10-Game Mix Poker – A Complete Guide
If you've only played Texas Hold'em, a 10-Game Mix tournament might look a little confusing at first. Instead of playing one game all day, the format rotates through ten different poker variants. Every few hands or every new level, a new game begins. That means players need to change the way they think, the hands they play, and the strategy they use.
That's what makes mixed games so popular. You can't rely on just one skill. A great mixed-game player knows when to be aggressive, when to be patient, and how every game works.
The 10-Game Mix includes the following games:
- Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
- Pot Limit Omaha
- Fixed Limit Stud High-Low 8 or Better
- Fixed Limit Badugi
- Pot Limit Big O
- Fixed Limit Seven Card Stud
- Pot Limit 2-7 Double Draw
- Fixed Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
- Fixed Limit Sviten Special
- Fixed Limit Razz
Here's a closer look at each game.
Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
2-7 Triple Draw is a lowball game. The goal is to make the lowest five-card hand possible. Unlike some other low games, straights and flushes count against you, and aces are always high.
The best possible hand is:
7-5-4-3-2
Each player starts with five private cards. There are four betting rounds and three chances to draw new cards. During each draw, players can throw away as many cards as they like and receive replacements.
The player with the lowest hand at the end wins the pot.
Things to remember
- Pairs are bad.
- Straights are bad.
- Flushes are bad.
- Aces are always high.
A player who already has a strong hand may decide not to draw any more cards. This is called standing pat. It often shows strength and can put pressure on the rest of the table.
Pot Limit Omaha
Pot Limit Omaha, often called PLO, is one of the most action-packed poker games.
Every player receives four hole cards. To make a hand, you must use exactly two of them along with exactly three community cards.
The betting is pot limit, which means the biggest bet you can make is the size of the pot.
Because everyone starts with four cards instead of two, strong hands happen much more often than in Hold'em. Straights, flushes and full houses are common, and one pair is rarely enough to win a big pot.
Good starting hands usually work well together. Connected cards, suited cards and hands that can make the nuts are much stronger than random cards.
Stud High-Low 8 or Better
Stud High-Low 8 or Better is a split-pot game.
Half of the pot goes to the best high hand. The other half goes to the best qualifying low hand.
To qualify for the low, a hand must have five different cards that are eight or lower.
For example:
A-2-3-5-8
Each player receives seven cards during the hand. Some are face down, while others are face up for everyone to see. There are no community cards.
One of the biggest skills in Stud games is paying attention to the exposed cards. If you can see that several of the cards you need have already been folded, your chances of improving become much smaller.
Hands that have a chance to win both the high and the low are usually the most valuable.
Fixed Limit Badugi
Badugi is one of the most unusual poker games, but it's also one of the most fun once you learn it.
Players receive four private cards. The goal is to make the lowest four-card hand with no matching suits and no matching ranks.
The best possible Badugi is:
A 2 3 4
If two cards have the same suit or the same rank, only one of them counts.
There are three drawing rounds, giving players several chances to improve their hands before the showdown.
A player who already has a made Badugi often keeps all four cards and lets the other players continue drawing.
Pot Limit Big O
Big O is similar to Omaha Hi-Lo, but every player starts with five hole cards instead of four.
Just like Omaha, you must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards.
The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand.
Having an extra hole card creates many more possibilities. Players can make stronger draws, bigger hands and more combinations than in regular Omaha.
The strongest starting hands usually have a chance to win both halves of the pot instead of only one.
Fixed Limit Seven Card Stud
Before Texas Hold'em became the world's most popular poker game, Seven Card Stud was the game that most players knew.
Each player receives seven cards during the hand. Some are face down and some are face up. There are no community cards.
The best five-card poker hand wins.
Because everyone can see part of each player's hand, paying attention is very important. Watching which cards are already gone helps you make better decisions throughout the hand.
Starting with strong cards usually leads to much easier decisions later on.
Pot Limit 2-7 Double Draw
This game uses the same hand rankings as 2-7 Triple Draw.
The difference is simple.
Instead of three drawing rounds, players only get two.
That means there are fewer chances to improve your hand, so good starting cards become even more valuable.
The betting is also pot limit instead of fixed limit, allowing much larger pots and putting more pressure on every decision.
Fixed Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Omaha Hi-Lo is another split-pot game.
Players receive four hole cards and must use exactly two of them together with three community cards.
Half of the pot goes to the best high hand.
The other half goes to the best qualifying low hand, which must contain five different cards that are eight or lower.
The best starting hands usually have both high and low potential. Hands like A-A-2-3 or A-2 with suited cards can compete for both halves of the pot.
Winning the whole pot, often called scooping, is always the main goal.
Fixed Limit Sviten Special
Sviten Special is one of the newest mixed games and has quickly become a favourite at mixed-game festivals.
It combines Five-Card Draw and Omaha into one game.
Every player receives five hole cards before the betting starts.
After the first betting round, the flop is dealt. Players then have a draw round where they can exchange as many cards as they want before the turn and river are dealt.
At showdown, two different hands are compared.
One is your Five-Card Draw hand.
The other is your Omaha hand, where you must use exactly two hole cards and three community cards.
Half of the pot goes to the best Draw hand, while the other half goes to the best Omaha hand.
One of the unique parts of Sviten Special happens when a player draws only one card. That replacement card is dealt face up first. The player can keep it or reject it and receive another card face down instead.
The best players try to build hands that can compete for both halves of the pot.
Fixed Limit Razz
Razz is another Stud game, but this time the lowest hand wins.
Players receive seven cards during the hand, just like Seven Card Stud.
The goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand.
Unlike 2-7 Triple Draw, straights and flushes do not count against you, and aces are always low.
The best possible hand is:
A-2-3-4-5
Watching the exposed cards is one of the biggest parts of the game. If many of the low cards you need are already visible, it becomes much harder to improve your hand.
Starting with three low cards gives you the best chance of making a strong hand.
Why Play 10-Game Mix?
The biggest challenge in a 10-Game Mix tournament is changing gears. Every time the game changes, the value of your cards changes too. A hand that is great in one game might be completely useless in the next.
That's why mixed games reward players who can adapt quickly and stay focused throughout the tournament.
Some games are about making the best high hand. Others are about making the lowest hand. Several split the pot between high and low, while draw games let you replace cards to improve your hand.
Learning all ten games takes time, but that's part of the fun. Every round brings something different, and every game gives you a new chance to outplay your opponents. Whether you're trying mixed games for the first time or already enjoy games beyond Hold'em, the 10-Game Mix is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding formats in poker.
