Learn to Play Poker
Learning to play poker is so much fun. You can play either online or on a real table in a casino. Getting really good at poker is very difficult as it involves wit, skill and judgment that often only comes with considerable experience. The good news, however, is that poker is really easy to pick up. The game rules are simple and by learning just the basics, you’ll be able to get playing in no time. There are a broad variety of games with different rules and strategies, the most popular being Texas Hold ‘Em. We tell you all about these in our poker games section. But first, let us familiarize you with the poker lingo and basic terms used when describing the game.
Poker Basics: Common Terms
Hand
A hand is the combination and variation of cards that the player holds. It is made up of two hole cards and three community cards (see below). Each time a hand is won, the dealer will ‘deal another hand’.
Hole cards or pocket cards
These are the two cards that are dealt to you face down at the beginning of the game in Texas Hold ‘Em. The other players are not allowed to see these cards unless you choose to reveal them at the end of the game.
Community Cards
These are the cards that everyone can see, that make up your winning combination of five cards. The community cards are dealt in between rounds of betting. Three cards are dealt face up first and are known as the ‘flop’. One more card is dealt after betting as is known as the ‘turn’. Then a final card is dealt after another round of betting and is known as the ‘river’. There is one final round of betting at the river before the winner is declared.
The board
This is the area of the poker table where the face up community cards are dealt to.
Play
Play is the single game from one shuffle to another.
Pot
When people decide that they want to play poker, then that means that they are willing to invest a lot of money for bets. In poker, the money bet by all players is called the “pot”. Instead of just referring to all the money that was collected during the duration of the game as prize money, in poker, it is called the prize pot.
Hand Tie or Split Pot
Sometimes, two or more players have the same combination of cards or hands, and like the lottery, these players divide it equally. However, if the pool is not divisible, then the player who called the highest gets the amount that was left. This instance of money bet is called hand tie or split pot.
Ante
An ante is a bet required for the promotion of the game. Also known as a stake.
The blind
The blind is a forced bet to ensure that money continues to be put into the pot. Often when chips are low, players will not bet as frequently. The blinds ensure there is always money to be won. The blinds are divided into the small blind and big blind. The small blind starts at the player to the left of the dealer and the big blind is given to the player to the left of the small blind. The blind is represented as a button or disc that moves sequentially around the table to all players in turn. The blind amount is raised as the game goes on, either determined by time or by number of hands dealt. The raising of the blinds ensures an end to the game as players’ chips will be gradually eaten away by the blinds if they are not betting and winning.
Rake
At the end of a game, poker rooms charge a percentage of the pot as their source of income, or commission. This percentage is called the rake.
Call
The call refers to the act of betting on the amount of money equal to the pot.
Fold
A player has the freedom to stop playing in a round. He can show it by folding his hand and putting down his cards. This act is called fold.
Check
A player can also pass and not bet in a round if there were no bets that were done before his turn. This act is called the check. On the other hand, a player can also add up to the last bet by betting on a bigger amount than the one in the pot and also greater than the previous amount i.e. check-raise.
Position
When players talk about position in poker, they are referring to their location in relation to the dealer. The first two or three seats to the left of the dealer are known as the early position and are less favorable as any actions performed by these players will not be well informed by previous play. They are more susceptible to give away their hand by the particulars of their actions. Late position refers to the two seats to the right of the dealer and is regarded as the best position given that they are last to act and have the whole table’s betting information to inform their decision. Any seats in between early and late positions are quite simply referred to as middle position.
Hand Ranking
Hand ranking is important in figuring out the order of the cards from lowest to highest. The lowest number is 2 and the highest is the ace. Oftentimes, the ace can be both ranked as the lowest and highest card. Also, bear in mind that card suits are always equal and cannot affect the ranking. The final hands that the player holds are always based on the total rank of the five cards. The five-card hands are divided into categories, from the weakest to the strongest. These are: one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush.
Poker game variants
There are five core games in poker, with many variants of each in addition: Texas hold ‘em, Omaha, Seven card stud, Five card draw and Caribbean stud poker. Texas hold ‘em poker is the most popular poker game around the world whether online or in casinos. This game is fast paced and has simple rules that are loved by a lot of players. Omaha Hi is a fast growing popular poker game. It has a variant of Omaha 8 or Omaha Hi-Lo. Each player is dealt four cards face down and five cards face up. The Seven card stud is one version of popular poker that is played between 2 and 8 players. Each player receives 3 faced down cards and four cards face up. This game starts with an ante which is followed by 5 betting rounds. Stud 8 is also a variation of Seven card stud. Five card draw is the oldest game of poker which can be played between 2 and 5 players. The betting starts with an initial ante and is followed by 2 betting rounds. The Caribbean stud poker is different from all other poker games because every player plays against the casino (dealer). To win this game, a player must beat the dealer’s hand and not their opponent players.
With just a few basic terms you can start learning any game of poker that takes your fancy. Bear in mind that Texas Hold ‘Em is by far the most widely played and the most high profile tournaments are based on Hold ‘Em. Start playing today – check out our Poker Games section for how to play any of the above game variants.