- How to Play Poker
Poker is a beautiful game that involves skill and a bit of luck.If you have never played Poker and you would like to start now, you should start with No-Limit hold’em. No-Limit Hold’Em is one of the easiest Poker game that you can learn. It is not only easy to play but it is very rewarding and fun to play.
Besides being easy, fun to play and rewarding, No-Limit Hold’Em is the most popular Poker game in the world. This means there are many people that play this game and you will not have trouble finding people to play with.
How to Plat No-Limit Hold’Em
No-Limit Hold’Em is also known as Texas Hold’Em. Here is how to play Texas Hold’Em.
- Two hole cards- Each player is dealt two cards face down
- Five community cards- each player can now use two or one of the cards. They will combine them with five collective community cards in order to make their best five card Poker hand.
- The best hand- the player that has the best hand will make all the other players to fold. He will win the pot.
- Betting- there are four round of betting in Texas Hold’Em. Players can put their chips in the middle at any time.
When it comes to Poker, there are a lot of games but Texas Hold’Em is the simplest of them all. It combines, strategy, psychology, number crunching and chance which makes the game popular.
How to play a Poker Game
There are some basic rules that you should know about Poker. Here are the basics of Poker.
- Royal Flush- it is the highest ranking in terms of Poker hands. The hand is made when you have the Ace- high while holding cards of all the same suite. Here is the sequence A, K, Q, J, 10.
- Straight Flush- it comprises of any sequence of cards in the same suite. An example of the sequence is 9, 8, 7, 6, 5.
- Four of a Kind-these are cards that have the same value. An example of the cards is A, A, A, A.
- Full House- this hand consist of Three of a Kind and a Pair.
- Flush- it consists of cards that are all in the same suite.
- Straight- this is the basic sequence, for example 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
- Three of a Kind- these are three cards that have the same value for example 4, 4, 4.
- Two-pair – these are two pair, for example 5, 5 and 9, 9.
- Pair – the hand consists of any pair for example 5, 5 or A, A or any other pair.
- High card – this is any high card that you have.
All you need do is learn these hand rankings.
How to Play Poker For Beginners
In Texas Hold’Em , you will use a slandered 52 deck whether you are playing online or at land based casinos. Two to 10 players can play the game at a single table. The player that sits on the dealer’s left is the one that will make the first move. Here are the scenarios that the player will have to choose from: –
- Bet – it is No-Limit Hold’Em so the player can bet any amount that they want. or-
- Check – this means that they will do nothing.
If any player decides to bet then every player has an option to do three things which include :-
- Call – this means matching the amount of the raise into the pot
- Fold – this is basically giving up your hand and all the chips that you have placed in the pot.
- Raise – this means you will put more chips in the pot.
This will continue until all the chips are in the pot. When the first round of betting is completed, the dealer will deal three cards face up. These are community cards and any player can use them, they are called the flop.
All players that are still in the hand are allowed to bet, raise or fold. When the betting round is completed, the dealer will then will put the fourth card on the table and any player can use the card. This is called the turn. After this, all players will be allowed to bet.
The Blinds
The blinds are part of Texas Hold’Em and they are not so complicated. There are two blinds namely the small and the big blinds. They are both small bets that the player on the left are forced to bet. You will put the bets in the pot without seeing your cards meaning you are blind. They are also called an ante. The ante bet brings excitement to the game of Texas Hold’Em.
Do All Poker Players Bluff a Lot?
Bluffing is a part of Poker, it does not happen as often as you may think. This is because bluffing is done if a player feels really confident of their hand. There are strategies that you need to learn before you can bluff. Bluffing is an art and if you want to start bluffing then you need to start with the semi-bluff.
How to Play in a Poker Tournament
there are two Poker games that you can basically play. These are cash games and tournaments. Cash games involve minimum and maximum bets players are required to play with money in front of them. You are allowed to get up and leave the table at any time. If lose your money at the table, you are allowed to go and get more and retake your sit at the table.
Basic Poker Strategy
A player may be able to understand the basic rules of the Poker game but they may not be able to succeed at the game. No one wants to spend all the time at a Poker table losing so we will give you all the strategies that you need. We shall cover the beginner, intermediate and the advanced strategies.
Poker Tips for Beginners
If you are still starting in Poker the first tip that will be use full to you is do not play many hands. You should play 18-20% of the hands at a nine-handed table.
You could start with 9-9, T-T, Q-Q, K-K, A-A and A-J, A-Q and A-K as your starting hands. Loosen the range up if you are playing against less than eight opponents. You should try to avoid a lot of calling, new Poker players love calling because they do not like risking. A player can win by betting and not showing their hand but they cannot win if they cal. This means betting is more powerful than calling. You should not be mortified if you lose a hand.
Intermediate Poker Tips
At this stage you should know the hands that often win. A good example is when you have pocket fives, the flop comes A-8-5. This is a perfect flop because the strength of your hand is hidden. Other players will have a hard time putting you on that hand. straights and full houses are the same when it comes go good hands. However, there are hands that are difficult to conceal. These are hands like three-of-a-kind and flushes. Flushes are even easier to identify even for beginners.
Why Positions are Important in Poker
Well players are expected to bet starting with the players that are on the left of the dealer. It is best to sit where you will be the last to bet. That way you will be able to see what everyone is doing before you bet.
Reasons Why you Should Play in the Last Position
- When your turn comes, you will have more information
- You will have bluffing opportunities that are significant.
- You will be able to make valuable and accurate bets.
- If you play last you, you have control over the pot size.
Advanced Poker Tips
You should now start paying attention to your opponents . pay attention to how they are betting and making moves. If a player starts betting all the time, there ia a very big chance that that player is betting useless cards. Also, if a player is folding, it may mean they are playing strong hands.
You should learn Poker odds behind certain hands. Here are some odds that you will see in live Poker or online Poker.
- A pair — 17-1 (5.9%)
- Aces — 221-1 (0.45%)
- Ace-king suited — 331-1 (0.3%)
- Flopping when you have a set with a pocket pair — 8.5-1 (11.76%)
- Flopping two-pair , without a pocket pair — 48-1 (2.02%)
- A flush by the river (flopped four of one suit) — 1.9-1 (35%)
- The odds of making an open-ended straight by the river — 2.2-1 (32%)
- A full house by the river (flopped three-of-a-kind) — 2-1 (33%)
Conclusion
Poker is a beautiful game, so many players have masters the game of Poker and have become Pros in the game. You take your time to learn the game you too could become a Poker pro.
FAQs
[accordiongroup id=”137″ markup=”default”][accordion group=”137″ title=”Is Poker a game of luck or skill?” active=”true”]Poker is a game of skill, there is also an element of luck involved in the game.[/accordion][accordion group=”137″ title=”What is a Poker game?” active=””]Poker is a game that is played using a slandered deck or 52 cards. It is a gambling game.[/accordion][accordion group=”137″ title=”Is it legal to play Poker in the US?” active=””]There are 4 that offer legal online Poker in the US. These are New Jersey, Nevada Pennsylvania and Delaware.[/accordion][accordion group=”137″ title=”Is learning Poker hard?” active=””]Learning Poker is not hard, all you have to do is follow the steps above.[/accordion][accordion group=”137″ title=”Is it legal to play Poker in your house?” active=””]Playing Poker in your house is legal in California. Under the law of California, you can play Poker in your private home.[/accordion][/accordiongroup]