Poker is a game for players of all skill levels. This can be hard to believe, especially if you’re new to the game and have zero knowledge about its rules and regulations. But it’s not as complicated as it may seem.
The game is quite easy to pick up for all of poker’s technical terminologies and strategies. In this post, we’ll show you exactly how quick it is to start playing this popular card game by explaining it in seven simple points.
Hopefully, this breakdown will be all you need to understand the basic rules of poker. Keep it handy the next time your friends invite you to poker night. You can also practice online by signing up for poker sites like GGPoker, the world’s largest poker room. The site offers round-the-clock poker tournaments and games with different buy-ins so that you can play at a pace and level you’re comfortable with.
1) Five-card hand
This is the main objective in a poker match.
Poker comes in various forms, but in the most common variants like Texas Hold’em, the aim is to make the best five-card hand possible. You win the pot if you can achieve this by the end of the game.
You can make a hand by mixing and matching the cards you’re dealt at the start of the game with draws or community cards (depending on the type of poker you’re playing). Alternatively, you can play the board, using only the community cards to make the highest hand possible.
Community cards are shared between all players in community card games like Texas Hold’em. Meanwhile, a draw is a poker game where players can swap out cards from their hand to improve it.
2) Poker hand rankings
You need to know poker hand rankings to understand how the game is played. In poker, a specific order of hands determines who wins the pot in any given round.
Here’s a list of the winning poker hands ranked from best to worst or strongest to weakest. The goal is to make the highest one possible to defeat your opponents.
Royal Flush
The highest hand in poker. It consists of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit.
Straight Flush
The second-highest poker hand. A Straight Flush comprises five sequential cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind
A poker hand that contains all four cards of the same rank.
Full House
A poker hand with three cards of the same rank and a pair.
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence.
Straight
Five sequential poker cards that are not all of the same suit.
Three of a Kind
A poker hand that contains three cards of the same rank.
Two Pair
A poker hand consisting of a pair (see below) and another.
Pair
A poker hand in which two cards share the same rank.
High Card
The weakest poker hand but also the most common. A High Card hand consists of five unmatched poker cards. The highest card in this hand is your Ace, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and Ten.
3) Betting your chips
In poker, your chip stack represents your money or points. You need to bet a certain number of these chips to stay in the game and have a chance at winning the pot. How much you bet per round will depend on how much you’re willing to risk and the game’s betting structure.
The three most common poker betting structures are no-limit, pot-limit, and fixed-limit. Each one dictates how much you can bet on each turn.
Moreover, you can choose to do any of the following when it’s your turn to bet:
4) In position
In poker, your position at the table dictates when it’s your turn to bet. The player who acts last is considered “in position” or “have position.” This is because they have more information about the other players’ hands since they see how everyone else bets before them. This puts them at an advantage because they can make more informed decisions.
Having position is considered an advantage because you can control the pot size and have a better chance of winning it. You can also bluff more effectively since you know how your opponents will react to your bet.
5) Out of position
On the other hand, the player who acts first is considered “out of position.” They have less information about the other player’s hands, which puts them at a disadvantage since they can’t make informed decisions.
You also need to be more careful when bluffing out of position because there is a chance your opponents will call your bluff if they have better hands.
6) Bluffing
You can never guarantee nor dictate the cards you get in a poker hand. But you can bluff your way to victory even with a weak hand.
Bluffing is when you make a bet that’s not based on the strength of your hand. You’re essentially trying to trick your opponents into folding so you can win the pot. You can also semi-bluff, which is when you make a bet with a hand that has the potential to improve.
The key to successful bluffing is timing and confidence. You need to be able to read your opponents and know when they’re most likely to fold. You also need to project confidence so they believe you have a strong hand even if you don’t.
7) Reading your opponents
In poker, you not only need to know how to read your cards but also how to read your opponents. This involves paying attention to their betting patterns and body language.
Betting patterns can give you clues about the strength of their hand. For example, raising often may indicate they have strong cards. Body language, on the other hand, can tell you if they’re bluffing or not. They’re most likely bluffing if they avoid eye contact or exhibit nervous mannerisms.
We hope this list has fueled your curiosity and encouraged you to play poker. It must be noted that poker is a game of skill and strategy, so the more you practice, the better you’ll become at it. But these seven concepts can help jumpstart your game.
