How to play poker — every game, and the rules that decide it

Community card · 2–10 players

Texas Hold'em

The world's game, and the one every LA room spreads.

1. Each player gets two private cards ('hole cards').
2. A round of betting, starting with the player left of the big blind.
3. The 'flop' — three community cards dealt face up — followed by a betting round.
4. The 'turn' — a fourth community card — then betting.
5. The 'river' — a fifth community card — then a final betting round.
6. Showdown: make your best five-card hand from any combination of your two cards and the five on the board.

How you win: Best standard five-card high hand.

Note: You are not required to use both hole cards, or either — 'playing the board' is legal, though it usually means you split.

Betting: No Limit (most common), Limit, rarely Pot Limit  ·  In LA: Every licensed LA room. Call the room for current stakes; no LA room publishes them online.

Community card · 2–10 players

Omaha (Pot-Limit Omaha)

Four hole cards, bigger draws, wilder pots.

1. Each player gets FOUR private cards.
2. The same flop / turn / river structure as Hold'em, with betting after each.
3. The catch: you must use EXACTLY two of your hole cards and EXACTLY three community cards — no more, no less.

How you win: Best standard five-card high hand, built from exactly two hole cards + three board cards.

Note: The 'exactly two' rule trips up Hold'em players constantly. Four hearts in your hand is NOT a flush; you can only ever use two of them.

Betting: Pot Limit (standard), sometimes Limit  ·  In LA: Commerce and The Gardens are known for Omaha action. Confirm what's running by phone.

Community card, high-low split · 2–10 players

Omaha Hi-Lo (Eight or Better)

Split-pot Omaha — scoop the whole thing or share it.

1. Dealt exactly like Omaha: four hole cards, flop, turn, river.
2. The pot splits between the best HIGH hand and the best qualifying LOW hand.
3. A low must be five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower ('eight or better'); straights and flushes don't count against a low, and the Ace plays low.
4. You still use exactly two hole cards + three board cards — and you may use a different two for your high than for your low.

How you win: High half to the best high hand; low half to the best qualifying low. If no one qualifies for low, the high hand 'scoops' the whole pot.

Note: The best possible low is 5-4-3-2-A ('the wheel'), which is also a straight for the high.

Betting: Fixed Limit (most common), Pot Limit  ·  In LA: Spread in the mix at Commerce and The Gardens. Confirm by phone.

Community card, high-low split · 2–9 players

Big O

Omaha Hi-Lo's bigger cousin — a five-card-hand favorite in SoCal.

1. Like Omaha Hi-Lo but each player gets FIVE hole cards instead of four.
2. You still make your hand using exactly two of your hole cards + three community cards.
3. The pot splits high/low, 'eight or better' for the low, same as Omaha Hi-Lo.

How you win: High/low split, exactly two hole cards used.

Note: The extra card makes big hands and qualifying lows far more common, so pots run large. Big O grew up in California card rooms and is a SoCal staple.

Betting: Limit, Pot Limit  ·  In LA: Commerce and Larry Flynt's Lucky Lady both list Big O. Confirm current games by phone.

Stud · 2–8 players

Seven Card Stud

The classic before Hold'em took over. No flop, no blinds.

1. Everyone antes. There are no community cards and no button.
2. Each player is dealt two cards down and one up ('third street'). Betting rounds follow each new card.
3. Fourth, fifth, and sixth streets are dealt face up; seventh street ('the river') is dealt face down.
4. By the end each player has seven cards — four up, three down — and makes their best five.

How you win: Best standard five-card high hand from your seven cards.

Note: Memory matters: the up-cards that get folded are information you can use. The low up-card usually 'brings it in' with a forced small bet on third street.

Betting: Fixed Limit (standard)  ·  In LA: The Gardens and Lucky Lady list stud. Availability varies — call ahead.

Stud, lowball · 2–8 players

Razz (Seven Card Stud Low)

Stud, upside down — the worst hand wins.

1. Dealt exactly like Seven Card Stud.
2. But the LOWEST five-card hand wins. Straights and flushes do not count against you, and the Ace is always low.
3. The best possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A ('the wheel').

How you win: Lowest five unpaired cards.

Note: Pairs are bad. A hand like 8-6-4-3-2 beats 8-7-5-4-A because you compare from the highest card down.

Betting: Fixed Limit  ·  In LA: Usually only as part of a mixed game rotation. Ask the room.

Stud, high-low split · 2–8 players

Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo (Eight or Better)

Stud that splits between high and low.

