Poker Games to Learn After Texas Hold’em
Are you a Texas Hold’em player and looking to expand your game to another poker variant? Not sure what route to take? In this article, we will give you some suggestions in regards to poker variants and why you should pick them.
Omaha Poker
If you are a player that prefers a ton of action in your poker game, you will probably want to give a look at Pot-Limit Omaha. With the numerous options given each hand due to four hole cards, this game can have average pots that exceed Texas Hold’em pots. For those that love to play drawing hands, this is a game that rewards playing strong draws aggressively.
Omaha Hi-Lo is for those that like split-pot games. These games can tend to have a lot of action as well. Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo is ever increasing in popularity and could soon force limit Omaha Hi-Lo to near extinction.
Seven Card Stud
If you prefer limit poker games or are a player that is a bit more solid in their play, Seven Card Stud may be your game. Any player that can learn to play Stud well has the patience to play any form of poker. Stud requires a lot of focus and concentration as well as observation of cards played and folded by players.
Stud Hi-Lo has a bit more action but does give competent players a bigger edge over newer players. Many try to play the game like Stud High and wind up making huge mistakes. You are more likely to find Stud 8 tournaments spread live than regular Stud tournaments.
Draw Poker
There are two forms of Draw poker that you should consider learning if you want to play in games such as Dealer’s Choice. Five Card Draw is one of the first poker games that many people learn, usually as a child. It is still available at a select number of online poker sites, usually in Limit and No-Limit formats.
The other draw game you should pick up is Badugi. This is a four-card draw game where the object is to get one card of each suit, also known as a Badugi. The lowest Badugi wins, meaning that A-2-3-4 Badugi is the best hand. If nobody has a Badugi at showdown, the best three-card hand wins.
Badugi is probably played more in live poker settings, so you will probably want to focus on that first. Five Card Draw is still a good game to know for mixed game play. Otherwise, you won’t see it offered that much.
Lowball Poker
If you are a limit poker player that likes action, Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball may be your game. While a lowball game, the game does tend to be an action game as players get three shots to make their hand. There’s also a bit more bluffing in this game after the 2nd and 3rd draw than in most limit games.
NL Single Draw 2-7 Lowball gives players a game that has elements of NL Hold’em but in lowball format. Aggressive players like this game as they can use elements of their Hold’em game in this game as well. Unfortunately, you will be stuck to online games for this variant as there are very few NL Single Draw games offered in live poker other than higher limits.
Looking to expand your skill in poker is always recommended as it not only gives you added revenue streams but also prepares you for when trends in the game chance. The more games you can play well, the better poker player you will become. Good luck at the tables.
Short Deck Hold’em
Short Deck Hold’em, also known a 6+ Hold’em is one of the fastest-growing games in the world. If you are not familiar with the game, it is the same as Texas Hold’em except that the deuces through fives are removed from the deck.
As such, hand rankings change to where a flush is actually higher than a full house. The game garnered a ton of popularity in the high stakes poker world but is now trickling down to the rest of the world. PokerStars is among the first sites to pick up Short Deck Hold’em, but soon you should find some form of the game available at most sites.