Fun New—And Not So New—Poker Games to Try

Six Ideas for Something New and Games You Might Have Forgotten

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Updated on 12/29/18

If you're tired of playing nothing but Texas Hold'em and other same-old-same-old poker games, try introducing one or more of these variations in your home game the next time you gather with friends for a little card competition. They're all a lot of fun and some are also offered in casinos and online.

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Omaha

Omaha is a lot like Texas Hold’em at first glance, but there are some important and fun differences. Just as in Hold'em, it's a community card game with players sharing the cards on the board. But unlike Hold'em, each player is dealt four hole or down cards and must use exactly two cards from his hole cards and three from the board to make a five-card poker hand.
This game is found on almost all online poker sites and in many casinos.

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Pineapple Poker

Pineapple poker is almost identical to Hold'em, but you start with three cards in Pineapple. You'll discard one of them after the flop, so you'll have just two cards in the hole in the end, just as you would in Hold'em. But the added card adds quite a bit of fun to the game and makes the final winning hands much higher.

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Seven Card Stud

Seven card stud used to be a popular and common game, but it's all but disappeared from home games these days. It's still a great game, however, and you can find it online and in most casinos.

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Razz Poker

Speaking of seven-card stud, razz poker is a variation of seven card stud that's played only for low. It will likely become either your most beloved or most detested game of all time. It's one of those love-it-or-hate-it endeavors that just might catch on with you and your friends. If you're ever playing in a HORSE poker game, this game is the R. You can find it online, too.

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Double Flop Texas Hold'em

Double Flop Hold'Em poker is just what it sounds like: it's Texas Hold'em with two flops! Each player still gets two hole cards, but they get to make two separate hands, one for each of the two sets of board or community cards that are dealt out. Each pot is usually split between two players, but sometimes one lucky winner scoops up the whole very large pot.

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Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw

If you know five-card draw—which is a great game to add in its own right—torture your fellow players a little and please your bankroll by introducing deuce-to-seven triple draw. It's five-card draw played for the "worst" hand, and you get to draw three times. It seems complicated at first, but it's really quite easy to play when you master the rules.

Mix It Up

Nobody says you have to play the same game all night every night. Mix it up and add one, more or all of these variations to your next home game.