Poker is game that offers an unaccountable amount of variations, but no matter what variation you play the basics will be pretty much the same, getting the best hand possible is always going to be the main point of the game and that’s why you can change certain details in the structure like how many pocket cards are dealt to each player at the beginning of the hand, how many community can be used, if you can exchange cards, etc. Every poker player knows the Texas Hold’em basics since this is the most common variation, actually many people inclines to believe that this is the only poker there is due its popularity and recent explosion on the TV. A good poker player knows dozens, even hundreds of different ways to play; I’m not a big player, I’m just a social player that enjoys from playing a few hands once in a while, but I remember that I played poker with some pals that that used to set different rules for each hand.
Normally when you visit an online casino you will find diverse variations of poker, some of them are exclusive but I will stay focused only in the most common types of poker you can find at almost any casino on the planet after Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker. Seven card Stud Hi/Lo Split is a very popular form in many online casinos as well as in places like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, etc. This game needs full awareness of folded cards. It's dealt just like regular 7 Card Stud with 3 cards down and 4 cards up except that the pot gets split between the best high and low hands. You need to score 8 low or lower to win the low half; otherwise the best high hand gets it all. River Pineapple is a variation of Hi/Lo Hold'em, one of the differences is that each player starts with three cards instead of just two. There's a three card flop, a turn card and a river card with a bet after each like in Texas Hold'em. You must decide which way to go once the river cards is revealed, and throw away one of your hole cards before you turn up your hand. Best high and low hands split the pot, and as always, the low must be 8 or lower. Aces aren't as good in this game as in Texas Hold’em; small two-pair hands get made at the river by players who were going low with something like 2/3/4. Star Wars is another interesting variation; the game is an expanded version of Omaha Hi/Lo. Each player gets five cards in the hole and makes a bet. Then there's a three card flop and then you have to bet again. The fourth and fifth board cards come simultaneously, followed by a third and final bet. You must use two cards from your hand with three cards from the board to achieve the highest hand. Then you use two from your hand with three from the board to make your best low. If no player hits 8 low or lower, the high hand gets the whole pot.
Forty-Two is a lively combination of flop style and draw poker with the usual Hi/Lo split. Each player gets four cards and you can use them all, and then bet. A two card flop is deal so that everybody now has six cards followed by a second betting round, you get 4 cards and then 2 and that’s why the game is called “42”. You can discard and draw anywhere up to four hole cards, then there's a final bet. Best low hand of 8 or lower takes half the pot but the high hand winner must have at least two-pair.
P.S. Use your poker skills in practice
(c) Efrain Valerio
