Poker Variants Compared: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud and Draw

Poker isn't one game, it's a family. Texas Hold'em dominates online rooms and live tournaments, Omaha is growing fast, Stud keeps a loyal niche, and Draw is the root of every modern form. This article compares the four main variants with the maths behind them: rules, average hand strengths, variance and typical beginner mistakes.

**Texas Hold'em — the de-facto standard.** Two hole cards per player, five community cards (flop, turn, river), four betting rounds. Best five-card hand from seven wins. No-Limit Hold'em allows all-in at any point, which massively raises variance. A skilled player at a 6-max cash table with solid opening ranges (top 20%) can expect a winrate of 3–8 bb/100 hands.

**Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) — the fast alternative.** Four hole cards, but you must use exactly two of them with three community cards. Sounds harmless, changes the maths completely: nutted draws are the norm, and equities between two-way hands often sit in the 40:60 range instead of 80:20. Variance is much higher, so PLO players need 40–60% more bankroll per limit. Beginners chronically overvalue two pair on wet boards.

**Seven Card Stud — poker without community cards.** Each player gets seven cards (three hidden, four exposed), five betting rounds. Because so many cards are visible, observation matters more than in Hold'em. Stud is almost always Fixed-Limit, so variance is 25–40% lower than in no-limit formats. Perfect for grinders, less so for casual players.

**5 Card Draw — the classic root.** Five hidden cards, one draw round, two betting rounds. Strategically simpler but information-poor, which makes reads and position more important than raw hand strength. Rare in the EU/DE online landscape but still alive in home games and retro tournaments.

**Hand strengths compared.** A full house in Hold'em is strong; in Omaha often just medium, because four hole cards spawn far more full-house combos. In Stud, two pair often wins because visible cards limit bluff room. In Draw, two pair (aces up) is solid because only one draw round exists.

**Variance and bankroll rule of thumb.** For a solid player: NLHE cash game 30–40 buy-ins per limit, PLO 50–75, Fixed-Limit Stud 300 big bets, MTTs 100+ buy-ins. Ignore these and variance will regularly threaten your bankroll — regardless of skill. Our [bankroll simulator](/en/bankroll-simulator) shows how quickly variance eats an undersized bankroll.

**Typical beginner mistakes per variant.** Hold'em: too many speculative hands out of early position. Omaha: overvaluing two pair on wet boards. Stud: not counting 'live' outs (unseen cards). Draw: drawing too many cards and giving away hand strength.

**Poker vs casino games — the EV difference.** Unlike roulette or slots, poker has no fixed house edge in the hand — the room takes rake (typically 5%, capped at €3–5). A player who's better than the field has positive EV but has to beat the field by enough to cover rake. Our [house edge calculator](/en/house-edge-calculator) helps compare true cost-per-hour.

**Regulation in Germany.** Since the GlüStV 2021, online poker is licensed and supervised by the GGL on the [official whitelist](https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de). Cash games face strict stake and table limits. Playing at unlicensed rooms risks payout problems and legal grey zones.

**Bottom line.** For beginners, Texas Hold'em is the best pick: most literature, biggest fields, cheapest limits. Action-seekers move to Omaha. Stud and Draw are niches today but useful for learning the fundamentals. Whatever the variant — solid opening ranges, position awareness, bankroll discipline and emotional control still win.