holding.

Omaha

Omaha poker is even more similar to Texas Holdem than Seven Card Stud, with five communal/community cards on the table, but unlike Texas Hold 'Em each player receives four personal cards instead of two, and the pot is shared by the highest hand and the lowest hand. This double objective, combined with the increased potential for a hand that four cards brings, means that more players stay in the pot and contribute to its size.

Caribbean Poker

Caribbean Poker is a poker game played against a casino dealer on a table similar to that of a blackjack table. The objective is to beat the dealer's hand rather that those of the players beside you as would be the case in a regular game of poker. The location of the tables on the casino floor rather than "behind closed doors" in a casino poker room often means many players prefer to try their luck at Caribbean Poker instead of having to endure being a novice in an intimidating regular casino poker game.

Caribbean Poker games also feature progressive jackpots which can often be extremely large and so greatly increasing their allure.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is also played on a table with a dealer, but is quite a bit different from either regular poker or that of its table cousin Caribbean Poker. In Pai Gow Poker, players play against the dealer and are required to make two hands out of their seven cards (a five and a two), and in some casinos players can even participate as the banker (house).

Video Poker

Video Poker involves a player making a standard five card poker hand on a machine similar to a slot machine. Unlike a poker game where winnings are determined by the amount in the pot, in video poker there is a set payout for each particular hand which is made. For more information on video poker and to play video poker online, please see our video poker page by clicking here.