Online Poker

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world. It is played by millions around the world and being especially popular in the US, it's often called 'Americas Pastime'. There are poker rooms all over the states and all large casinos have rooms dedicated to the great game. The biggest poker event is the annual WSOP held every year in Las Vegas, however due to the popularity of the game there are other huge tournament series around the world including the World Poker Tour, The European Poker Tour and the Latin Series of Poker to name just a few. In recent years the game has moved online and now it's even easier for you to get a game. There are many online poker rooms available to US residents, and we will mention a few of those later. This is a basic guide on how to play poker, the same rules are used on and offline and the skills you will need to be successful are just the same. We'll take a look at rules, hand ranking, how to bet, a few simple lessons and also a few pointers on where to play.

Rules Across All Games

There are of course many variations of the game and different rules apply to each however the basic rules are the same for each type of game. For purposes of this article we will use Texas Holdem as an example as this is by far the most popular variation of poker. First point to note is that you are not playing against the casino you are playing against other players at the table and it is immaterial to the casino who wins or loses as they make their money from the game by taking rake from the pot, or charging a small tournament entry fee. Firstly lets take a look at betting during the game.

How to Make Your Bets

In normal circumstances to choose the where the dealer button is positioned on a table the dealer will deal one card face up and whoever has the highest card gets the button. This means that effectively that player will be dealing however of course in a casino it is always the dealer that deals the cards on that players behalf. Once dealer position is made then the small and big blinds must be placed. The small blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer and the big blind to the next player moving left. It is worth noting at this point that all cards are dealt to the dealers left and that all bets are made around the table in that direction too. So, at this stage we have the table set for a hand. The dealer then deals the cards around the table face down to each player. After players have looked at their cards it's time for the first betting round and this is where position in regards to the dealer is important.

We are discussing the first hand played here, but position is very important in every hand as the dealer button will move one player to the left with each hand played. Betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and there are three options that the player can choose from. They are, fold, call or raise. To fold is to leave the hand, to call is to bet the exact same amount of chips as the big blind and to raise is to bet an amount that is larger than the big blind. The first round of betting continues like this however if the player that acted first raised then obviously to call will cost more. Also the player on the small blind must either call or fold, if there has been no raise then they top up their chips in play to the amount of the big blind, if there has been a raise, they must of course match that. The big blind is last to act in the round and has the added option of checking. If there has been no raise then by checking they place no bet and the betting concludes. The dealer will then deal the community cards and in Texas Holdem as in many other games this will be three cards. Players then re-evaluate their hands and consider the bets that were placed in the first round of betting. The amount of players in the second round may be smaller if some players decided to fold in the first round and this also comes into the equation.

Betting continues through the rounds with each player either calling, raising, checking (if the option is available) or folding. As the rounds continue the dealer adds cards to the community cards and this always signifies the end of a betting round. It is normal for the amount of players in the hand to decrease with each betting round, however this depends on how the initial bettors in the hand play their cards. If no-one is raising and small bets or checks are available then it's common to see a few players in the mix at the end of the hand. The end of the hand comes when all players have finished betting and all players that remain in the hand show their hole cards to decide the winner. There are of course many other subtleties within the game, along with many ways to take the pot. Experienced players will know how to bluff an opponent out of the hand by reading the game and previous hands that have been played. There are types of bets that force action from other players and it's not always the best hand that takes the pot. Great players and observers of the game know that poker is a game of skill and not luck, it's about knowing what to do in every given position and gaining the ability to read your opponents better than they can read you. For those people that think poker is nothing but chance, then take a look at the record books, the same faces don't appear in the money seats of the worlds biggest events year after year due to luck!

Poker Hand Ranking

When deciding what action to take during a betting round, your card of course play a huge part in the decision making process. It is of the up most importance that you fully understand the ranking order of poker hands. It's fairly simple to memorize, and you will need this knowledge as point of reference in every single hand you will ever play. As mentioned earlier the strongest hand doesn't always win the pot but it sure does help. Take a look at the chart below that outlines the hand ranking in poker and submit it to memory!

Where to Play Online Poker

There are many US friendly real money online poker rooms available. They offer round the clock cash games and tournaments with plenty of action at all stakes levels. Americas Cardroom, Bovada and BetOnline Poker are great rooms that offer good welcome bonuses along with a safe and secure environment in which to play the game. Remember that as a beginner you really should take it slowly and start at very low stakes. There are a lot of experienced players out there that will take your money very quickly. These types of players will usually sit at the higher stakes cash game tables and it's best to avoid them until you feel you are ready. Remember that you are there to have some fun, however should you master the game then who knows where it could take you.