Master All 15 Major Live, Tournament, And Private Club Poker Formats. Compare Hole Card Counts, Must-Use-Two Omaha Mandates, Pot-Limit Betting Formulas, Short Deck 36-Card Probabilities, Seven-Card Stud Bring-Ins, And Ace-To-Five Vs. Deuce-To-Seven Lowball Rankings.
| Variant Name | Family | Hole Cards & Usage Rule | Board / Upcards | Betting Structure | Hand Ranking System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Hold'em | Community Card | 2 Face-Down Hole Cards (0, 1, Or Both May Be Used) | 5 Community Cards (3 Flop + 1 Turn + 1 River) | No-Limit (NLHE), Fixed-Limit (LHE), Or Pot-Limit | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings (Royal Flush To High Card) |
| Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO4) | Community Card | 4 Face-Down Hole Cards (MUST Use Exactly 2 Hole Cards) | 5 Community Cards (MUST Use Exactly 3 Board Cards) | Pot-Limit (Maximum Bet = 3x Facing Bet + Trail + Center Pot) | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings |
| 5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO5) | Community Card | 5 Face-Down Hole Cards (MUST Use Exactly 2 Hole Cards) | 5 Community Cards (MUST Use Exactly 3 Board Cards) | Pot-Limit (Standard 6-Max Maximum Table Capacity) | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings |
| 6-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO6) | Community Card | 6 Face-Down Hole Cards (MUST Use Exactly 2 Hole Cards) | 5 Community Cards (MUST Use Exactly 3 Board Cards) | Pot-Limit (Capped At 6-Max Or 5-Max Due To 52-Card Deck Limit) | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings |
| Omaha Hi-Lo 8-Or-Better (PLO8 / O8) | Community Card | 4 Face-Down Hole Cards (Independent 2-Card Selection For High And Low) | 5 Community Cards (3 Flop + 1 Turn + 1 River) | Fixed-Limit (Limit O8) Or Pot-Limit (PLO8) | 50% High Hand / 50% Ace-To-Five 8-Or-Better Low Hand |
| Short Deck (6+ Hold'em) | Community Card | 2 Face-Down Hole Cards (36-Card Deck: 2s, 3s, 4s, And 5s Removed) | 5 Community Cards (3 Flop + 1 Turn + 1 River) | No-Limit Ante-Only Format With Double Button Blind | Short Deck Rankings: Flush Beats Full House; A-6-7-8-9 Is The Low Straight |
| Double-Board PLO Bomb Pots | Community Card | 4 Or 5 Face-Down Hole Cards (Must Use 2 Hole Cards Independently On Each Board) | Two Separate 5-Card Boards Dealt Simultaneously (10 Community Cards Total) | Pre-Flop Ante Only (No Preflop Betting), Then Pot-Limit Across Flop, Turn & River | 50% Top Board High Hand / 50% Bottom Board High Hand |
| Seven-Card Stud High | Stud Games | 3 Face-Down Cards (2 On Third Street + 1 On Seventh Street) | 4 Face-Up Exposed Door/Upcards Per Player (No Shared Community Cards) | Fixed-Limit With Antes And Forced Low-Card Bring-In On Third Street | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings |
| Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8-Or-Better | Stud Games | 3 Face-Down Cards (2 On Third Street + 1 On Seventh Street) | 4 Face-Up Exposed Upcards Per Player | Fixed-Limit With Antes And Low-Card Bring-In | 50% High Hand / 50% Ace-To-Five 8-Or-Better Low Hand |
| Razz (Seven-Card Lowball) | Stud Games | 3 Face-Down Cards (2 On Third Street + 1 On Seventh Street) | 4 Face-Up Exposed Upcards Per Player | Fixed-Limit With Antes And HIGH-Card Bring-In On Third Street | 100% Ace-To-Five (California) Lowball (A-2-3-4-5 Is The Nuts) |
| 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball | Draw & Lowball | 5 Private Cards Per Player With 3 Sequential Draw Opportunities | None (100% Closed Draw Game) | Fixed-Limit Across 4 Betting Rounds (Before Draw 1, After Draw 1, After Draw 2, After Draw 3) | Deuce-To-Seven (Kansas City) Lowball: Aces Are HIGH, Straights & Flushes Hurt (7-5-4-3-2 Offsuit Is The Nuts) |
