How to Play Poker: Here Are the Rules

Some games like poker are known to many people, at least we think that they are. Even though poker is a rather famous card game, not everyone is familiar with the rules. Poker is a hard game to master, but knowing the rules of all the variations makes things rather complicated.

This is why it would be best to learn a set of rules which apply to at least all variations of poker, or most of them. Here are the basic rules of poker and some other things that you should know about the game.

The Basics of Poker

Poker is a game which is played with a standard 52 deck of cards. The game of poker is played so that the dealer, or a player denoted playing first, always plays first. In casinos online and land, the dealer is not a player. A token symbolizes who plays first.

The game unfolds thusly:

Each of the players gets two cards by the dealer. The first player places the small blind, which is the initial bet and then the next one in order places the big blind. Every player places a bet according to the two cards that they have in hand.

The dealer deals three community cards face up. Already, the players can see their potential hand. This is where a lot of the bluffing could occur. 

The second round of betting takes place and the dealer places the fourth card, known as the turn.

A third round of betting takes place and the dealer places the fifth and final card, known as the river.

Players place their bets once more. If two or more players have yet to fold, all the players show their hands and the highest ranked hand takes the pot.

Tips and Tricks in Poker

The first thing to realize in poker is that you have to know which hand counts the most. Typically, five of a pair is the strongest possible hand, where duplicates and joker cards are allowed. Next in line is the royal flush, which is a set of five cards in the same suit, from 10 to ace. 

The next thing to realize is that poker is a game where most people will try to trick you with facial expressions, also known as bluffing. Body language will show one thing while the cards another, so be careful not to get tricked into betting more than you can win. Poker requires a lot of knowledge and calmness to be played among the best of the best. 

Poker Types

There are a variety of poker types, the most common ones being community, straight, draw and stud. 

Community poker involves players getting their cards and using community cards to have the highest possible score, as stated above.

Straight poker is simple, everyone gets five cards and then they bet and show their cards, or fold, depending on the cards, of course. 

In draw poker, players get five cards, but they can replace some of the cards in hope of getting a better hand. 

Stud poker gives players a card face up and the next one, face down. In between the cards being dealt, players can place bets.

These are the basic rules of poker and some tips and tricks that you should know about the game.