Find the Poker Game for You
When deciding which poker game to play, you need to consider three things. The first step is to find the type of game you like to play and study. Secondly, you want to find the best game that will suit your schedule. Third, you have to find a game that fits your bankroll and stakes.
Which Poker Game Will I Enjoy Most?
This step is the easiest and perhaps most fun in the process of choosing the poker game for you. Try playing all of the games – you can either test it free of charge using an online casino or MGM poker room or try it at its lowest stakes. Soon you will know what game you like most and which game fits your free time.
How High Should My Bankroll Be?
What’s your bankroll for poker? You do not need excessive money to enjoy poker if you are a player for recreational purposes only. But if you’re serious about playing poker, a larger bankroll is required to stay in the game.
How Much Studying Should I Do When Learning Poker?
No two poker players will have the same answer to this question. Some players prefer to learn at the tables by playing. The more hands you play, the more experienced you’ll be and, therefore, more prepared for whatever scenario comes your way.
Others prefer to learn by reading or online learning. Then, of course, you have communities, forums, hands with friends and others, or even Twitch and video reviews.
Beginners need to divide up their studies and practical work by at least 60/40. Divide the study aspect of the game into reviewing your hands, learning new strategies, and talking to friends and other players about the game.
How Do I Keep Poker Fun?
Make up some fun challenges for yourself. Switching things up not only makes your game more exciting but will also keep you on track to achieve your goals.
Popular Types Of Poker
Texas Hold’em
The most played poker game in America is Texas Hold’em, which is played at the World Series of Poker. In Texas Hold’em, players are dealt two “pocket” or “hole” cards and must then wait for the big reveal of five community cards.
Betting takes place in four rounds – deal the hole cards first, then the first three community cards (called “flop”) have been disclosed, once the fourth community card is shown (“the turn”), and finally once the fifth community card has been flipped (“the river”). With any combination of five cards, players need to make their best hands (their hole cards and the communal).
Omaha
Omaha is a different type of Hold’em that 2-10 players play at a time. Like Texas Hold’em, there are four betting rounds. But, unlike that version, four hole cards are given to each player, and then five community cards are revealed at once.
Players will need two of their hole cards and three common ones to draw their best 5-card hands.
7-Card Stud
In this version of poker, dealers give the players seven cards. Three of the cards are down, and four are up. The challenge is to make the best possible 5-card hand using the seven cards in the first deal.
5-Card Draw
In a 5-card draw, dealers give five cards to every player. The difference with this game is that players can then choose three of their cards to trade in.
High / Low Chicago
You can play this stud game for either the highest or lowest hand. The player with the highest face-down spade wins half the pot in High Chicago.
The lowest spade-down player wins half the pot in Low Chicago, while the highest spade-down player loses half the pot. The other half of the money goes to the person with the best hand.
Conversely, the player will win the whole pot if somebody has the best hand and the elusive winning spade (high or low, depending on the version). This game can be incorporated into other games using different poker variations.
Follow The Queen
This stud poker game uses seven cards, and a designated wild card is then exposed after a queen is flipped. There will be no wild card in that hand if there’s no sight of the queen during the game.
Things to keep in Mind
When playing poker or choosing a game to challenge someone in, you must understand that there are many different ways to play, and with each way comes a new set of rules.
Make sure you understand the guidelines and rules before you start to play.
For example, be sure to know:
Whether a low or high hand wins the game you are playing (some games use hi/low rules, which means the high and low hand will split the pot).
Is the Ace high or low? Are there any wild cards?
What is the pot-limit (if there is one). Is it a standard 52 deck, or does the game require two decks but only the 9-A cards, resulting in a deck of 48?
The best way to find the poker game that will suit you is to try them all out and make sure you familiarize yourself with the requirements of each variation. If one of the games mentioned sounds like something you’d enjoy, try it out!
