Poker comes in many variations. Texas Holdem is by far the most popular poker game on the Internet. This is largely due to the fact that many of the major televised poker tournaments feature Texas Holdem players.

In Texas Holdem each player is dealt two pocket or hole cards. Five community cards are flipped on the table, three cards coming on the flop, one on the turn card and one on the river. Players use their pocket cards and the five available community cards to form the best five cards poker hand. There is a round of betting before the flop, after the flop, after the turn card and one final round after the river. The object of the game is to come up with the best hand, or force the players around you to fold.

Omaha Holdem appears very similar to Texas Holdem but the game is very different. Omaha comes in different varieties. Theres Omaha Hi only and Omaha Hi-Lo. Players can bet on limit, no-limit and pot-limit games.

In Omaha Hi, players try to make the best possible five card hand using four personal cards and five community cards. Each hand must contain two personal cards and three community cards. Each player is dealt four cards and a round of betting takes place. After the flop, in which three community cards are placed face up on the table, theres another round of betting. After the turn and the river, there are additional betting rounds. The winner has the best hand using two personal cards and three community cards. In Hi-Lo, the player with the highest hand splits the pot with the player that has the lowest hand.

In Seven-Card Stud, players try to make the best possible five card poker hand using the seven cards that have been dealt to them. Each player is dealt three cards to start with, two cards face down and one face up. A round of betting takes place. Players are then dealt their fourth, fifth and six cards, all face up. The seventh card is dealt face down. After everyone has their seven cards theres a final round of betting. The winner has the best possible five card hand. Seven-card stud involves a bit more strategy and deductive reasoning, because so many of your opponents cards are visible on the table. Seven-Card Stud Eights or Seven-Card Hi-Lo is also available. In this variation, the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand split the pot. Razz is like Seven-Card lo. The player with the lowest hand wins the pot.

In Crazy Pineapple, each player is dealt three pocket cards face down and around of betting follows. The dealer turns over three community cards (the flop) and a second round of betting follows. At this point, all players must discard one of their pocket cards. The turn card is flipped, followed by a round of betting. The river card is then flipped and a fourth round of betting take place. During the showdown, players can use both of their remaining pocket cards and three community cards to form the best five card poker hand, or players have the option of using only one of their pocket cards and four community cards. Players can also choose to play the five community cards as their hand. Discarding one of your pocket cards creates an extra strategic dimension to this poker variation.

Try a few different games and find the one thats suits you best. Master the rules, get some practice and hone your skills before you try and play people for money.