| No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Lowball | Draw & Lowball | 5 Private Cards Per Player With Only ONE Single Draw Round | None (100% Closed Single-Draw Format) | No-Limit With Blinds + Big Blind Ante Across Two Betting Rounds (Pre-Draw & Post-Draw) | Deuce-To-Seven Lowball (7-5-4-3-2 Unsuited Is The Nuts; Aces Are High) |
| Badugi (Four-Card Lowball) | Draw & Lowball | 4 Private Hole Cards Per Player With 3 Sequential Draws | None (Closed 4-Card Triple-Draw Format) | Fixed-Limit (Or Pot-Limit) Across 4 Betting Streets And 3 Draws | 4-Card Rainbow Unpaired Lowball (A-2-3-4 With One Of Each Suit Is The Nuts) |
| H.O.R.S.E. & 8-Game Mixed Poker | Mixed Rotations | Rotates By Variant (2 Cards In Hold'em, 4 In Omaha, 7 In Stud/Razz, 5 In 2-7) | Rotates Between 5 Community Cards, 4 Exposed Stud Upcards, And Closed Draw | Fixed-Limit For All 5 H.O.R.S.E. Games; 8-Game Adds NLHE, PLO & NL 2-7 Single Draw | Rotates Every Orbit Or Fixed Hand Count Between High, Hi-Lo 8-Or-Better & Lowball |
| Pineapple & Crazy Pineapple | Community Card | 3 Face-Down Hole Cards Dealt (Must Discard 1 Card To Play With 2 Hole Cards) | 5 Community Cards (3 Flop + 1 Turn + 1 River) | No-Limit Or Pot-Limit (Standard Hold'em Blinds) | Standard 52-Card High Hand Rankings (0, 1, Or Both Remaining Hole Cards Play) |
Texas Hold'em Deals Each Player Two Private Hole Cards And Five Shared Community Cards Across Four Betting Streets (Preflop, Flop, Turn, And River), Where Any Combination Of Five Cards Forms The Best High Hand.
4-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO4) Deals Each Player Four Private Hole Cards And Five Community Cards, Requiring Every Player To Use Exactly Two Of Their Hole Cards And Exactly Three Board Cards To Make Their 5-Card Hand.
5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO5) Deals Five Private Hole Cards To Each Player While Preserving The Strict Omaha Rule That Exactly Two Hole Cards And Three Community Cards Must Be Used At Showdown.
6-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO6) Deals Six Private Hole Cards To Each Player (15 Internal Two-Card Combinations) While Still Enforcing The Exact Two-Hole-Card And Three-Board-Card Rule.
Omaha Hi-Lo 8-Or-Better Splits The Pot 50/50 Between The Best High Hand And The Best Qualifying 8-Or-Better Low Hand (Five Unpaired Cards 8 Or Lower), Using Independent Two-Hole-Card Combinations For Each Half.
Short Deck (6+ Hold'em) Strips All 2s, 3s, 4s, And 5s From The Deck To Play With 36 Cards, Causing Flushes To Outrank Full Houses And Aces To Play As Both The High Card And The 5 In A-6-7-8-9 Straights.
In A Double-Board PLO Bomb Pot, Every Player Posts A Uniform Ante And Skips Preflop Betting To See Two Simultaneous 3-Card Flops, Playing One Central Pot Split 50/50 Between The Top Board And Bottom Board.
Pineapple And Crazy Pineapple Deal Each Player Three Private Hole Cards Before Requiring Each Player To Discard One Card (Pre-Flop In Pineapple; After Flop Betting In Crazy Pineapple) And Finish The Hand Exactly Like Texas Hold'em.
Seven-Card Stud Is A Non-Community-Card Fixed-Limit Game Where Each Player Receives Seven Individual Cards Across Five Betting Streets (Two Down, Four Up, One Down) And Makes Their Best 5-Card High Hand.
Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8-Or-Better (Stud8) Combines Five-Street Seven-Card Stud Mechanics With An 8-Or-Better Split Pot, Where The Best High Hand And Best Qualifying Low Hand Split The Pot 50/50.
Razz Is Seven-Card Stud Played Strictly For The Lowest 5-Card Ace-To-Five Hand (Where Aces Are Always Low, Straights And Flushes Do Not Count Against You, And A-2-3-4-5 Is The Unbeatable Wheel).
