The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) 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 WCOOP 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 WCOOP champion isn’t quite as daunting a task.

In this article, we’ve picked out five non-hold’em poker variants running throughout WCOOP 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. 

SUNDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER
WCOOP 39-L: $11 5-Card PLO (2-Day Event), $40K Gtd

WCOOP 39-M: $109 5-Card PLO (2-Day Event), $100K Gtd
WCOOP 39-H: $1,050 5-Card PLO (2-Day Event), $200K 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…

WEDNESDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER

WCOOP 55-L: $11 NL 2-7 Single Draw, $7.5K Gtd

WCOOP 55-M: $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw, $17.5K Gtd

WCOOP 55-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw, $45K 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).

NL OMAHA HI-LO (NLO8)

Go big or go home. NLO is the wild cousin of PLO…

SUNDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER

WCOOP 74-L: $22 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $35K Gtd

WCOOP 74-M: $215 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $60K Gtd

WCOOP 74-H: $2,100 NLO8 [Progressive KO], $100K 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…

WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER

WCOOP 88-L: $11 HORSE, $10K Gtd
WCOOP 88-M: $109 HORSE, $25K Gtd
WCOOP 88-H: $1,050 HORSE, $60K 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…

THURSDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER

WCOOP 96-L: $55 8-Game, $30K Gtd
WCOOP 96-M: $215 8-Game, $35K Gtd
WCOOP 96-H: $1,050 8-Game, $55K 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.