The majority of poker players will specialize in one form of poker. For most players that have entered the game over the last four or five years, this will probably be Texas Holdem. Texas Holdem has been greatly glamorised over recent years through the media, which has attracted high volumes of players to this one game in particular. However, there are a wealth of other poker variants out there that can be just as enjoyable.

Many Holdem players will dabble in the Omaha version of poker. This is very similar to Holdem in that there are holecards and community cards, but the difference being you are dealt four holecards instead of two. You then have to use exactly 2 of the cards in your hand combined with 3 cards on the board to make the best 5-card hand possible. This similarity means that players are less afraid of trying out this game for fear of losing money. However, although there is a slight difference in the rules, there is a big leap in strategy. This is because there are more opportunities to be drawing to big hands, which makes Omaha very much a drawing game. 

There is also a hi-lo split version of the game, which means the lowest hand will split the pot with the highest. This is a great variation on the rules, and allows for a great range of strategies and tactics to be employed around it. 

Another popular poker variant is 7-card stud. This form of poker is more popular with the older generation, as it used to be the most commonly played game in card rooms a few years back. This game is quite different to Holdem and Omaha, as there are no community cards. Each player is dealt 7 cards in a mix of face-up and facedown, with which they have to make the best 5-card hand. This makes it a little harder to pick up at first, but any player familiar with the basic rules of poker should have no problem in understanding the basic logistics of the game after a few hands. 

Although it is enjoyable to have a change once in a while from your standard game, playing other poker variants can have its more profitable advantages. Each of the different games will rely slightly more on different skills than one game can offer, which will help you to improve your all-round game. Therefore by learning to play games like Omaha and Stud well, you will be able to draft in what you have learnt into your Holdem game to help you improve. Even if you find it does not help you too much, I can guarantee that you will have some fun learning the new games along the way!