Poker is a game now known to everyone, and its rules have been exported internationally and are relatively simple and easy to understand for novices. However, when we talk about poker, we generally talk about Texas Hold’em, by far the most popular of all its variants, the one which in any case is entitled to television honors and the biggest tournaments on the planet.
The second most popular variant is Omaha, where you have four cards in your hand instead of two and where you have to build your game with two cards from your hand and 3 from the flop. But there are other ways to play poker, much rarer, but also much more confusing. Here are 5 very good examples.
The Badugi
It is currently the way of playing poker that is gaining more and more followers, because it is a simple and fun way to play it, but it must be said that we are moving away enormously from the rules of the game. traditional poker . This variant is played with only 4 cards, and over 4 rounds. But above all, the goal is not to have the best possible combination, but a Badugi, which corresponds to 4 cards of 4 different signs .
The goal of the game is actually to try to have the weakest possible hand, especially with no pairs, and only the As-2-3-4 hand is really strong, apart from the Badugi of course. This game is above all for fun, thanks to its large number of possible combinations, and is for those who want to play without taking themselves too seriously.
The Razz
This variant is quite similar to the principle of Badugi, because the goal is still there to have the weakest possible hand and especially no pairs . But here, in addition, flushes don’t count either and the best possible hand is the Ace-2-3-4-5 straight. On the other hand, each player has 7 cards here, of which 4 are visible to everyone, and 3 can only be consulted by the player.
It is therefore once again a very different operation from classic poker, which requires different reflexes, but also a certain learning before understanding all the specificities and all the possible strategies. It is for those looking for a challenge.
The Fusion
This type of poker is still very little developed, because it is currently only accessible on the PokerStars site, which is the creator. The principle of Fusion is however quite simple, but also very attractive. As its name suggests, this game is a mix between two variants : the famous Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
We start the game like a classic game of Texas Hold’em with 2 cards in hand and 3 in the flop, but, on the turn, we receive a third card in hand, then a fourth on the river, to finish like in Omaha . A great way to mix the two most popular variants.
The Crazy Pineapple
When a variant of poker is called Crazy Pineapple, we can be sure that we are going to be dealing with a slightly crazy game. However, the rules of this game are the easiest of all these unusual ways to play poker. We start the game with 3 cards in hand, then each player must get rid of one after the flop to continue on a game of classic Hold’em . It is therefore a good game to see big shots and to compete in a row against full house, hence its nickname “Crazy”.
The PowerUp
Finally, to finish this list, we could not fail to mention the PowerUp, another exclusive creation from PokerStars which mixes poker with Hearthstone , that is to say with a game of magic cards. Here, in addition to the rules and the classic poker cards, there are special cards with powers allowing you to discover a card from the flop or from your opponents, to prevent a player’s bet or to block an opposing power. . We are therefore moving away from poker to get closer to e-Sport and, of course, this variant can only be played online.