North America: the home of Hold'em
Poker grew up on Mississippi riverboats in the early 1800s, spread west with the frontier, and gave the world Five Card Draw, Stud and finally Texas Hold'em. Las Vegas remains its capital, and the summer World Series of Poker is the sport's biggest annual gathering. Limit games and mixed games still thrive in California card rooms.
Europe: the Omaha continent
European players adopted Pot-Limit Omaha early, and many of the world's biggest PLO cash games run in Europe and online. Five-card PLO has become a staple. Festival series such as the European Poker Tour move between destinations like Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Prague.
United Kingdom and Ireland
The British game of three-card brag, an ancestor of Teen Patti, is still played in pubs and homes. Dublin and London card clubs helped spread no-limit Hold'em across Europe in the late 1990s.
East Asia: high rollers and Short Deck
Short Deck Hold'em rose in Macau and Hong Kong private games, and Open-Face Chinese became a favourite of high-stakes professionals. Asia now hosts some of the largest buy-in tournaments in the world.
South and Southeast Asia
- India: Teen Patti is the national favourite, played at weddings and during Diwali, and Hold'em has a fast-growing competitive scene.
- Philippines: Pusoy, a 13-card arrangement game.
- Vietnam: Mậu Binh, another 13-card cousin of Chinese Poker.
- Korea: Badugi, the four-card lowball game, is widely believed to have originated here.
Latin America and Australia
Brazil, Argentina and Mexico have produced some of the most successful online players of the last decade, and Hold'em and PLO dominate their live scenes. Australia has a long tournament tradition anchored in Melbourne.
Casino poker: playing against the house
| Game | How it works |
|---|---|
| Three Card Poker | Beat the dealer's three-card hand; side bets pay for strong hands. |
| Ultimate Texas Hold'em | Hold'em against the dealer, with bigger bets allowed the earlier you commit. |
| Caribbean Stud | Five-card stud against the dealer, with a progressive jackpot. |
| Pai Gow Poker | Seven cards split into a five-card and a two-card hand; inspired by the Chinese tile game. |
These games have a built-in house edge, so unlike real poker they cannot be beaten over time by skill.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular poker game in the world?
No-Limit Texas Hold'em, by a wide margin. Pot-Limit Omaha is second in most markets.
Which poker games are popular in Asia?
Short Deck Hold'em in Macau and Hong Kong, Open-Face Chinese among high rollers, Teen Patti in India, Pusoy in the Philippines and Mậu Binh in Vietnam.
What is the difference between poker and casino poker?
In poker, players compete against each other and the house takes a fee. In casino poker games like Three Card Poker or Ultimate Texas Hold'em, you play against the house.