How to Play Poker
Poker has many variations, but probably the most famous of them all is Texas Hold’em. This is most likely the poker you saw on TV or the one your friends mean when they say they’re playing poker. Poker may be a pleasant change if you’re used to playing the best UK slots.
It starts off with each player being dealt two cards facing down. The dealer starts off from the left until they make his way back to himself/herself. Each player will use the two cards in combination with 5 shared community cards which makes up the best five card hand. Each player who gets the best hand or gets the other players to fold (quit) wins the total money accumulated.
Texas Hold’em has 4 rounds of betting and players can put all their chips in at any time they want to. This means that it’s easy to double or triple your loot, but also easier to lose the entire money. This version of poker us the most exhilarating of them all. The tension, randomness, strategy, psychology of it all gives players a reason to keep coming back.
You will need to familiarize yourself with poker terminology before you start to play a game. Most of the time players mistakenly think they have won when they have not. Teach yourself what terms like a straight flush, royal flush, full house, three of a kind, high card, etc. mean. Then head over to some casinos with our list of available sites found here.
Playing Poker Online
No limit poker uses a 52 card deck. It can be played between 2 players or as many as 10. Once the dealer dishes out the cards, the player toward the left of the dealer either decides to bet any amount they please or do nothing. If he/she bets, the other players will need to call (match their amount), fold (give up their hand) or raise (bet even higher than the starting player). This notion continues up until ever player has called or all the chips have been placed in the middle.
Once the first round ends, the dealer deals 3 cards facing up aka the community cards which anyone is free to use. That’s called the flop. The players bet again and choose to raise or fold. Once that 2nd betting round ends, the dealer adds another card to the group of community cards. That’s the turn. This gives everyone a chance to bet/raise/fold. The dealer adds another card known as the river. This starts off the final round of betting/folding/raising etc. If there is more than one player left in the hand after that final betting hand the cards are then exposed and the player who has the highest ranking hand wins.
How often can you bluff? At slotsmummy we believe it’s a key part of the game, but not as important or fancy as the movies make it out to be. As a beginner, you want to avoid bluffing too much. At this point, you’re still learning the game so try other strategies too. Perhaps the most important thing you can learn as a beginner is not to play very many hands. Play just 18 to 20% of the hands at a standard 9 handed table.
Don’t beat yourself up if you lose a hand. Poker can make even the best of the best look silly. Don’t believe it? Check out the runners up at the World Series of Poker events. Now that you’ve got to grips with the general gameplay, why not check out our article on how to be a good Poker Player.