Here’s an interesting question for poker fans: how many different variations of the game can you name?
Although the actual answer is open to interpretation, it’s commonly regarded that there’re more than 100 different poker variants played around the world. And yet, if you frequent an online casino, you barely have a dozen options to try.
Of course, in reputable online casinos, you’ll always find the most popular poker options. These can include well-known Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, or video poker variants like Jacks or Better, provided by leading developers such as Pragmatic Play and Evolution Gaming.
So why do dozens of poker variants tend to get overlooked by online casinos? The answer, as usual, comes down to popularity.
The Variety of Poker
Just a quick look at Wikipedia or poker-focused sites from different countries shows there are dozens of poker variants, most of which rarely appear in standard online casinos.
For example, Blind Man’s Bluff (also called Indian Poker) has players reveal a single card to everyone else, while Open-Face Chinese Poker (OFC) involves arranging cards in rows to compare hands. Speed Poker adds a time element to decisions, and Greek Hold’em combines elements of Texas Hold’em and Omaha. There are also exotic Stud variants like Show Hand, Mexican Stud, and Kentrel/48.
However, Texas Hold’em and Omaha still rule the tables. Why? Let’s take a closer look.
Everything is Bigger in Texas
The origins of Texas Hold’em can be traced back to the early 1900s, when it’s thought that the game was invented in the small Texan town of Robstown.
But it was in the 1960s, when Texas Hold’em was introduced to the gaming floors of the burgeoning Las Vegas by Felton ‘Corky’ McCorquodale, the influential poker professional.
And in 1971, an even more important milestone was achieved: the World Series of Poker announced that it was adopting Texas Hold’em as its variant of choice for many of its richest and most prestigious tournaments.
So, any player with an ambition of competing in a WSOP event had to learn Texas Hold’em, which in turn made the variant the most widely adopted on the planet.
Even today, all these years later, people that want to learn how to play poker are generally taught the rules of Texas Hold’em first; so ubiquitous is it at casinos and home games around the world.
Omaha: More Cards, More Action
As for Omaha, arguably the number two poker variant globally in terms of popularity, adoption took a little longer to catch on.
But as online casinos and poker sites grew in popularity in the 2000s, it was clear that some players wanted an alternative to Texas Hold’em – a game with more action on the table and bigger pots created by the wider range of possible hands.
It was casino impresario Robert Turner that introduced Omaha poker, which had been played in the city of Omaha, Nebraska for decades, to Las Vegas in the 1980s.
It was a popular variant then, but it was the explosion of online poker at the turn of the 21st Century that really saw Omaha take off as an alternative option to Texas Hold’em.
Players seemed to enjoy the point of difference between the two games, with four hole cards in Omaha compared to Texas Hold’em’s two. That allows for more opportunities on the draw, making it a more strategic and tactical game, while building some sizable pots, too.
Omaha poker also allows for a diverse range of tournaments and play modes, from Pot Limit to 5-Card and 6-Card Omaha, which allows players to find the variant that appeals the most to them.
The Future of Online Poker
It’s unlikely that Texas Hold’em and Omaha will be usurped from the hearts and minds of poker players anytime soon.
But the world is changing. Speed and convenience are favored by many over slow burning pleasures, so you wonder if tournament play in Texas Hold’em in particular may suffer from a generational shift – will next-generation players want to sit around for hours to make it to the final table?
It’s possible that online casinos will shift some of their focus to more fast-paced variants of poker; perhaps even those with the most straightforward, beginner-friendly sets of rules, too.
Here are a few options:
● Guts (3-card) – lightning-fast poker where players simultaneously decide to stay “in” or fold, with losers often required to match the pot, keeping the action immediate and high-stakes.
● Indian Poker (Blind Man’s Bluff) – each player sees everyone else’s card but not their own, worn on the forehead, leading to quick bets based on incomplete information.
● Irish Poker – a hybrid between Texas Hold’em and Omaha, players start with four hole cards but must discard down to two after the flop, speeding up decisions and outcomes.
● Chicago (High Chicago) – a stud variant where half the pot goes to the best hand and half to the highest spade in the hole, creating fast, incentive-driven pots.
In short, rare and exotic poker variants like these are not usually offered in online casinos today because they would struggle to compete with the established giants like Texas Hold’em or Omaha. But times change, and if players begin demanding something fresher and faster, casinos will certainly have new formats ready to roll out.
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