Master poker variants and different strategies to excel in online casino poker games

Online Poker Variants

If you play poker online you may have already come across some variations of your favourite games from different providers of online poker casino. Mixing it up is great for a change but did you know that mastering different games can be a good way to learn new strategies and help you excel at your favourite? Here are some unmissable online poker tips that you need to know to make the most of your online casino poker experience.

Online Casino Poker Games

The list of games you can play on UK online casino sites is growing endlessly with new twists on old favourites and brand new games to jazz up your poker style. Old stalwarts like Texas Hold’Em, Five Card Draw and Seven Card Stud appear on most UK poker sites but you should try playing some of the newer alternatives to improve your game. Some players even say they learn something new about themselves by betting on draws in different online poker variants.

Texas Hold’Em

Probably the most popular game, Texas Hold’Em is used in World Series events. Each player has two cards with five community cards. Betting takes place after the first three community cards, known as the flop, and goes on until the last two, the turn and the river, are revealed. The winner makes the best five-card using one or two of their own cards and any three or four from the community pile.

Pot Limit Omaha

So how can other games help you play Hold’Em? Here’s one example. Pot Limit Omaha gives you four cards in your own hand instead of Hold’Em’s three which gives you more choices when you use the five community cards in the same way. One difference is you have to use at least two of your own cards. Another major change is the betting limit: while there is no limit in Hold’Em, Omaha includes a pot limit, as the title suggests. This means that betting increases heavily on the flop since those players waiting on the draw could be in a stronger position than those with an already made hand. Practising betting on the draw in this way helps your gameplay when using Texas Hold’Em. Even though there is less chance in Hold’Em of a drawn hand beating a made hand, applying the strategies of betting on the draw gives you more chance of winning and may never have to complete your hand if all your opponents fold. Learning to raise when your behind becomes a skill you can use in many online poker variants.

Chinese Poker on UK Poker Sites

Chinese Poker is seeing a surge in popularity in online casino poker. Starting with thirteen cards, players make two five card hands and a three card hand. One variant is Open Face Chinese Poker where the hands must be placed face down and players only receive five cards at a time so must make their hands as the game develops.

Badugi – Online Poker Tips

Here is a game that is more popular in online casino poker at the moment. Players have four cards each and the lowest hand wins. The aim is to make a run of four cards from different suits. Pairs or similar suits are discarded leaving players with a lower hand.

Five Card Draw

A really easy game, in Five Card Draw players are dealt five cards and have the chance to exchange them by taking more from the deck and returning the same number to the bottom of the deck. Betting takes place before and after the draw and the winner has the best five card hand. Another variant is Triple Draw where players have three opportunities to exchange cards from the deck and bet. Aces are low in Five Card but high in Triple Draw.

Stud Poker

There are three variations of stud poker including Seven Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo and Razz. In Seven Card, players are dealt seven cards and make the best five card hand available. One of the first two cards is dealt face up and betting continues each round with the fourth, fifth and sixth cards also face up. In Hi-Lo the pot is split with half awarded to the player with the best low hand of five cards below eight. In Razz, the lowest hand wins and the first two and seventh cards are dealt face down.

Check out the archives for even more great online poker tips and don’t forget to look out for more features to come in this series.