There's More To Poker Than Texas Holdem!
By Ian McIntosh, Sat Dec 10th
Texas Holdem is taking over the world, but believe it or notthere are many other poker games you can play. Most of them fallinto one of three categories:
- Stud Games (for example 7 card stud) - Draw Games (forexample 5 card draw) - Shared Hand Games (for example TexasHoldem)
There are also some other obscure games that don't fit intothese categories, some of the more popular of which are high/lowpig, bid poker and guts. In almost all types of poker game thehand rankings are the same, with a very few minor exceptionswhich have become more or less “home-made” rules.
Here are brief descriptions of some different poker games:
5 Card Draw Poker Played by 3 - 7 players. Each is dealt fivecards and there is a round of betting based on the hands. Afterthe betting players can now put up to three cards back inexchange for new ones. (There's one exception where a player canexchange four cards if he shows the fifth to be an ace). There'sa further round of betting and the best hand wins. Draw pokerwas once the standard way to play but it has of course beenovertaken by Texas Holdem.
7 Card Stud Poker Played by 3 - 10 players. Players are dealttwo cards face down and one face up and there is a round ofbetting. Cards 4, 5 and six are then dealt face up with bettingon each round. The final card is dealt face down and there isanother round of betting before the showdown. 7 Card Stud Pokeris still a popular game and is probably second at the moment toTexas Holdem.
Caribbean Poker This is a poker game played in a casino betweenthe player and the dealer. Each gets five cards and the playerhas to decide whether his card is worth betting on after seeingthe dealer's first card. If the player has a better hand thanthe dealer he is paid out in a fixed odds system depending onthe strength of his hand. The fixed odds range from evens for apair or high
