The Objective

The objective of poker is to win. Both free play poker and real money play will test your skills and strategies.

Poker comes in a number if unique variations but the premise of the game remains the same:

• All player bets contribute to the 'pot' that contains casino chips or real money
• All players are dealt cards, commonly known as a 'hand', some or all of these cards are dealt face down.
• Players wager based on the strength of the cards in betting rounds rounds
• After all the betting rounds are finished, the player with the best cards wins , or the final player still on the table after all the other have folded. Click here to Play Poker at PokerStars

Before playing any version of poker it is very important to understand the deck.

The Deck

The deck is made up of 52 cards. The cards are divided into four suits and each suit is made up of 13 ranks.

The Four Suits

 All of the suits are of equal value. Therefor no one suit is any better than any other.

The Thirteen Ranks

In the game of poker, the ace is the highest card and the 2 is the lowest. However, the ace can also be used as a low card for a straight. For example 5,4,3,2,A.

Rank of Hands

The rank of hands remains the same for all the different variations of poker.  A poker hand is made up of five cards. All hands fall into one of many classifications, such as full house, 3 of a kind, or a pair. The highest ranking hand always wins

In the event of a tie the players with the highest unpaired side card, which is also know as a 'kicker' in a player's hand wins the pot.

For example:

Player A:  Kc, Kh, 6s, 6h, 10h
Player B: Ks, Kh, 6s, 6h, 9d

Player A wins with the highest unpaired side card ( 10 of hearts).

Many variations of Poker are named Hi/Lo Games, for example Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and Omaha Hi/Lo. To win in a Hi/Lo game you need to consider the rank of hands as described above.  In a Hi/Lo game the pot is split between two winners, the player with the strongest hand, and the player with the weakest hand.

A low hand is a hand that contains five different cards valued at 8 or less. 

For Example : A- 2- 4- 7- 8 

Straights and flushes are not considered a low hand, and aces are valued as the lowest ranking card.  Hands that tie with the lowest value share the pot. The best possible hand in a Hi/Lo game is a 5-high straight, also know as  a wheel or a bicycle. Should two or more players have this hand, the pot is split among those players.  In the situation that none of the players have five different cards valuing 8 or less the player with the strongest hand wins the entire pot. Click here to Play Poker at PokerStars

Today, poker is played according to limitless unique rule sets and variations all over the world, however the focus of this site is on the three most common variations - Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7 Card Stud.  These are the most popular versions of poker played in land casinos, card rooms,  and on the internet.

• Texas Holdem all link to coresponding section below
• Omaha
• 7 Card Stud

Texas Hold'em Poker

The most popular version of Poker is Texas Hold'em, and fortunately it is also the easiest to learn.  To start each player is dealt two 'hole' cards that are only visible to that player.  After, five 'community' cards are dealt in the middle of the table that are visible to all of the players.  All the players need to make a five-card hand from both, one or none of their two hole cards and the community cards.

In a game of Texas Hold'em the betting is split among four separate rounds , and the play rotates clockwise around the poker table.  The wagering starts with the player  in the position next to the dealer, which moves always moves to the player to the left.

In a game of Texas Hold'em, and in the situation where two or more players tie, the pot will be split between the tying players.  If there is an extra chip after splitting the winnings between tying players, the player sitting closest to the dealers left is awarded the extra chip.

The Blinds
Before any cards are dealt, the two players sitting to the dealers left post 'blind' bets, consequently named blind bets because the players are making a wager before seeing the cards.  Blind bets basically ensure that there is something in the pot before the game starts.  The player to the dealers left posts the 'small blind', and the player to that players left posts the 'big blind'.

The Pre-Flop
The Pre-Flop gives the players the option to Call (match the amount of the big blind bet), Raise (increase the amount of the bet), or Fold (give up the cards and stop playing the round).
 
When the wagering continues, the player that made the big blind bet can 'check', which means electing to remain in the game without adding anything more to the pot. However, if an other player has raised the player that made the big blind bet must fold, call, or re-raise.

The Flop
The Flop is when the dealer deals three community cards face up on the table.  Once the community cards have been dealt the players can use these cards to make a five card hand before the next betting round.

The Turn
The Turn is when the dealer deals the fourth community card face up on the table. Once this card has been dealt the next betting round starts. Click here to Play Poker at PokerStars

The River
The River is the fifth and final community card, which is also followed with a betting round.

The Showdown

If there are two or more players still in the game after all the cards have been dealt, and after all the betting rounds all of the cards are revealed and the player with the best hand wins. In the event of a tie the pot is divided among the winners.

OmahaPoker

Omaha is also a very popular variation of Poker. In a game of Omaha Poker,  the players receive four 'hole' cards that are only visible to the player, and five 'community' cards are dealt face up on the poker table. The player must use two of the hole cards and three of the community cards to make a five card hand.

Omaha Poker is split into five different betting rounds, and play moves clockwise around the table.  The betting always starts to the dealers left, which moves to the player to the left after each hand.

In a game of Omaha Poker, and in the situation where two or more players tie, the pot will be split between the tying players.  If there is an extra chip after splitting the winnings between tying players, the player sitting closest to the dealers left is awarded the extra chip.

The Blinds
Before any cards are dealt, the two players sitting to the dealers left post 'blind' bets, consequently named blind bets because the players are making a wager before seeing the cards.  Blind bets basically ensure that there is something in the pot before the game starts.  The player to the dealers left posts the 'small blind', and the player to that players left posts the 'big blind'.

