In-depth Guide On How To Play Poker
Poker is one of the most iconic and popular card games in the world. For newcomers, though, learning how to play poker can feel like a daunting task. With so many variations, strategies, and ways to play, knowing where to start can be a real headache. That is why the team at Gambling Zone has put together this handy series guides on how to play the game. In this guide, we will explore all of the basics of the game, including how it is traditionally played, its different variations, and more.
How to Play Poker: Step-by-Step
Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world. However, the game’s rules, variations, and strategies can appear a little daunting for newcomers. In this part of our guide, we are going to break down how to play poker in its simplest form. While the rules may vary between different variations, this will give you an excellent foundation to work with.
The Pre-Flop
The first stage of poker is the Pre-Flop. This is when players are dealt their hands, with each player being dealt two cards face down, known as their ‘hole cards’. The players to the left of the dealer will put in the first small blind and big blind of the game. These are forced bets of a set amount. Each player then gets to make their first move of the game. They can either fold, call, or raise their stakes.
The Flop
The second stage of the game is the Flop. In this stage, three community cards are dealt face-up on the table. Players are free to use these cards in combination with the cards in their hands to make the best possible hand. Players will then bet again. The action starts to the left of the dealer.
The Turn
The third stage (also known as ‘streets’) of the game is the Turn. During this round, a fourth community card is revealed. Once again, players can attempt to make the best possible hand using the community cards in combination with their hands. The next stage of betting then begins.
The River
We then move to the River, which is when the fifth and final community card is played. This will be the last card revealed in the game. The final betting stage of the game will then begin.
The Showdown
Finally, we get to the showdown. This is when all of the betting has finished, and it is time for players to reveal their hands. The last player to have a bet is the first to reveal their hand. All hands are then evaluated, and the best hand takes the pot. If two players have an equal hand, then the pot is split.
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Most Common Types of Poker
There are many different types of poker you can find at top UK poker sites. The following are the ones you are the most likely to encounter.
Community Card Poker
Community card poker is the most common type of poker game. It involves the game using five community cards. Popular examples of this include Texas Hold’Em, and Omaha Poker.
Stud Poker
Stud Poker is an increasingly popular way of playing the game. In Stud Poker, players will play with a certain number of face-down cards and some revealed cards. For example, in a game of five-card stud, each player will have one face-card down and four face-up cards by the end of the game.
Draw Poker
Draw poker does as its name suggests: it allows players to discard certain cards from their hands and draw more in an attempt to improve their position. There are multiple versions of the game, with Five-Card Draw being one of the most popular.
Popular Poker Games
Now we’ve looked at different ways the game can be played, let’s explore some of the most popular poker variations.
Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is one of the most popular poker variations around. In the game, players have to make their hand using two of their hole cards and three of the community cards.
About Omaha Poker >Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo is a variation of Omaha Poker. In the game, players can still only make their hands using two hole cards and three community cards, but the key difference is that the pot is split between the highest hand and the lowest.
About Omaha Hi/Lo >Texas hold 'em
In Texas Hold’em, players are dealt two hole cards, with five community cards sitting in the middle of the table. Players are free to use any combination of these cards to form the best possible hand. Texas Hold’em is far and away the most popular poker variation in the world and is used in all major poker tournaments.
About Texas hold 'em >Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud is the most popular Stud variation of poker. In the game, players start with one upcard and two cards in the hole. Each round, players are dealt one more upcard, with the final showdown consisting of players having two down cards and five upcards.
About Seven Card Stud >Razz Poker
Razz Poker is a variation of Seven Card Stud where the aim of the game is to win through playing the lowest paying hand.
About Razz Poker >Video Poker
Video Poker is a catch-all term that refers to online poker variations with fixed odds. These are typically found at online casinos or at fixed terminals in physical casinos. Video poker comes in many different variants, with players mostly playing against the computer and not other players.
About Video Poker >3-Card Poker
3-Card Poker is a variation that has become increasingly popular, especially at top online casinos. It is a face-up poker game, where the aim of the game is to form a better 3-card hand than the dealer.
About 3-Card Poker >Chinese Poker
Chinese Poker is a slightly more complex variation. In the game, the deck is split four ways into four piles of 13. If there are less than four players, then hands are discarded. The aim of the game is then to form three hands, two five-card hands and one three-card hand. The game then has a scoring system to determine the winner.
About Chinese Poker >Horse Poker
HORSE Poker is a unique variant that mixes five different games in rotation. These games are Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Stud Hi/Lo. Each round of the game will be played using one game’s rules.
About Horse Poker >Pai-gow poker
Pai-Gow Poker is another variation that can be quite tricky for new players to adjust to. The aim of the game is to defeat the bank. To do this, you will need to make the best possible five-card high, and the best possible two-card low.
About Pai-gow Poker >Poker Hands and Rules
One of the most important things players will need to understand about playing poker is the value and ranking of the poker hands. There are 10 main hands in poker, and they are ranked as follows:
Royal Flush
A combination of 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit.
Straight Flush
Five cards of the same suit in sequence.
Four of a Kind
All four matching cards numerically.
Full House
Three of a kind and a pair.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Straight
Five cards of any suit in sequence.
Three of a Kind
Three numerically matching cards.
Two pairs
Two pairs in the same hand.
One pair
Two matching numerical cards.
High card
The highest ranked card in your hand.
Poker Bet Types
There are many different types of bets you can place in a poker game. The following are the seven main types of poker bets you can place.
Donk bet
A Donk bet is when a player bets into the raiser instead of checking them. It is often viewed as a risky type of move, hence its rather comical name.
Continuation bet
A Continuation bet is one of the most popular types of bet you can play in Poker. With a continuation bet will raise before the flop, and then bet on the flop. It can give you a chance to put more pressure on your opponents and win the hand early on.
Overbet
Mastering the sizing of your betting is essential to long-term success in poker. As a rule of thumb, if you want a significant raise, then around half the size of the pot is a good idea. An overbet is when you raise too much.
Underbet
An underbet is the opposite of an overbet, and is when players bet less than they should on a strong hand.
Three-bet
A three-bet is when one player raises and then another player re-raises. This is typically done to signify you have a strong-hand.
Value Bet
A value bet is when you are betting in the hope that your opponent calls. You are doing this because you believe you have a strong hand and can win the round.
Pot Bet
A pot bet is when you bet the exact value of the pot in one turn. In Pot-Limit Poker, this is the maximum you are able to raise.
Poker Odds
If you want to win at poker, you are going to need to understand poker odds. There are many odds you will need to get your head around to have success at the table. Firstly, you will need to understand your ‘out’ odds. Outs are the cards in the deck you need to improve your hand. Calculating this takes a lot of practice, with players having to first work out how many outs their hand has. You will also need to understand the pot odds and the potential for other players to make hands.
If all of this sounds complicated, it is because it is. Learning poker odds and becoming an expert can take years of practise. One of the most common mistakes new players make is not understanding their odds and believing they are in a better position than they are.
