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Poker Games
General Guide to Poker Variations
Currently, the most popular poker variations can be divided into three groups:
♠ Community Card Poker (Poker Games with Collective Cards)
♠ Draw Poker
♠ Stud Poker
The principles of poker remains more or less the same in the different variations, though according to which variant is played, the number of cards each player receives or whether or not the cards are concealed or open, for example, may change.
Community Card Poker Games or Hold’em Poker Games
These variations of poker (among them are such classics like Texas Hold’em and Omaha) distinguish themselves not only in that every player receives their own cards (for example, either two or four so-called “hole cards”), but also that community cards are laid out on the table. With the help of these community cards, every player can then piece together their best possible hand. How many hole cards and how many community cards can or must be used for the final hand is typically predefined.
As previously mentioned, the most popular community card poker games are Texas Hold’em and Omaha. In Texas Hold’em, there are two hole cards and five community cards, whereas in Omaha Hold’em, four hole cards and five community cards are dealt.
Although Texas Hold’em poker is currently the favorite game of many poker players, there are just a few that have really mastered this variation. Among them is without a doubt Phil Hellmuth, an 11 time WSOP bracelet winner, every one of them from a game of Texas Hold’em (limit as well as pot limit and no limit). We at BonusBonusBonus have also put together an exclusive profile of Phil Hellmuth.
Other Community Card Poker Variations are:
♠ Royal Hold‘em
♠ Pineapple/Crazy Pineapple
♠ Manila
♠ Let it Ride
♠ Tic Tac Toe
♠ Courchevel
Draw Poker
Draw poker variations are probably the oldest poker variations there are. The predecessor of the modern poker game that has spread around the world since the time of the Mississippi steamboats and cowboys in the Wild West is Five Card Draw. The principle behind draw poker games is that every player receives a certain number of concealed cards that he or she can entirely or partially exchange at one or more opportunities to improve his or her hand.
In Five Card Draw – for a long time the most common poker variation of all – every player receives five cards, followed by a betting round, the possibility to exchange cards and then another round of betting. In Triple Draw, for example, there are a total of three possibilities to exchange cards. In draw poker variations, the position of the player is especially crucial because if and how many cards they exchange reveals a lot about their hand.
Other Draw Poker Variations are:
♠ Badugi
♠ 2 to 7 Triple Draw
♠ A to 5 Triple Draw
♠ Four-before
♠ Q-Ball
Most of the above-mentioned variations are so-called “lowball” games. This means that the goal of those games is not to win with the conventional “best” hand but rather with the “worst,” or to put it differently, the lowest hand possible. In various lowball (also known as just “low”) variations, there are many special rules such as, for example, the rule that an ace can only be counted as either high or low or whether or not the color of cards is taken into account.
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Stud Poker
Poker variations such as Seven Card Stud and Razz are among the so-called “stud” poker games. Stud poker variations distinguish themselves in that players are dealt concealed as well as open cards and that the position of players can change from round to round.
In the variation which was previously most common, Seven Card Stud, every player receives – as the name implies – seven cards, three of which are concealed and four are open. A round of betting takes place once the first three cards have been dealt. Then three more cards are dealt, followed by a betting round and then the last card, once again followed by a round of betting and subsequently the showdown. The player with the best five card hand wins. The variation Razz is also popular and works practically the same way as Seven Card Stud, only with the difference that in Razz, the “worst” or lowest possible hand is what wins.
Other Stud Poker Variations are:
♠ Australian Stud
♠ Tropical/Caribbean Stud
♠ Mississippi Stud
♠ Mexican Stud
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Short History of the Game of Poker
The exact origin of the game of poker is disputed to this day. On one side, it’s said the game developed in Persia; however the earliest records of a game there similar to poker, called “as nas,” only date back to 1890. Alternatively, the game “Pochspiel” existed much earlier in the 15th century in German-speaking territories as did the game “Poque” in France. These games apparently trace back to community games of the Renaissance and could have influenced the game of poker we know today.
By far most of the important developments in the game of poker have taken place in the more recent past. The game spread in the beginning of the 19th century, starting with the Mississippi steam boats in New Orleans, the Wild West – the world of cowboys, gold diggers and saloons – and went from there on its road to success. Back then, the most widely spread variation was Five Card Draw, although many new variations had already been created by that time.
At that point, poker was played with only 20 cards and hands such as a flush or a straight did not yet exist. The first important advancements came about during the Civil War, such as the introduction of the 52 card deck and hands such as the aforementioned straight. At that time, the first form of the Texas Hold’em game that’s so popular today was also created. Back then, this variation was referred to as “Wild Widow.”
The popularity of the game of poker first rose in the 20th century because of the “World Series of Poker” (WSOP), which started in the beginning of the 1970s. Up until then, the game of poker was regarded as mere game of chance that was not only simple but also dangerous, because in the Wild West and after the game allegedly often ended in shootings. Wild Bill Hickock was allegedly shot as he held a hand of two pairs (eights and aces); since then this hand in Five Card Draw poker has been known as the “Dead Man’s Hand.”
The enormous poker boom of recent years was surely also started by the WSOP victory of Chris Moneymaker in 2003, one of the most unknown amateur players up to that point. Since then, more and more players take part in the WSOP, online poker rooms enjoy growing notariety and the ever-increasing popularity of the tactically-demanding card game seems unstoppable.
Online poker is a science of its own, since the online game has a much faster pace than in “real life.” Because of that, many poker professionals get advice from so-called poker strategy programs and external player aids. For more information about this subject, just visit our section on poker strategy programs!
Strip Poker
Without a doubt, the well-known game, strip poker, also began early in the 19th century. In this version of poker, instead of sums of money, pieces of players’ clothing are wagered. Those who lose their stake have to take off the piece of clothing that was wagered.
Strip poker can be played with any poker variation, but is most common with more simple variations such as Five Card Draw.
On August 21st, 2006, the online poker room Paddy Power Poker organized the first Strip Poker Championship worldwide in the noble Cafè Royale in London. After Paddy Power Poker advertized such a championship as an April fool’s joke, the overwhelming feedback they received convinced the poker room’s management to actually start a strip poker championship. The lucky winner of the Texas Hold’em Strip Poker Tournament went home after eight hours with £ 10,000 and won another £ 10,000 for charity after lowering his pants at the end of the tournament.
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