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Every year at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), one of the last games is the No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em championship. It costs $10,000 to enter, and the tournament’s winner is generally regarded as our World Poker Champion for a year. Some of today’s recognizable pros earned their reputation in part for winning this big game. Doyle Brunson, for instance, has won it twice. Even if that was the ‘70s, he’s still regarded today as a top player.
There’s more to poker than No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, however. If you’ve been following the ESPN coverage of ‘bracelet events’ leading up to the Main Event, then you’ve been seeing a number of variations on the game. Some of them resemble Texas Hold ‘Em, others not at all. The fact is that there are really hundreds of variations on the game of poker, with some far more popular than others. Not every poker millionaire made his money on Texas Hold ‘Em, and it’s important to appreciate the other popular variations that exist and some idea on how to play them well.
Last week, we talked about the different betting formats besides No-Limit. This week, we talk about the game variations themselves. I will provide you with brief description of each that leads into some strategy pointers on how to play the game. Why is this important?
First, you might feel crowded in the world of competitive Texas Hold ‘Em and would be interested in building your skills with a different variation. After all, it would be easier for you to win your first World Series bracelet in the Razz event than in the No Limit Hold 'Em Main Event. Second, if you find yourself in a casino cardroom, you’ll note they have some of these variations to offer in addition to Texas Hold ‘Em. Third, most of today’s online poker rooms offer more than just Texas Hold ‘Em. If one of the games below appeals to you, try it at your poker room’s lowest limits to see if you like it for a minimal investment. Finally, different poker game variations have always been the spice of home poker. You might want to give some of these games a try when you feel like playing poker but would like to try something new besides ‘same ole’ Texas Hold ‘Em’.
Have something to add about any of the following games? Visit the HomePoker.com Discussion Forum to have your say or to read what others think. Seven Card Stud
This is probably the second most popular poker game after Texas Hold ‘Em. There are two events at the WSOP for Seven Card Stud. Here are the rules:
Everybody antes a small amount. Two cards are dealt face-down to each player like in Hold ‘Em, but in addition, a third card is dealt face-up to each player.
The player dealt the lowest card face-up is forced to open the first betting round.
Another card face-up to each player. Second betting round opened by the player who has the best hand showing. With only two cards face-up, a pair is a better hand than two mismatched cards .
Another card face-up to each player. Third betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing.
Another card face-up to each player. Fourth betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing.
Another card dealt face-down to each player. Fifth and final betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing, which is going to be the same player that opened the last betting round unless he folded.
Showdown. Best hand wins.
Now, let’s get down to some strategy so you can start thinking about the WSOP bracelet you're going to win playing Stud:
Position: Much less relevant in Stud over Hold ‘Em. In Hold ‘Em, your position in the betting round dictates much of your play. In Stud, whoever opens the betting round can continue to change from new card to new card. You don’t know what your position is going to be on the next round until the next batch of face-up cards are dealt.
Remember what you’ve seen: In Hold ‘Em, all players share the community cards in the center of the table. In Stud, every player is dealt their own personal hand, but you can see four of the seven cards in every other player’s hand. When a player folds, their face-up cards are flipped over and you need to remember what they were. Chasing a three-of-a-kind, straight, or flush? If you’ve been watching other players’ hands, you’ll know what’s already been dealt and folded. For instance, throw a flush draw away if you’ve already seen plenty of that suit dealt to other players.
Your own personal cards: In Stud, you don’t share community cards like in Hold ‘Em. What’s more, four of your personal cards are exposed to all players. That means you can represent big hands if a card ‘appears’ to help your hand. On the flipside, you need to watch the cards that your opponents get, since they may indicate that an opponent’s hand just improved.
Play big hands against few opponents: Like in Hold ‘Em, play big cards against few opponents and draw hands (3 or 4 cards to a straight or flush) against many players. For instance, if your first three cards include two Kings or two Queens, there’s less chance it will improve, so bet big to thin the field. If, on the other hand, your first three cards are suited, you’re two cards away from a flush but considering the probability of getting it, you want to make sure there are lots of opponents left in the hand when you do make the flush.
