Mixed poker games are gaining popularity lately, especially in the world of online poker.  Mixed games have always been played at the ultra-high stakes levels of casino poker rooms but until recently have always been uncommon at the lower limits.  In a way this was an effective means of fleecing up and coming pros when they finally made it to those highest levels. Essentially the mixed-game limits or eliminates the edge a poker specialist has by forcing him to play several games in the same session. Although he may be a master at Texas holdem or Omaha he has to play an equal number of Stud, Stud Eight or better, and Razz hands, in which his edge is smaller or non-existent. Over the years many players who earned small fortunes playing in their game of choice have lost it playing in unfamiliar mixed games. Now these games can be played for even micro-stakes on many popular sites, and are becoming more popular at home games everywhere. With practice you can become a well balanced player comfortable in any game.   

Essentially mixed poker games take many forms but the most common are games of dealers choice or formatted games like H.O.R.S.E. or H.O.S.E. In a dealers choice game the best way to function is to have to "buttons".  One button will represent the "game button" and will show which player get to select the poker variant for that hand, the second button will be a conventional "dealer button". This dealer button should only be moved when playing games that have blinds.  When an ante game is played (Like stud or triple draw) the game button is still passed but the dealer button will not move, so the next time a blind based game (like holdem or Omaha) is called no one has skipped a blind or gained a positional advantage.  Generally in these games a preset list of games is available to a player when it is his turn to select the game. By having a pre-established list of available games it ensures everyone is familiar with the rules of each game and that the game will run smoothly.

In formatted games the form of poker for each hand is set in a predetermined order.  For example in H.O.R.S.E. the games are played Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b.  Each game is played for one full rotation around the table.  This is the format that is becoming popular in the online card rooms.