Poker is one of the most popular games you can play both online and at a land-based casino. Typically known for a game that is 100% skill and 50% luck and is about finding the rhythms within the game.
Ever since online casinos came onto the scene, so many more people play poker games online than ever before. There are so many different versions of online poker out there to choose from and they all get more and more popular every day.
But how many varieties are there around the world, and how do they differ from one another? These are the questions we’ll be answering for you.
Different variations of poker around the world
- Korean poker – Badugi
In Korea, they have a very similar game to poker which is called Badugi. This game uses the same card ranking structure as you would in a traditional poker game. The only difference in this case is that instead of aces being the high-value cards, they are low.
To start the game, the dealer gives out four cards to each of the players instead of the five cards you’d get in a normal game of poker. The betting round kicks off as normal. As the first draw round starts every player is able to draw up to four cards at any one time.
As the second round of betting starts, there is a second round of being able to draw up to four cards, which is then swiftly followed by a third round. When it comes down to the final draw, there is a final round of betting and then it’s time to show your cards. As with any other version of poker, the player with the best hand out of the four cards they have wins the game.
- Chinese poker
To play the Chinese version of poker, your dealer will first deal out 13 cards to every player. There can be between two and four players in a game of Chinese poker so there’s flexibility in the number of people you need in order to play.
Every player will then split their cards into two piles – two of the hands will contain five cards and the other one will contain three cards. These different stacks also have different names. The hand with three cards is called the front, and the two hands with five cards in them are called the middle and the back.
The aim of the game is to have your front hand as the lowest ranking hand. The back should be the highest-ranking hand. The players will then take turns to set their cards down on the table. They will start with the front hand – this is placed face down and farthest away from the player. The next hand to be put down is the middle hand and this is also placed face down. The last hand to be put down should be the closest to the player and is the back hand.
Every player will then have to tell the other players whether or not they are playing their hands. They will tell the other players what amount they are placing on their hands if they are playing them. The limits on bets should be decided before playing the game.
Each player will earn a number of points based on how good the hands they reveal are. The winner of the game is the one who earns the most points from their hands.