Poker Rules - A Step by Step Guide
Texas Hold’em is the most popular variation of online poker, not to mention (arguably) the easiest to learn, which is why we’ve decided to focus on it in this section. Texas Hold’em offers an excellent gateway to other more complicated variations:
Poker Hand Rankings
Key Poker Terms You Need To Know
- All-in
When players wager all of their chips on a hand
- Ante
A small bet paid by all players to give the pot an initial value
- Bet
When players wager chips on the strength of their hand
- Big blind
A contribution to the pot made by the player second to the left of the dealer. The contribution must be made before the player has seen any cards relating to the round
- Bluffing
This is when players act in such a way that implies the value of their hand is better than what it actually is
- Burn
To burn a card is to discard it before the hands are dealt. This is to ensure that the next card played is concealed from everyone
- Call
If other players have placed bets you’ll need to “call”, or match, their bet in order to stay in the game
- Check
If you don’t want to bet and no players have done so before you, you can “check”. If anyone after you places a bet the action will come back to you and you’ll have to call, fold or raise
- Community cards
As the name suggests, these are face up cards that all players can use when building their best poker hand
- Fold
When players give up on their hand and place it face down on the table
- Hand
Your hand may be made up of your pocket/hole cards and any community cards shared with the game’s other players
- Limit
Some games will fix the maximum value at which players can bet and raise
- No-limit
A no-limit game has no maximum bets, only minimum bet and raise levels
- Pocket cards
Also known as hole cards, these are the cards that are dealt face down to you
- Raise
When you want to bet more than a previous player has you can “raise” their bet and the minimum amount required to call
- Rake
This is a percentage of each hand that the house takes to generate their profit
- Showdown
When all players reveal their hands to determine who wins
- Small blind
A contribution to the pot made by the player immediately to the left of the dealer. This must be made before the player has seen any cards relating to the hand
- The flop
Three community cards that are dealt together after the first round of betting
- The river
The fifth and final community card in Texas Hold’em. Dealt face up and on its own
- The turn
The fourth community card in Texas Hold’em, dealt face up and on its own
Tips from Our Poker Experts
Members of our team have been playing poker, online and off, for many years. New players sometimes ask us what we wish we’d known when we were first learning how to play Texas Hold’em poker. The tips below represent our knowledge into just a handful of “must know” tips:
Playing Different Poker Variations
There are various types of poker out there and each comes with their own unique set of rules. Let’s look at how to create the best hand possible in some of the other popular poker variations:
Play Poker Online
Now you’re armed with the knowledge above, you’re ready to try the game for yourself! We recommend that you play at tables with low blinds/limits while you’re still learning the ways of playing against other people.
When you have a better understanding of how to play experienced players, different poker game strategies and variations, as well as poker hand rankings, you’ll feel more comfortable wagering larger sums of money when you play poker online.