5 Non-Hold’em Poker Variants You Should Try in SCOOP 2024
The Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) offers up some of the biggest online no limit hold’em tournaments of the year – but that’s not the only game in town.
A wide variety of other poker variants are catered for throughout the SCOOP 2024 schedule and they’re all well worth your time, even if you’ve little to no experience.
Here’s why.
For starters, non-hold’em poker games – especially mixed game tournaments where the game switches each orbit – are a lot of fun. They require your attention (you don’t want to try and make a razz hand when you’re playing stud, for example) but they’re always entertaining and, on average, you get to play a lot more hands.
Secondly, non-hold’em events almost always have smaller fields and that means becoming a SCOOP champion isn’t quite as daunting a task.
In this article, we’ve picked out five non-hold’em poker variants running throughout SCOOP 2024 and highlighted the best events on the schedule for those variants.
We’ve also outlined the rules and linked to some strategy articles to help you get started.
Good luck!
PL 5 CARD OMAHA (PLO5)
It’s just like regular PLO but with an extra card for more shenanigans.
MONDAY 23 MAY
SCOOP 101-L: $11 5-Card PLO, $20K Gtd
SCOOP 101-M: $109 5-Card PLO, $60K Gtd
SCOOP 101-H: $1,050 5-Card PLO, $125K Gtd
HOW TO PLAY:
To play Pot Limit 5-Card Omaha (PLO5), each player is dealt five private cards instead of the usual four. Players must use exactly two of their hole cards and three community cards to make the best five-card hand.
The game proceeds with a series of four betting rounds, including pre-flop, flop, turn, and river. Betting is pot-limit, meaning players can only bet up to the size of the current pot. Strategic nuances include hand selection, understanding pot odds, and managing the complexities of multi-way action.
NL 2-7 SINGLE DRAW
It’s often called the purest form of poker…
TUESDAY 21 MAY
SCOOP 89-L: $5.50 NL 2-7 Single Draw [Progressive KO], $5K Gtd
SCOOP 89-M: $55 NL 2-7 Single Draw [Progressive KO], $12.5K Gtd
SCOOP 89-H: $530 NL 2-7 Single Draw [Progressive KO], $30K Gtd
HOW TO PLAY:
In No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, each player receives five private cards, and the goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand with no pairs, with the ace counting as the highest card.
After an initial pre-flop round of betting, players have the option to discard and draw new cards to improve their hands. The draw is followed by another round of betting. In a no-limit format, players can bet any amount so you can play for stacks and huge pots. The lowest hand wins at showdown.
This game is all about knowing the odds and understanding pre-flop hand strength (i.e. which hands to play).
If no limit is too wild or you like more than one draw, there’s also a fixed limit 2-7 triple draw event running on Tuesday, 14 May.
LIMIT VERSION
TUESDAY 14 MAY
SCOOP 54-L: $55 FL 2-7 Triple Draw, $17.5K Gtd
SCOOP 54-M: $215 FL 2-7 Triple Draw, $30K Gtd
SCOOP 54-H: $1,050 FL 2-7 Triple Draw, $50K Gtd
NL OMAHA HI-LO (NLO8)
Go big or go home. NLO is the wild cousin of PLO…
SUNDAY 19 MAY
SCOOP 79-L: $22 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $35K Gtd
SCOOP 79-M: $215 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $60K Gtd
SCOOP 79-H: $2,100 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $125K Gtd
HOW TO PLAY:
In No Limit Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha Eight or Better or NLO8), players aim to make the best high hand and/or the best low hand, splitting the pot between the highest and lowest hands if certain conditions are met.
HIGH: High hands (Hi!) are the same as they are in no limit hold’em or regular pot limit omaha.
LOW: To be considered Low, you must have a five-card hand of different values from eight down. Straights and flushes aren’t a thing here, and the ace is low. Therefore, the best Low hand is A-2-3-4-5 (aka a “wheel”), regardless of suit. The next best is A-2-3-4-6.
In NLO8, strategies involve understanding hand strength for both high and low, managing pot odds, and assessing opponents’ potential holdings.
HORSE
Five games are better than one…
SATURDAY 25 MAY
SCOOP 108-L: $22 HORSE [Progressive KO], $20K Gtd
SCOOP 108-M: $109 HORSE [Progressive KO], $30K Gtd
SCOOP 108-H: $530 HORSE [Progressive KO], $30K Gtd
HOW TO PLAY:
HORSE is a mixed poker game rotating between five different variants: Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better.
There’s one full orbit of a game before moving to the next variant.
HORSE requires players to be proficient in multiple poker disciplines, testing their adaptability and strategic versatility. Success in HORSE often depends on a player’s ability to adjust their tactics to the specific nuances of each variant.
8-GAME
But eight games are better than five…
SATURDAY 18 MAY
SCOOP 73-L: $2.20 8-Game [Progressive KO], $4K Gtd
SCOOP 73-M: $22 8-Game [Progressive KO], $20K Gtd
SCOOP 73-H: $215 8-Game [Progressive KO], $40K Gtd
HOW TO PLAY:
8-Game Poker is a mixed game rotation that encompasses eight different poker variants: Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, Limit Hold’em, Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better, No-Limit Hold’em, and Pot-Limit Omaha.
The game typically rotates every orbit, allowing players to experience a diverse range of poker disciplines. Each variant presents unique challenges and strategies, testing players’ skills across different betting structures, hand values, and gameplay dynamics.
