Poker Games

The first secret to acing poker is by knowing the rules of your favored poker games like the back of your hand. From real casino poker to online poker games and home poker games, the variations are endless as are the rules and strategy for each. But there are a few that stand out from the rest, and they have become the most sought after poker games, especially in live and online poker tournaments worldwide. The widely popular poker games are Texas Hold'em and 7 Card Stud; these two have consistently driven player traffic in the top online poker tournament sites. Also well known are Omaha, Draw Poker, 5 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Split, Omaha Hi/Lo or Omaha 8/B. 2 Card Manila and 3 Card Manila are among the harder-to-find poker games. On this page, refresh your know-how of the world's most popular poker games to spot your strengths and weaknesses, single out the games best suited for you, and start playing like a pro.

Draw Poker | Texas Hold'em | 7 Card Stud | 5 Card Stud | Omaha | 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Split | Omaha Hi/Lo or Omaha 8/B | 2 Card Manila | 3 Card Manila | Chinese Poker (Pusoy) | Badugi Poker | Big Two Poker (Pusoy Dos)

Draw Poker

• Two players make a small bet, or blind wager, before they receive any cards.
• Each player in the game takes a turn at placing this wager.
• Players are first dealt five cards face down, which they then look at to decide if they want to stay in the game.
• All players who want to stay must place a bet. When all bets are called, the first round of betting is complete.
• Players next choose to make the DRAW, which means to exchange with the dealer any number of cards from their hand.
• Once the draw is finished, a second round of betting follows.
• Once all bets are called, the showdown begins.
• The player with the highest ranking hand in the showdown wins the pot.
• If only one player remains, no showdown takes place. The player wins the pot without having to show his hand.

Texas Hold'em

• The game makes use of a dealer button, which is a disc used to indicate where the cards are to be dealt.
• Prior to the deal, the two players to the immediate left of the dealer button place live bets, called small and large blinds, before seeing any cards. A live bet counts as part of all further bets made in the first betting round.
• Each player is dealt two cards, face down.
• The first round of betting begins. It proceeds clockwise, starting from the player to the left of the blinds.
• During the round, players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn. The large blind has the privilege to make the last move by checking or raising.
• After the first round, three community cards are dealt face up, in the center of the table. This begins a second round, starting from the player to the left of the dealer button.
• Another card is dealt face up, followed by a third betting round.
• Once the fifth and last card is dealt face up, the final betting round begins.
• Players remaining in the hand create their best five-card hand using any combination of hole cards and community cards.
• Players now show their cards. The highest hand wins the pot.
• Japanese Version of Texas Hold'em Poker Lessons

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7 Card Stud

• Players place a smaller wager, known as an ante, on the table. The ante is set by the card room, and is not applicable in games where increments are $0.50/$1.00.
• Players are then dealt two cards, face down, and one card, face up.
• The player with the lowest up-card places an opening bet to begin the first betting round.
• In proceeding rounds, the player with the highest hand showing starts the betting. If hands tie, the player to the left of the dealer acts first.
• In each round, players may call, raise, or fold.
• After the first round, each player is dealt three cards, face up. A betting round follows each card.
• Once each remaining player has five cards, four face up and the final card dealt face down, the final betting round takes place.
• Players remaining in the hand create their best poker hand using five out of the seven cards.
• Players now show their cards, and the highest hand is awarded the pot. Suits are not used to determine the winning hand. Tied hands will split the pot.
• Japanese Version of 7 Card Stud Poker Lessons

5 Card Stud

• Players place an ante on the table.
• Players are then dealt two cards, one face down and the other face up.
• The player with the lowest up-card opens the betting. From the third card onwards, the player with the highest hand showing starts the betting.
• Players may call, raise, or fold in turn.
• After the first round, each player is dealt three cards, face up. A betting round follows each card.
• Once each remaining player has five cards, four face up and the final card dealt face down, the final betting round begins.
• After forming their best poker hand, players now show their cards. The highest ranking five-card hand wins the pot.
• Japanese Version of 5 Card Stud Poker Lessons

