Three General Variants of Poker

If you are planning to play poker, it is best to know its different varieties. These variants hold the same general principle of poker: the aim of the game is to have the best hand. Several things that differ among the various types of poker are how the cards are dealt and the betting procedure.

There are three general poker variants: community-card, stud, and draw poker. These are basically classifications according to how the cards are dealt. There are, however, sub-variants in each general variant. These games share the characteristics of the general classification in which they belong, but may differ in more particular aspects.

Here we look at the three general variants of poker.

1. Draw poker

The draw variant of poker is more popularized as a home game. In draw poker, a player is dealt a complete hand of five cards. Players are then given the chance to improve their hands in succeeding rounds by discarding and drawing. The sub-variants may differ in how many cards could be discarded or drawn, and in how many betting rounds are made.

2. Stud poker

You can find some stud poker games in casinos. In this poker variant, players are dealt a full hand of five cards or more, in combinations of face-down and face-up cards. Unlike draw poker, players are not given a chance to discard and draw another set of cards. However, in sub-variants in which players have more than five cards, their hands could improve through the dealing of cards in excess of five.

3. Community-card poker

This is perhaps the most popular poker variant. You can easily find community-card games in casinos, both online and offline. In a community-card game, players are dealt incomplete sets of hands. These are generally face-down cards. Face-up cards are then dealt in the middle of the table to be shared by all players. The players must then build the best hand by combining the cards they are holding with the community cards.

A popular sub-variant of community-card poker is Texas Hold'em. This variant is the one which you might have seen on TV or have played online.

Knowing the general types of poker, you could avoid the embarrassing situation of sitting down in a wrong poker table of which you do not intend to play. Remember, poker variants may differ in how the cards are dealt, but the same principle applies: the aim of each player is to have the best hand possible.