Stay in late: There’s one more betting round in Stud than in Hold ‘Em. That means on the final betting round, the pot should be big. It will therefore take a big bet from one of your opponents for you to consider folding at this point. Don’t fold on the final betting round unless you’re sure you’re beat, or if your opponent puts you to the test with a very sizable bet. Otherwise, the pot has become too big to risk folding the better hand.
Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo
This is also the game played at two of the WSOP bracelet events leading up to the main event. It is played exactly as Seven Card Stud is described above, but with one twist…the pot is SPLIT between the player with the best hand and the player with the worst hand. This will seem right out of the Bizarro world if you’ve only ever played Texas Hold ‘Em, but the worst hand at the table claims half the pot. When determining the worst hand, note that straights and flushes don’t count (ie. an A-2-3-4-5 is not only the ‘best possible low hand’, but it’s also a straight for the high hand). Any one player is also allowed to use two different 5-card variations of his seven cards in order to win both the Hi half and the Lo half of the pot. Strategy is also the same as described above, since the mechanics of the game are the same. There are some additional considerations:
Hands that could be Hi or Lo are very playable: If your first three cards have the makings of both a Hi and Lo hand, then you have more than one chance to win. Since the A-2-3-4-5 is a very enviable hand in Hi-Lo, being dealt an A-2-3 to start has strong potential. Another example are three low cards that are all the same suit…has potential to be a low hand and a flush.
Aces are the commodity of kings: An Ace alone doesn’t make a good hand, but remember that it can be Hi or Lo. Two Aces is a great hand because you already have a big pair and the potential to use one of the Aces as part of a Lo hand. An Ace and two small cards is also very playable.
Don’t be seduced to play the Lo: Many novices believe since the pot is always split, that even if your Hi hand doesn’t come through for you, you can stay in the pot for a chance to win the Lo half. Don’t be seduced to play Lo just because it pays half a pot. Play for the Lo as intentionally as you would for the High if you have reason to throughout the hand.
Razz
There is one Razz bracelet event at the WSOP every year. Razz is Seven Card Stud played by Lowball rules. That is, the same rules as Seven Card Stud but the worst hand at the table wins the entire pot. Here are the exceptions:
Instead of the player with the lowest card face-up after the opening three-card deal opening the betting, the highest card does.
On the subsequent four betting rounds, it’s the player with the worst hand showing that opens each betting round. This, as opposed to the player with the best hand showing as in Seven Card Stud.
I won’t go into a lot of strategy with this game, because it doesn’t differ too much from Seven Card Stud. The mechanics are the same, but what you count as a strong hand is the opposite. To that end, if your three opening cards are Eight or less with no pair, you have a strong hand. Aces are strong, as they are the lowest card.
Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo Split
The official name of Omaha is Omaha Hold ‘Em, so you can be sure this is the popular game most closely resembling Texas Hold ‘Em. Its cousin Omaha Hi-Lo is played the same as Omaha, with the twist that the pot is split between the best and worst hands at the table. Between the two variations, there are seven WSOP bracelet events for Omaha! This would lead some to suggest that Omaha has surpassed Seven Card Stud in popularity, which is debatable. Here are the rules to either game:
The same as Texas Hold ‘Em, except that instead of two cards, FOUR cards are dealt face-down to each player.
There are still two blind bets that open up the first betting round. Those blinds come from the two players to the dealer’s left.
Gameplay also resembles Texas Hold ‘Em, with a flop, a turn, and a river. On the showdown, players make their best five card hand by using two of the four cards dealt to them and three of the five community cards in the center of the table. A player’s final hand HAS to be two from their hand and three from the board. Best hand wins.
In Hi-Lo Split, the worst hand takes half the pot. One player can arrange his hand in two different ways to try and get both the Hi and the Lo, but each combination of cards must include two cards from the player’s hand and three cards from the board.
