In Texas Holdem, players receive two downcards as their personal hand (hole cards), after which there is a round of betting. Three boardcards are turned simultaneously (called the "flop") and another round of betting occurs. The next two boardcards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. The boardcards are community cards, and a player may use any five-card combination from the board and personal cards. A player may even use all of the boardcards and no personal cards to form a hand (play the board). A dealer button is used. The usual structure is to use two blinds, but it is possible to play with one blind, multiple blinds, an ante, or combination of blinds plus an ante.
There are the Limit and No Limit varieties. In Limit Holdem the blinds and bets are on a fixed scale. In No Limit Holdem a player can bet his entire stack of chips.
Omaha
Omaha is similar to Holdem in using a three-card flop on the board, a fourth board card, and then a fifth board card. Each player is dealt four holecards (instead of two) at the start. In order to make a hand a player must use precisely two holecards with three board cards. The betting is the same as in holdem. At the showdown, the entire four-card hand should be shown to receive the pot.
There are the Limit and Pot Limit varieties. In Limit Omaha the blinds and bets are on a fixed scale. In Pot Limit Omaha a player can bet up to the size of the pot.
7 Card Stud
Seven-card stud is played with two downcards and one upcard dealt before the first betting round, followed by three more upcards (with a betting round after each card). After the last downcard is dealt, there is a final round of betting. The best five-card poker hand wins the pot. In all fixed-limit games, the smaller bet is wagered on the first two betting rounds, and the larger bet is wagered after the betting rounds on the fifth, sixth, and seventh cards. If there is an open pair on the fourth card, any player has the option of making the smaller or larger bet. Deliberately changing the order of your upcards in a stud game is improper because it unfairly misleads the other players. The player with the lowest card showing must "Bring In". The Bring In bet can be a full small bet or half the small bet.
Razz
The lowest hand wins the pot. The format is similar to seven-card stud high, except the high card (aces are low) is required to make the forced bet on the first round, and the low hand acts first on all subsequent rounds. Straights and flushes have no ranking, so the best possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A (a wheel). An open pair does not affect the betting limit.
Pineapple
Pineapple is similar to Holdem in using a three-card flop on the board, a fourth boardcard, and then a fifth boardcard. Each player is dealt three holecards (instead of two) at the start. One of these cards is discarded before the flop (in regular Pineapple) or after the flop (in Crazy Pineapple, which is the more common version). The betting is the same as Holdem. At the showdown, a player can use any combination of his remaining two cards and the boardcards. A player who still has three cards in his hand at the showdown has a dead hand.
Lowball
Lowball is draw poker with the lowest hand winning the pot. Each player is dealt five cards facedown, after which there is a betting round. Players are required to open with a bet or fold. The players who remain in the pot after the first betting round now have an option to improve their hand by replacing cards in their hands with new ones. This is the draw. The game is normally played with one or more blinds, sometimes with an ante added. Some betting structures allow the big blind to be called; other structures require the minimum open to be double the big blind. In limit poker, the usual structure has the limit double after the draw (Northern California is an exception). The most popular forms of lowball are ace-to-five lowball (also known as California lowball), and deuce-to-seven lowball (also known as Kansas City lowball). Ace-to-five lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 5-4-3-2-A. Deuce-to-seven lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 7-5-4-3-2 (not of the same suit).
Draw Poker
There are two betting rounds, one before the draw and one after the draw. The game is played with a button and an ante. Players in turn may check, open for the minimum, or open with a raise. After the first betting round the players have the opportunity to draw new cards to replace the ones they discard. Action after the draw starts with the opener, or next player proceeding clockwise if the opener has folded. The betting limit after the draw is twice the amount of the betting limit before the draw. Some draw high games allow a player to open on anything; others require the opener to have a pair of jacks or better.
