The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.
A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards. Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. Played in the World Series of Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em is easily the most popular poker game in America today. In Texas Hold ‘Em, players are dealt two 'pocket'. Single player free poker game - Texas Holdem. Master the odds of real Texas Holdem poker. Compete against your own high score and watch your game improve. Learn all five unique AI personalities - each with his / her own playing behavior. Poker game is automatically saved as you play. 'Hold 'em' is a popular form of poker. Poker is any of a number of card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules in ways similar to these rankings. Blackjack - Zone Online Casino. Multiplayer Poker - Zone Online Casino. Action & Arcade. Microsoft Bubble.
Popular poker variants[edit]
The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:
- Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
- Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
- Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.
Here are more common rule variations:
- Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
- High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
- Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
- Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
- Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
- A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
- A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
- Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.[1]
Mixed poker games[edit]
Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.
Other mixed games include:
- H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
- H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
- H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
- O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
- H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
- Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
- Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).
Specific poker variant games[edit]
Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.
High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]
Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.
Follow the Queen[edit]
This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.[2][3]
Countdown[edit]
In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.[4]
This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.
Different Poker Games For Home
Billabong and Shanghai[edit]
Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.
Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.
Guts[edit]
Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.
Five-O poker[edit]
Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a 'Five-O' win.
Chinese poker[edit]
Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.
Kuhn poker[edit]
Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.[5]
See also[edit]
Most Popular Poker Games Played
References[edit]
- ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
- ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
- ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).
If you're a big fan of poker but have trouble finding people to play the age-old card game with, then you might want to consider downloading and installing the best Android poker App on your smartphone or tablet. Poker is a favorite among casino-goers, so if you either want to play online for money or just for fun, there are Best Poker Games For Android on the Google Play Store for both.
Since poker is so popular, there are tons of poker games available on the Google Play Store. That means there are many great poker games on there, and then there are some bad ones as well.
With that in mind, we've gone through and found the top seven top-rated poker games for Android, filtering out the garbage for you! If you want to get a good poker game on your phone or tablet, be sure to follow along below!
Best Poker Games For Android
1) Appeak Poker
First up on our list is Appeak Poker. The development studio is boasting of over 100,000 players, so you'll be able to pick up your phone and start a game whenever you'd like. There are in-game challenges offered, as well as a simple and clean user interface to make things easy.
Appeak Poker offers a number of different style games, such as sit-and-go games or regular poker games. In the event that you run out of coins, the game gives you 7,000 free coins per day. You can check Appeak Poker out for yourself at the link below.
Download it now:Google Play
2) Zynga Poker
If you're looking for a free way to play poker, Texas Hold ‘Em style, look no further than Zynga Poker. Zynga Poker has tons of different options for playing Texas Hold ‘Em, such as in a tournament style, accelerated tournaments, leagues, and even with a social experience.
Zynga Poker, like the rest on this list, is mostly just for the fun and social aspect, you cannot win any actual money here.
Download it now:Google Play
3) DH Texas Poker
10 Most Popular Poker Games
DH Texas Poker is another excellent application for playing Texas Hold ‘Em. DH Texas Poker operates like the rest of the apps but gives you plenty of rewards to start out with. Start your poker career with a bang with 80K initial free chips, daily gifts, friend gifts, and daily rewards.
There are VIP tables that you can play at, as well as Friends-only tables. On top of that, DH Texas Poker has a variety of game modes — Play Now, Lucky Table, Private Room, Select Casino, Sit&Go, and more.
Download it now:Google Play
4) Governor of Poker 3
Next up, we have Governor of Poker 3. This is your typical poker game, but it has tons of different features and modes available. For example, there are different poker modes that you can play, such as Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, and other online games. Governor of Poker 3 is probably best for beginners, allowing them to get a grasp on how these games are played fairly easily. You can check out Governor of Poker 3 for yourself for free at the link below.
Download it now:Google Play
5) Poker Heat
Poker Heat is another fun poker game app for Android, throwing you into the thrills of league-based competition. In Poker Heat, you'll join one of the seven leagues available and then match against other players in these leagues.
The person that is able to beat other players and reach the top of the league and win some massive prizes. With over one million installs, you'll never run out of people to compete against. If you ever run out of chips, Poker Heat does offer them to you free on the daily, but you can also enter their online store and purchase chip packages.
Download it now:Google Play
- Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
- Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
- Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.
Here are more common rule variations:
- Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
- High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
- Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
- Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
- Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
- A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
- A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
- Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.[1]
Mixed poker games[edit]
Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.
Other mixed games include:
- H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
- H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
- H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
- O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
- H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
- Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
- Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).
Specific poker variant games[edit]
Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.
High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]
Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.
