Poker
Poker is a whole family of games. Online, you broadly distinguish between poker rooms where you play against other players (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud) and casino poker where you play against the house (Casino Hold'em, Caribbean Stud, Pai Gow, Video Poker). Rules and house edge differ significantly.
Overview
- Player vs player: classic poker variants in cash games and tournaments.
- Player vs casino: fixed payout tables and house edge.
- Video Poker: solo against a machine with published RTP.
- Live-dealer poker: casino poker streamed from a studio.
Rules
- Common to all variants: best poker hand wins.
- Hand rankings: Royal Flush > Straight Flush > Four of a Kind > Full House > Flush > Straight > Three of a Kind > Two Pair > Pair > High Card.
- Betting rounds, card counts and card types differ per variant.
How to play
- Memorize hand rankings first.
- Pick a variant and learn its specific strategy.
- Start at low limits or free-play.
- Strictly separate player-vs-player from player-vs-casino — strategy is completely different.
Tips & Strategy
- Player vs player: tight-aggressive, use position, calculate pot odds.
- Casino poker: memorize the fixed optimal strategy.
- Video Poker: correct hold strategy for the specific pay table.
- Bankroll management is central to all variants.
Common mistakes
- Playing casino poker with Hold'em strategy.
- Not reading video poker pay tables (9/6 vs 8/5 makes huge RTP differences).
- Tilting after losses.
- Playing too many tables before mastering one.
Odds & Probability
In classic online poker your skill determines long-term EV (minus rake). Casino poker and video poker have a fixed, unchangeable house edge.
FAQ
＋Am I playing the casino or other players?
Depends on the variant. Texas Hold'em and Omaha in poker rooms: vs other players. Casino Hold'em, Caribbean Stud, Pai Gow, Video Poker: vs the house.
＋What is rake?
A fee (typically 2–5%) the poker room takes from the pot.
＋Best variant to start?
Texas Hold'em No-Limit for poker rooms, Casino Hold'em or Jacks or Better Video Poker for casino poker.
Poker variants
Poker is a family of very different games. Here are the most important online variants — from classic player-vs-player to casino poker with a fixed house edge:
Texas Hold'em
The world's most popular poker variant — player vs player.
Texas Hold'em is the standard online poker variant. Each player gets two hole cards, five community cards are dealt in three rounds. Best five-card hand wins the pot.
Learn more →Omaha (PLO)
Four hole cards, more action, higher variance.
Omaha — usually played as Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) — gives each player four hole cards. But you must use exactly two of them with three community cards.
Learn more →Seven Card Stud
A no-community-card classic — lots of information, lots of memory.
Before the Hold'em boom, Stud was the most popular poker variant. You receive seven cards across five betting rounds — three face down, four face up — and form your best five-card hand.
Learn more →Casino Hold'em
Texas Hold'em against the house with fixed payouts.
In Casino Hold'em you don't play other players, you play the dealer. There's an ante, then a flop, then call or fold, then turn and river.
Learn more →Caribbean Stud Poker
5-card stud against the casino, with an optional jackpot.
Caribbean Stud is 5-card stud against the house. You only see your five cards and one dealer up-card, then decide call or fold.
Learn more →Three Card Poker
Three cards, two bet options, very fast.
Three Card Poker is one of the fastest casino poker variants. You play three cards against the dealer's three and can also bet Pair Plus.
Learn more →Pai Gow Poker
Seven cards, two hands, many ties.
Pai Gow Poker is played with 53 cards (incl. joker). You receive seven cards and split them into a 5-card and a 2-card hand. Both must beat the dealer's respective hand.
Learn more →Video Poker (Jacks or Better & Co.)
Solo against the machine — with clear RTP and optimal strategy.
Video Poker is 5-card draw against a machine. You get five cards, hold any, exchange the rest. Payouts come from a fixed table. With correct strategy, video poker offers one of the highest RTPs of any casino game.
Learn more →