Poker - besticasino.com

What is Poker?

Poker means any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others, in which each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out, and in which the player holding the highest hand at the end of the betting wins the pot

Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game’s rules. It is played worldwide, but in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game was played with just 20 cards, today it is usually played with a standard deck, although in countries where short packs are common, it may be played with 32, 40 or 48 cards. Thus poker games vary in deck configuration, the number of cards in play, the number dealt face up or face down, and the number shared by all players, but all have rules that involve one or more rounds of betting.

In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form of a forced bet (the blind or ante). In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank they believe their hand is worth as compared to the other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn must either match (or “call”) the maximum previous bet, or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further involvement in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also “raise” (increase) the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed, and the player with the winning hand takes the pot.

With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who either believes the bet has positive expected value or who is trying to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.

Poker has increased in popularity since the beginning of the 20th century and has gone from being primarily a recreational activity confined to small groups of enthusiasts to a widely popular activity, both for participants and spectators, including online, with many professional players and multimillion-dollar tournament prizes.

Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is the absolute best hand you can get in poker and consists of consecutive 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit, it can be any suit but must be these specific cards.

Straight Flush

A Straight Flush is the 2nd highest hand in a poker game and is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit that are not the Royal Flush cards, for example 3,4,5,6,7 of diamonds is a Straight Flush.

Four of a kind

Getting Four of a Kind in poker games means that you hand contains one card plus four other cards that are the same, for example getting Ace, 8, 8, 8, 8 would mean you have Four of a Kind.

Full House

A Full House is a hand that is comprised of a pair and three of a kind, so for example say that you were dealt Ace, Ace, King, King, King, this would mean you had a Full House in your hand.

Flush

When you get a Flush it means that your hand has cards that are all the same suit which are unordered, if the hand was ordered and the same suit you would have a Straight Flush.

Straight

A Straight is a hand of 5 consecutive unsuited cards so for example if you were dealt a range such as 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack you would have a Straight which is the 6th best hand you can get in poker games.

Three of a kind

When you get Three of a Kind in your hand this would mean that you have 2 unpaired cards and three cards that are the same, for example King, 10, 3, 3, 3 would be a 3 of a Kind hand.

Two Pair

In order to have Two Pair you hand must be comprised of a single card plus 2 sets of pairs for example getting Ace, 10, 10, 2, 2 would mean that you have two pair which is the 8th best hand in poker.

One Pair

Getting a One Pair hand means that you have three unmatched cards and one pair of cards for example the following hand would represent One Pair, 10, 10, 3, Jack, King and is the 9th best hand possible.

No Pair

As you’ve probably figured out by now, having No Pair means that you have 5 cards that are unmatched and unsuited, for example 10, Jack, 2, 6, Ace would be a No Pair hand and is the lowest hand.

One of the most important fundamentals of learning to play poker online is getting a thorough understanding of poker hand rankings since you’ll obviously need to know what hand beats what while your playing the game. If you are just starting out, it’s a good idea to commit the hands and their respective values to memory so you’ll never get confused in a game and make bets based on the wrong hand. On this page you will find an illustration of poker hand rankings (below) as well as comprehensive descriptions of each hand and how its formed during play.

How to Play Poker?

Looking to learn basic poker rules? Poker’s an incredibly popular game that’s super easy to learn but difficult to master. Don’t worry—we’ll break down this strategic card game into a simple step-by-step guide. You’ll find a ton of variations of poker, but Texas Hold’em is the most popular. While each variation has its own rules, the basics of the game are always the same. All you have to do is master the rules—then you can start developing your own winning strategy! We’ll walk you through all the essential poker rules and strategic tricks to take you from a poker beginner to a poker pro.

Adding Betting and Strategy

1. Guesstimate the risks on your starting hand

Look at your cards to see what you’re holding. Check for a pair, 2 consecutive numbers, cards that are from the same house, or face cards, which may be good cards. Then, decide if it’s worth placing a bet to see what the community cards will be.

You should almost always raise when your hand is a pair, face cards, or aces. An ace and a king or an ace and a queen are strong hands as well. If you have these hands, bet before the flop to raise the value of the pot.
If the card you need doesn’t turn up, you can either bluff or fold. Sometimes, with good bluffing skills and some luck, a bad hand can win the whole game.

2. Start the bidding with the player to the left of the big blind or dealer

In the first round, bidding starts to the left of the big blind. In later rounds, the bidding starts to the left of the dealer. From there, the bidding goes clockwise.

If you’re playing a game with an ante instead of a blind, always start betting with the player to the left of the dealer.

3. Call the bet if you want to stay in but don’t have great cards

This means you want to stay in the game but don’t want to raise the bet. When you call, match the bet of the person before you by adding your chips or money to the pot. Your turn is now over.

If the flop comes and you’re holding a hand that doesn’t play, check and fold. You don’t want to keep betting money at a hand that won’t win.
If the flop comes and you have a strong hand, bet at it. This will force weaker hands out and raise the value of your pot.

