Poker has a special place among casino games since it is considered to be the best card game ever invented. Even people who do not play this specific card game, or any casino games, are familiar with it – this proves just how popular the poker is. The reason for this is probably because poker is played globally and manages to transcend barriers, bringing together people from all backgrounds. The game is considered to be a hobby, a career and even a way of life, and this makes it even more appealing to wider audiences.
A Brief Overview of the Game
One of the reasons poker boasts of seemingly undying popularity is its rather open-ended nature, that is, the game involves the use of a standard deck of cards and poker players are allowed to come up with as many variations of the standard poker game as they may want. Texas Hold’em, which is arguably the most popular variation of online poker, is lauded by many experts and professional players for being the undisputed king of the game since it is loved by millions and is featured in tons of sites and poker tournaments all over the world.
Texas Hold’em and several of its sub-variations including No Limit, Pot Limit and Limit Texas Hold’em are also famous among families and friends. Also, the fact that the game is fast and easy to learn helps a lot. However, people may eventually get tired of playing nothing but Texas Hold’em or any of the traditional poker variants, especially once they have mastered everything about them. Fortunately, it is 2018 and there are a number of outstanding new variations of poker that players can indulge in either online or offline.
So, are you looking to explore the fringes of the poker space? Here are a few of the latest and best legal online poker sites you can find.
PokerStars’ Unfold Hold’em
Unfold Hold’em is PokerStars’ variation of the renowned Texas Hold’em that involves an additional side pot that is contested by players who fold pre-flop. In other words, the game allows players to retrieve their mucked cards once a flop is dealt and enter a side pot with the other players. PokerStars offers the games as a cash game format, giving players the chance to win with every hand, even if they are not dealt with any good cards. In poker, one of the most excruciating things is having to fold cards that have flopped the nuts. Unfold Hold’em gets rid of this. The rules and gameplay are also quite simple so players should have no trouble getting started.
The game is offered from $0.03/$0.06 with the Unfold Ante at $0.02 to a maximum limit of $1/$2 with the Unfold Ante at $0.60. Unfortunately, the buy-ins are fixed and thus players will not be able to choose their own buy-ins but the ones that are offered will be more than sufficient for most players – they range from 60 big blinds at lower stakes to 80 big blinds at higher stakes.
Badugi
As odd sounding as this game may be, it is actually a variant of poker that has gone viral on the internet. Badugi is, in essence, a variation of lowball poker, and involves the utilization of suit in the determination of how the game develops. The objective of the game is to make the best possible low four hand – pairs and similar suits do not count in the player’s favor though. Experienced players will enjoy this game since it allows them to take advantage of the three draws to beat players of somewhat lesser experience in exploiting their poker hands.
“Crazy” Pineapple Poker
This game is community-based just like the popular Texas Hold’em games. However, unlike Texas Hold’em, this one begins with players being dealt three cards instead of the usual two. The objective of Pineapple Poker is to increase the chances of made hands betting against each other and this frantically ups both the ante and the poker action. Also, the final win for the winning hand is much higher in this game.
Razz
Razz is totally different from your typical Hold’em or Omaha game and is gaining popularity fast. The game does not involve the community cards, and everyone plays their own hands. As such, Razz bares a lot more similarity to seven-card stud except for the fact that the winner is the player with the lowest hand. So, when playing Razz, the players’ objectives is to avoid pairs and instead try to catch the lowest possible cards. If you are looking for something new, exciting and different, this is definitely the game for you.
Midnight Baseball
This one is very similar to Seven Card No Peek poker and is played with face-down cards. The main difference is that all of the players’ hands are exposed one card at a time making it even more fun, intense and exciting. To spice it up, the nines and the threes are wild and whenever the four card is exposed, the players are allowed to buy an extra card. If you are looking for even more excitement, try the nine-card version of Midnight Baseball. Sounds fun right right?!
Tapiola Hold’em Poker
This is a community card poker variant that can be played by 2 to 9 players – if the cards are being ‘burned’ only a maximum of 8 players can play. It involves the uses of a normal 52-card deck without the jokers and poker chips or any other simple bookkeeping equipment. Also required is basic poker knowledge. However, it differs from other variants since it involves narrowing of choices (3 times) and sudden surprises. Players can also bluff by playing cards and there are high hands more often.
