How to Play:

• Texas Hold' em is one of the most popular variations around today and relies less on the luck of the draw and more on playing skill than any other variety.

Hold' em games are a considerable departure from the stud and draw poker games. Firstly, in Hold' em games, you only get a few cards in your initial hand. The rest are dealt to the shared community hand in the center of the table.

Secondly, there is no Ante in Hold' em.

It plays out like this:

1. Deal two cards face down to each player.
2. Bet (starting with blind bettors).
3. Deal three cards face up to the community hand (this is called "the flop").
4. Bet
5. Deal another face up card to the community hand.
6. Bet
7. Deal a final face up card to the community hand.
8. Bet
9. Showdown

This can be a tricky game and depends much more on how you bet and read the other players actions. Getting two pair or a straight in the community hand means very little since everyone shares those cards. Unless your two hole cards really add to the hand or "fill out" what's visible, you should probably fold -- unless you think you're a good enough bluffer.

• Omaha is played almost exactly like Texas Hold' em except that Omaha begins with 4 face down cards to each player. A winning hand may be built using two cards only from the player's hand and three cards only from the community hand. No other combinations are allowed. Even if you are dealt all four Aces to your starting hand, you can only use two of them, along with three from the community hand, to try to build a winner.

This variation takes some getting used to and a bit of additional skill to see how the hands might play out.

• Seven Card Stud is the big brother to Five Card Stud and plays very similarly, but has seven cards.
  

It plays out like this:

1. Ante
2. Deal two cards face down (hole cards) to each player and then one card face up.
3. Bet
4. Deal another face up card to each player.
5. Bet
6. Deal another face up card to each player.
7. Bet
8. Deal another face up card to each player.
9. Bet
10. Deal a final face down hole card to each player.
11. Bet
12. Showdown

Since there are three hole cards and four face up cards to a hand, an opponent's hand is hard to determine. A single showing Ace might have three brothers in the hole or be complimented by wildcards. Or it may mean nothing.