Poker

Poker, without doubt, is the most intriguing game when it comes to gambling. It conjures images of dark smoky basements and high stakes. Poker, however, has a very wide appeal and some people even make a good living as professional poker players. The top players have a huge fan base and poker tournaments are even widely covered on cable sports channels.

There are quite a few variations of poker, but all the poker games operate on a very similar principal. Poker works with several betting rounds and card replacement rounds. This is the area of poker which separates the different games.

The game’s flow is affected by the amounts of betting rounds. A game with fewer than 5 betting rounds – like Texas Holdem – works well with a no limit pot. Games with more betting rounds – such as Seven Card Stud – will work better with a fixed pot limit. All these games are still unmistakably poker.

One thing that is common throughout poker is the language used. The winning card combinations also do not differ and this hierarchy is strictly adhered to. Nobody would dream of changing these rules. Poker is almost sacred, especially to the committed players.

Some poker glossary to help you out

With all games, the more you play, the better you will get. It’s not only that you will be more comfortable with the rules. In a game like poker, where strategy and bluffing are key factors in overcoming your opponents, you have to keep your mind focused. You don’t want to have to worry about remembering winning card combinations and rules. Good poker players have a certain muscle memory when it comes to this and the game flows beautifully. Here is some poker glossary so that you can get by and not look blankly at the rest of the players at the table when you decide to play.

The ranking of hands

• High card: If there is no clear winner at the end of the round, the player with the highest card will win the pot. This is also used to determine ties.
• One pair: This refers to two matching cards. Eg: Two sevens.
• Two pairs: An example of this hand in 5 card poker could be two sixes, two Jacks and a ten.
• Three of a kind: This is quite self-explanatory and is also known as “trips”. It outranks one and two pairs.
• Straight: This is when the hand contains 5 consecutive cards in order of rank – Eg: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. These cards do not have to be of the same suit.
• Flush: This is when a hand contains 5 cards of the same suit, in any order.
• Full house: This is when the hand contains three of a kind and another pair.
• Four of a kind: Again, this is exactly what it is.
• Straight flush: This is when you have 5 cards of the same suit in a consecutive order.
• Royal flush: This is the Rolls Royce of hands. Nothing can beat it. This is when you have ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace all in the same suit.

The terms you need to know

Now that you know how the cards work, you need to become familiar these terms:

• Ante: This is also known as a blind bet. Before seeing their cards, players can all decide to put down a small bet to add some spice to the game.
• Pot: At the end of the round, the pot is all the chips that have been bet. The winner of the round wins the pot.
• Call: This is when a player matches another player’s bet.
• Check: If a player does not wish to place a bet, it gets passed on to the next player.
• Raise: This is similar to a call, but the player making the call actually increases the bet.
• Small blind: This is a bet that is used to start off the betting in the pot. Each player will have a turn to do so. It is common etiquette for this bet to equate to at least half the minimum bet.
• Big blind: This is a bet that is placed just after the small blind and should equate to the minimum bet that has been set.
• Community cards: This term refers to the cards that are face up in the centre of the table. These cards to not belong to any particular player but can be used by any of the players at the table to make the best combination.

Types of poker to play first

The main types of poker games found at online casinos are Texas Holdem, and Omaha. Once you’ve come to grips with these two, it will be easier to try out some of the other online poker games on offer.

Texas Holdem is fast becoming the traditional online poker game, played with a 52 card deck and 10 players. Each player has a turn to “deal” so that there is no advantage. Because the dealer acts last, the advantage is with the dealer to make a more calculated call. The first 2 players have to place a blind bet before looking at their cards. Players are dealt 2 cards face down. These cards are for the individual players’ private viewing. A round of pre-betting starts and this is called the “pre-flop”. The player sitting in third position can only fold, call or raise. This action continues around the table with all the players now having the option to fold, call or raise. There is generally a 3 or 4 raise limit.

After the initial betting round, the dealer then places the 3 community cards on the table face up. Now the aim is to either check or bet. Checking is when you choose not to bet now, but rather wait to call or raise the bets made by the other players at the table. After the third round of betting, the dealer reveals a fourth community card known as the “Fourth Street”. The betting amount now doubles. The same betting rules to the flop round still apply. At the end of this round, the dealer reveals a fifth card known as the “Fifth Street”. The betting continues and the player who can make the best 5 card combination with the two personal cards and 5 community cards gets the pot.

Omaha poker is also a community game. The structure is similar to Texas Holdem but although there are 5 community cards, the player is given 4 personal cards of which only 2 can be used to make up the best combination with 3 of the 5 community cards. The blinds are first posted and then the 4 pocket or private cards are dealt to the player. This is when the pre-flop betting happens. Three community cards are then dealt and the second round of betting takes place. The fourth community card is dealt and the third round of betting takes place. After the fifth community card is dealt, a final round of betting takes place. The player with the best combination wins the pot.

Go play

Like all games, you get better with experience. More so with poker. Although this game may seem confusing at first, once you get the hang of it you won’t get enough of it. The best way to learn Texas Holdem, Omaha or any of the other poker variations is to actually play it. You can either play with friends for low wagers or try out the many free online games where there’s no pressure of losing money.