Learn the Game. Know What Changes.
Straightforward guides to the core mixed games played at MGA. Learn the objective, how the game is dealt, how the betting works and the key difference to recognise before you sit down to play.
Draw Games
Draw games begin with private cards and give players opportunities to replace cards during the hand. The number of draws, hand-ranking system and betting structure change from game to game.
2-7 TRIPLE DRAW
Five-card lowball with three drawing rounds. Aces are high, and straights and flushes count against you. Commonly played Fixed Limit.
NO-LIMIT 2-7 SINGLE DRAW
Five-card lowball with one drawing round and No-Limit betting. It uses the same 2-7 hand-ranking system as Triple Draw, but the betting structure changes the game considerably.
BADUGI
A four-card draw game where players aim to make a hand using different ranks and suits. There are three drawing rounds and it is commonly played Fixed Limit.
Stud Games
Stud games deal each player their own cards across a series of streets, with some cards exposed for the table to see. The winning objective and how the pot is awarded change between Stud variants.
SEVEN CARD STUD
A seven-card game with no community cards. Players receive a mixture of face-down and exposed cards across five betting streets. Commonly played Fixed Limit.
RAZZ
A Stud-family lowball game using the same street-by-street structure. The objective is to make the best five-card Ace-to-Five low hand. Commonly played Fixed Limit.
STUD 8
A split-pot Stud game where the pot can be divided between the best high hand and a qualifying low hand. Commonly played Fixed Limit.
Flop Games
Flop games combine private hole cards with shared community cards on the board. The number of hole cards, betting structure and rules for building the final hand change between games.
NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM
Players receive two private cards and share a five-card community board. Betting is No-Limit, and the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.
LIMIT HOLD'EM
Uses the same two-hole-card and community-board structure as Hold’em, but betting is Fixed Limit.
POT-LIMIT OMAHA
Players receive four private cards and share a five-card community board. Exactly two hole cards and three board cards must be used to make the final hand. Betting is Pot Limit.
OMAHA 8
A split-pot Omaha game where the pot can be divided between the best high hand and a qualifying low hand. Exactly two hole cards and three board cards are used.
Knowing the Game Is the Start
MGA Foundations goes beyond recognition and teaches you how the game families fit together, how the action changes and what you need to notice before you sit down to play.
