Types of Poker: Popular Variants Explained
Most Aussies know the drill. You sit down, grab your two hole cards, wait for the flop, and pray the river does not ruin your day. But Texas Hold’em is only one slice of the pie. The list of types of poker is longer than a wet weekend and twice as complicated.
If you have a squiz at the lobbies of the best Australian casinos, you will find tables chockers with weird card games. Some deal you four cards. Some make you play for the lowest hand. Some strip half the deck away completely. And when you’re at it, take a look at our blog and learn more about casino games and gambling culture.
We are here to break it all down with a bit more grit. This guide covers the different types of poker games, the strategy behind them, and why you should care. We will sort the heavy hitters from the niche variants so you know exactly what you are betting on.
What Are the Main Types of Poker?
Before we dive into specific games, we need to look at the big picture. Almost every game falls into one of three or four main families based on how the cards are distributed.
Community Card Poker
This is the modern king of the casino. Players get private cards (hole cards) and combine them with shared public cards (community cards) on the table. Texas Hold’em and Omaha live here. These are the most popular types of poker because they create massive tension—incomplete information is the name of the game. You know some of what your opponent has, but never everything.
Stud Poker
Stud is the old-school format, the kind you see in old westerns. There are no community cards here. You get a specific mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt only to you. It forces you to pay attention. You need to remember what cards other players folded on previous rounds (“streets”). If you miss a folded ace, your math will be wrong, and you will lose money.
Draw Poker
If you played poker with your granddad for matchsticks, you probably played Draw. You get a full hand hidden from everyone else. You can trade in bad cards for new ones from the deck. It is pure psychology. You have zero information on your opponent’s hand other than how many cards they swapped and how confident they look.
Mixed and Specialty Games
These are for the players who get bored doing the same thing every hand. Mixed games rotate through different types of poker on a schedule (e.g., every 8 hands). Specialty games tweak the rules entirely, like removing cards or changing hand rankings.
| Category | Key Feature | Famous Examples |
| Community | Shared board cards for everyone | Texas Hold’em, Omaha |
| Stud | Private mix of open/hidden cards | 7-Card Stud, Razz |
| Draw | Swap cards to improve hand | 5-Card Draw, Badugi |
| Mixed | Game rules change every orbit | H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game Mix |
Popular Poker Variants You Should Know
Ready to expand your repertoire? Here is a deep dive into the specific poker types you will find online and in the pub leagues, including the strategic nuances that separate the winners from the fish.
Texas Hold’em
This is the Cadillac of poker. It is the game you see on TV and the one most people learn first. You get two private cards. Five community cards hit the board in stages: the Flop (3 cards), the Turn (1 card), and the River (1 card).
The betting structure is usually No-Limit, meaning you can shove your whole stack in at any time. Position is everything here; acting last gives you a massive advantage because you get to see what everyone else does first.
⚠️Note regarding bonuses: While you might see offers for a no deposit bonus, keep in mind these are rarely usable on peer-to-peer poker tables. Casinos know poker i/au/no-deposit-bonus/s a game of skill, so those freebies are usually restricted to pokies or house games. Always read the fine print.
Omaha
Omaha is for the action junkies and math nerds. It plays similarly to Hold’em but with a massive twist: you get four hole cards instead of two.
Here is the kicker that trips up beginners: you must use exactly two of your hole cards and three from the board. If the board has four hearts and you hold the Ace of Hearts, you do not have a flush unless you have a second heart in your hand. Because everyone has more cards, the average winning hand is much stronger. You rarely win with just “top pair” in Omaha. It is a staple at live casinos and online rooms, usually played as “Pot Limit” to stop people shoving all-in pre-flop with pure luck hands.
Seven-Card Stud
You start with two cards down and one up. Then you get three more up cards and a final down card. There are five betting rounds. It is a slower, more deliberate game played with Fixed Limit betting (you can only bet set amounts).
The skill here is memory. If you see an opponent fold a King, and you need a King to make your straight, you need to know that card is dead. If you are not watching the discards, you are playing blind.
Five-Card Draw
Simple, fast, and classic. You get five cards. You bet. You discard up to three (or four if you hold an Ace) and get replacements. You bet again. Then you show your cards.
It is rare to find high-stakes action here because the strategy is “solved” and static, but it remains one of the easiest different types of poker games for a home game night. Bluffing is easier here because no one sees any of your cards.
Razz
In Razz, you want to lose. Well, sort of. The goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand. Straights and flushes do not count against you. The best hand is A-2-3-4-5 (the Wheel).
It is played like Stud, so you can see your opponents’ “bad” (high) cards piling up. If your opponent is showing a King and a Queen, and you are showing an Ace and a 2, you are in the driver’s seat. It can be incredibly tilting, which is why sharp players love it.
Omaha Hi-Lo
Also called Omaha 8-or-Better. The pot is split in two. Half goes to the best high hand (standard poker). The other half goes to the best low hand (five cards ranking 8 or lower).
This game is all about “scooping”—winning both halves of the pot. A hand like A-A-2-3 double-suited is a monster because it can win high (Aces) and low (A-2-3-x-x). If you only play for the high hand, you will bleed money slowly.
2-7 Lowball
This is the “pure” lowball game. Unlike Razz, straights and flushes do count against you, and Aces are high (bad). You want 2-3-4-5-7 with mixed suits.
