Poker is an exciting card game enjoyed by players all over the world for centuries now. It can be played in a variety of ways, but the basic premise is always the same—to win money by having the best hand or by betting that you have the best hand.
It’s often misunderstood as a difficult game that requires a lot of skill and experience to be good at. But the truth is, poker is relatively easy to learn, and anyone can become a competent player with a little practice.
In this article, we’ll break down poker into its key elements to help novice players get started. By the end of this article, you should have a good understanding of how to play the game and be ready to join your first poker match.
Let’s get started!
The key elements of poker
Any poker game, whether played in live poker tournaments, online on sites like GG Poker, the world’s largest poker room, or at home with friends, revolves around the following elements. Players must understand these elements to be able to play the game competently.
1. Poker cards
Poker is typically played with a 52-card deck without jokers. Players are dealt a certain number of cards to make the best card combination possible.
The number of cards players receive depends on the poker variation being played. For example, in Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two cards (known as hole cards), while in Omaha poker, players receive four hole cards. Texas Hold’em and Omaha also feature community cards, which are cards dealt face up in the middle of the poker table and can be used by all players to make their hand.
Meanwhile, draw poker variants see players being dealt their entire hand at the start of the game and then allowed to improve it by discarding unwanted cards and drawing new ones.
2. Poker hand ranking systems
A poker hand is the combination of cards a player is holding. The rank of a poker hand determines how much it’s worth and who wins the pot.
{{Poker hand ranking}} systems vary depending on the poker variation being played. For example, in Texas Hold’em, the best hand is a royal flush (A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit), while in lowball poker formats like Razz, rankings are reversed so that the lowest card combination—5-4-3-2-A, known as the wheel—is the best hand.
Players must familiarize themselves with poker hand ranking systems before playing any poker game to know what their cards are worth and what hands they should aim to make.
3. Betting
In poker, players bet money—known as chips or stakes—on the strength of their hand. Each poker hand’s winner (or winners) takes the pot, or the sum of all the chips bet during that hand.
Depending on the type of poker being played, a game can begin with blinds or antes, which are forced bets certain players must make to ensure there’s always money in the pot, so players have an incentive to stay in the game.
After the blinds or antes have been placed, poker betting typically proceeds in a clockwise direction around the poker table until all players have either called (matched the highest bet), raised (increased the bet), or folded (given up their hand and quit the current hand).
If only one player remains in the hand, they are declared the winner and take the pot. If more than one player is remaining after the last betting round, the players reveal their cards, and the player with the best poker hand wins.
4. Position
In poker, position refers to a player’s seat at the poker table in relation to the dealer button. The player seated closest to the Dealer button is in the small blind position, while the player seated next to them is in the big blind position.
As mentioned, the small and big blind are forced bets that the two players must make directly to the dealer’s left before any cards are dealt. The small blind is usually half the big blind, and both can increase in size as the poker game progresses.
Players in early poker positions—known as early position or EP—are typically at a disadvantage because they must act first without knowing how the other players will bet. Conversely, players in late poker positions—known as late position or LP—have a distinct advantage because they can see how the other players have bet before making their own decision.
5. Bluffing
Bluffing is a pillar of poker strategy. It’s basically when a player bets or raises with a hand that is not likely to be the best hand at the table. Getting the cards you need to make a strong poker hand is never guaranteed, so bluffing can be essential to win pots even when you’re not holding the best cards.
Of course, bluffing successfully is no easy feat. Players must be adept at reading their opponents to know when they are likely to fold and how much they will bet if they stay in the hand.
Players can use different types of poker bluffs. These include value bluffs (bets or raises made with a hand that is not the best but still has some chance of winning), semi-bluffs (bets or raises made with a drawing hand that could improve to be the best hand if the right cards come), and pure bluffs (bets or raises made with a hand that has no chance of winning).
Knowing when to bluff and which type of poker bluff to use can be the difference between winning and losing a poker hand.
How to get started playing poker
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to learn how to play poker. The best way for beginners to get started is first to master the basic rules of poker.
We would also suggest playing free online poker games before playing for real money. This will help you get a feel for the game and how it works without having to risk any of your own funds.
Once you feel confident enough to play poker for real money, you can choose from various poker games, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud. You can also play poker online or at a brick-and-mortar poker room.
As you gain more experience, you can also try your hand at poker tournaments.
Poker tournaments are structured events where players compete for a prize pool by playing poker. The tournament winner is the player who either has the most chips at the end of the event or is the last player remaining.
Poker strategy is also crucial if you want to improve your poker game. We suggest starting with poker tips for beginners before moving on to a more advanced poker strategy.
Learning how to play poker and developing a winning poker strategy can take some time and effort, but it’s ultimately worth it if you want to be a successful poker player.
We hope you found this poker for beginners guide helpful. Good luck on your poker journey!
