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These are the most commonly played forms of poker:

- Texas hold'em
- Stud 5
- Stud 7
- Omaha
- Draw

Each of these individual versions can be played under different betting structures:

- No limit
- Pot Limit
- Limit

It is also possible to play some variants with both Hi and low hands, for example with:

- Seven Card Stud
- Omaha

This article will explain each of the different forms of poker and will inform you of possible variants that you should avoid while you are still learning the game.

Whether you prefer playing Hold'em, Stud, Omaha or Draw you should limit your play to limit games and avoid Hi-low.

Why limit games and why not Hi-Low?

LIMIT / NO LIMIT and POT LIMIT

On top the different playing technics used in each game which are never easy to master, the pot-limit and no-limit betting structures greatly increase the complexity of play.

The variable betting amounts create a far more subtle betting structure in pot and no-limit games.

In consequence should you try to take control, scare your opposition through bluffs, or raise the stakes in the pot, the size of your bet must be carefully measured. In order to bet effectively you will need to have a fairly good level of play for that game in order not too commit too many errors of judgement.

Under the 'limit' betting structure the size of the bets are fixed, this is an advantage because it will allow you to better understand when to bet and when not to bet without having to worry about the size of your bets.

HI versus HI & LOW

Games played using the Hi-Low variant rules frequently result in split pots. The choice of which hands to play and the pre-flop strategy is much more difficult to manage, it's not rare to finish second for the hi-hand and second for the low-hand letting your adversaries split the pot.

It is also easy to see that knowing how to play well in 'hi only' poker is a major advantage to learning playing techniques for hi-low games.

Les variantes en hi et low aboutissent fréquemment sur des partages de pot, le choix des mains de départ et de la stratégie pre-flop est encore plus sensible car il n'est pas rare de finir second en bas et second en haut et de voir ses adversaires se partager vos jetons ...
Il est de toute façon évident qu'une bonne maitrise des jeux en "hi only" est de toute façon un atout pour apprendre les techniques du hi & low...

What about the different types of poker themselves? Texas, stud, omaha or draw ?

STUD POKER with 5 or 7 cards
Stud Poker, with 5 or 7 cards, holds certain similarities to Texas Hold'em (in fact, Stud Poker was one of the games that led to the development of Texas Hold'Em) but differs in the amount of information that are given by the shown cards (which are not shared in the center of the table like in hold'em, but are held by individual players). This additional information doesn't neccesarily make the game any easier to win since all players are getting the same amount of information. Stud games do require a good memory and a good calculative reflexes in order to play the probabilities.

OMAHA
Omaha and Texas Hold'Em have a lot in common, but Omaha, especilly in the hi-low version is a major trap for beginning players. Overall this form of poker is not really any more complicated than Texas Hold'Em, but there are several bad habits that tend to be a problem for beginners. In Omaha it's not rare to see players lose everything although they may have started with an excellent hand. The four cards in Omaha make it very likely that someone at the table will be holding a very big hand, straight and flush draws are far more likely to be made. Omaha is often played by more experienced players because it's easier to take beginning players money.

TEXAS HOLD'EM
This is the most commonly played form of poker in the world today. This form is truly one of the most interesting to play, but it is certainly not the easiest.

There are many articles on the subject, you would be well advised to spend some time getting to know the game in detail, progress can be very rapid.

DRAW POKER
Draw poker is one version of closed poker where none of the cards in play are visible to all players. Still popular in private games this version of poker has been greatly overtaken by the popularity of open poker variants such as Hold'em and Omaha. Draw poker is still widely played, notably online, where you can easily find draw games using limit and pot-limit betting structures. Draw poker is probably the easiest version to play, it has a simple structure and only two betting rounds, one before and one after the exchange of cards. Compared with the four betting rounds in Omaha and Hold'em, this simplifies the betting strategies in use. This is an excellent game for beginners when played 'limit' as the simplified betting structure is easier to understand and master.

The draw may be one of the first variants that you begin to play, allowing you to develop your confidence and understanding of the game that can than be used while mastering Texas Hold'Em.

IN CONCLUSION
The two versions you should choose from in the beginning are Texas Hold'Em or Five Card Draw. The choice is a simple question of preference.