We all know that Texas Hold'em (specifically No Limit Hold'em) is the most popular poker game spread everywhere, including Las Vegas, but many of us desire to be better rounded in our poker education, and want to be able to play games other than NLHE while visiting Las Vegas. Fortunately, there are some options out there, believe it or not. Today's article will be focusing on the Non-Hold'em cash games and mixed games that Las Vegas offers for those that aspire to be poker players, not just Hold'em players.

By far, the most common Non-Hold'em cash game spread with regularity in Las Vegas is Omaha 8/B. 4/8 & 8/16 Limit Omaha 8/B (with a half kill) is spread daily at Orleans. Orleans spreads O8 24 hours a day, and usually gets multiple tables of the game. Other Off Strip rooms that spread O8 with daily regularity are Red Rock and Santa Fe Station. On the Strip, O8 is found daily at Venetian (4/8 & 8/16) and Bellagio (30/60).

A unique daily spread game (and unique poker room in general) is found at
Boulder Station. They spread a game that is known as being the deepest and
heaviest action LIMIT game in town: 4/8 Omaha Hi with half kill. It is the most common game spread at Boulder, often with 4 full tables or more of just Omaha Hi. This game often has players sitting with 6-7 racks of $1 chips each. Swings of $600 or more in one hour are common. Be sure to buckle you seat belt and light up a smoke before you take a seat in that game. You read that right. Boulder Station is one of only two poker rooms left in Las Vegas that allows cigarette smoking at the table. This, along with Omaha Hi, contributes to Boulder's extreme popularity. The room is packed most nights, often with all 11 of their tables going strong.

Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is gaining popularity in Las Vegas slowly. New PLO tournaments and cash games are popping up in pretty random places. With regularity, PLO is found mainly at Aria and Venetian. Aria spreads 1/3 PLO whereas Venetian offers 1/2 PLO with a $5 Bring In.

Stud games are seeing a slight resurgence as well in Las Vegas. SunCoast (in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas), spreads 4/8 Stud 8/B with some regularity and is home to "The Hoggie Game" which is a 2-10, 2-20 (on 7th) Stud DQ (Double Qualifier, 2 pair or better for high, 8/B for low). The Hoggie Game has been around since the 1980's and spreads every Monday at SunCoast.

Straight Stud Hi can be found with regularity at El Cortez (1-5), Sam's Town (1-5), and Bellagio (20/40).

Mixed & HORSE Games (poker games that change game type every 8 hands or rotation of the button) are gaining significant popularity in Las Vegas. Low limit mixed games are found with regularity at Imperial Palace (Sunday nights) and Tropicana (Wednesday & Saturday nights) and occasionally at Wynn, Aria, and Treasure Island. Mid and High Limit Mixed are found at Aria (12/24 & 300/600), Bellagio (40/80 & higher).

The longest running low limit mixed is at Imperial Palace every Sunday night at 7pm. It is a fun and action oriented 10 game mix that I put together back in March of 2008 and am proud to see that it still runs with regularity. 3/6 Limit ($1 Ante in Stud games). Games include the standards of O8, Razz, and Stud 8, as well as unique games such as 2-7 TD, Badugi, 4 Card Ocean Crazy Pineapple, and 3-2-1 Omaha (3 Flops, 2 Turns, 1 River). If you are in town on a Sunday night, it is not a game you want to miss!

Non-Hold'em cash games are a great way to built your poker knowledge and to take a break from the monotony that is Texas Hold'em. With
limits as low as 3/6 and usually a very friendly and patient group of players, these unique games offer a fun and educational way to expand your poker knowledge with little financial risk. Be sure to call ahead to get on the list for the weekly cash games. Now get out there and try not to cry when you have to bring in with rolled up Kings in Razz.

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--LasVegasMichael

A version of this article appeared in Ante Up Magazine.