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Omaha

• The game makes use of a dealer button. Prior to the deal, the two players to the immediate left of the dealer button place the blinds.
• Each player is then dealt four cards, face down.
• The first round of betting begins from the player to the left of the blinds, proceeding clockwise.
• Players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn.
• Three community cards are then dealt face up, in the center of the table. This begins a second round, starting from the player to the left of the dealer button.
• Another card is dealt face up, followed by a third betting round.
• Once the fifth and last card is dealt face up, the final betting round begins.
• Players remaining in the hand form their best poker hand, which can be a high or a qualifying low hand, using two hole cards and three community cards.
• A qualifying low hand must have five cards of 8 or lower, with no pair. A straight or a flush may be used if all the cards are 8 or below.
• Players now show their cards. The pot is split between the highest hand and the winning low hand. If there is none, the highest hand wins the entire pot.
• Japanese Version of Omaha Poker Lessons

7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Split

• Players place an ante on the table.
• They are dealt two cards, face down, and one card, face up.
• The game proceeds just like the high-only game of 7 Card Stud except that the player with the highest up-card opens the betting.
• Players remaining in the hand form their best poker hand, which can be a high or a qualifying low hand.
• A qualifying low hand must have five cards of 8 or below, with no pair.
• Players now show their cards. The pot is split between the highest hand and the best low hand. Otherwise, the highest hand wins the whole pot.
• A straight or a flush, 8-high or lower, may be both the highest and lowest hand. In this case, it wins the entire pot.

Omaha Hi/Lo or Omaha 8/B

• Omaha Hi/Lo, also known as Omaha 8/B, makes use of a dealer button.
• The two players to the immediate left of the dealer button place the blinds, which are live and may raise the pot.
• The small blind is equal to one half of the small bet while the large blind equals the small bet.
• Each player is then dealt four cards, face down. The game proceeds just like Omaha.
• Players remaining in the hand form their best poker hand, which can be a high or a qualifying low hand, using two hole cards and three community cards.
• A qualifying low hand must have five cards of 8 or lower; the Ace is low in this case.
• A wheel, or A 2 3 4 5, is the best possible low. A straight or a flush may be used if all the cards are 8 or below.
• Players now show their cards. The pot is split between the highest hand and the winning low hand. If there is none, the highest hand wins the entire pot.
• A winning called hand must show all four cards to be awarded any part of the pot. Tied hands will split the pot.

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2 Card Manila

• 11 players x 2 cards = 22, Community + burn cards = 9, Total = 31
• Players are dealt two cards one at a time, starting with the blind. There may only be one blind before the cards are dealt.
• The flop comes down one at a time until five community cards are face up on the table.
• After all bets are called, a card is burnt. There is a burn card between each community card, making a total of four burn cards.
• Players must bet or check as each card is opened, or fold.
• The betting structure for 2 Card Manila is $2, $4, $4, $4, $8.
• The amount raised on the first round must be double the blind, which is then added to the blind. For example, in a $2 game, the raise should be $4, making a total call of $6.
• For the succeeding rounds, the raise is only double the blind. So, for a bet of $4, the first raise makes it $8, and the second raise makes it $12. When more than two players are in the game, only three raises are allowed in each round.
• For the showdown, players form their best five-card hand using two hole cards and three community cards.
• An Ace may only count high in a straight. To explain, A 7 8 9 10 is not a straight but 10 J Q K A is. The highest hand is awarded the pot.

3 Card Manila

• 9 players x 3 cards = 27, Community + burn cards = 9, Total = 36
• Players are dealt three cards one at a time, starting with the blind. There may only be one blind before the cards are dealt.
• The flop comes down one at a time until five community cards are face up on the table.
• After all bets are called, a card is burnt. There is a burn card between each community card, making a total of four burn cards.
• Players must bet or check as each card is opened, or fold.
• Players in the hand form their best five-card hand using any two of the three hole cards and any three of the five community cards.
• An Ace may only count high in a straight. To explain, A 7 8 9 10 is not a straight but 10 J Q K A is. The highest hand is awarded the pot.

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Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker is a very famous card game played in Asian communities. It is very easy to learn and anyone who know the poker hand rankings by heart can immediately begin to play this game.

Although Chinese Poker is basically a four-player game, it can be played by 2, 3, 5, or more players. It can be very addictive and played with a combination of skills and luck.

