As poker developed over time a number of variations evolved from the single basic game that started it all back in the 15th century. They all generally follow the same familiar pattern but all have slight differences in terms of game play and cards dealt.

Straight
This is where a complete hand is dealt to each player and they bet on the cards they hold. This is the oldest recognised form of poker and was known as Primero and is still played in some UK clubs today. In major tournaments straight hands are also sometimes used as a knockout contest to decide the result.

Stud
Cards are dealt to players in various combinations of face up and face down and betting is based on the player’s chances of making a winning hand. Razz and Seven-card stud are popular variants of stud where each player has four cards showing and three hidden and tries to make a winning five card hand.

Draw
In draw poker, the players are dealt five cards and then exchange unwanted cards for new cards from the deck to try and improve their position, all the time betting on the chances of holding the winning combination at the end.

Community or Flop Poker
Players are dealt an incomplete hand and then pick from the community cards in the centre, which all players can use to try and make the winning five card hand. Texas Hold’em and Omaha are the most well-known and popular versions of this style of poker.