Rules of Other Poker Games

The poker games listed here might not be as popular as Texas Holdem and Omaha but they still enjoy plenty of popularity online and in most brick and mortar casinos. Major tournaments offer special events that feature these poker games and there is a lot of dead money in cash games that spread these poker variants.

The rules of most of these poker variants are based on other games such as Texas Holdem or Seven Card Stud. If you already know how to play those games, you’ll have no trouble learning most of the games listed here. Considering the ease of learning these games and all the dead money out there, it’s worth taking a look at these games and possibly learning how to play some or all of them.

Omaha Hi-Lo

This game is also called Omaha 8 or Better and sometimes just Omaha 8/b. Omaha Hi-Lo is played the same as regular Omaha except for the showdown rules. In Omaha Hi-Lo, each pot is divided up between the best traditional poker hand and the best low poker hand.

For a hand to qualify as low, it must contain five cards that are ranked 8 or lower. Aces count as low for the low half of the pot and straights/flushes do not count against you. The best low hand is A-2-3-4-5.

A qualifying low hand isn’t always possible due to the board so if there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand scoops the entire pot. Sometimes the best low hand is also the best high hand. For example, the hand A-2-3-4-5 could win the low half as the nut low and the high half as a straight.

Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo

This game is played with the same rules as Seven Card Stud but like Omaha Hi-Lo, it splits each pot between the best high hand and the best low hand. Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo is also sometimes called Seven Card Stud 8 or Better or Seven Card Stud 8/b.

The rules for low hands in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo are the same as for Omaha Hi-Lo. The hand must contain five cards ranked 8 or lower to qualify. Straights and flushes are ignored for the low hand and Aces count as low.

Razz

Razz is another variation of Seven Card Stud. In this poker game, the goal is to get the lowest hand possible. The rules are the same as Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo except there is no qualifying high hand. The best low hand wins the entire pot.

The rules for qualifying hands are the same as for the above two games. Aces always count as low and straights/flushes have no meaning. Other than the rankings of winning hands, this game is played with the same rules and structure at Seven Card Stud.

Five Card Draw

Five Card Draw is the game that’s always associated with Cowboys in old Western movies. In this poker game, each player receives five cards face down. There is then a round of betting, followed by a drawing phase and then a final round of betting.

The drawing phase allows each player to discard 0-5 cards and receive new ones at random from the deck. After that draw phase and the final betting round, the player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot.

Five Card Stud

Five Card Stud is played like Seven Card Stud except each player gets a total of five cards instead of seven. The game begins with each player receiving one card face down and one card face up. A round of betting follows and then each player receives a total of three more cards face up, with a round of betting between each.

Five Card Stud is generally considered a flawed game because it moves extremely slowly and too many of each player’s cards are revealed. In the end, big hands are rare and big pots even rarer.

H.O.R.S.E.

HORSE Poker is a game in which five different forms of poker are played at a single table. Each game is played for a certain period of time or for a specified number of hands. The letters in the name HORSE each represent a different game:

H – Texas Holdem
O – Omaha 8 or Better
R – Razz Poker
S – Seven Card Stud
E – Stud 8 or Better