What Poker Game Did They Play in The Sopranos? — Watch with chapters and the full transcript →
Ready to teach a new game? These step-by-step guides cover the rules and worked hands. The Omaha guide covers high-only Omaha, not hi-lo.
Texas Hold'em dominates home games for good reason — it's easy to learn and strategically deep. But if you're hosting the same group every month, mixing in other games transforms a good poker night into a great one.
Omaha Hi-Lo (8 or Better)
Four hole cards, must use exactly two. The pot splits between the best high hand AND the best low hand (5 unpaired cards with values 8 or below). Creates wild action — everyone's chasing two ways to win. Ideal for action-hungry groups.
Watch with chapters and the full transcript →
12 Poker Games Your Friends Have Never Played
7-Card Stud
No community cards. Players get 3 face-down + 4 face-up cards. Razz uses a stud-style deal with the lowest five-card hand winning; aces are low, and straights and flushes do not count against the low hand. You can see half your opponents' hands, making reading skills critical. Slows the game down and rewards attention. Great change of pace.
Stop doing the math manually.
HG Poker logs buy-ins and rebuys and suggests who pays whom after the chip count. Players pay each other outside the app. Try it on iPhone or Android.
Pineapple / Crazy Pineapple
Like Hold'em but each player gets 3 hole cards. In Pineapple, discard one before the flop. In Crazy Pineapple, keep all three until after the flop then discard. Extra card = stronger hands, more decisions, more fun.
HORSE
Rotates through 5 games: Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better. Played with fixed betting. Separates well-rounded players from Hold'em specialists. Perfect for groups that want a real challenge.
Dealer's Choice
The dealer picks the game for their button. Opens up the entire universe of variants — 5-Card Draw, Follow the Queen, Baseball, anything. Dealer's Choice is how weird house-rule games get invented, which is half the fun.
- ▸Introduce one new game per session, not three at once
- ▸Have the dealer explain rules before the first orbit
- ▸Lower stakes when playing an unfamiliar game
- ▸Keep a printed rules cheat sheet on the table; agree on a rotation such as changing games every 30–45 minutes
- ▸Start with variants closest to what your group already plays
"The best home game is one where every player — not just the Hold'em specialist — has a shot at winning."
HG Poker supports multiple game types and tracks any format — cash games, tournaments, dealer's choice nights. Download free on the App Store.
Ready to run a cleaner poker night?
HG Poker is free to download. Setup takes 2 minutes.
