Why is poker so popular?
Poker is today one of the most popular online games played around the world. But why is it so popular? Well, it’s simple. Firstly, because of its interesting rules. Secondly, players need to think of moves and strategies to beat their opponents. Well, thirdly, the game generates great excitement, so you want to play it again and again. Better yet, playing poker with real money also generates more excitement.
This article is designed to tell you as much as possible about poker games so that you can easily grasp the basics of poker rules and become a real pro, no matter which version of the game you play.
Poker basics
Before you can start playing poker, you need to understand the game and know the basics. Poker is a card game which involves not only the players but also the dealer. Having said that, there are many variations of this game, with their own rules and features. We are going to tell you about the most common variations of poker, but first, you need to know the terms and poker hand rankings so that you can not only understand the game but also make some real money.
Basic poker terms
If you have never played poker before, you need to know the terms that are used during the game. This way, you’ll be able to understand exactly which move your opponent has made or which action you need to perform and also what a particular attribute is called. In other words, knowing poker terminology will make it easier for you to navigate the game. So, here are the terms you need to know:
Poker Attributes
| Pot | Capital, in the form of money or chips, which players can win during a game. The Pot is made up of players during Betting Rounds. |
| Button | The white chip which signifies the role of the dealer. Each round the Button chip passes to the next player clockwise. |
| Hand | The determined winning hand of cards. |
| Board | Cards which are dealt face up on the playing board. |
| Hole cards | The face up cards which are dealt to each player at the start of the first round. |
| Kicker | A card which counts when more than one player has the same combination of cards. |
| Odds | The probability of making the correct card combination. |
| Lead | The first bet into the pot that has not yet been raised. |
| Nuts | The strongest card combination of all possible cards in the round. |
In the table below you can find out the designations of the players’ actions:
Poker Actions
| Buy-in | The amount of money that must be paid to join the game, i.e. the participation fee. |
| Blind | The mandatory bet, which must be placed before the cards are dealt. |
| Small Blind | The mandatory bet placed by the player immediately to the left of the dealer. |
| Big Blind | The mandatory bet of the player sitting second left from the Dealer, or the next player to the player with the small blind. The big blind is usually twice the small blind. |
| Ante | This is the mandatory deposit each player must make to make up the initial pot. |
| All-in | To wager all the player’s available money. |
| Call | To Call an opponent’s Bet. |
| Raise | To Raise the Bet. |
| Fold | To refuse to continue Betting or to discard cards. |
| Check | A possible move by a player, if no other player has Bet in the Round. |
Poker hands ranked
Knowing the terms is half the battle. It is also important to know and be well versed in the meanings of poker hands. This is important, because only a winning combination in a poker hand can determine the winner of the game. In addition, knowing the winning card combinations, you can easily determine if you have the hand together. So, below you can see a poker hands chart, which you can print out and use as a cheat sheet for the first time:
| Card Combination | What the combination means | Example |
| High Card | The highest ranking card in the hand | In a combination of K, 9, 8, 7, 5 the highest card is a king. |
| Pair | Two cards of the same value | 3, 7, 9, K, K |
| Two pairs | Availability of two pairs of cards | 8, 8, J, J, Q |
| Three of a kind | Three of five cards of the same face value | 6 hearts, 6 spades, 6 diamonds |
| Straight | Five cards in order of any suit. Ace may be either a junior or senior card in different combinations | A, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10, J, Q, K, A |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit | 5, 8, Q, K, A spades. |
| Full House | A combination of 3 cards of one face value and two cards of another face value | K, K, K, 7, 7 |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards out of five of the same value | J, J, J, J, 5 |
| Royal Flush | Five high cards of the same suit, starting with an ace | A, K, Q, J, 10 |
| Straight Flush | Any five cards of the same suit in order | 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 |
The main aim of the game of Poker
In any of the variations of poker, the main goal of each player is to beat his opponent by putting together the best five-card hand. In doing so, players can bluff, thereby forcing their opponents to make the wrong move and discard their best hand, unlike other players. Also, it is very important to apply the right strategy that will lead you to win.
Popular types of poker
We will now tell you about the most common types of poker played around the world, which you will find at any licensed online casinos in New Zealand.
Texas hold’em poker
This variation of the game is probably the most popular. If you understand the rules, the gameplay is not only fun, but also simple. So, what are the rules of Texas Hold’em?
The game involves a deck of 52 cards. There can be anywhere from 2 to 9 people around the table. At the start of the game, each of the players on the table receives 2 face up cards from the dealer, whilst at the same time there are 5 community cards laid out face up on the table. In order to win, players need to put together the winningest five card combination. For example, it could be 2 face cards and 3 community cards or 1 community card and 4 community cards.
The game is played clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. With each round of bidding, the dealer’s button moves one step to the left. The two players to the left of the dealer must always make a small and a big blind. This is followed by several rounds of betting:
| Preflop | Is a round in which players hold 2 hole cards. |
| Flop | Is a round in which the first 3 Community Cards are placed on the table. |
| Turn | Is a round in which 4 Community Cards are placed on the table. |
| River | Is a round with 5 Community Cards. |
| Showdown | Is a showdown of all the players on the table to determine the winner by hand strength. |
Omaha
Omaha is not much different from Texas Hold’em. What is the difference, then? The difference is that Omaha poker rules state that a player receives 4 pocket cards at the beginning of the game, note 2. Thus, a winning hand is a hand that must have 2 pocket cards out of the 4 available and 3 total cards.
In Omaha, the betting rounds are exactly the same as in Texas Hold’em, with the same winning hand combinations and the same need for blinds. But Omaha varieties can include:
- Limit;
- Pot Limit;
- No Limit.
Depending on which variation you choose, you can play with fixed stakes, partial stakes, or no limits at all.
Chinese Pineapple Poker
This is a very different version of poker from Texas Hold’em or Omaha. The rules are quite different. The main distinguishing feature is that the game here is played in the open. In addition:
- No chips are required to play;
- The whole game is played in the open;
- There are no shared cards;
- You can see the hands of your opponents;
- No betting rounds;
- No mandatory bets; etc.
What then is the point of the game, you might ask. In fact, the gameplay here is very entertaining, even though it’s in the open.
The game involves a deck of 52 cards, and there can be no more than three people at the table.
The point is that players need to collect maximum winning combinations in three boxes. In this case, the bottom box is 5 cards (the strongest combination), the middle box is 5 cards (the second strongest combination), and the top box is 3 cards (the weakest combination).
It is very important that there are no dead hands. For example, if the middle box has a stronger hand than the bottom box, and the bottom box has the weakest combination. If this happens, the player loses.
The winner is determined by the correct positioning of the cards in the hand and their strongest value.
You can also try your luck in Blackjack online game.
Read also bonuses do casinos in New Zealand.
Best Poker Sites in India
There are an incredibly large number of platforms where you can play poker online. When choosing a poker gaming platform, it is very important to choose one that is reliable and licensed. This is the only way to ensure that you are playing legally and not breaking the laws of India. We have selected for you a few sites where you can play online poker:
- Pokerbaazi;
- Adda 52;
- PokerDangal;
- Khelo365;
- PokerStars;
- SpartanPoker.
These sites will provide you with a quality game. In addition, they all include a free poker feature where you can try out every variation of the card game and hone your skills before playing for real money.
