The games of Omaha 8 and Omaha High-Low are interchangeable and both are on the weird side because the high hand winner and low hand winner split the pot. Should the same player be so fortunate as to hold both, he gets 100% of the pot all to himself. This combination of high and low hands in one player is the rule that makes for singular strategies as the players vie to optimize their betting odds. With a lone betting structure, it is not unusual for a player to be going after the highest or lowest hand or both right in step with their opponents. As is any poker variant, the nuts (best hand) gets the pot.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Omaha Hold’em and the main feature contributing to its growing popularity is the hand which is dealt to each player during the game with four hidden cards. It is one of the more complicated games and therefore requires much experience to play it well. As usual in poker, the player with the nuts wins the pot, but in Omaha Hold’em that winning 5 card hand is constituted from the hole cards in their hand and any of the community cards of five. Limit Omaha and Pot limit are the two major betting formats you will encounter with Pot Limit coming out ahead. Omaha 8 is yet another betting structure found in some venues.

Manila poker takes a big departure from other poker types in that it is played with a deck of 32 cards shortened by virtue of the fact that all the cards are eight or higher. It is sometimes called Seven-Up Poker because of this. Its major claim to fame is in Asia and Australia where It bears some semblance to Texas Holdem in that each player is dealt two cards, after this, though not much similarity remains. Manila is growing in popularity in Australian casinos and may also be found in home games where the players want a variety of poker types to pass the evening away enjoyably. It is rare in online poker venues.

Mixed poker games have grown in popularity lately in cash and tournament play because of their diversity – adding excitement, challenge and variety to poker. The play in mixed poker alternates between hands offering players the chance to build their expertise in a variety of games. Mixed poker is also gaining popularity in many online poker rooms and casinos as many have included it as part of their offerings. The outline of the games that make up the different mixed poker formats is summarized below.

Not just one game but a mix of several poker types, HORSE poker contains phases of Texas Holdem, Omaha Eight, Razz, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Eight. It is a limit betting game but you can find in some tournament play that the limit is forgiven near the end of the tournament to pick up the pace. HORSE is one of the most visible games in the World Series of Poker and often seen in high stakes poker games to challenge the skills of players during multiple games. Felt to be THE game of games for poker professionals, HORSE demands a complex comprehension of the rules, systems and strategies of many games.

While Crazy pineapple poker does bear some resemblance to Texas Hold’em, the much more familiar game, its peculiar rules and betting mechanics set it apart from this and any other of the poker variations. The variance is much higher to Pineapple because of the various potential hand combinations and the increased odds given by the extra card. If you have not encountered this interesting form of poker before, I entreat you to not involve yourself in a game without a thorough study of the rules and betting strategies, both by observing many games and reading the literature.

The game of 7-card stud poker goes back to the very beginning of traditional poker history and is today still a very popular game in casinos and at casual home poker parties as well. Its large following is attracted by its standard structure, familiar to all poker players. Seven card stud rules change slightly from place to place but all are played with a maximum of seven players – this is because of the seven cards dealt to each player and the 52 card make up of a standard deck of cards – and, too, during the course of a game, the dealer will burn four cards. There are less betting rounds than in other forms of poker causing many a house to instigate a rule to call a pre-flop compulsory bet, or ante, to promote both participation in hands and a more complex and challenging game.

Badugi is at essence a draw game. Not everyone will have heard of Badugi so are not familiar with its odd betting structure and somewhat esoteric game play. It is a game of four cards with three rounds of draw where bets are placed and players start their quest to form the winning Badugi hand into showdown. Asia is where it is most commonly found and has quite a following there, but it is slowly wending its way west. The game is usually played in a fixed limit betting structure. There are two blinds and game play is fundamental to the majority of poker games. The game can be played also with pot or no limit as is the norm in tournament play.