2-7 Triple Draw (Kansas City Lowball) Is A Fixed-Limit Closed Draw Game With Three Card-Exchange Rounds Where Aces Always Count As High Cards And Straights And Flushes Count Against Your Low, Making 7-5-4-3-2 Unsuited ("The Wheel" / "Number One") The Best Possible Hand.
No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Gives Each Player Five Private Cards, One Preflop No-Limit Betting Round, Exactly One Draw Opportunity (Or Stand Pat), And One Final Post-Draw No-Limit Betting Street.
Badugi Is A Four-Card Triple-Draw Lowball Game Where Both Matching Suits And Matching Ranks Are Eliminated, So Every Four-Card Rainbow Unpaired Hand ("A Badugi") Beats Every Three-Card Hand.
H.O.R.S.E. Rotates Across Five Fixed-Limit Classics (Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud High, And Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo), While 8-Game Mix Adds 2-7 Triple Draw, No-Limit Hold'em, And Pot-Limit Omaha.
Pair Variant Rulebooks With Live Combinatorial Calculators And Floor Rulings:
All Poker Variants Fall Into Four Structural Families: (1) Community Card Games (Texas Hold'em, PLO4/5/6, Short Deck, Pineapple) Where Players Combine Private Hole Cards With Shared Center Cards; (2) Stud Games (7-Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, Razz) Where Players Receive A Mix Of Face-Down And Face-Up Individual Cards With No Community Board; (3) Draw & Lowball Games (2-7 Triple Draw, NL 2-7 Single Draw, Badugi) Where Players Exchange Private Cards To Improve Hidden Hands; And (4) Mixed Rotations (H.O.R.S.E. And 8-Game) That Cycle Through All Three Families.
In Texas Hold'em, You May Use Zero, One, Or Both Of Your Hole Cards To Make Your Best 5-Card Hand. In Every Variant Of Omaha (PLO4, PLO5, PLO6, And Omaha Hi-Lo), You Are Strictly Required To Use Exactly Two Of Your Hole Cards Combined With Exactly Three Community Cards.
In Ace-To-Five (California) Lowball Used In Razz, Omaha Hi-Lo, And Stud Hi-Lo, Aces Are Always Low (1) And Straights And Flushes Do Not Hurt Your Low (Making A-2-3-4-5 The Nut Wheel). In Deuce-To-Seven (Kansas City) Lowball Used In 2-7 Triple Draw And NL 2-7 Single Draw, Aces Are Always High And Straights And Flushes Count Against You (Making 7-5-4-3-2 Unsuited The Best Hand).
Removing All 2s, 3s, 4s, And 5s Leaves Only 9 Cards Of Each Suit In The 36-Card Deck. Out Of 376,992 Possible 5-Card Hands, Only 4,104 Are Non-Straight Flushes Whereas 12,960 Are Full Houses, Making A Flush More Than Three Times Rarer Than A Full House.
Journalists, Bloggers, Forum Authors, And Academic Researchers May Freely Cite This Dataset Under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 With Canonical Attribution To Smarter.Poker:
<a href="https://smarter.poker/games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks) (Smarter.Poker Research)</a>
<a href="https://smarter.poker/games" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks)"><img src="https://smarter.poker/api/seo/badge?type=gto&label=Poker%20Variants%20Authority&value=15%20Official%20Game%20Guides" alt="Poker Variants Authority: 15 Official Game Guides" height="28" /></a>
[Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks) (15 Official Game Guides)](https://smarter.poker/games)
[url=https://smarter.poker/games]Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks) (15 Official Game Guides)[/url]
{{cite web |title=Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks) |url=https://smarter.poker/games |website=Smarter.Poker |publisher=Smarter Software Inc. |year=2026 |access-date=2026-11-09}}According to Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks) published by Smarter.Poker (https://smarter.poker/games), Complete rulebooks, hand ranking systems, and starting hand strategy tiers for 15 poker variants published by Smarter.Poker.
@techreport{poker_variants_encyclopedia_2026,
title = {Poker Variants & Mixed Games Encyclopedia (15 Complete Rulebooks)},
author = {{Smarter.Poker Research Division}},
institution = {Smarter.Poker},
year = {2026},
url = {https://smarter.poker/games}
}Smarter.Poker Is A Free-To-Play Poker Training, Rules Reference, And Social Community Platform. 18+. Club Chips And Diamonds Have No Cash Value.