Texas Holdem is the most common form of poker played in casinos and many homes at present. If players aren’t playing Holdem, then they are likely playing Omaha or even Stud. However, there are many other different poker games that exist and you may even run across in certain poker games. Let’s discuss some of those games.
Iron Cross Poker
Iron cross is a game that combines elements of Holdem and the old style five card stud game. At the beginning of the game, each player receives five cards face down. Then, five cards are dealt in the center in the form of a cross. A round of betting then commences.
After the first round of betting, the card in the 3 o’clock position in the center is exposed followed by another round of betting. After this round, the six, nine, and 12 o’clock cards are exposed one at a time with a round of betting after each. Then, the final card in the center of the cross is exposed, followed by one last round of betting. At showdown, player make the best five card hand using the five cards in their hand either the horizontal or vertical bar of the cross. You must choose one of the bars and cannot use both.
The most common variation of iron cross is called fiery cross where the center card and any matching card in the deck is wild.
Follow the Queen
Follow the queen is a variation of seven card stud that involves wild cards. The game is played like typical stud with two cards down, four cards up, and the last card down. However, if a queen is dealt face up, then the next card dealt face up is wild. The wild card can actually change during the game. If another queen is dealt face up, then the wild card will change to the next card dealt. This can change a junk hand to a winner instantly. Only queens dealt face up change wild cards.
Chicago High-Low
Chicago high-low poker is a variant of seven card stud hi-lo regular but instead of the low requiring a qualifier, the player with the low spade in the hole gets half of the pot. In the even that a player has both the high hand and the low spade in the hole, he gets the whole pot. The same occurs if nobody at showdown has a spade in the hole.
Crazy Pineapple
Crazy pineapple is a variant of Texas Holdem. The game is played and bet exactly like Holdem but there are two differences. First, each player receives three cards pre-flop. After the betting round, the flop is dealt and then each player must discard one of their cards. At this point, the game is played exactly like Texas Holdem.
Spit in the Ocean
Spit in the Ocean is a five card draw variant where each player receives one down card and while dealing, when a player says “spit”, a card is dealt face up into the middle. This card is a community card that is used by all players. In addition, this card is a wild card and any cards in the deck matching it are wild.
Badugi
Badugi is a draw variant played with four cards. The object of the game is to make a hand with one card of each suit. If multiple players have a “badugi” then the player with the lowest hand wins the pot. If by chance nobody has a badugi, then the player with the best three card hand wins. Each player receives four cards, followed by a betting round. Players then may draw up to four cards, followed by a betting round. There are typically three draws in badugi games. After the last betting round, cards are shown and the best badugi hand, if there is one, wins the pot. Aces are always low, so the best badugi is A-2-3-4 of non-matching suits.
Chinese Poker
In chinese poker, players are dealt 13 cards and the object is to make three poker hands. There are two five card hands, and one three card hand. However, there is an order that hands must be dealt in. The 3 card hand must be lower than the first five card hand, and the 2nd five card hand must be higher than the other two hands. Players are given points based on the relative strength of their hands to the other players. For example, if you have a three card hand of A-K-Q, you will receive points based on the other three card hands. The same goes for your two five card hands.
As you can see, there are many different poker games out there. Holdem, Stud, and Omaha are just the tip of the iceberg to what is out there. However, keep in mind that many of the games above involve wild cards and you will not find them in many casinos.