Pre-Flop
During the pre-flop each player is dealt 4 cards face down, which are normally referred to as the 'hole' cards.  After the deal the first round of betting starts with the player to the left of the player that made the big blind bet, this player is commonly referred to as “under the gun” and can make one of three player decisions, Call (match the bet), Raise (increase the bet amount), or Fold (give up the hand and forfeit the round).
Once the play returns to the player that made the big blind bet, he or she can 'check', which means electing to remain in the game without adding anything more to the pot. However, if an other player has raised the player that made the big blind bet must fold, call, or re-raise

 

The Flop
The Flop is when the dealer deals three community cards face up on the table.  Once the community cards have been dealt the players can use these cards to make a five card hand before the next betting round.

The Turn
The Turn is when the dealer deals the fourth community card face up on the table. Once this card has been dealt the next betting round starts.

The River
The River is the fifth and final community card, which is also followed with a betting round.

The Showdown

If there are two or more players still in the game after all the cards have been dealt, and after all the betting rounds all of the cards are revealed and the player with the best hand wins. In the event of a tie the pot is divided among the winners.

Seven Card Stud Poker

Before the explosion of interest in Texas Hold’em Seven Card Stud was the most popular version of Poker.  Seven Card Stud is very different than both Texas Hold’em and Omaha, and is often considered more difficult.  However, after learning the game it is very rewarding and exciting.

A game of Seven Card Stud starts by all the players making an “ante” bet into the pot.  After the ante each players is dealt three cards  and the play moves clockwise around the table.  The first two cards are dealt face down and the third is dealt face up.  The third card is also referred to as the “door” card.  In a game of seven card there are no community cards and there are five different betting rounds, which also move clockwise around the table.

In the event of a tie after all of the betting rounds, the pot is split between the winning players.  If there are an odd number of chips while splitting the pot, the player with the strongest suits gets the extra chip

First Betting Round
The first betting rounds starts with the players that has the lowest ranking up card.  The first bet is commonly known as the “token bet” or a “bring-in” bet.  In the event that 2 or more players have the same low card, the cards are further ranked by the suit in alphabetical order(clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades)

Third Betting Round (Third Street)
After the bring-in wager has been made, each player, starting with the player to the left of the player that made the bring-in wager must make one of three player decisions (Fold, Call, or Raise).

Fourth Betting Round (Fourth Street)
During the fourth betting round every player is dealt an other card face up, and the player with the highest up cards starts the betting. During the fourth round of betting if a player is showing a pair they can double the wager.

Fifth Betting Round (Fifth Street)
During the fifth betting round every player is dealt another card face up, and the player with the highest up cards starts the betting. Click here to Play Poker at PokerStars

Sixth Betting Round (Sixth Street)
During the sixth betting round every player is dealt another card face up, and the player with the highest up cards starts the betting.

Seventh Betting Round (Seventh Street or The River)
During the seventh betting round every player is dealt another card face down and the same player that started the last betting round also starts this round.

Showdown
If there are two or more players still in the game after all the cards have been dealt, and after all the betting rounds have occurred all of the cards are revealed and the player with the best hand wins.

 

Betting Rules

Limit Poker
In a limit game of poker, the wager amount is capped at a specific amount. Consequently limit poker games are named according to the betting limit, for example $4/8 or $15/30.

For instance, if you decide to play in a '$3/6 limit' game, the minimum sizes of the bets would be:

• Pre-flop (before any cards are dealt): $3
• Flop (after three community cards have been dealt): $3
• Turn (after four community card have been dealt): $6
• River ( after five community cards have been dealt): $6

It is important to note that a player can never make bet an amount smaller than the big blind, and that all raises must be wagered in increments of the wagering amounts.

For example, in a $3/6 limit game, the raises will be as follows, limited to four times the first bet that was made:

• Pre-flop: $3, $6, $9 up to $12
• On the flop: $3, $6, $9 up to $12
• On the turn: $6, $12, $18 up to $24
• On the river: $6, 12, $18 up to $24

No-Limit Poker
In No-Limit poker there is no limit to the amount that a player can wager during any of the betting rounds.  However no player can wager less than the amount of the big blind.

In No-Limit poker the minimum raise amount must be greater than or equal to the last bet or raise in the round

The minimum raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. For example, if a player bets $5, and if the next player decides to raise he or she must raise a minimum of $5 for a total bet of $10.  In No-Limit poker there is no limit to the amount you can raise, a player can wager any amount over the minimum bet amount.   In the event that a player wants to “Call” but doesn’t have sufficient chips, he or she can go “all in” and can only win the percentage of the pot covered by their chips.

Pot-Limit Poker
Pot-limit is a very popular variation of poker. Pot-limit poker is very similar to no-limit poker but there are some differences. Click here to Play Poker at PokerStars

In pot-limit poker, the players can wager any amount between the blind amount and the size of the pot.  The pot is the total amount of all wagers and raises made during the round.
For example example: If the pot contains $200 and a player bets $40, and the next two players call the $40 bet. The next player could call the $40 bet and then raise by a maximum of $360. This raise equals the $200 pot, the first $40 wager, the next two $40 calls, and the player’s $20 call, which all add up to $360.

 

Buy-ins and Table Stakes

What is a “buy-in”
The “buy-in” is the amount of money needed for a player to join a poker game.

Limit Poker
In limit poker, the minimum buy-in is usually equal to ten times the amount of the big blind.

For Example: In a $2/4 limit game, the big blind value is $2, therefor the minimum buy-in is $20 ($2 *10= $20)

Pot and No-Limit Poker
Unlike limit poker, Pot-limit poker and no-limit poker  both have a minimum and a maximum buy-in amount.
The maximum amount a player may bring to the table in a direct reflection of the name of the game. For example, in a $200 no limit game the maximum buy-in amount is $200 and the minimum buy-in amount is usually 20% of the maximum amount ($40).