4. Raise the bet if you have a good hand

When the bet comes to you, tell the other players you want to raise. Then, say how much you are betting and place your money or chips into the pot. This ends your turn.

Say, “I raise the bet to $30.”
You can’t raise the bet above the maximum for your game.

5. Fold if the current bet is too high or you have a bad hand

This means quitting the round of poker. To fold, place your cards face down on the table and say, “I fold.” Then, add your cards to the discard pile.

Don’t show your cards when you fold during a game, as this can spoil which cards are out of play. That may give certain players an upper hand.
The key to being successful at poker is knowing when to fold your hand and accept a smaller loss or when to hold onto it and risk a larger loss for a chance to win the pot.

6. Decide if you want to draw any cards (if the game allows it)

Look at your cards and decide if you want to play this hand. If you’d like to try for better cards, discard the cards you don’t want. Then, draw replacement cards from the draw pile at the center of the table.

You can discard as many cards as you’d like.
You may not be allowed to draw new cards when playing Texas Hold’em, so check the rules for your game before you start playing.

7. Play only with money you’re willing to lose

When you are learning, you should never gamble more than you would consider acceptable to lose. During the game, don’t add to your bankroll or dive back in after losing everything you planned to gamble. Wait until you’re comfortable losing that amount again before you play another game.

The general rule of thumb is you should be able to easily afford to lose 200 bets at the highest limit. So if the limit is $5 bets, then your bankroll should be $1000, and stop there.
Track your wins and losses if you start getting more serious about poker. This will help you figure out whether you are winning or losing in the long run.
Remember that you must keep records and pay taxes on your gambling income to avoid legal trouble.

8. Learn to read basic tells

Playing your opponents is arguably even more important than playing your cards in poker. This is a more advanced aspect of the game, but it’s always good to be aware of players’ tells—especially your own. Watch for betting patterns such as betting early, very often (probably with weak hands), or late in a hand (as intimidation). Physical tells can also give you an estimation of your opponent’s strength of hand and help you keep your own strategy secret by avoiding such patterns.^[13]

Some classic tells include shallow breathing, sighing, nostrils flaring, flushing red, eyes watering, blinking, swallowing excessively, or an increasing pulse seen in the neck or temple.
A hand over the mouth is usually to conceal a smile, while shaking hands usually reveal nerves.
If a player glances at their chips when the flop comes, they probably have a strong hand.
If a mediocre player tries to impress you by staring you down, they are likely bluffing.

9. Identify conservative players from aggressive players

This will help you determine players’ betting patterns and read them more easily. You can tell if players are more conservative by noticing those folding early—evidently only staying in a hand when their cards are good.

Very conservative players won’t lose as much money, but they’re easily spotted by more experienced players. Because they tend to avoid high betting, they can often be bluffed into folding.
Aggressive players are risk-takers that often bet high early in a hand before seeing how the other players are acting on their cards.

Determining High Hands

Now that we’ve covered the actual hand rankings and how they are dealt, it’s time to cover another important subject when it comes to values of poker hands which is determining who wins when you have the same type of hand. For example say that you got to the end of a hand and when you turned your cards over you and the other player both had full houses, how do you determine who has won? The answer is basically it comes down to the high hand which basically means the hand which contains higher value cards keeping in mind that 2 is the lowest card and Ace is the highest card. For simplicities sake let’s outline a few examples below to show you who would win in each particular showdown to give you a solid overview of how high hand works.

Examples

Example One: The first player has a full house with 10, 10, 10, Jack, Jack and the second player holds a full house with 10, 10, 10, Ace, Ace. In this case, the 2nd player would win the hand even though both players have a full house as the second players hand is higher than the first since he has the pair of aces over the jacks.

Example Two: Say that the first player has 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of Diamonds and the second player has 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of spades. In this case, both players have straight flushes however player one wins since their hand is a higher straight flush with 5-9 whereas the second player has 2-6 contained in their hand.

Example Three: For our last example, let’s say that player one had 2, Jack, 8, 4, 6 of hearts and player two had 3, Ace, King, 9, 5 of hearts – both players have a flush but player two has higher cards that the first player and in this example would win, when it comes to flushes the highest card in the flush wins the hand.

OTHER GAMES

Baccarat

A card game resembling chemin de fer in which three hands are dealt and players may bet either or both hands against the dealer’s

Dragon Tiger

The game begins when players bet on either Dragon or Tiger options on the table.

Blackjack

A card game the object of which is to be dealt cards having a higher count than those of the dealer up to but not exceeding 21.

Roulette

A gambling game in which a ball is dropped onto a revolving wheel ( roulette wheel ) with numbered compartments, the players betting on the number at which the ball will come to rest.

Craps

Craps. / (kræps) / noun(usually functioning as singular) a gambling game using two dice, in which a player wins the bet if 7 or 11 is thrown first, and loses if 2, 3, or 12 is thrown.

Sic Bo

The literal meaning of sic bo is “precious dice“, while dai siu and dai sai mean “big [or] small”.