Poker Rules: Stud, Community Card, Draw Poker Rules

So you want to read about poker rules? Perhaps you know nothing about poker, or perhaps you play one poker game and would like to learn about others. Either way, you've come to the right place! Learn all about the different poker games and their rules in these pages.

Poker is such a popular card game that players keep developing new variations. But no matter what version of poker you play, the basic rules apply. In poker, the goal is to either win with the best set of cards or to outlast everyone in the game. A set of cards or "hand" is judged better than others according to fixed poker rules on hand rankings.

Most poker games are classified into any one of the following groups:

Draw Poker - Players are dealt completed hands, with the ability to improve their hands by discarding one or more cards and drawing new ones.

Community Card Poker - Players are dealt face-down cards that must be combined with shared, face-up cards to make a complete hand.

Stud Poker - Players are dealt some cards facing up and some cards facing down.

When choosing a game to play, start with the easiest ones. 5 Card Draw Poker is simple and straightforward. Poker in slot machines can be played solo and are fun too. On the other hand, Texas Holdem is the most widely played poker game in the world, so you should familiarize yourself with it early on. The game makes a good spectator sport and enjoys wide television coverage.

If you are a total beginner, start with the general poker rules and hand rankings. Once this is learned and memorized, you will find it easy to play the different games.

POKER RULES INDEX

POKER HIGH AND LOW HAND RANKINGS - How cards are ranked in poker. High hands, low hands, tiebreaks and kickers.

GENERAL POKER RULES AND ETIQUETTE - General poker procedure. Betting, dealing and showdown. Live casino and online poker etiquette.

TEXAS HOLDEM RULES - Rules of Texas Holdem. Blinds, betting, flop, turn, river and showdown.

OMAHA & OMAHA HI/LO RULES - Rules of Omaha Holdem. High/Low rules. Low hands.

5 CARD DRAW RULES - Rules of 5 Card Draw Poker. Video Poker.

7 CARD STUD AND RAZZ RULES - Rules of 7 Card Stud. Rules of Razz Stud Low.

OTHER COMMUNITY CARD GAMES - Community card poker. Some community card games: Cincinnati, Lincoln, Manila, Tic-tac-toe and Crazy Pineapple.

OTHER DRAW GAMES - Draw Poker. Some draw poker games: Jacks to Open Trips to Win, California Lowball and Hi/Lo with Declare.

OTHER STUD GAMES - Stud Card Poker. Some stud games: Auction, Caribbean Poker, Black Maria and Mexican Sweat.

HORSE POKER - HORSE Acronym and Rules. HORSE games: Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud and Eight or Better. HORSE popularity and tournaments.

SELECTED POKER TERMS - Some poker terms used in this introductory guide.