What are the best poker variations? Diehard fans are likely to give classics like Five Card Draw and Seven Card Stud the thumbs up. The truth is, they are the antecedents of most pokers. Here is a round-up of unique poker games… some familiar, others not so much.
What’s on the Table at the Juicy Stakes Poker Room?
Before we get into the poker variations, here is a heads-up. At Juicy Stakes Poker we focus on providing a true blue classic and two usurpers to the throne. In other words, you won’t find unusual games like 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz or Hi-Lo Chicago here.
Instead, you will have anytime access to Texas Hold Em and Omaha, with a smattering of Stud on the side. Whether its Pot Limit or No Limit Hold Em, or perhaps Pot Limit Omaha or Omaha Hi-Lo, you will find plenty of cash games, tournaments and Sit N Go’s. All that is required is an account registration and a bankroll – and you are good to go.
That does not mean we can’t appreciate fun new iterations in the highball and lowball formats. Hang, one of the emerging poker variations may one day replace Texas Hold Em as the game of choice. That is precisely what happened when Hold Em took on Stud – and won!
Now that we have cleared that lot up, let us get back to the subject at hand – the best poker variations…
2-7 Triple Draw: A Lowball Draw Variant with Attitude
Another lowball poker, which hasn’t quite reached the heady status of Razz, is 2-7 Triple Draw. As you have probably guessed, it is a variation of Five Card Draw. The aim of the game is to create a low five card winning hand.
Unlike Razz, Aces are high. Flushes and straights also count. The best possible hand is denoted by the game’s name. Yet, as winning hands consist of five cards and 2 to 7 is six cards, something has got to give, right? What could that be… Well, it is the 6 that is effectively bounced out of the equation! With that in mind, the best hand you can get in 2-7 Triple Draw poker is unsuited 2-3-4-5-7.
As with Razz, there are no community cards to enrich your hand. The game round starts with players getting dealt five cards. After each betting round, you can draw up to five new cards. That equates to three draws over four betting rounds – hence the ‘Triple Draw’ in the title.
2-7 Triple Draw has small and big blinds just like Texas Hold Em. It is typically played with fixed betting limit. As with the vast majority of poker variations, the showdown determines the winner.
According to poker pundits, 2-7 Triple Draw is gaining popularity online… and with that in mind, there is a good chance of it becoming a contender for best poker variation one day soon. It’s not quite there yet though, and the poker variations at Juicy Stakes Poker still remain tops!
Hi/Lo Chicago: Stud with a Split Pot
Chicago Poker is a variant of Seven Card Stud. It can be a highball or lowball game. What defines this unique poker variation from the Eastern state of Illinois is this – there can be two winners! That effectively means splitting the pot.
How are the winners determined? Well, the player with highest or lowest spade as a hole card bags half the pot. The other half goes to the fella with the best five card poker hand at the end of the betting rounds. Now, in Hi Chicago, the best hand is a high hand and vice versa in the lowball game. Here is a quick overview of the gameplay in Chicago Poker.
Once you ante up, you are dealt two face down cards and one up card. The player with the highest or lowest up card places the bring-in bet. That is followed by a conventional betting round where players can call, raise or fold.
A fourth and later fifth and sixth card is dealt face up, interspersed by a round of betting. The remaining players are then dealt the seventh and final card face down, followed by a round of bets. That concludes gameplay and the winners are determined.
If perchance one player has the lowest or highest spade and the lowest or highest five card poker hand, he or she wins the entire pot. Is Chicago Poker likely to take the world by storm as one of the best poker variations? At this point of time, the answer is ‘no way’. That is because it is rarely, if ever, found online.
Razz: An Upside-Down Variation of Seven Card Stud
Razz is like Seven Card Stud with one major exception. Your objective is to construct the lowest possible hand according to traditional poker hand rankings. Aces are low, and dead cert winners – flushes and straights – are completely irrelevant.
In this poker variant, there are no community cards in play. All you have at your disposal are your initial three cards, plus four more. The additional cards are each dealt after a round of betting. They are known as streets – fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh streets, to be precise.
As with most poker variations, players can call, fold and raise. Even the bets have names like antes, bring-in bets, small and big bets and completion bets. After the final betting round on seventh street, the player with the lowest five-card poker hand wins the pot!
How popular is Razz? As it features prominently at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), you can safely say it has an ardent following. In fact, there are multiple Razz events that have the coveted WSOP bracelet as the winner-takes-all prize… along with a fat wad of dollar bills, of course! Is Razz the best variation of poker? That is for you to decide!
Sign Up at Juicy Stakes for the Current Best Poker Variations Online!
Yes, there might be a few up and comer’s that just might make it onto the list of toper poker variations one day… but right now, what we have to offer remains the most sought after games. On that note, if classic poker in a few exciting iterations sounds good to you, then sign up at Juicy Stakes Poker now.
Along with our ring games and poker tournaments, there is a reload bonus, no deposit bonus and rakeback deal to sweeten the pot!
