Online Poker Games

Texas Holdem may be the most popular, but there are many other iterations of our favorite game. This page is devoted to the various online poker games that are available to you on the internet. Many rooms offer choices that include as least some of these numerous online poker games.

Texas Holdem

This is the hands down favorite of the online poker games. Often shortened to just Holdem, Texas Holdem is a community card game where each player gets two hole cards while sharing five community cards. The player who can combine their cards to make the best five card poker hand wins -- unless a worse hand can bluff the better hands into folding during the four betting rounds. Unlike many other casino games, this online poker game is one defined by skill.
Favorite Texas Holdem sites: RoyalBluePoker.com | DoylesRoom.com

Omaha Holdem

This one is a community card relative of Texas Hold'em, but it's harder. In Omaha, each player id dealt four personal cards and shares five community cards. Commonly played eight-or-better high-low split, Omaha can also be played high only, although then it is usually played with pot limit betting.
Favorite Omaha Holdem site: VCPoker.com | PokerInEurope.com

Pineapple Holdem

Somewhere in between Omaha and Texas Holdem poker games, Pineapple players are dealt three cards which they combine with the five community cards -- with the difference being that Pineapple requires that at some point players must discard one of the three cards. Usually this occurs after the flop (Crazy Pineapple), but it can also occur before the flop ("regular" Pineapple). More often than not the game is played High Low Split. Pineapple is also known as "Watermelon" (because you spit out the seeds).
Favorite Pineapple Holdem site: ultimatebet.com | paradisepoker.com

Stud

Stud has a huge number of variations. Seven Card Stud is the most popular casino Stud type, but Seven Card Stud Eight or Better is the most popular tournament version. Even though Stud is an immensely popular home poker game in its many forms (Chicago, Anaconda, Baseball, etc.), it has been losing popularity in casinos to the more media friendly community card games. Eight or Better, or Stud8, is probably the most common form of HiLo Stud, yet High-Low Declare is common in home games. Sometimes "Q" is played in casinos: That is, High Low, no qualifier. 5 Card Stud is another game losing ground in casinos. It requires too much pure skill, so bad players lose quickly, and the game becomes fairly pointless when played with good players only. A few games can be found online however. Stripped deck Mexican Stud is a fairly popular game when offered. In the few places where it is played, Sonora, no limit five card stud, has a loyal following.
Favorite Stud site: ladbrokespoker.com

Draw
Poker

Five Card Draw is the most basic of poker games, known to tens of millions of people because of western movies and home games. Because of its extremely high level of basic skill (bad players simply can't compete, except short term), Draw is nearly extinct in casinos. There is a variant, Jacks or Better, where you must have at least a pair of jacks or better before you can open a pot before the draw.
Favorite Draw Poker site: portalpoker.com

Lowball

The opposite of Draw High, Lowball is a five card draw where the lowest hand wins (straights or flushes don't count). Aces are low, so the best hand possible is a five-high "wheel": 5432A. Deuce to Seven Draw is a Lowball variation where straights and flushes do count, and aces act as high cards, making 75432 the best possible hand. 2 to 7 is usually played with No Limit betting. Both forms of Lowball are seldom played anywhere these days, but when they are, they are often played in the Triple Draw format, where instead of the traditional one, three draws occur, resulting in more rounds of betting action.
Favorite Lowball site: ultimatebet.com

Badugi

This game seems to have originated from South Korea, and is a lowball variety of poker. The best possible hand is A234, all of different suits.  Badugi is a triple draw, four card, low-hand game.  Badugi follows a betting structure similar to Limit Hold’em games. The best low hand is comprised of four cards, with none of the same suit, and none of the same rank:  i.e. ace, two, three, four all of different suits is the best possible hand. Any 4 card hands like this are known as a ‘Badugi’. Badugi is a low hand wins game. 
Favorite Badugi site: RoyalBluePoker.com

Razz

Razz is Seven Card Stud played low. A simple, mechanical game when played with a full table of players, Razz games seldom exist except in tournament and shorthanded (two to four players) situations where limited chip stacks or high antes encourage action.
Favorite Razz site: planetpoker.com

Other

Mixed Games
HOE (Holdem-Omaha-Eight or Better), and OE (Omaha8-Stud8), HORSE (Holdem-Omaha-Razz-Eight or Better Stud) are common casino offerings at higher limits, where mixed games are often spread to keep single game specialists out, and also because the pool of available players for many games is so small.

Non-Poker Casino Games
Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride and Pai Gow Poker are not "poker" in the exact sense, but rather casino games played against the house with poker-like elements. Likewise, video poker is not "poker" but rather slot machines with a poker element. Chinese Poker is more poker-like since players do have an option to surrender, but it is also not poker per se.

Recommend Online Poker Rooms:

Royal Blue Poker | Platinum Poker | ladbrokespoker.com | 24hPoker.com
BlueSq.com | BoSPoker.com | PokerInEurope.com | PaddyPowerPoker.com