1. Dealt like Seven Card Stud.
2. The pot splits between the best high hand and the best qualifying low ('eight or better').
3. You can use different five-card combinations for your high and your low.

How you win: High/low split; high scoops if no low qualifies.

Betting: Fixed Limit  ·  In LA: Mixed-game rotations, occasionally on its own. Confirm by phone.

Community card · 2–9 players

Short Deck (Six Plus Hold'em)

Hold'em with the deuces through fives pulled out — more action, new math.

1. Played like Texas Hold'em, but all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are removed — a 36-card deck, Ace through Six.
2. The Ace still plays low, making A-6-7-8-9 the lowest straight.
3. Common house ranking change: because flushes are harder to make with fewer cards, a flush often BEATS a full house, and (in many rooms) three of a kind beats a straight. This varies — confirm the house ranking before you sit.

How you win: Best five-card hand under the house's short-deck ranking.

Note: Hands run much closer in equity, so short deck plays looser and faster.

Betting: No Limit, Pot Limit  ·  In LA: Larry Flynt's Lucky Lady lists Short Deck. Confirm the house rankings and stakes by phone.

Draw · 2–6 players

Five Card Draw

The kitchen-table classic — all five cards hidden.

1. Each player gets five cards face down.
2. A betting round, then each player may discard and 'draw' replacements.
3. A final betting round, then showdown.

How you win: Best standard five-card high hand.

Note: Rare in card rooms today; you'll see it mostly in home games and as part of mixed rotations.

Betting: No Limit, Fixed Limit, Pot Limit  ·  In LA: Not a listed cash game at the major LA rooms — more a home-game staple.

Draw, lowball · 2–6 players

Deuce-to-Seven & Ace-to-Five Lowball

Draw poker where the worst hand wins — California's own game.

1. Five-card draw structure, but the LOWEST hand wins.
2. Two ranking systems exist. In Ace-to-Five (California lowball), the Ace is low and straights/flushes don't count against you — 5-4-3-2-A ('the wheel') is the best hand.
3. In Deuce-to-Seven (Kansas City lowball), the Ace is HIGH and straights/flushes DO count against you — so the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of mixed suits.
4. 'Triple Draw' versions add three draw-and-bet rounds instead of one.

How you win: Lowest hand, by whichever lowball ranking the game uses.

Note: Lowball has deep California roots — for decades it was one of the only forms legal in the state's card rooms. Confirm which ranking and structure the table uses.

Betting: Fixed Limit, No Limit, Triple Draw variants  ·  In LA: Commerce lists Lowball; often part of mixed rotations. Confirm by phone.

Draw, lowball · 2–6 players

Badugi

A four-card draw game with a ranking all its own.

1. Each player gets four cards and there are three draw-and-bet rounds.
2. You want four LOW cards of four different suits and four different ranks — a 'badugi'.
3. Duplicate suits or ranks don't count, so a hand can be a 'three-card' or 'two-card' badugi. The best hand is 4-3-2-A of four suits.

How you win: Best (lowest) badugi.

Note: Almost always seen only inside a mixed-game rotation.

Betting: Fixed Limit  ·  In LA: Mixed games only; ask the room.

Mixed · 2–8 players

Mixed Games (HORSE, 8-Game, and more)

Rotate through several games — a test of all-around skill.

1. The table rotates through a fixed set of games, changing every so many hands or every orbit.
2. HORSE = Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, Stud Eight-or-better.
3. 8-Game adds Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, No-Limit Hold'em, and Pot-Limit Omaha to the rotation.
4. Rooms often run their own house mix that changes every half hour or every eight hands.

How you win: Per the current game in the rotation.

Note: Mixed games reward players who are competent at everything rather than specialists.

Betting: Usually Fixed Limit  ·  In LA: Commerce is well known for rotating mixed games. Confirm what's running by phone.

Stud · 2–8 players

Mexican Poker

A stripped-deck stud variant with California-cardroom roots.

1. A stud-style game played with a stripped ('Spanish') deck — the 8s, 9s, and 10s are removed — and one card typically plays wild.
2. Exact rules (which card is wild, how cards are dealt up or down, betting) vary by room and are set by the house.

How you win: Best hand under the house rules, wild card included.

Note: Mexican Poker is largely a Southern-California card-room game and the specifics differ from room to room — always confirm the house rules before you sit down.

Betting: Fixed Limit  ·  In LA: Commerce lists Mexican Poker. Confirm the exact rules and stakes with the room.