What Other Card Games Do Poker Players Enjoy?

Card Games for Poker Players

The poker playing community don’t just restrict themselves to Texas Hold’em. Despite our site primarily offering this, we appreciate there are other games around that many of you enjoy. Some of you may only play one or two forms of poker or not know of the other popular card game variants. That’s why in this article I’m going to provide a brief introduction into some other card games that poker players enjoy. I’ll also give some reasons why they are popular with poker players.

Video Poker

Probably the easiest transition for a poker player to make when moving to other card games is video poker. This card game has the exact same hand rankings but is very different to regular Texas Hold’em. The object of the game is to beat the house.  Most live, online and best online casinos play the jacks or better rule. In other words, if you make a pair of jacks or better, you win.

Video poker pays outs based on the hand strength. The stronger your hand, the more lucrative the pay-out. This appeals to poker players as we’re used to putting in a bet and if it gets called, we win the same amount we put in.

They will also find the player input attractive to them. Many forms of gambling require no player input, something poker players are not accustomed to. Video poker offers some input from the player. The key to solid video poker strategy comes from the drawing. You need to know which cards to discard. Fortunately, most decisions are relatively straight forward e.g., if you are dealt two queens and random low cards, discard the three low cards.

Blackjack

Otherwise known as pontoon or 21s, blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. Walk into any casino and you will see blackjack tables. Countless times I’ve been in a casino on a tournament break and seen poker players enjoying themselves at the blackjack tables.

The appeal of blackjack lies in the speed the game is played and the simplicity of the rules. Poker players like games to run quickly which is why they multi-table. It’s very easy to understand, beat the dealer in anyway and you win. Unlike video poker where your pay increases in line with the strength of your hand, you can only win what you wager in blackjack. However, in blackjack, you can win with a very low ranking. Remember, the dealer draws at 16 so if they bust, and you haven’t, you win the bet.

There are many strategies involving blackjack, too many for me to detail in this overview but suffice to say it’s a game many poker players enjoy. As with any form of gambling, we recommend responsible gambling at all times.

Five-Card Draw

Before learning Texas Hold’em, five card draw was the default poker game. For me, it’s the original poker form. It is often played in home games among friends and is an easy transition for a poker player to make. After all, the betting, action and hand rankings are all the same as regular poker.

The rules are very simple; players are dealt five cards face down, not to be shown to other players. A round of action proceeds where players can “draw” and replace existing cards. This is usually restricted to four cards, although some places allow all five. A second “after the draw” round then happens where players still in get the opportunity to draw one more time. After that, players bet and the showdown occurs (if required) where the best hand wins all the money in the pot.

It’s seamless for a poker player to try this card game as there are many similarities between regular Texas Hold’em. Five-card draw has lost some popularity in recent years and almost never played online or in casinos. This is due to other variants becoming mainstream and more popular.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are other cool card games around to try. If you are exclusively playing poker and suffering burn out or running bad, feel free to try a new form for a little while. It may give you the necessary respite you need and give you renewed energy and enthusiasm when you return. Give video poker, blackjack or five-card draw a try and you may find a new love in these popular card games.