Are you curious about poker but have no idea how to go about playing it? Here, we provide you with a handy and easy guide on how to play this game of skill, nerve and chance. Once you read this guide, you should be ready to dip your toes into the exciting world of poker, and you’ll even be able to play online poker no matter where you are.
Read below to learn more:
Poker settings
Poker can be played in various settings: you could play it merely as a friendly game with your mates, or try your luck against a dealer in a land-based casino. Increasingly, digital settings are becoming a popular means in which you can play poker, which would usually mean playing online poker either against a computer or against other online players.
Actions
With any given poker hand, a player must choose from 4 different actions:
- Call - match the amount of the current open bet or raise the bet.
- Raise - increase the amount of the current open bet, or raise, which any subsequent players must at least match to stay in the hand.
- Fold – you concede the hand. This is done by pushing your cards into the middle and surrendering any chance to win the hand.
- Check - pass the action over to the next player, without having to bet anything. Checking can only be used when there's no open bet or raise in front of you.
Poker Hands
A standard poker hand ranking system is used in most poker games. A suit refers to cards numbered from 2 to Ace that fall under either the spades, hearts, clovers or diamonds suits.
Hand Rankings
In most poker games, players try to make the best five-card poker hands using standard poker hand rankings. The best poker hand is a royal flush, while the 2nd-strongest hand is a straight flush, and the high card is the lowest hand ranking. Here are the best hands, ranked from highest to lowest:
- Royal Flush - consists of a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit.
- Straight Flush- 5 cards in a row, all in the same suit
- Four of a Kind - the same card in each of the 4 suits.
- Full House – a pair plus three of a kind in the same hand.
- Flush - 5 cards in the same suit, not in numerical order.
- Straight – 5 cards in numerical order, but not in the same suit
- Three of a Kind – 3 of 1 kind of card
- Two Pairs – 2 different pairings of the same card in one hand.
- Pair – a paring of the same kind of card.
- High Card - the highest value card in hand with no matching cards
Basic Poker Strategy
- Start with strong hands – aggressively play hands such as Ace Ace, King King, Queen Queen, and Ace King suits
- Pay attention to opponents – observe betting patterns to read their hands.
- Bluff wisely – use bluffing to make opponents fold, but don’t overdo it.
- Position matters – playing last gives you more information before making a decision.
- Manage your bankroll – don’t bet all your money in one hand.
Blinds
Most poker variants use the small blind and big blind functions, ensuring forced bets for those at the table. Each hand begins with the big blind placed 1 position to the direct left of the small blind. In these positions, players must put in predetermined betting amounts before each hand. The small blind is always directly to the left of the dealer.
The price of the small blind is always half (or close to half) of the price of the big blind. The two players directly to the left of the player post the blinds. In most poker games, the minimum allowed bet for any round of betting is equal to the big blind amount.
Antes
Antes are mandatory bets that are sometimes posted by all players at the table, or by the big blind player in some formats. Players must pay the ante before the hand begins, and the dealer will then pull the antes into the pot and deal the hand.
Types of Poker
Most different forms of poker share many underlying rules. The most popular form is Texas Hold'em, but there are other forms as well, including seven-card stud, Omaha and five-card stud. Certain betting structures exist depending on the type of rules and game, including no-limit, pot-limit, and fixed-limit.
Limits vs No Limit
No Limit
In a no-limit poker game, players can bet all of their chips at any time - known as going “all-in”, with the maximum amount for an all-in equaling the amount of chips in front of a player when the hand starts.
Limit
Many poker games, such as poker variants, are almost always played with limit betting rules. However, any poker game can be played with a limit betting structure.
Tournament Stakes
Tournament stakes are determined by how much it costs to buy into the tournament. Poker tournaments use a system where the blind amounts increase at regular intervals. Tournament poker chips have no cash value, as the buy-in of a given tournament determines how much money goes into the prize pool.
Conclusion
Poker is a mix of skill, psychology, and strategy. By understanding the rules, hand rankings, and basic strategies, you can start playing and improving over time. Try it out now at www.goldrush.co.za!