What Poker Games Can I Play Online?
 To the new player the list of poker games available online can seem confusing. This article cuts through all the jargon and acronyms and summarizes your main choices. We have based this on the offerings of the world’s most popular (and in our opinion best) poker site – Poker Stars – we recommend you grab yourself an account there to find out what is on offer for yourself. Remember to use marketing code PSP3108 / bonus code STARS600 will get you the $600 sign-up bonus.
There are 3 ‘axis’ we can use to show what poker games you can find online these are:
- Game Type: Different variations on the poker theme.
- Betting Structure: How you bet and raise varies considerably within and between games.
- Game Format: Here we distinguish tournaments from cash or Sit N Goes, we also factor in the number of opponents at your table.
What Poker Games Can I Play Online #1 – Game Types.
Texas Holdem is the most popular format of poker both live and online – however this is far from the only one. Below is a list of some of the great poker games available online. If you would like to know more about how to play Texas Holdem then check out our How To Play Poker Online article which walks through a hand from a beginners perspective.
Omaha Holdem – This game uses ‘community cards’ in the same way as Texas Holdem, however each player is dealt 4 cards, two from your hand and three from the community cards must be used at showdown to create your 5 card hand. Played in ‘high’ and ‘hi-lo split’ format.
Stud Poker – The Stud games include a high-hand game, a high-low split game and a low-only game (known as Razz). Each player is dealt 7 cards of their own 4 of which are visible to all players. This poker variation has one more betting round than Holdem games, creating some big pots.
Draw Poker – Closed Card games in the Draw family include both high and low card games and some fun variations including triple draw and Badugi. The idea is that you swap a number of cards on each betting round – meaning you have limited information on which to base your strategy.
Mixed Game Poker – With so many games to choose from many players opt for a mixture. Games such as HORSE, HOSE and 8-game switch format after a set number of hands, keeping the games entertaining and lively!
What Poker Games Can I Play Online #2 – Betting Structures
How you bet and raise in a poker game makes a huge difference to both the strategy employed and how you manage your poker bankroll. The main distinction is between Fixed-Limit and No-Limit games, though a 3rd alternative – Pot-Limit – is also becoming popular.
Fixed Limit Betting – Here the amount you can bet or raise is determined in advance. This amount in turn determines the value of the ‘blinds’. The usual format of Fixed Limit games is to double the amount of the bets later in the hand. For example $2 / $4 Limit Holdem would have bets of $2 before the flop and on the flop, and bets of $4 for the turn and river betting rounds. There is usually a maximum of 4 raises on each betting round in Fixed Limit games.
No-Limit Betting – In this poker betting format you can bet any amount you like ranging from the size of the big blind to whatever you have in your stack at the current time. Opponent’s raises mean you must equal that raise amount to re-raise. This betting format usually starts with small blinds in relation to stack sizes. If a player runs out of chips before the end of the hand then the pot which they contributed to is separated – any players still betting then start a ‘side pot’ to continue the action.
Pot-Limit Betting – This is an interesting variation in which the maximum bet size is determined by the size of the current pot. This stops players betting ‘all-in’ early in the hand. The exponential increases in bet sizes mean that pots can suddenly grow very large with a bet and a re-raise. Pot-Limit betting is most commonly found in Omaha Poker games.
What Poker Games Can I Play Online? #3 – Game Formats
There are 3 main types of poker format in which the variations and betting types can be found. These are Cash Games, Tournaments and Sit N Goes. We will also cover the table sizes in this section.
Cash Game Poker – This is the standard format where each player sits with real money represented by their chips - $1 bet or won is a real dollar that you can cash out later. Cash games come in all formats and are very popular and the most common starting point for new players. You can find cash games with buy-in amounts starting at just $1 all the way up to $10,000’s for the high-rollers.
Tournament Poker – Online Poker tournaments range from just a few tables to massive fields of 15,000 or more players. Buy-ins (and so prizes) are equally diverse with free tournaments, lower $1 to $10 buy-ins common and going all the way to $1000’s. Tournaments are popular for several reasons – not least the chance of a huge payday for the winners!
Sit And Go Poker – Effectively small tournaments, sit and goes are actually defined by having no fixed starting time, they begin when 9, 45 or 180 players sign-up. There are many sizes and buy-ins to suit all pockets with the 1-table variety particularly popular.
Table Size Considerations – There are 3 main sizes of table in online poker (though lots of variation even here!) which are full-ring (9 or 10 players), short-handed (usually 6 players) and heads-up (2 players only). Most of the formats, game types and betting structures are available in different sizes – giving you yet more choice of how you play.
Our Suggestion: Try Before You Buy! Finding the game and format that you enjoy the most is a personal thing… we suggest you register at Poker Stars, spend some time trying the games and then focus on the one which you find the most profitable. You can claim a 100% to $600 sign-up bonus too – use Marketing Code PSP3108 and bonus code STARS600 when you register for this. Whichever game you choose, it is worth taking the time to find out for yourself what makes Poker Stars the world’s most popular poker site.
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