Poker isn’t actually just one game, in fact it’s a whole family of games which all follow similar rules (and have the same hand rankings, with a few minor exceptions).  Some of the poker games you might have heard of a Draw Poker, Stud Poker, Omaha Poker and Texas Hold’em (that’s the one you might have seen on late night TV!)

No matter what style of poker you’re playing, the game always follows a similar routine.  First there will be antes of blind bets, these are “forced bets” made by some or all of the players which ensure there is money in the pot at the start of the round, and makes sure there is always something to win.

Each player is dealt a number of cards, some or all of these they keep hidden from the other players, others may be dealt face up for all players to see depending on which variation is being played.  There will then be a round of betting, with players choosing whether or not to bet depending on the strength of their cards, and who strong or weak they believe their opponents are.  This will be followed by more cards being dealt, which might include “community cards” like the 5 board cards in holdem, and after each round of dealing comes another round of betting.

After the final round of betting, all players still in the hand (i.e. those who haven’t folded their hands) have a “showdown” where highest ranking hand shown wins the pot, and then a new hand is dealt.

The exact number of cards  and how they are dealt depends on the type of poker being played.  For example, in 5 card draw each player gets 5 cards face down (hidden from the other players) and gets an opportunity to “draw” which means to change one or more cards for new random cards if they wish.  In draw poker, you only ever see your own cards.

In Texas Hold’em however, each player only gets 2 face down cards (known as “hole” cards) and another 5 are dealt face up in the center of the table.  These community cards can be used by any of the players, who each try to make the best 5 card hand using any combination of their hole cards, and three or more of the community cards.

Two ways to win

There are two ways to win a pot in poker. You can have a better hand than your opponent, and at the end of the hand, at the “showdown” you show the best hand and collect the pot.  The other way to win is to make a bet which none of the other players match (call).  Let’s say you feel you have a strong hand and bet $20, and all of your opponents think they probably won’t win the pot, so they fold.  That leaves you as the only person left in the hand, and you collect the pot without having to show your hand!

That last part is important, and it’s why poker is a game of skill, not a game of chance.  It’s why the player with the weakest hand can win the pot, and it’s the reason poker is such a great game.  if you make your opponent believe you have the best hand, it doesn’t matter what cards you actually have – you’ll win the pot anyway!

So that’s a very rough tutorial on how poker is played. In the next post we’ll get a little more specific and talk about exactly how Texas Hold’em is played, how the cards are dealt, and how each round of betting works.

Want to learn more about poker history and the different styles of the game?  Check out the Wikipedia poker page

• HIGH CARD

If no higher hand is help by a player, then the best hand is determined by the highest single hand help by a player. If two players hold the same high card, the winner is determined by the second highest, then third etc. For example 3-4-6-9-J would beat 4-5-7-8-J even though both hands would be referred to as “Jack high”

• ONE PAIR

A pair is simply 2 cards of the same rank, such as Ace-Ace or 7-7. The highest pair wins, in the event of a tie then the highest other card, known as a “kicker” determines the winner. For example the hand A-A-K-7-4 would be known as a pair of aces with a king kicker, and would beat a hand such as A-A-Q-J-10

• TWO PAIR

Two pairs such as 4-4-9-9-J

• THREE OF A KIND

Also known as a set, or trips, this is three cards of the same rank. For example 7-7-7-5-3

• STRAIGHT

Also known as a run, this is 5 cards in numerical sequence but not all of the same suit. For example 4-5-6-7-8

• FLUSH

Five cards, not in numerical sequence, but all of the same suit.

• FULL HOUSE

Essentially a three of a kind and a pair, such as Q-Q-Q-3-3

• FOUR OF A KIND

Also called quads, this is four cards of the same rank such as 2-2-2-2-7

• STRAIGHT FLUSH

This is a straight where all of the cards are of the same suit. For example 8-9-10-J-Q of diamonds.

• ROYAL FLUSH

This is really just a straight flush from 10 – ace but because it’s so rare (and unbeatable) it gets a special name!

Now that might seem like a lot to remember, but don’t worry it won’t take you long to get your head around it. If you’re just learning poker then why not print this page out. If you’re playing online you can have it right in front of you while you play and nobody will know! If you’re playing in a home game I’m sure the other players won’t mind you referring to this guide while you’re picking the game up.

Whatever your poker aspiration – whether you just want to play a home game with your friends and understand their banter about the game, or if you want to get to the final table in a WSOP event, the lessons here will, I hope, stand you in good stead!

So look around, absorb the information here and learn all about the amazing world of poker.

Make sure you sign up to my weekly newsletter, and download my free ebook How To Play Online Poker, and last of all if you have any comments or suggestions please get in contact or leave a comment!

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