How to Play Poker

April 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Play PokerPoker is a popular card game in which players, each holding one or more cards whose face value is concealed, place wagers into a central pot. The pot is awarded to the player or players with the best combination of cards or to the player who makes an uncalled bet. Poker can also refer to video poker, a single-player game seen in casinos much like a slot machine, or to other games that use poker hand rankings.

Game play
Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play.

The right to deal each hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a ‘dealer’ button or buck. In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but a button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.

One or more players are required to make forced bets to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, cuts, and deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players’ hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.

At any time during a betting round, if a player makes a bet, opponents are required to fold, call or raise. If one player bets and no opponents choose to call (match) the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This possibility of winning a pot without showing a hand makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot.

The most popular poker variants are as follows:

Draw poker
Players each receive five — as in five-card draw — or more cards, all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a certain number of times.
Stud poker

Players receive cards one at a time, some being displayed to other players at the table. The key difference between stud and ‘draw’ poker is that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards.

Community card poker

Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of “community cards” dealt face up and shared by all players. Each player will attempt to make the best five card poker hand using the community cards and their own face down cards. Two or four individual cards may be dealt in the most popular variations, Texas hold ‘em and Omaha hold ‘em, respectively.
See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations. See List of poker variants and poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most common poker variants.

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Betting the Turn

February 22, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Playing after the turn is an area of Hold ‘em that needs to be first understood and then properly executed.  There’s more to post-turn play than just betting when you have the lead.  To be a winning player, one needs to know when a turn bluff opportunity is in front of them.  This is the point in the hand when a skilled player can determine what type of hand an opponent is likely to be holding, and it is also where opponents will make assumptions about your hand.  I’ll try to outline the process of contemplating the situation and acting accordingly.
Most of your decisions on how and when to bet the turn will be determined by the cards on the board and the opponents you’re in the hand with.  In limit Hold ‘em, if an opponent raises pre-flop, then checks and calls a flop bet with low cards on the board, a turn bet will tell you what they are likely holding.  If they raise your turn bet, you know they most likely have a big pair, or perhaps trips, and they have just waited to raise the bigger turn bet instead of the flop.  If they have a big ace or two big cards they will usually fold to a bet on the turn, and you will pick up the pot with anything in your hand.
Let’s say that you’re in a hand with no pre-flop raises with the big blind and the flop has come with small cards in it.  You bet out and get a call.  Knowing the blind player is capable of having any two cards, the small flop is likely to have hit them if they called your flop bet.  So let’s say the turn card is a big card, preferably a king or an ace.  Betting out this turn will often prove profitable because the blind player will assume that you are on big cards, and think their lower pair is no longer any good.
In a no-limit Hold ‘em game, the turn becomes a place where the hand is often decided.  Betting the turn in no limit is not something one should do on a whim.
The most common mistake players make on the turn is not to bet their good hands big enough.  Allowing players to remain in the hand because you don’t want to top them off about your good cards is not a great idea.  Win pots when you can, and betting with a lead is always the way to go, unless you have the absolute nuts.  If you make a big bet on the turn and get called or raised, then you know you need to watch out for possible draw cards hitting the river.
The turn is also when you show opponents that you’re serious about your hand.  Many players will take a stab at a pot after flop, but few will bluff twice at a pot on the turn.  If you think you’re opponent is on the draw, you will win pots by continuing to bet when no draw cards come.
It doesn’t matter if it’s limit or no limit Hold ‘em, the turn is a crucial point in most hands.  Learning what each flop means will be the most important part of your decision on how to play the rest of the hand.  This is when you should have some type of read on your opponents.  When in doubt, bet anyway and see what effect it has on your opponents.  You will be surprised how many free pots you will begin to pick up.
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After the Flop