It is usually played as a Triple Draw game, meaning you get three chances to swap cards. It is a favourite of high-stakes pros because it allows for pure bluffing. “Snowing” is when you stand pat (take no cards) with a garbage hand to convince your opponent you have the nuts.
H.O.R.S.E.
This is the ultimate test of all-around skill. The game changes every orbit (usually every 8 hands).
- Hold’em
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Razz
- Stud
- Eight-or-Better (Stud Hi-Lo)
You cannot be a one-trick pony. If you are a killer at Hold’em but suck at Razz, the table will wait for the Razz round to take all your chips.
Badugi
A weird and wonderful import from Korea. You get four cards. You want four different suits and low ranks. Pairs are bad. If you have the King of Hearts and the 2 of Hearts, one is useless (you can only use one of each suit). It plays like a triple draw game and creates plenty of headaches.
Pineapple and Crazy Pineapple
These are fun twists on Hold’em often found in social casinos or home games. In Pineapple, you get three cards and discard one before the flop. In Crazy Pineapple, you keep all three until the flop hits, then you ditch one.
You can sometimes hunt these variants down in the games lobby of adventurous sites. They lead to monster hands because everyone connects with the board. If you have Top Pair here, you are probably losing.
Short Deck Hold’em
Take a standard deck. Throw the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s in the bin. You play with 36 cards. This changes the math entirely.
Because there are fewer cards, you hit sets and straights constantly. In most Short Deck rules, a Flush beats a Full House because mathematically, flushes are harder to hit than full houses with this deck. Aces can play high or low (making A-6-7-8-9 a straight). It is high-variance and beloved by high rollers.
Comparison Chart: Popular Variants Side-by-Side
| Variant | Cards Dealt | Shared Cards? | Winning Hand |
| Texas Hold’em | 2 | Yes (5) | High |
| Omaha | 4 | Yes (5) | High |
| Short Deck | 2 | Yes (5) | High (Flush > Full House) |
| 7-Card Stud | 7 | No | High |
| Razz | 7 | No | Low |
Which Poker Game Is Right for You?
With so many poker types on offer, it can be tough to pick a lane. Here is how to match the game to your vibe.
Most Popular Types of Poker
If you want to play tournaments with massive prize pools, stick to Texas Hold’em. It is the gold standard. Every major site we list in our reviews section runs Hold’em games 24/7. You will never struggle to find a seat, and the resources to learn the game are endless.
Easiest Poker Game for Beginners
Texas Hold’em is easy to learn, but the sharks will eat you alive if you are not careful. For a softer start, try Five-Card Draw if you can find it, or look for “New Player” tables at new online casinos. These tables often lock out the pros, giving you a fair shake while you learn the ropes.
Best for Strategy and Skill
If you hate bad beats and love math, try Stud or H.O.R.S.E. These games reward patience, memory, and technical play. The variance is generally lower than the wild community card games because you have more information to work with (the up-cards). You can really grind out an edge if you pay attention.
Games with the Most Action
If you usually stick to real money pokies because you love high-speed thrills and big swings, give Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) or Short Deck a crack.
Do not get us wrong, these are skill games, not slot machines. But they share that heart-racing volatility. In PLO, the equities run close, meaning you are rarely “dead” in the hand even against the best players. The chips fly into the middle constantly. You can build a massive stack (or lose it) faster than in any other card game. It is the perfect bridge for adrenaline junkies who want to control their own destiny.
Final Verdict: Time to Shuffle Up and Deal
Poker is not just one game. It is a whole world of strategy, math, and bluffing. Whether you want to crunch numbers in Stud or shove stacks in Omaha, there is a seat waiting for you.
- For the Newbie: Stick to Texas Hold’em. It is the easiest to find, the rules are standard, and you can learn it quickly.
- For the Thrill Seeker: Jump into Pot Limit Omaha. The action is non-stop and the pots are huge.
- For the Tactician: Try Seven-Card Stud or H.O.R.S.E. to test your memory and patience.
The best advice we can give is to start small. Learn the rules of the specific variant before you risk your cash. Once you find your groove, the sky is the limit.
FAQ
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Are there different kinds of poker?
Yes mate, heaps. While Hold’em gets the TV time, there are dozens of variants like Stud, Draw, Omaha, and Badugi. Most good casino lobbies will split these into different tabs so you do not sit at the wrong table by mistake.
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What's the most popular poker?
No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the undisputed champion. It is what they play at the World Series of Poker Main Event and what you will find in 99% of pubs.
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What is 5 card poker called?
This usually refers to Five-Card Draw. However, there is also Five-Card Stud. Be careful not to confuse it with video poker—usually found under games or slots—which is a solo machine game based on 5-card rules.
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What are mixed poker games?
Mixed games combine several variants into one session. The most famous is H.O.R.S.E., but you also get 8-Game Mix and Dealer’s Choice. It stops players from specializing in just one format and tests overall card sense.
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Which poker variant is best to learn first?
Start with Texas Hold’em. The hand rankings (High Card, Pair, Flush, etc.) apply to almost every other game. Once you know the basics of betting and position, you can branch out.
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Are all poker games played with community cards?
No. Community cards are only for “flop games” like Hold’em and Omaha. Stud and Draw games rely entirely on the cards in your own hand.
