THE
FIVE MOST COMMON INTERNET POKER games
Whether played online
or in a brick and mortar casino, the games of poker is the
same. You'll find differences online, but they're attributable
to the technology required to play poker in cyberspace,
not to the games themselves. For example, since there's
no live dealer to ensure that you play in turn, Internet
games programming makes it impossible for you to do otherwise.
And you can forget
about "making moves" like feigning a call or raise
by reaching for your chips to intimidate those acting before
you, or, alternatively, appearing ready to muck your hand
to induce bold action when you already have a lock on the
best hand. Since opponents can't see your physical movements,
those ploys are moot online. Happily for newbie's, Internet
poker precludes the slick feints of hand and theatrical
maneuvers seen in movies.
But the games are
the same as those played in real casinos. Online poker features
two basic types of games: "flop" games, such as
Texas hold'em and Omaha, and "board" games, such
as seven-card stud. In flop games, five community cards
dealt face up in the center of the table combine with private
cards in each player's hand. In board games, each player
receives his or her own cards and there are no community
cards to be shared. Play-money games, cash games, and tournaments
abound on the Internet, so you'll find no shortage of games,
whatever your preference.
Recently, several
of the most popular Internet card rooms have begun to spread
"draw" games, like five-card draw. In draw games,
a player typically receives cards before the first round
of betting, then has an option to discard some or all of
those cards, replacing them by drawing the same number of
new cards. Draw games are "old school," but appear
to be making a comeback in the world of online poker.
Although the most
common variants of poker look similar to the uninitiated
- and they actually do share much common ground - substantial
differences exist between them. Significant strategic adjustments
are required when shifting, for example, from hold'em to
Omaha. In poker, one size doesn't fit all: If you're a greenhorn,
we recommend that you pick one form of poker and learn it
thoroughly before moving on to another.
Texas hold'em is a
good place to start. It's the most popular poker games played
today, and it's the one used to determine the champion at
the annual World Series of Poker. Not surprisingly, it's
also the most common poker games online.
It's probably the
easiest games to learn, too. Unlike seven-card stud, there's
no need to memorize cards that appeared in your opponents'
hands, but have now been folded. The only exposed cards
in hold'em are five community cards turned face up in the
center of the table for each player to use in concert with
the two private cards in his or her own hand.
Omaha, whether played
as a split-pot games in which the best high hand and best
qualifying low hand share the spoils, or as a high-only
games with a single pot, runs neck and neck with stud for
second place in online popularity. At some sites you'll
see more Omaha game than stud games, while at others the
reverse is true. Both Omaha/8 and Omaha high are similar
to Texas hold'em, but we recommend you learn the Texas variety
before moving on to Omaha. Its mechanics are simpler to
learn, and you'll find more hold'em games at low limits
than any other poker type - online or off.
