Learn to Play Poker In 5 Minutes with Five Basic Poker Rules
Poker is one of the most popular card games around. And if you haven’t played it yet, the numerous platforms online offering poker games give you plenty of chances to try it out. Here are the basic rules that you’ll need to keep in mind, though. These rules should be enough to give you the gist of what you need if you want to start and survive the game. These tips should be enough to give you a good introduction to poker. Once you get started, it won’t be long before you fall in love with the excitement and thrill of the game.
Start with the Basics
Before diving straight into a game, you’ll need to learn the practical tips first. That’s where the basics come in. Given that there’s more than one type of poker, let’s start with the regular kind. That’s the Texas Hold’em. It’s the most popular version of the games, so you’ll find this on nearly every gaming platform there is. Knowing poker rules for the game is just the tip of the iceberg, so fair warning, you’ll need to read up on more. However, it should be enough to get you hooked. The most common ones for this variant include the following:
- You need to use your hole cards with the community cards. That makes for the best possible five-card hand in poker. It’s one of the most basic poker game rules.
- The Hold’em version is not like a five-card draw. Keep that in mind, so you won’t make a mistake when you play.
- In this version, players get two cards face-down from the dealer. Those are the hole cards.
Community cards are the cards they get facing up. Players are free to use community cards combined with hole cards. - Community cards are dealt in three stages: the flop, which gives out three community cards, the turn, which gives out the fourth community card; and the river, which, hands out the fifth and final community card.
The Key Takeaways
Aside from knowing poker rules when you play Texas Hold’em, you’ll come with a few takeaways, including:
- A game of Texas Hold’em includes several betting rounds
- Players get five community cards and two hole cards or private cards
- You need the highest poker hand if you want to win. However, bluffing is encouraged and can help you get a player with an even better hand fold. It just takes skill.
Know the Blinds
Before you play a new hand, two players at the table need to post small and big blinds. The blinds are forced bets, so they get the wagering off the ground. Without the blinds, the game could get boring because then no one might put any money into the pot. Players could just wait until they have pocket aces. If that happens, you’ll have to wait for a long time. Blinds get the action started, especially when players see the pot getting crowded. In tournaments, though, you’ll remember that one of the basic poker game rules is that the blinds are raised at regular intervals. That’s not the same with cash games, though, so don’t worry. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.
The Three Options
If you happen to be the first player, you have three options. You can either fold, which means you’re throwing away your hand, or raise, which means you’ll increase the bet. You can only increase it within limits set in the game, though. You can also call, which is when you match the amount of the big blind.
No Limits and Fixed Limits
If you play the no-limit Texas Hold’em, though, the minimum opening raise needs to be twice as the big blind. The maximum raise, on the other hand, can be all of the chips that a player has. That means all the chips if the player decides on an all-in bet. However, if you play in a version of hold’em that comes with a fixed limit, the raise will always be twice the amount of the big blind. In a pot-limit hold’em, players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind up to how much there is in the pot. This version is the least played out of the versions, though, so you might not have plenty of opportunities to play this one.
Last Reminders
Be sure to pick a reputable platform, though. If you want to focus on the game and not have to worry about a thing, sign up for a trustworthy site. It should have security measures in place. Check if there’s a withdrawal limit. How easy is the payout process? Is it stress-free and convenient for you? Sort out these details before you get started and you’ll have fewer worries. That way, you can focus on the fun stuff: the games, the winnings, and the bonuses.
