Is 2018 going to be the year you become the online poker master you’ve always known you were destined to be? If so, you need to buck your ideas up – we’re almost six months in. Time is running out! To set you off on the right track, today we’re taking a look at the easiest varieties of poker that you can brush up on at home.
Texas Hold’em
If you’re going master the game, Texas Hold’em is an absolute must. It’s by far the most well-known variety of the game, helped along by its use in the most prestigious poker tournament of all time – the World Series of Poker (WSOP). If you dream of one day making it to Las Vegas to compete, we recommend starting here. Hold’em involves each player being dealt two of their own cards, face down. They then team those with five (face-up) community cards to build the strongest hand possible.
Omaha
Another popular variety of poker is Omaha stud, which you’ll also find at the World Series of Poker. In Omaha, each player is dealt four cards, and you have to use two of these, plus three of the community cards to build a winning hand. The most common variety found in online poker rooms and real-life tournaments is Pot Limit Omaha, which restricts players to betting no more than the amount held in the pot.
Seven-card stud
Before Texas Hold’em strutted in to seize the poker crown in the early 21st century, seven-card stud was by far the most popular version of poker. Each player is dealt two face down cards and one face up. The player with the lowest face-up card will kick off proceedings. The major difference here is that there are zero community cards dealt in seven-card stud. Instead players are dealt a face-up card each round, followed by a round of betting. The seventh card is dealt face-down. The aim of the game here is still to secure the best five-card hand possible. You may also encounter five and six-card versions of stud, but seven cards is by far the most popular.
Razz
To mix things up a touch, you could try your hand at Razz – a version of poker where the lowest hand wins. This means, you’ll want to avoid pairs and that the best hand you can hope for is ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. The WSOP holds a Razz event every year and there’s even a much-coveted bracelet up for grabs!