Much of the same strategy applies to Omaha as Texas Hold ‘Em. For instance, position is fixed throughout the whole hand. If you know who’s dealing, you know what your position will be on all betting rounds. You play that advantage or disadvantage the same in Omaha as you would in Texas Hold ‘Em. Here is some strategy unique to Omaha:
Better hands: Because there are four cards dealt to each player instead of two, there’s more likely to be better hands in the end. Four cards to each player increases the chance of made hands. Use the flop as an opportunity to assess where you stand and fold if it doesn’t look promising.
Four coordinated cards: Even though you’ll only be using four cards from your hand, it makes sense to play hands where all four cards are coordinated. Two pairs are coordinated. Four cards relatively close in rank are coordinated. Three or four suited cards, however, are almost a curse. You can only use two of them, and now know that cards you’re looking for on the board have already been dealt - to you, and they're unusable!.
Lo isn't always Lo enough: With Hi-Lo, the Lo half of the pot is sometimes only rewarded if the worst hand is an Eight-down or worse. This means five cards with no pairs and no one card higher than an Eight to qualify for that half of the pot. Aces are strong as they were described in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. So, an Ace and another low card is a good start to a Lo hand.
If going Hi, look out for low cards on board: Three low cards that are close in rank could mean a low straight, which would take the Lo AND the Hi if the Hi hand isn’t at least a higher straight. The A-2-3-4-5 (or Bicycle Wheel) is a mighty hand in any Hi-Lo games.
Draw Lowball
This is the best part. I really wanted to write about poker variations because lately, I’ve been playing lots of five card draw poker. I forgot how much fun it is. At the WSOP, they only have one bracelet event for Draw Poker, and it’s a tournament of Draw Lowball. The rules:
Five cards dealt face-down to each player.
Opening betting round.
Discard the cards from your hand that you don’t want. They are replaced by fresh cards from the deck.
Another betting round, followed by showdown.
In Draw Lowball, the worst hand at the table takes the entire pot. In regular Draw Poker, the best hand would take the pot.
As you can see, Draw Poker is radically different than Hold ‘Em Poker with its community cards, or Stud Poker where every player has part of his hand showing to the rest of the table. Another word for Draw Poker is “closed poker”, meaning no part of a player’s hand is visible to the rest of the table. Here is strategy for Draw Poker in general, but also for the specific variation that is Draw Lowball:
Half as many betting rounds: There are only two betting rounds, as opposed to the four betting rounds of Hold ‘Em, or the five betting rounds of Stud. It’s not easy to win money per pot in Draw with so few betting rounds. Your plan to win must contain fewer steps; in fact, no more than two steps, one for each betting round.
Non-betting signal: The number of cards you draw is your non-betting signal to the table. In Draw Lowball, a player is keeping the cards that are Eight or less, or else breaking up pairs. Do the math from there. In regular Draw Poker, a draw of three usually means the player is keeping a pair; a draw of two means three-of-a-kind, or a pair and a high card; a draw of one means the player is trying to complete a straight or a flush.
Position: As in Hold ‘Em, position is an advantage or disadvantage in Draw Poker. The betting rounds are opened by the player to the dealer’s left, so you know what your position is. The downfall of this advantage in Draw Poker, however, is that there are half as many betting rounds, so the advantage is much more short-lived. But make no mistake. In closed poker like Draw, position can be extremely important for bluffing. A good bluffer cleans up in Draw because with all cards dealt face-down, you can represent whatever hand you want.
There you have it! The world of poker outside of Texas Hold ‘Em. One aspect that bonds all poker games together is that of psychology. The fact is that you can bluff in any of these games, you can slowplay in any of these games, and you can vary your style and change gears accordingly no matter what variation of poker you’re playing. Poker is about having more than one choice in any decision you have to make. Regardless of the mechanics of the poker game variation, this is the essence of poker.
Now, you have your first set of tools for choosing a poker variation, practicing for a year, and then going for a WSOP bracelet, while your friends join the thousands of players trying to win the No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event.
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