How to play Poker

What is Poker?

Poker is a family of card games in which players wager over which hand is best . Today it is usually played with a standard deck, thus poker games vary in deck configuration, the number of cards in play, the number of cards dealt face up or face down, and the number of cards shared by all players, but all have rules that involve one or more rounds of betting. Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play and generally using the same hand history.

Tips for beginner

If you are completely new to poker and have no idea where to start, our view is that Texas Hold'em is the best game for beginners. It's the most popular, the most widely available, and it's one of the easier games to learn.

Once you're familiar with Texas Hold'em, you can then start thinking about trying some of the other variants. Omaha is considered by many to be a good second game to learn, but it's really up to you. Just remember that it's always a good idea to learn how to play and practice on the fun app before proceeding further.

How to play Poker?

Poker variations

Poker has many variations, All following a similar pattern of play and generally using the same hand history.

a) No- limit Texas hold'em (NLH)

In Poker, "no limit Texas-hold'em" is a game where each player at the table is dealt two hole cards and there are five cards in the middle (the flop, turn and river) that are considered to be community cards. Each player at the table can use their hole cards and community cards to make their best possible hand.

b) Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)

1. 4 hole cards are dealt instead of 2 to each player.

2. A player must always use 2 cards from the 4 cards dealt to him/her and 3 cards from the 5 community cards to make the best 5 cards.

3. A limit is placed on the maximum amount that can be raised in a user's turn. A user may raise any amount less than or equal to the pot value.

Pot Limit Omaha 5

5-card PLO rules are the same as 4-card PLO rules. You have to make your hand using forcibly 2 of your hole cards along with 3 out of 5 community cards.
The only difference is you get an extra hole card, for a total of 5.

Game Play

There are three types of betting limits in a Poker game -

Pot-Limit

The player can bet or raise only up to the current size of the pot. This bet also depends on outstanding bets on table along with POT amount.

No Limit

As the name suggests, the player can bet or raise as much as they want anytime as much as their chip stack allows.

Fixed Limit

The player can bet/raise only up to a predetermined limit.
(Limits each stage of game play)

Regardless of the variant, the betting rules remain the same.

In Texas Hold'em, Omaha & Omaha-5 there are the following betting rounds -

Pre-Flop

It refers to that portion of the hand which is played prior to the dealing of the flop

Flop

After the pre-flop round, 3 community cards are dealt face-up on the table and the next round of betting commences.

Turn

One more card is dealt and the third round of betting begins.

River

The final community card is dealt and the final round of betting starts.

At the Showdown, all active players reveal their cards and the best five-card combination wins the pot.

As per the strength of his/her in-hand cards, the player can choose to make any of the following actions on his/her turn to act.

Bet

Wagering Money in the pot.

Raise

Putting more money than your opponent wagered in the pot.

Check

Passing the action to the next player without wagering money in the pot. You can check only if no one makes a bet before your turn.

Call

Matching the amount of bet/raise made by your opponent.

Fold

Leaving the hand on your turn to act. You can fold your cards anytime during the game if you are not confident with the strength of your hand.

Hand Rankings

A common poker-hand rankings system underpins all forms of the game by classifying the relative strength of different types of poker hands. So players can determine which hand is best.

Rank 1

Hand Name : Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is made out of 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all of the same suit.

Rank 2

Hand Name : Straight Flush

A Straight Flush is five cards in a row, all in the same suit.

Rank 3

Hand Name : Four of a Kind

A Four of a Kind is the same card in each of the four suits.

Rank 4

Hand Name : Full house

A Full House is a pair plus three of a kind in the same hand.

Rank 5

Hand Name : Flush

A Flush is five cards in the same suit, not in numerical order.

Rank 6

Hand Name : Straight

A Straight is five cards in numerical order, but not in the same suit.

Rank 7

Hand Name : Three of a kind

Three of a Kind is three of one card and two non-paired cards.

Rank 8

Hand Name : Two Pair

Two Pair is two different pairings or sets of the same card in one hand.

Rank 9

Hand Name : One Pair

One Pair is a pairing of the same card.

Rank 10

Hand Name : High Card

A High Card refers to a hand with no matching cards.