Different Poker Games
If you need some suggestions for which online poker game to try first, find a quick sampler of the most popular poker games online below. Whatever you’re looking for, we’ve tried it – and you can find it here and where you can play it online.
Poker Games include popular variants like Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud – as well as 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz, Badugi, Crazy Pineapple, Open-Face Chinese, and HORSE. The poker games list to play is, truly, a mile long, so we’ve split up our explanations by type. Likewise, the formats of poker games you can find on poker sites is more diverse than ever – you have MTTs, Sit-and-Go’s, Hyper Turbos, Six-Max, Heads-Up, Double or Nothings, Fast-Fold Poker and more. So if you already know your preferred poker game, fast-track to any of the best online poker sites, download the software and get the highest sign-up bonus available online as you play your favourite poker game online!
Most Popular Types of Poker Games
Poker Games Online
Throughout most of its history the game of poker was always played “live” – meaning face-to-face with other players seated around a table. From its early days on steamships and in back rooms of dusty saloons, poker emerged as a popular activity in California card rooms in the 70s and 80s. Later spreading across the US in land-based casinos and home games over the 80s and 90s.
The early days of online poker began soon after that, with the first real money hand dealt in 1998 on Planet Poker. However, poker really began to take off in 2003, when Tennessee accountant and amateur poker player Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event. With a knock off effect that kicked up a “poker boom”, the effects of which are still being felt reverberating around the world.
Running alongside that boom was the uprising of online poker games, which went from a few computer nerds trading hands on IRC to the rudimentary Planet Poker to the global behemoth that became PokerStars. It’s been a fascinating progression to see with its fair share of peaks and valleys. But there’s no doubt the accessibility of online poker has changed the game’s course forever.
The rules for online poker games differ across countries and continents. So there’s no one “universal” player pool for online poker. But there should be (with just a a few exceptions) online poker games in some form in the country you live in. Check our recommended list of online card rooms above to see which are the best poker sites operating in your country or state. From there you can compare your options and see which welcome bonus may fit you best, with poker room reviews to give you the full low-down on the pros and cons of each site.
If you’re not ready to play yet, read on for a quick introduction to the myriad of poker games you can learn to play and practice at many of our poker games app and site partners such as the one below.
Free Poker Games
If you’re hesitating at the idea of putting your money into an imagined world teeming with sharks and grifters online, we can assuage your fears. The world of online poker games is far from a den of inequity. In the UK, US, Europe and Asia, for example, major online poker companies are publicly owned and listed on the stock exchanges. They are licensed and regulated by government oversight agencies like the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority or the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement.
Online poker games are certified and guaranteed to be fair and secure and your online transactions are protected by the latest SSL encryption, just as any online transactions are. As long as you’re playing on a licensed and certified poker site, online poker games are as safe as it gets. For many people, though, a very enticing entry point are the free poker games which sites offer to play poker online without ever needing to create an account or make a deposit.
Free poker games can be found on any major poker site and can be accessed with any Internet browser or smartphone. Simply look for the “play money” or “Instant Play” options on the website. Once you register an actual account you’ll still be able to play poker games for free. But you’ll also be able to build your own bankroll and access great real-money rewards like freeroll tickets and satellite seats if you play poker with real money. Real money poker games will also charge an amount of rake – which is a fee charges per hand during poker cash games or as part of your buy-in for poker tournaments.
If you’d like to learn how to make bets and play hands on an online poker interface, free poker games are a great way to start. Once you get used to the speed of the software and how hands play out in real time, you’ll be much more comfortable playing for any amount of real money.
Once you get your feet wet we’d bet you’ll even find it as good or better than live poker itself with the freedom to play whenever and wherever you like and more poker hands per hour than you’ve ever imagined. Online poker even offers amazing variants like Fast Fold Poker, where every time you fold your hand you’re instantly moved to a new table with a new table.
Poker Games – Texas Holdem
The most popular poker games variation in the world by a large margin, Texas Hold’em is the game you’ve most likely seen on TV or in recent movies. With two hidden hole cards for each player and five exposed “community” cards shared among the players, Hold’em is a back-and-forth mental tug-of-war packed with great action and strategy in all of its formats.
“No-Limit” Holdem in particular has captured the world’s imagination with the opportunity for any player to shove all of their chips in the middle at any point and put their opponent to the ultimate test. It’s the signature format of the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event and if you’ve watched even a moment of it on the famous ESPN broadcast you know it’s never shy on heart-stopping (or heartbreaking) moments.
If you’re interested in playing No-Limit Hold’em yourself, there’s always a game available online, 24 hours a day, no matter your budget or skill level. In fact almost 95% of all online poker games play at stakes under $5 so it’s a very accessible pastime for any poker player. If you’re just getting started playing Texas Hold’em we recommend checking out some basic articles for a simple understanding of the poker games rules and etiquette and a few of our tips for solid beginner Hold’em strategy.
Poker Games – Omaha
If Texas Hold’em poker is considered “high-action” poker, Omaha has to be considered “really high action” poker. Growing a ton in popularity over the last few years, Omaha poker is similar to Texas Hold’em in rules and betting structures but has one major difference: In Omaha you get four hole cards compared to two in Hold’em – although you can still only use two to comprise your final hand.
Given the amount of added variables and hand combinations with four hole cards instead of two, you can see how Omaha has action potential on every street. Pot-Limit Omaha is probably the most popular Omaha variant online. You can find out more about its betting structure and game play in our Poker Games Rules section and check out our beginner Omaha strategy articles below:
- Omaha Poker Rules
- Where to Play Omaha Poker Online
- PLO Strategy Guide and Omaha Strategy Articles Collection
- PLO Starting Hands
- Omaha Hi Lo Rules
Poker Games 7 Card Stud
The “granddaddy” of poker games, Seven-Card Stud is what most people were thinking of when they said “poker” in the past. The dominant game of our grandfathers, you might have learned it at the kitchen table from one of them. It’s definitely not as popular today as it once was – Texas Hold’em is certainly the dominant game of choice now – but you’ll still find it in lots of cards rooms (particularly in California) and at the World Series of Poker.
It’s also a regular component of Mixed Poker Games like HORSE and 8-Game. A lot of poker die-hards like to think of 7-Card Stud as one of the “purist” of poker games and if you take a couple minutes to try it out online you’ll find yourself drawn in with its classic poker feel. Learn the basic rules of Stud poker; if you’re looking to play it online you’ll find Stud games spread at all of the major poker sites listed above including 888poker, partypoker, Tiger Gaming Poker and PokerStars.
Razz Poker
Razz Poker is basically the inverse or “lowball” version of 7 Card Stud. Once you’ve learned how to play 7-Card Stud you’ll have no problem making the switch to Razz as there are only 3 real differences:
- The winning hand is the “worst” or lowest possible hand
- Straights and flushes don’t count and aces are always low
- The player with the lowest hand (aka best hand) starts the betting in each round
There’s also no qualifier for the winning hand – as long as it’s the lowest hand left in the round, it’s the winner. As you might have guessed while the game plays like a round of Stud in action, your preferred starting hands and optimal strategy for Razz are much different. Read all about it and where you can play Razz online on our Razz Poker page:
Fast Fold Poker (Zoom Poker)
Fast Fold Poker has swept the online poker market over the past 4 or 5 years. It’s one of the most revolutionary innovations ever brought to the poker world and will be a staple of many poker players’ online action for years to come. You’ll find it under different names on different poker sites – Zoom Poker, Speed Poker, Snap Poker, FastForward Poker, etc – but all fast-fold poker games play the same way: whenever you fold your hand you’re immediately whisked to a new table with a brand new hand.