Popular Poker Variants Beyond Texas Hold'em

While Texas Hold'em dominates modern poker, numerous other variants offer unique challenges and entertainment. Expanding your repertoire beyond Hold'em develops well-rounded poker skills and opens opportunities in games where competition may be softer. Here are the most popular poker variants worth learning.

Omaha Hold'em

Omaha closely resembles Texas Hold'em but deals four hole cards instead of two. Players must use exactly two hole cards and three community cards to make their best hand. This requirement fundamentally changes hand values and strategy.

The extra hole cards create bigger hands on average, making straights, flushes, and full houses much more common. Drawing hands gain value since you often have multiple draws simultaneously. Omaha demands tighter pre-flop play because many hands that look good actually have limited potential when the two-card requirement is enforced.

Omaha Hi-Lo

Also called Omaha Eight-or-Better, this split-pot variant divides the pot between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. A low hand requires five unpaired cards eight or lower. Players can win both halves ("scooping") or just one portion.

Hi-Lo strategy revolves around hands with two-way potential. Starting hands that can make both strong highs and lows dominate the game. Ace-two suited with connecting cards represents the premium starting hand type.

Seven-Card Stud

Before Hold'em's rise, Seven-Card Stud was America's most popular poker game. Each player receives seven cards throughout the hand - three down and four up. No community cards exist; you play only your own cards against opponents.

Stud emphasizes memory and observation since many cards are visible. Tracking which cards have been dealt affects hand reading and drawing decisions significantly. Starting hand selection focuses on live cards - hands where the cards you need have not appeared in opponents' upcards.

Razz

Razz is Seven-Card Stud played for low only. The best hand is A-2-3-4-5, called a "wheel." Straights and flushes do not count against you, and aces are always low. Razz rewards patience and discipline since premium starting hands are rare.

Mixed Games

Mixed games rotate through multiple poker variants, testing players' versatility. H.O.R.S.E. (Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better Stud) is the most famous mixed format. These games reward well-rounded players and expose weaknesses in one-game specialists.

Short Deck Hold'em

This increasingly popular variant removes all cards below six from the deck. The smaller deck changes hand rankings (flushes beat full houses) and dramatically increases action since strong hands occur more frequently.

Conclusion

Learning poker variants beyond Hold'em expands your skills and provides fresh challenges. Each game requires different strategic thinking, making you a more complete poker player. Start with Omaha, the most accessible alternative, then explore other variants as your interests dictate.