Mobile casinos and poker apps offer many forms of poker. Some, like Texas Hold'em and Omaha, pit you against other players. Others, like Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud, are casino table games where you play against the dealer. Video poker is a single-player game on a machine-style screen. This guide explains how each variation works, what changes on a phone and where to learn more.
The most popular poker variations on mobile
Each variation has its own rules, strategy and level of complexity. Here is what makes each one different.
Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is the most played form of poker. Each player gets two private cards (hole cards) and shares five community cards on the table, and the best five-card hand wins. It is the standard game for major tournaments and casual games alike.
On mobile you will find Hold'em in several formats:
- Cash games at different stake levels
- Sit-and-go tournaments
- Multi-table tournaments (MTTs)
- Fast-fold tables, where you move to a new table as soon as you fold
Free-to-play apps such as Governor of Poker 3 and the World Series of Poker app let you learn the game without real money.
Omaha
Omaha works like Hold'em with community cards, but each player gets four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with three community cards. That creates more possible hands and bigger swings. Pot-Limit Omaha is the most common form.
Seven-Card Stud
Seven-Card Stud has no community cards. Each player gets seven cards over several rounds, some face up and some face down, and makes the best five-card hand. It rewards memory, because you need to track the cards other players have shown. It is less common than Hold'em or Omaha on mobile.
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is a casino table game where you get three cards and play against the dealer, not other players. Its fast rounds and simple decisions suit solo play on a phone.
- Ante and Play: your main bet against the dealer's hand
- Pair Plus: a side bet that pays on a pair or better, whatever the dealer holds
- 6 Card Bonus: an optional bet on the best five-card hand from your three cards and the dealer's three
RNG and live dealer versions are widely available, and many are built for portrait mode with large touch buttons. See our Three Card Poker strategy guide for how to play each hand.
IGT's Three Card Poker has a published RTP of 96.63%.
Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud is a house-banked game. You and the dealer each get five cards, with one of the dealer's cards face up, and there are no draws or community cards. You fold or raise based on your hand and the dealer's upcard. The fixed betting structure makes it easy to learn on mobile.
A common pay table for the raise bet looks like this, though pay tables differ between games:
- Royal flush: 100 to 1
- Straight flush: 50 to 1
- Four of a kind: 20 to 1
- Full house: 7 to 1
Many versions add an optional progressive jackpot side bet, which pays a share of a growing jackpot on the strongest hands.
Playtech's Caribbean Stud Poker has a published RTP of 96.29%.
Five-Card Draw
Five-Card Draw is poker in its traditional form. Each player gets five private cards and can swap any number of them once for new cards. It suits mobile play, with quick hands and simple decisions:
- One drawing round
- Betting position matters
- No community or exposed cards
- Works well heads-up or with few players
IGT's Five Play Draw Poker applies the same idea to video poker: you play five hands of draw poker at once and it has a published RTP of 99.14%.
Pai Gow Poker
In Pai Gow Poker you get seven cards and split them into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. Both hands must beat the dealer's matching hands for you to win, and a split result is usually a push.
Video poker variations
Video poker mixes poker hand rankings with a machine-style screen. You play alone, rounds are quick and the result depends partly on your decisions, which suits short sessions on a phone.
Popular video poker games
| Game | Key feature | RTP with the common full-pay table |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | Pays on a pair of jacks or higher | 99.54% (9/6 table) |
| Deuces Wild | All 2s are wild | Depends on the pay table |
| Bonus Poker | Higher payouts for four of a kind | 99.17% (8/5 table) |
| Double Double Bonus | Extra payouts for specific four of a kinds | 98.98% (9/6 table) |
| Joker Poker | A joker is added as a wild card | Depends on the pay table |
These RTPs assume perfect strategy. Casinos often run lower-paying tables, so check the pay table before you play. Video poker works well in portrait mode with one hand. Our video poker strategy guide explains how to play each hand.
Mixed game variations
HORSE
HORSE rotates through five poker games, switching after a set number of hands or a set time:
| Letter | Game | Description |
|---|---|---|
| H | Hold'em | Limit Texas Hold'em |
| O | Omaha Hi-Lo | Omaha Eight-or-Better |
| R | Razz | Seven-Card Stud played for the low hand |
| S | Seven-Card Stud | Seven-Card Stud played for the high hand |
| E | Eight-or-Better | Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo |
HORSE tests how well you play several games, so it is popular with experienced players. On mobile it mostly appears at larger online poker rooms.
8-Game Mix
8-Game Mix adds three more games to the HORSE rotation:
- 2-7 Triple Draw
- No-Limit Hold'em
- Pot-Limit Omaha
Each game runs for a set number of hands before the next one starts. 8-Game Mix is rare on mobile and mostly runs at larger poker rooms during tournament series.
Choosing a poker variation on mobile
- You want to play against other people: start with Texas Hold'em, then try Omaha or Seven-Card Stud.
- You want quick solo rounds: Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud or video poker suit short sessions on a phone.
- You want the best return: full-pay video poker played with correct strategy has some of the highest RTPs in the casino.
- You want variety: mixed games like HORSE test several skills at once.
Learn the rules and basic strategy for a variation before you play it for real money, and practise in free mode where it is offered. For more, read our mobile poker tips or see how poker compares in poker vs blackjack. When you are ready, choose a mobile casino from our rankings.
