Pokeriad / Learn / Types of poker
Types of poker: every popular game explained
Updated November 2026
The main types of poker are Texas Hold'em, Omaha, seven card stud and five card draw, and you'll find Hold'em in nearly every card room in the world. They use the same list of hands, and what changes is how many cards you get and how many are shared.
| Game | Your cards | Shared | Usual betting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Hold'em | 2 | 5 | No-limit |
| Omaha | 4 | 5 | Pot-limit |
| Seven card stud | 7 | None | Fixed-limit |
| Five card draw | 5 | None | Home games |
| Short deck | 2, from 36 cards | 5 | No-limit |
Which should you learn first?
What are the three families?
- Community card gamesHold'em and Omaha. You combine your own cards with five shared ones.
- Stud gamesEach player has their own cards, some face up. Seven card stud and razz are the best known.
- Draw gamesYou swap some of your cards. Five card draw is the classic.
What does "lowball" mean?
The list of hands turned upside down. In lowball, the worst hand wins. Razz is seven card stud played for low. Deuce-to-seven triple draw is a draw game played for low, and its best hand is 7-5-4-3-2.
The best low hand, deuce-to-seven
What does "hi-lo" mean?
The pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand. Omaha hi-lo is the most popular version, and it's usually played "eight or better": a low hand needs five different cards of eight or lower.
One hand can win both halves, and that's called scooping.
Hi-lo pot
What is short deck?
Texas Hold'em played with the 2s through 5s removed, leaving 36 cards. Hands connect more often, and flushes get harder to make, so a flush beats a full house in the usual rules.
In short deck
How do the betting formats differ?
- No-limitBet anything up to your stack. It's the usual format for Hold'em.
- Pot-limitYour bet can't be more than the pot. It's the usual format for Omaha.
- Fixed-limitBets come in set sizes. It's common in stud and mixed games.
What other games might you run into?
- PineappleLike Hold'em, but you get three cards and throw one away.
- RazzSeven card stud where the lowest hand wins.
- Mixed gamesSeveral variations in rotation, often called HORSE.
Can you tell them apart?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
What is the most popular type of poker?
Texas Hold'em.
What is HORSE?
Five games in rotation: Hold'em, Omaha hi-lo, razz, stud and stud eight-or-better.
Do all games use the same hand rankings?
Nearly all. Lowball games reverse them, and short deck changes one or two.
Know someone who only plays one game?
Send them this page.