-
Poker Games
-
A guide to online poker games
In 2010 it seems like everyone is playing online poker. There are so many poker games to choose from there days, as well as people to play them, that even the most uncommon games receive plenty of traffic. Back in the day the only games you could play were Texas Hold'em and the Omaha poker variants. This was true at the best online poker rooms. Pokerstars in particular has really been an important factor in this huge growth. A couple years ago people used to be amazed that there were over 100,000 players at Pokerstars's tables during peak hours. That number has since peaked 300,000! This growth is far larger than what we saw during the supposed "online poker boom" of 2004. More and more people are moving away from Texas Hold'em to play more complicated, and more profitable, games like 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw and mixed poker games such as HORSE poker. Here are some links to some of my other online poker guides:Which Poker Games Are the most popular in 2010?
Texas Hold'em is still the top online poker game but the gap is narrowing. Omaha and Omaha HL have been consistently growing as well as the three Stud poker games. It really just depends on where you play. There are only a few online poker rooms that offer large amounts of traffic at a wide variety of games. Pokerstars is of course the undisputed king of all poker games but Full Tilt Poker and UB Poker are holding their own. Below is a list of games based on popularity (high to low):
- Texas Hold'em
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Omaha Poker
- 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
- 7 Card Stud
- Razz
- 5 Card Draw - Only At Pokerstars!
- 2-7 Triple Draw - Only At Pokerstars!
- Badugi - Only At Pokerstars!
- 2-7 Single Draw - Only At Pokerstars!
If you factor in mixed poker variants things change quite a bit. H.O.R.S.E poker has traditionally been the #1 mixed game but since the launch of 8-Game Mix at Pokerstars and 7-Game Poker at Full Tilt things have changed a bit. Both of these mixed games have hundreds of real money players around the clock, even more than 5 Card Draw.
Which are the most profitable poker games in 2010?
This is a matter of some debate but in my opinion the most profitable poker games these days are the more complex games. Hold'em has been perfected by many players and there are countless programs out there that will basically play the game for you. It is important to keep in mind the fact that thousands of new poker players are signing up at rooms like Pokerstars on a daily basis so there will never be any shortage of fish out there. Over the last 5 years however the average flop percentages have decreased at the medium and high stakes tables. Below is a list of online poker games in order of complexity, which is synonymous for profitability in my book. - Mixed Poker Games - Especially 8-Game Mix and 7-Game Mix
- Badugi Poker
- 2-7 Triple Draw
- 2-7 Single Draw
- Razz Poker
- Draw Poker
- 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
- Stud Poker
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Omaha Poker
- Texas Hold'em
The new poker game - Rush Poker
If you took a boring poker game like Texas Hold'em and removed the boring parts you would have Rush Poker. It is a special poker format that was developed by Full Tilt Poker in late 2009. It is available for Hold'em and the Omaha poker games. It takes a little getting used to but it takes much of the "boringness" out of poker, along with much of the skill. Here are some key points you will need to know about Rush poker before you sit down.
- Quick Fold - In Rush Poker if you receive a crappy starting hand you can automatically fold and be transferred to a new table, and receive a new hand. You do not need to wait for the action to come to you, even if you are last to act. You'll just have to hit the quick fold button and you'll be at a new table.
- Random Blinds - Since you will be playing with new players every hand the blinds are random. You can not pay any blinds for 20 hands or you could get stuck being in the big blinds 5 times in a row, it is all random.
- Hand Selection - People at the Rush Poker tables tend to only play medium-high pocket pairs and hands like AK, AQ and AJ.
online poker games in the next 5 years
In my opinion online poker games will change quite a bit during the next 5 years. We are already seeing the increase in complexity with games like 8-Game and 7-Game. New formats like Rush poker are also likely to be a mainstay in the online poker industry. Players are looking for something new and exciting. They want poker rooms to develop new games that haven't been mastered. I can think of several card games that I played at home games that would be extremely successful in the online arena. Poker room ingenuity will be a key factor in their success. Pokerstars and Full Tilt have been doing great in this category. In addition to the new poker games they have also developed new sitngo and tournament formats, such as double or nothing sitngos.
-
Poker Guide
Play Poker
