How to Play Poker?

Poker is a captivating, immersive and thrilling game played all over the globe by millions of poker lovers. It can be played and enjoyed both face to face gameplay or through online platforms. But to before playing the game you must know how to play poker and in this article you will get to know about all the gameplay.

Poker is a game where expertise, skills, strategic planning and luck all needed combined for the determined outcome. For newcomers looking to master the poker, they must learn and get the grip on the basics of poker.

In this article, we will go through the fundamentals of poker, that includes the rules of the game, poker hands and the available options where you are allowed to play the online poker free. The aim of poker is to win the pot, which consists the total amount of chips that are contributed by all the players during the course of game.

Players can have the opportunity to win the pot by having the highest ranking hand, which is a blend of best combination of cards, bluffing the other players or by influencing and convincing them to fold their hands.

To play the poker game, you require a standard deck of 52 cards. These cards are ranked from highest to lowest such as: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2. The deck of cards is divided into four suits i.e. diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs.

Before we delve into the rules of the game, it’s crucial to have knowledge of various poker hands. A poker hand consists of total five cards and the player with the highest ranked hands will be declared as winner in the end of game. As you know, the cards are ranked from high to low, let’s have a look on the rankings of cards:

Royal flush is the highest ranked hand in poker. It includes Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit.

This hand comprises five cards in consecutive numeric order, all belongs to the same suit.

This hand features four cards having same rank and one random card.

This hand consists of three cards having same rank and two cards of another rank.

This hand includes five cards of the same suit but not arranged in the numerical order.

Straight hand includes five cards having numerical order but the main thing is that these cards will not have the same suit.

This hand comprises of three same ranked cards and two random cards.

Two pair hand includes two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and one card of random card.

This hand includes two same ranked cards and three random cards.

This is the interesting twist of the game, it means if no player has anyone of the above mentioned hands then the player with the highest ranked hand will be the winning player.

Poker is played in some rounds and each round includes a betting phase and a showdown phase. During the betting phase of the game, player take their turns, do betting, raising and folding. The aim of betting phase is to build the pot with maximum chips and pursue other players to call or fold the hand.

Now in the showdown phase, remaining players have to show their cards means revealing their hands and player with the highest ranked hand will win the game and pot.

Poker rules can be differ in the different game variations being played, but we will go through the most standard and fundamental rules followed by most of the variations.

1. Before starting the game, players decide the initial stake by setting the amount of chips to be added to the pot and put the decided chips in the pot.
2. Then the dealer will shuffle the deck and deals two cards facedown for each player, also known as hole cards.
3. Now the wait is over and the first round of betting starts with the player to the left of the of the dealer, he will put the compulsory bet known as big blind and the player to their left will put the smaller bet known as small blind. Each player has the right to either fold or quit the game, call or match the current bet or raise mean increase the existing bet.
4. After the initial round of betting, the dealer deals and face up three community cards in the center of the table, also known as flop.
5. Then after this, another round of betting will happen, with the player to the left of the dealer. Players will have the rights to call, fold or raise same as before.
6. Now, the dealer will deal one more community card face up in the middle of the table, also known as the turn.
7. Then another round of betting will be done with the player to the left of the dealer.
8. Now, the dealer will deal one final community card face up, it also refers as the river.
9.  A final round of betting will begin same as above with the left player to the dealer.
10. Finally, if two or more players remains in the game, after the final round of betting then a showdown will happen. The player who will have the best hand will win the pot.

Paying attention to opponents and get fully involved in game is the most crucial part of poker. You need to observe the opponent’s behavior, guessing their next move and try to determined what hands they might be holding. These are the basic things that will help you to decide when to bet, call and fold.

One more important strategy is to take care of your bankroll and manage it effectively. You must set the limits means how much you will bet and should not exceed that limit. Means everything well managed is required to win the hands in poker.

Another strategy needed in poker is bluffing. Bluffing means to confuse your opponents and make them think you have better hands but in reality you have weaker hands. So your opponent can’t make the right decision in the game and ultimately you will win the hands. You can do large bets and raises, after knowing that you have weaker hands, this will bluff the other players and they will think you have stronger hands. But bluffing can be used very smartly and only when you know it will work.

Enjoy Free Poker Game Online

There are a lot of online platforms where you are allowed to play the poker app totally free. But the best platform is World Series of poker.

Where you can enjoy the game free of cost, get the welcome bonus of free chips, also you can get free wsop chips daily after every four hours. This game offers you many events and tournament and you can play them according to your choice.

Playing poker online can make your skills better, where you can practice and polish you strategic skills free of cost. It also provides you the chance to connect people from around the world and get knowledge about their playing strategies and gameplay.