In the wake of amateur Chris Moneymaker’s victory at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, with the addition of rampant television coverage and the growing ability to connect to the internet, online poker has become extremely popular. From blinds of 1c / 2c to stakes of $ 500/1000 with the best players in the world, the influence of online poker on traditional card play has reached stratospheric heights.
Here is a list of different forms of online poker:
Texas Holdem: Arguably the most popular online poker game nowadays. Each player starts the game with two cards facing down, called “hole cards” or “pocket cards”. The dealer then reveals three cards in the center of the table, which can be used by all players who still have the two cards in hand. These three cards are known as the “flop”. Then, the dealer reveals a fourth card on the table (called the “turn”). Finally, the dealer shows a fifth card called the “river”. Players will then combine their two cards with the fives on the table to get their best possible five-card hand.
Omaha: Named after a city located in the central part of the United States, this game is one of the most popular variations of poker in Europe. The poker rules for this game are quite similar to hold’em, except that each player is dealt four cards and can use two cards from his hand and three from the table to make his best five-card hand. The rules of Omaha poker also allow a “high-low” version, in which the lowest hand takes half the pot.
Seven Card Stud: Stud is the classic poker game from which holdem and omaha have taken their roots. After each betting round, players are dealt one card face up until the final round, where each player must reveal their cards. The player who holds the 5 best cards will be the winner. Stud rules allow for a “high-low” and a “low-hand-only” variant called Razz.
The Poker Game Pattern
Most online poker games feature these three betting patterns.
Fixed limit. Within the predetermined limit, the bets and raises are established in predetermined increments. If you were playing Holdem or Omaha with a limit of 25c / 50c, your first bet before the flop will be 25c and each raise will have a 25c increment. The same increment is applied for post-flop betting. On the turn and river, the raises go up to 50c. In the case of a third raise, most online poker has the “cap” as a rule, so no player will be able to raise the stakes again.
The Pot Limit. The pot limit in online poker games allows for maximum bets and raises up to the amount of money in the pot. Many online poker sites have an option to raise to the pot limit which can be done by pressing a button that says “pot”. This helps the player focus on the game and saves him from mental calculations to calculate how much is in the pot.
No-limit. This variation of online poker has made the phrase “All In” famous all over the world. When there is no limit, you can bet everything you have on the table even in one hand! As daring as it is risky, no-limit texas holdem is now the most popular poker tournament game played around the world.