February 22, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

After-the-flop play in Texas Hold ‘em is usually the most important move of the hand.  At this point, there are five of the possible seven cards you will use to make your hand, so you need to know where you stand.  Players should be in a position where they feel they have a lead, or have a draw to the lead.  If you’re not in this situation, you should get out of the hand.  let’s look at some common situations you might be in, and how best to play them.
Let’s say you have a pocket pair and the flop gives you a set.  You hold QQ and the flop is Q, 9, 6.  This flop seems good enough to slop play, but because there is a nine to go with the queen, a straight possibility could exist against you.  This situation should be played with aggression, in an attempt to win the hand right away before an opponent can draw a card that might beat you.  If the flop was Q, 6, 2, the possibility of being up against a draw has greatly diminished, and one would look to slow play this particular flop.
So let’s say you flop a draw to the nut hand, what should you do?  Many players will call any bet with a flush or open-ended straight draw, but your decision process should have more depth than that.  In order to call a bet on a draw, one should be getting proper pot odds to make the call.  The bet, compared to the size of the pot, should be a smaller percentage than the ratio of outs you need to make your hand.  If you have a flush draw and someone bets the size of the pot, you should fold your draw unless there are circumstances like stack size that come into play.  Sometimes a raise with the nut draw is a good move, and betting it out from an earlier position is also an option.
When player at a shorter table with three players or less, your post-flop play should be a bit different.  With a full ring game of players, someone usually hits the flop, and most players will check in order to find out who has the big hand.  At a short table, players are more likely to miss the flop, so betting into flops regardless of your hand will be a high percentage play.  It works best if you put in a raise pre-flop, but it’s not necessary.  This is common practice by experienced short-table players and is a required play if you hope to have success in this setting.
When you flop a made hand like a straight or flush, it’s important to recognize its vulnerability.  If you flopped a straight, and there are two cards of the same suit on the board, someone could be on a draw that will beat you.  It seems like you have a monster hand, but one of nine possible cards could come off on the turn or river to make that play a flush.  be wary of the next cards that come off so you know you still have the best of it.  Playing after the flop is all about calculating your situation and deciding which option is best for you.  If you have a lead and it’s vulnerable, you must protect it, and if you’re on the draw, you should be getting the proper pot odds to call bets.  Remember to play aggressive post-flop when at a short-handed table.
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The Rules of Texas Hold ‘em

February 22, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Texas Hold ‘em is one of the easiest games to learn.  A hand of Hold ‘em starts with the placing of the blind bets.  There is a small blind and a big blind, which is typically double the size of the small blind.  The small blind is placed by the player to the direct left of the dealer and the big blind is placed by the player to the right of the dealer.

After the blinds have been placed, each player is dealt two cards face down.  These are called the hole cards.  Any player can look at their cards at any time.  The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the big blind.  This player may call the big blind, raise the big blind, or fold.  Betting continues clockwise around the tab le until every player has called or folded.

After the first betting round ends, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table.  These three cards are called the flop.  They are community cards and can be used by any player at the table along with their hole cards to make up a hand. Once the flop is laid out, another betting round begins.  This time the betting begins with the first person to the left of the dealer that is still in the check (which means they don’t bet, but they don’t fold), bet, or call, raise, fold, or they may check as well if the player before them has also checked.  Once someone bets all other players must either call, raise or fold.  You can’t check once someone else has bet.

Once the second betting round has finished, one card is dealt face-up next to the flop.  This card is called the turn; this is another community card and can be used by any player at the table.

After the turn card has been dealt, another betting round begins.  It is played out in exactly the same manner as the betting round that followed the flop.

After the third betting round is finished, one final card is dealt face-up next to the turn card.  This card is called the river.

After the river card is dealt, the final betting round begins.  It is played out the same way as the betting rounds that followed the flop and the turn.  After all players have bet or folded, any players still in the hand reveal their cards in the showdown.  The player that makes the best five-card hand out, of their two hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot.  After the post has been paid out, the dealer rotates one position to the left.  The blinds are placed again, and another hand is dealt out.

Hold ‘em can be played with a set limit or no-limit betting.  In set limit there are actually two limits set.  For example, the limits could be $1/$2.  In this game, the big blind would be $1 and the small blind would be 50 cents.  The minimum bet during the first two betting rounds is $1.  During the third and final betting rounds, the minimum bet is $2.  Betting increments must be made the same size as the minimum bet.

In no limit, a player can bet all of their chips at any time.  However, a player can only lose all of their chips if they are in a showdown with a player who has an equal number or more chips.  If you go all-in with $100 and another player goes all-in with $75, the most you can lose is $75.

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Poker Game Structure

February 21, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Poker can be played in tournaments (single or multi-table) or in cash (ring) games. Tournaments typically involve a set buy-in (entrance fee) and each player begins with the same amount of chips. The buy-in is comprised of an amount that contributes to the overall prizepool and an administrative fee that goes to the casino, pub or online poker room. All players then compete until there is only one player remaining, with the prize money distributed amongst players. For example, in a ten person single table tournament, the prizepool distribution is usually set at 50% for first place, 30% for second and 20% for third. The distribution can vary greatly depending on the tournament being played.

Cash games operate on a single table and continue for as long as there are players seated. Blinds (the forced bets before play begins) are kept constant. The key feature here is that players can join and leave whenever the desire, making this game structure ideal for players who do not wish to slug it out for hours in a multi-table tournament. Players can bring as little or as much money with them to cash games (although a minimum amount usually applies).

There are also sit-n-go tournaments. These single table tournaments begin as soon as all seats at a table have been filled and finishes when one player remains. This type of game appeals to players who do not wish to play cash games, but do not have the time to play in lengthy multi-table tournaments. In sit-n-go tournaments and multil-table tournaments, the blinds will go up at regular intervals (known as levels). This is to speed play along, which is especially necessary in large multi-table tournaments.

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