Why spend hundreds of dollars at the casino when you can bring the fun of the casino straight into your home? A home poker table allows owners to play several variations of popular casino poker card games from a single table.
Whether it’s traditional Texas Hold’em or a casual game of Five Card Stud, your poker table gives you the setup you need to host fun poker nights at home.
Even better, poker tables are more versatile than they appear at first glance. An oval poker table allows guests to host several other card games, including BlackJack, Baccarat, and Pai Gow Poker, thanks to their dedicated dealer cutouts.
To help you make the most of your home poker games, we’ve outlined ten amazing poker card games and variations you can play from your poker table.
10 Poker Card Games You Can Play on a Poker Table
1. Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is the traditional American poker card game that most people think of when they hear poker.
Texas Hold’em can feature as many as ten players, including a dealer, who all compete to win a single pot during any round.
Each player is provided with two face-down cards and five cards in the middle of the table. During each round, players can place a bet, and other players must match this bet or fold their hands. A typical round of poker proceeds as follows:
- The Flop: The first three cards in the middle are flipped face up.
- The Turn: Another round of betting ensues, and the fourth card is placed face up.
- The River: The final round of betting is placed, and the last card is placed face up.
The winner with the best hand wins the pot. Check out our guide on How to Play Poker for Beginners for more information.
2. Pineapple Poker
Pineapple Poker is the most similar alternative to traditional Texas Hold’em and involves the same rules. The only difference is that players are dealt three cards to start and must discard one card either during the flop, turn, or river, depending on which type of Pineapple Poker you play.
3. Omaha
Omaha is a similar alternative to Texas Hold’em and consists of the same number of rounds and betting structure. However, all community cards are initially face up, and each player receives four cards in their hand to start.
The player who can create the best five-card combination using two cards from their hand and three community cards win. There are hi/low variations that force players to create two separate hi and low hands to win.
4. Seven Card Stud
There are many variations of Stud poker games, and Seven Card Stud was generally considered the standard poker card game before Texas Hold’em. Seven Card Stud is played with a standard 52-card deck and a joker and can be played with up to 8 players.
To begin Seven Card Stud, each player is dealt three cards, two of which are face down (Hole Cards) and one which is face up (door card). Afterward, a round of betting ensues, and then each player is dealt four more cards, three of which are face up and one face down.
Once the final round of betting ensues, each player is forced to select a five-card combination, hoping one of their face-down cards will yield a good hand. The player then discards the other two, and the player with the best five-card combination wins. Generally, a five-of-a-kind is considered the best hand, followed by a straight flush.
5. High/Low Chicago Poker
Chicago Poker is a slight variation of Seven Card Stud and involves the same rules. The only difference is that at the end of a game, the player with the highest spade hole card (face down) wins half of the pot if you’re playing High Chicago Poker. On the other hand, Low Chicago Poker awards half the pot to players with the lowest spade hole card each round.
6. Razz
Razz uses the same rules as any Stud game and does not involve card exchanges. However, the lowest rated hand in Razz wins, and aces are considered high cards. Therefore, variations of Razz can be applied to traditional five-card or seven-card stud games.
7. 2-7 Triple Draw
2-7 Triple Draw differs slightly from Texas Hold’em and other poker games because it is purely a draw game. In draw games, there are no community cards, players are dealt a full hand before a round of betting begins, and cards can be exchanged with a dealer.
2-7 Triple Draw involves four betting rounds and uses the Ace as a high card. The object is to earn the worst or lowest rated hand. Since a 6x, 5x, 4x, 3x, and 2x hand is considered a straight, this would not be the lowest hand. In fact, the best hand to win a game of 2-7 Triple Draw would be a 7x, 5x, 4x, 3x, 2x hand with the lowest possible cards and no flush.
8. Five Card Draw
Five Card Draw is a classic and simple draw game that involves two betting rounds. Players are dealt five cards and then can exchange three cards with the dealer during the second round. Ultimately, the player with the best hand wins.
While not as strategic as the other two games, Five Card Draw is a casual favorite for players looking for a relaxing time.
9. Badugi
Badugi is a simplified version of Five Card Draw, except with four cards and a low Ace. There are three betting rounds, and the player with the highest hand wins.
10. Chinese Poker
Finally, Chinese Poker is a radically different game from anything you’ve ever played. Chinese Poker Games include between 2-4 players which are dealt 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck.
Each player has to create three hands, known as the front, middle, and back—the middle and back consist of five cards, and the front three cards. The back includes the strongest hand and the front the weakest. Players are awarded a unit (a set amount of money) for each hand they win in a round. As a result, having a better middle or front hand may net players units, even if they lose out on the back hand. The player to reach the most units wins.
Additional Games You Can Play on a Poker Table
While not considered traditional poker card games, many of these games can be played with a standard 52-card deck or some dice. And while many of these games may come with their own design and felt, many of them can be played at home on a traditional oval or round poker table.
- BlackJack: This casino favorite only requires a dedicated dealer to compete against your friends or family. There are two rounds of Blackjack in which an initial face-up card is dealt to everyone and then another face-up card, except for the dealer who gets a face-down card. Players can win by getting 21 or a high score than the dealer. Cards that total over 21 are considered busts and lose their bets.
- Craps: Craps is a simple and exhilarating game that can be played on a standard poker table by keeping track of the number being rolled. The object is to roll the number which is selected before the “shooter” rolls a seven. Try out Craps on your poker table for a switch up from traditional poker card games.
- Baccarat: This classic French game can be played on a traditional poker table by announcing your bets beforehand and does not require a traditional mini-bac table. However, a mini-bac felt, or mat can be added over an existing poker table to give you an authentic feel.
- Pai Gow Poker: Similar to Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker can be played on a traditional table with a single 52-card and a joker. Add on your own felt or just keep track of your hands to play an authentic game of Pai Gow Poker on your poker table.
Conclusion
You can play several casino poker card games from a single table with a little creativity. So whether you’re looking for a switch up from traditional Tex Hold’em or more reasons to get a poker table, you need to try out these ten poker card games at least once.
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