Rules for Different Poker Games, Compared

Poker isn’t one game — it’s a family of games that share the same hand rankings but differ in three ways: how cards are dealt, how betting is structured, and who wins. Learn one game well (start with Texas Hold’em) and the rest are variations on a theme. This guide lays the main games side by side so you can see exactly what changes from one to the next.

The three families of poker

Nearly every poker game fits into one of three groups:

Family	How cards work	Example games
Community-card	Private cards + shared face-up cards	Texas Hold’em, Omaha
Stud	A mix of face-down and face-up cards; no shared cards	Seven-card stud, razz
Draw	All cards private; you swap some for new ones	Five-card draw, 2-7 lowball

Knowing the family tells you most of the rules before you even sit down.

Rules at a glance

Game	Cards you get	Community cards	Betting rounds	Winner
Texas Hold’em	2 hole	5 shared	4	Best 5-card hand
Omaha	4 hole (use exactly 2)	5 shared	4	Best 5-card hand
Seven-card stud	7 (3 down, 4 up)	None	5	Best 5-card hand
Razz	7 (3 down, 4 up)	None	5	Worst 5-card hand
Five-card draw	5 (all down, swap once)	None	2	Best 5-card hand

Texas Hold’em

The most popular game in the world and the one to learn first.

• Deal: two private “hole” cards to each player.
• Community cards: five shared cards dealt in three stages — the flop (3), the turn (1), the river (1).
• Betting: four rounds — pre-flop, flop, turn, river.
• Making a hand: use any combination of your two cards and the five shared to make the best five.
• Winner: best five-card hand, or the last player left after everyone folds.

Its simple structure makes it the ideal starting point — full walkthrough on the Texas Hold’em hub.

Omaha

Hold’em’s bigger cousin, usually played pot-limit.

• Deal: four hole cards instead of two.
• The key rule: you must use exactly two of your hole cards and exactly three community cards. You can’t play just one or all four. This trips up newcomers constantly.
• Betting: same four rounds as Hold’em.

With more cards, hand values run higher — two pair is often not enough to win.

Seven-card stud

The classic game before Hold’em took over. No community cards; some of your cards are visible to everyone.

• Deal: across five streets you get three cards face-down and four face-up.
• Forced bets: an ante from everyone plus a “bring-in” from the lowest up-card.
• Betting order: set by the up-cards, not by seat — the best board acts first from fourth street on.

The visible cards make card-reading and memory central. Full detail in the stud poker rules guide.

Razz

Seven-card stud turned upside down: the lowest hand wins.

• Deal and structure: identical to seven-card stud.
• The twist: straights and flushes don’t count against you, and aces are low. The best possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A (the “wheel”).
• Reading it: you’re chasing low cards, so a board full of small cards is strong, not weak.

Razz is the most common lowball game and a great way to understand that “worst hand wins” is a legitimate poker format.

Five-card draw

The game most people picture from movies and kitchen tables.

• Deal: five private cards to each player.
• The draw: after a betting round, you may discard some cards and draw replacements once.
• Betting: two rounds — before and after the draw.
• Winner: best five-card hand at showdown.

It’s the simplest game to deal at home because there’s nothing shared and no complex forced-bet order — just antes or blinds, a draw, and a showdown.

Choosing a game

• Brand-new? Texas Hold’em — the easiest to learn and find.
• Want more action? Omaha — bigger hands, bigger pots.
• Like reading opponents? Seven-card stud — visible cards reward observation.
• Want something different? Razz — flip your instincts and chase the low.
• Home game with friends? Five-card draw — nothing to set up but a deck and chips.

The takeaway

Different poker games change the deal, the betting structure, and occasionally which hand wins — but they all rest on the same ranking ladder. Learn one (start with the beginner’s guide and Texas Hold’em), then branch out to stud, Omaha, or a lowball game. For the ranking system every variant shares, keep the hand rankings guide close, and return to the how-to-play hub whenever you need the fundamentals.