Follow the Queen[edit]
This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.[2][3]
Countdown[edit]
In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.[4]
This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.
Different Poker Games For Home
Billabong and Shanghai[edit]
Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.
Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.
Guts[edit]
Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.
Five-O poker[edit]
Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a 'Five-O' win.
Chinese poker[edit]
Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.
Kuhn poker[edit]
Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.[5]
See also[edit]
Most Popular Poker Games Played
References[edit]
- ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
- ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
- ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).
If you're a big fan of poker but have trouble finding people to play the age-old card game with, then you might want to consider downloading and installing the best Android poker App on your smartphone or tablet. Poker is a favorite among casino-goers, so if you either want to play online for money or just for fun, there are Best Poker Games For Android on the Google Play Store for both.
Since poker is so popular, there are tons of poker games available on the Google Play Store. That means there are many great poker games on there, and then there are some bad ones as well.
With that in mind, we've gone through and found the top seven top-rated poker games for Android, filtering out the garbage for you! If you want to get a good poker game on your phone or tablet, be sure to follow along below!
Best Poker Games For Android
1) Appeak Poker
First up on our list is Appeak Poker. The development studio is boasting of over 100,000 players, so you'll be able to pick up your phone and start a game whenever you'd like. There are in-game challenges offered, as well as a simple and clean user interface to make things easy.
Appeak Poker offers a number of different style games, such as sit-and-go games or regular poker games. In the event that you run out of coins, the game gives you 7,000 free coins per day. You can check Appeak Poker out for yourself at the link below.
Download it now:Google Play
2) Zynga Poker
If you're looking for a free way to play poker, Texas Hold ‘Em style, look no further than Zynga Poker. Zynga Poker has tons of different options for playing Texas Hold ‘Em, such as in a tournament style, accelerated tournaments, leagues, and even with a social experience.
Zynga Poker, like the rest on this list, is mostly just for the fun and social aspect, you cannot win any actual money here.
Download it now:Google Play
3) DH Texas Poker
10 Most Popular Poker Games
DH Texas Poker is another excellent application for playing Texas Hold ‘Em. DH Texas Poker operates like the rest of the apps but gives you plenty of rewards to start out with. Start your poker career with a bang with 80K initial free chips, daily gifts, friend gifts, and daily rewards.
There are VIP tables that you can play at, as well as Friends-only tables. On top of that, DH Texas Poker has a variety of game modes — Play Now, Lucky Table, Private Room, Select Casino, Sit&Go, and more.
Download it now:Google Play
4) Governor of Poker 3
Next up, we have Governor of Poker 3. This is your typical poker game, but it has tons of different features and modes available. For example, there are different poker modes that you can play, such as Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, and other online games. Governor of Poker 3 is probably best for beginners, allowing them to get a grasp on how these games are played fairly easily. You can check out Governor of Poker 3 for yourself for free at the link below.
Download it now:Google Play
5) Poker Heat
Poker Heat is another fun poker game app for Android, throwing you into the thrills of league-based competition. In Poker Heat, you'll join one of the seven leagues available and then match against other players in these leagues.
The person that is able to beat other players and reach the top of the league and win some massive prizes. With over one million installs, you'll never run out of people to compete against. If you ever run out of chips, Poker Heat does offer them to you free on the daily, but you can also enter their online store and purchase chip packages.
Download it now:Google Play
6) Pokerist
Want to compete against real people? Then you might consider Pokerist. This game will let you play against online players, but will also let you compete against your friends on Facebook.
Pokerist will hand out free chips to you on the daily, but as always, you can go into the in-game store and buy a ton with real money as well. Pokerist says that hand dealing is fair with its random generator, so every player should have the same odds of winning (i.e. odds aren't stacked in someone's favor in Pokerist).
Download it now:Google Play
7) World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker is probably the best competitive poker game that you can pick up on the Google Play Store. The game has over ten million installs, meaning that this game is always hopping with activity. One of the neat benefits that the World Series of Poker provides you that others don't: free chips every four hours. You don't have to wait a day to get your chips replenished.
You can play Texas Hold ‘Em and a couple of other poker-style games, and you'll be able to compete against other players against cash, as well as one of the most famous non-monetary prizes poker players can win: the WSOP Bracelet.
Download it now:Google Play
Verdict on the Best Android Poker App
So, which poker game should you download on your Android smartphone or tablet? If you had to pick just one, we would recommend going with the World Series of Poker. It's the most loved poker game on Android with over ten million in installs, so you'll always have people to play against, and can even win huge prizes. Poker Heat is great for winning prizes as well. But, if you're a beginner, you might want to give Governor of Poker 3 a good, long try. Tell us in the comments below which is your best Android poker App.
