In 2025, poker thrives outside the mainstream. Whether you’re after high-speed tournament thrills, communal living-room capers, mind-sport competition, or digital roguelike fantasy—this year’s poker landscape has something fresh.
Experimenting with new variants can sharpen your instincts, inject fun into routine sessions, and remind you that part of poker’s magic lies in its infinite flexibility. So shuffle up, deal, and pick your poison—explore a whole new world of poker below:
Speed and Live-Action Variants
If you’re looking for exciting rounds and high-risk, high-reward scenarios, these game types are for you:
Speed Poker
A turbo-charged twist on Texas Hold’em, each player gets a tight timer (typically 15 seconds) to act before their hand is declared dead—unless they use time extensions. This fast-paced format, featured in televised events like the World Speed Poker Open, is perfect for players craving adrenaline and disliking long wait times. You can learn more here about the platforms where you can try poker, whether you’re a beginner or not.
PLO Double Board
A thrilling Pot-Limit Omaha variant sweeping cash games in major poker rooms like at the Venetian. Players share two separate community boards, doubling the action and strategic depth—especially when managing four hole cards against eight possibilities.
High-Stakes Showdowns
In 2025, private high-stakes cash games are making headlines again, with single-hand pots soaring into the millions, streamed live from Vegas, Macau, and private estates under formats like “Hustler Casino Live” and Triton Cash Games.
While not a new game per se, the dramatic stakes and broadcast leverage psychological and strategic complexity in a high-pressure setting.
Casual Variants
If you’re looking for games to train your poker skills and explore the fun aspect of the game more, these variants are perfect for you:
Double Flop Hold ’Em
Played among friends, this beginner-friendly variant deals two flops (an upper and lower board), and holes can use either or both to make the best hand. If you win both, you scoop the entire pot—otherwise, the pot splits.
Seven-Card No-Peek
Add suspense with hidden seven-card hands: players reveal one card at a time until they beat the prior player’s total or bust. A wild, unpredictable choice with a fun “last card” showdown vibe .
Cincinnati and Baseball Poker
These Stud-style variants bring sports flair: Cincinnati Poker gives players four hole cards and four sequential community cards to build optimal combos, while Baseball Poker uses baseball rules—3s and 9s are wild, and open 4s grant extra cards—making for fast, chaotic fun
Blind Man’s Bluff & Guts
Perfect for laughs and wagers, Blind Man’s Bluff has players wear their own hole cards on their forehead, betting based on everyone else’s hand but their own. Guts is a quick, push-your-luck ante variation where players simultaneously ante in or fold—winner takes all.
Exotic and Competitive Table Variants
Before you try unique gameplay featured in the variants below, you can try the foundation of your poker knowledge and learn more here. Try these poker variants if you want something more distinctive:
Badugi
A hybrid of Badugi and 2–7 triple draw, Baduci splits the pot between a Badugi low hand and a 2–7 lowball hand. Each player draws cards over three rounds, competing both lowball and Badugi—rewarding versatile low-hand mastery.
Five-O Poker
A fast-paced heads-up social game dealing five simultaneous hands per player. Each round, players place cards face up (four out of five) trying to win at least three of the five mini-hands. This adds tactical depth and visual clarity for casual duels.
Balatro (Digital Roguelike)
Not a live card game, but a fascinating solo experience combining roguelike mechanics with poker rules. You progress through increasingly challenging blinds, purchase deck modifiers, and wield poker-hand strategies to defeat AI opponents—an intriguing hybrid of strategy and progression.
