Poker is not one game but a family of them. The variants below share a hand ranking and a betting mechanism, then differ in how many cards each player receives, how many are shared, and whether the best hand or the worst one wins.
Each guide follows the same order: what the table looks like, how a hand proceeds from the deal to the showdown, how the hand itself is made, and the terms used while playing it.
Choosing Where to Start
Texas hold'em is the usual entry point: two private cards, five shared, and a single betting structure to learn. Every other variant is easier to pick up once its order of play feels familiar.
| If you want | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The standard game | Texas Hold'em | Dealt everywhere, and the base for most strategy material. |
| Bigger pots and more draws | Pot-Limit Omaha | Four hole cards make strong hands common and pots large. |
| A game without shared cards | Seven-Card Stud | Information comes from cards visible on the table instead of a board. |
| Something where the worst hand wins | Razz | The ranking is inverted, which retrains how hands are read. |
| A faster deck | Short-Deck Hold'em | Removing low cards changes both the ranking and the odds. |
What Every Variant Has in Common
- A hand is always five cards, compared using the standard ranking ladder unless the variant states otherwise.
- Betting proceeds clockwise, and a round ends only when every active player has matched the largest wager or folded.
- A player who cannot match a bet in full is still live for the portion they covered; the remainder forms a side pot.
- Suits never break ties for the purpose of awarding a pot.
- The structure — no-limit, pot-limit or fixed-limit — changes the game more than the rules do.
Read next
Texas Hold'em
Two hole cards, five shared community cards and four betting rounds: the full order of play, the blinds, the showdown rules and the vocabulary that goes with them.
Players 2 to 10 at a single table
Pot-Limit Omaha
Four hole cards, five community cards and one rule that changes everything: exactly two hole cards must be used. Rules, pot-limit betting and the hands that actually win.
Players 2 to 10 at a single table
Omaha Hi-Lo
Omaha with the pot split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low. How the eight-or-better qualifier works, how to read a low, and why scooping decides the game.
Players 2 to 10 at a single table
Seven-Card Stud
The game played before hold'em took over: no community cards, five betting rounds, and information that comes from the cards your opponents show.
Players 2 to 8, because the deck can run short
Razz
Seven-card stud played for low: the worst hand wins, straights and flushes are ignored, and the best possible holding is five-four-three-two-ace.
Players 2 to 8
Short-Deck Hold'em
Hold'em with the deuces through fives removed: 36 cards, a reordered hand ranking, ante-driven betting and far more big hands than the full deck produces.
Deck 36 cards: six through ace in four suits
Five-Card Draw
The oldest form still dealt in card rooms: five private cards, one chance to exchange them, and two betting rounds in which the only information is how many cards an opponent took.
Players 2 to 6, limited by the deck
Badugi
A four-card draw game with a ranking of its own: hands must avoid both pairs and repeated suits, and the best holding is four unpaired cards in four different suits.
Players 2 to 6
Open-Face Chinese
A points game rather than a pot game: three rows must be arranged in order of strength, cards are placed one at a time, and a mistake in the order costs the whole hand.
Players 2 to 3, occasionally 4
2-7 Triple Draw
Five-card lowball with three draws, where the ace is always high and the best hand is seven-five-four-three-two of mixed suits.
Players 2 to 6