Chinese Poker Game Rules

Here's a step-by-step lesson on how to play Chinese Poker:

• Each player receives 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck
• The player now has to divide his cards into 3 poker hands: the Back (containing 5 cards), Middle (5 cards), and Front (3 cards)
• The rule is the Back card hand must outrank the Middle card hand, which in turn must outrank the Front card hand.
• Straights and flushes do not count in the Front card hand
• First, the player must choose his Back cards and place them face down. After which he chooses his Middle hand and place them face down. Finally, the remaining 3 cards (Front) is again placed faced down on the table.
• When all players have set their hands, the cards are turned face up and the deal is scored.

The Scoring

Even before the cards are dealt, the players must agree on the stakes. Usually, for every point collected by the player is equivalent to a certain money prize.

General Scoring Method

This is the general scoring rule for Chinese Poker:

• The player with the higher Back hand gets one point.
• The player with the higher Middle hand gets one point.
• The player with the higher Front hand gets one point.
• Bonus points, if any, are added to each player’s total.
• The player with the higher total gets an additional point called the overall point.
• The player with the higher total collects the difference between the two scores.

2-4 Scoring Method

The 2-4 scoring is a simple scoring rule used in Chinese Poker tournaments:

• A player who wins 2 out of 3 hands wins 2 points.
• A player who wins all 3 hands wins 4 points (a sweep).

1-6 Scoring Method

In the 1-6 scoring system, winning 2 out of 3 is worth 1 point and winning all 3 gives 6 points. That simple. This scoring scheme is common in the card rooms of Southern California.

Bonuses
In addition to the basic scoring schemes described so far, players may agree to pay bonuses for high ranking hands. Typical bonuses are:

Straight Flush in Back/Middle Hand: 4 points
Four-of-a-kind in Back/Middle Hand: 3 points
Full House in Middle Hand: 1 point
Three-of-a-kind in Front Hand: 2 points

Variations
There are many variations in the scoring rules. In one example, certain hands may be considered automatic winners or naturals. In southern California games, naturals get 3 points and include 3 "straights", 3 "flushes", or 6 pairs. Higher or more rare hands accumulate more points.

Surrender is a scoring option where a player agrees to throw his hand away and pay a set amount to each opponent.

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Badugi Poker

Badugi is a new online poker craze. This poker form originated in Korea and is now rapidly becoming popular in North America.

The game is a triple draw, four card low-hand wins game. The best low hand is comprised of four cards, with none of the same suit, and none of the same rank: i.e. ace, two, three, four all of different suits is the best possible hand. When you find yourself holding 4 cards of different rank and suit then you are holding a Badugi!

The Dealing

Each player gets 4 cards in a clockwise direction starting from the player on the Small Blind. The cards are dealt to each player one card at a time. When everyone has their 4 cards the action begins with the player to the left of the Big Blind and continues around the table in a clockwise direction.

The Betting

Badugi can be played as Limit , Pot Limit or even a Half Pot Limit game. Whatever level of action mixed with skill that suits you there is a Badugi game for you.

How to Play Badugi Poker

First, players are dealt 4 cards each, clockwise. Afterwhich, the first round of betting begins.

In the first betting round, the first player to act is the first participating player clockwise from the big blind. The player may fold, call, or raise. Then succeeding players shoul call bet, raise, fold or check. Once everyone has had their turn and all bets are matched you move on to the First Draw .

In the First Draw round, players are offered the opportunity to draw zero to four cards, again clockwise from the first player to the left of the dealer button. Players will select which cards to keep and which to replace through a draw. Drawing zero cards is called 'Standing Pat' .

Once players have completed their first draws, the second betting round takes place. Again, the bet increment uses the low stakes.

Second draw round: Same as first draw round.

Third bet round: Same as second bet round, only exception is that on this round the high stake is used for the betting increment.

Third draw round: Same as second draw round, applying reshuffle of discards as is necessary.

Final bet round: The final betting round follows the same rules, using the high stake and leads to a showdown if more than one player remains standing.

The Showdown

After the final betting, remaining players will show their hand to see who won. The winning player will scoop the pot.

The showdown rules follow that of Texas Hold'em, the player whose last bet is called, if there is one, shows cards first. If there is no last aggressor, showdown begins from the first participant holding cards, clockwise from the dealer button. As hands are shown, players with losing hands may muck or show, similar to Texas Hold'em options.

Badugi Poker Hand Rankings

Big Two Poker (Pusoy Dos) Online Lessons

Big Two Poker is a climbing card game that originated in coastal China around 1980. It soon became very popular in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, and has even spread to some western countries.

