One of the most common misconceptions related to the game of poker comes from the word poker itself and its relation to the game of Texas Hold’em and other formats.
Because of their inexperience and lack of knowledge, many recreational poker players either use the word poker exclusively to describe Texas Hold’em or another type of poker, such as Five Card Draw or Seven Card Stud.
If you find yourself often confused about what the word poker means, poker rules, what Texas Hold’em Poker is, and whether the two are the same, you have come to the right place, as we seek to end any misconceptions and explain the concepts once and for all.
What Is Poker?
The word poker, much like the word rummy, is used to describe a set of card games that have certain similarities but also quite a few differences.
Generally speaking, poker games are played among players, although casino poker games also exist in which players compete with the dealers.
Some common characteristics of poker games include poker hand rankings, the ability to make bets at multiple points, and the ability to win a hand without holding the best cards by forcing your opponents to fold their cards.
However, if you thought there is only one poker game out there, you were misinformed, as there are literal dozens of versions of poker you can play, some of which don’t even share the most basic elements of the game with the most popular variants like Texas Hold’em Poker.
What Is Texas Hold’em Poker?
Texas Hold’em is currently by far the most popular version of the poker game, and the one you will commonly see played at major tournaments that get attention from TV and other media.
Texas Hold’em Poker is a poker game played with a 52-card deck in which all players receive two hole cards, visible only to them, and a set of five community cards are dealt on the table over three streets.
Between each of these streets, players have the option to make bets, looking to force other players to fold or match their bets with inferior hands.
Texas Hold’em Poker is an extremely complex game that involves lots of strategies and some luck, and it has become the most popular variation of poker thanks to the countless different ways it can be played and many strategies that have been adopted over the years.
If you want to play online poker or play in most live casinos these days, you will need to learn the game of Texas Hold’em, as this is the most widespread poker game today and will likely remain such for a number of years.
Other Poker Variants Explained
So, while Texas Hold’em is certainly a poker game, the word poker does not automatically mean Texas Hold’em Poker.
In fact, the word poker can be used to describe a whole number of games such as 7 Card Stud, Pot Limit Omaha, Razz, Badugi, 6+ Hold’em, and many others.
At the Annual World Series of Poker, the best poker players in the world come together and play tournaments in all these different poker games. All of them are poker, but only one of them is Texas Hold’em Poker.
That said, the reason for the confusion comes from the fact that most poker tournaments and cash games in the world these days are Texas Hold’em games.
To make matters a bit more clear, here is a look at a few popular poker game types, all of which include multiple games within them.
Community Card Poker Games
The first and most popular group of poker games these days are the community card poker games. This is the category that includes Texas Hold’em Poker, Omaha Poker, and 6+ Hold’em.
The one major similarity these games have is the fact they are played with hole cards and community cards. Each player receives a number of hole cards, and they all use the same community cards together with their hole cards to make the best possible hand.
The games can differ quite a bit. For example, Omaha games can be played with between four and six hole cards. Texas Hold’em is played with just two hole cards, while 6+ Hold’em is played with a deck made up of just 36 cards.
Yet, all of these poker games are grouped as community card poker games, as they all have this one thing in common, along with the hand rankings used in all of them for the most part.
Draw Poker Games
The older generations of players remember the days when draw poker games were more widespread, including Five Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, and Badugi.
Draw poker games are different from community card poker games in that players only receive hole cards, which they can exchange once or multiple times, but without any cards being revealed.
Since the entire hand is played with concealed cards, bluffing is more prevalent in these poker games, and the strategy is often based on knowing the player more than math, which can often limit the real strategic elements.
Yet, draw games are often played as part of mixed games to this day, and 2-7 Single and Triple Draw especially, along with Badugi and its variants, remain somewhat common even in 2024.
Stud Poker Games
A few decades ago, 7 Card Stud was the most popular poker game in the US, and most major poker tournaments were played at a Stud table.
Times have changed, and Stud games like 7 Card Stud, Razz, and 5 Card Stud have been pushed off the stage, but some Stud games can still be found today.
Stud poker is played with players receiving a number of hole cards, some exposed and others concealed, and playing without any community cards in play.
Much like draw poker games, stud poker games have lost some of their popularity as the strategic elements of Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha have convinced players that these games are more exciting and fun to play.
Playing Poker Against the Casino
While all the games we have talked about in the previous section are certainly poker games, there is one other group of games, also referred to as poker, that don’t quite fit the same criteria.
These are the casino poker games such as Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker, and Caribbean Stud Poker, all of which have some resemblance with the poker games you would play with your friends, but also one major difference.
Unlike social poker games, which involve a significant skill element, casino poker games are gambling games that give the casino an edge, similar to Blackjack or Roulette.
The impact you can have on the outcome of any hand in these games is very limited, and the long-term results are almost always negative, as these games are created to take your money.
Since you are not playing against other players and can only act within a given set of rules, your chances of beating the house are very low.
So, whether you choose to call these games poker or not is up to you, but you should definitely understand that there is a significant difference between casino poker games and those played against other players.
Key Things to Remember
So, next time you walk into a poker room or a home game, remember that Texas Hold’em is just one of the many variants of poker, and players in that game might be playing a different one but still playing poker.
For the most part, you will not be wrong to use the two terms interchangeably, but if you are invited to a Pot Limit Omaha game, don’t say something like “I miss playing poker” or “can we play regular poker,” as using this kind of poker terminology could make you a bit of a laughing stock.
Even if you have never played them, other versions of poker exist, and literally dozens of games are all grouped up under this one umbrella term.
