Texas Hold’em is by far the most common and most popular variety of pot-based poker.
Texas Hold’em Gameplay Loop
The goal of the game is for you to create the best hand of five cards from two hole cards dealt to you and five community cards available to all players.
At the start of the game, players are given two face-down “hole cards” by the dealer. After that, five community cards are dealt in three stages:
- The flop, consisting of the first three cards.
- The turn or fourth street, consisting of the fourth card.
- The river, consisting of the final card.
Betting rounds start after the cards are first dealt and continue after each card reveal stage. During each betting round, players have the option of checking, calling, or raising. Alternatively, the gambler may choose to fold.
The round is won by the active player with the best five-card combination. In most cases, this player wins the entire pot.
Other Popular Varieties of Poker
Playing the same poker variant can get stale after a while. Listed below are the top 3 most popular table poker varieties as well as the top 3 video poker varieties.
Table Poker:
- Omaha Hold’em: a similar game, only players are dealt 4 hole cards and must use 2 of them.
- Caribbean Stud Poker: a variety of five-card stud poker, players compete against the house.
- Low Ball: poker varieties in which the goal is to create the weakest possible hand.
Video Poker:
- Jacks or Better: most popular variety, payouts start at a pair of jacks.
- Bonus Poker: based on Jacks or Better, increased payouts for 4 of a kind combinations.
- Deuces Wild: variant in which 2s are wild cards.
Texas Hold’em:
- The most popular variety of stud poker.