In climbing games, each player in turn must play a higher card (or combination of cards) than the previous player. A player who cannot or does not wish to beat the previous play can pass.

Big Two Poker has several alternative names:

• Da Lao Er is Mandarin Chinese and literally means "big old two"
• Choh Dai Di or simply Dai Di in Cantonese
• Bu Bu Gao Sheng in Taiwan
• Pusoy Dos is the usual name used in the Philippines. This translates into English as "Poker Two" - "Pusoy" being the Filipino name for Poker.

Big Two Poker Game Rules

Your goal to win is to be the first to get rid of all of your cards, by playing them to the table. They can be played singly or in certain combinations. If you cannot be first to play all your cards, then your next aim is to have as few cards as possible when another player finishes.

The game is best played with four players using a standard 52-deck card. The cards ranking from high to low: 2-A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3 . There is also an ordering of suits - from high to low: spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds.

There are four (4) types of play combinations one can use:

Single cards. Cards rank from two (highest) down to three (lowest), between cards of the same rank a higher suit beats a lower suit.

Pairs. A pair of equal ranked cards - twos are highest and threes are lowest. Any higher ranked pair beats one with lower ranks. Between equal ranked pairs, the with the highest suit wins - for example 2s- 2d beats 2h-2c because the spade is higher than the heart.

Triples. Three equal ranked cards - three twos are highest, down to three threes, which is the lowest triple.

Five-Card Combination. Any five-card combination following the poker hand rankings: Straight, Flush, Four of a Kind (plus any card), Straight Flush, and Royal Flush.

The playable combinations are similar to poker hands, but there are vital differences. For one, there's no "two pair" combination, and although a four of a kind needs a fifth card to complete, a triple cannot be accompanied by extra cards unless of course you are playing a full house hand.

Also, a combination can only be beaten by a better combination with the same number of cards: a single card can only be beaten by a single card, a pair by a better pair and a triple by a better triple. You cannot use a triple to beat a pair or a straight to beat a triple. In the five-card combination, the rule of the poker hand rankings applies.

Dealing The Cards

The cards are normally dealt counter-clockwise. Any player may deal first, in the following games the winners of each hands will deal next. He shuffles the cards and the player to the dealer's right cuts the deck. After cutting the card, the dealer lifts the top card from the pack to determine who will be dealt the first card. Then count the players starting with the dealer until the rank of the exposed card is reached.

The dealer deals out the cards, one at a time, counter-clockwise until everyone is holding13 cards.

The Play

The player holding three of diamonds (3d) will start the play. He can either play it as a single card or as part of a combination. The player to his right is next and so on.

When it's your turn you must either pass or beat the previous cards by playing a higher combination of the same number of cards. All cards are placed face up at the center of the table. This process continues for several circuits if necessary, until a player have exhausted all his cards. As soon as this happens, the play ends and the hand is scored.

A reminder, you are never under any obligation to beat a card or set of cards just because you are able to - you may always choose to pass and keep your high cards for a better play. Passing does not prevent you from playing when your turn comes round again.

Scoring

The remaining players will score penalty points for the cards remaining in their hands. The penalty is 1 point per card if you have 9 cards or less, 2 points per card if you have 10 to12 cards, and 3 points per card (i.e. 39 points) if you have all 13 of your cards left at the end. The winner, having no cards, gets no penalty points.

In the Philippine variation of Pusoy Dos, the game is normally played with positive points rather than penalties. The winner scores 1 point and the others score nothing. However, if you win and your last play includes a deuce (two) you score 2 points; if it contains two deuces you score 4 points, if it includes three deuces you score 8 points, and if you were to win by playing all four deuces you would score 16 points.

When playing the version that goes on until only one player has cards left, the person who runs out of cards first wins five points, the second player wins 3 points, the third wins 1 point and the last one gets nothing at all.

Like any other card game, Big Two poker is often played for money. Before starting to play the players agree a stake - for example $1 per point. If the person playing after you has only one card left, you should take these tips to stop them from winning:

• If single cards are being played, you should play your highest card.
• If it is your turn to lead, you should lead a combination more than one card if possible; otherwise you should lead your highest card.

Big Two Poker has many variations. But the rules mentioned here are the most basic and most followed.

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