In playing poker, there are countless elements that you need to understand. Moreover, there are different types of poker games. But these variations all share certain essential features. In a poker game, the poker hand comprises five cards and the value of each hand. So, the more unusual your card combination is, the higher the hand ranks. From knowing the odds of getting a specific hand up to understanding when to fold or bluff. In this article, we will dive into what are the poker rules, stages, and etiquettes of the game. 

How to play Poker: The Poker Cards

A poker game is always played with the standard 52-card deck and arranged from their ranks from high to low. And this is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in 4 suits Clubs ♣, Diamonds ♦, Spades ♠, Hearts ♥ in a standard deck of 52 cards. 

Take note that all suits are equal in value. 

For example, Ace of ♣ Clubs = Ace of ♦ Diamonds = Ace of ♠ Spades = Ace of ♥ Hearts

And for you to win in a Poker game, you need to form a hand according to the hand ranking rules.

How to play Poker: The Hand Ranking Rules

The hand ranking rules will help you know which hand is superior to the other hands. Furthermore, it will help you determine which the best hand at shutdown. Whether you are playing Omaha, Texas Hold’em, or Crazy Pineapple, the same hand-ranking rules apply. And for you to win, you need a hand of the highest category to beat any hand of the lowest category.

Poker Hands (Highest To Lowest)

1. Five of a Kind (Can occur only when at least one card is wild. Four 10 and a wild card or two queens and three wild cards)
2. Royal flush (This is a combination of A, K, Q, J, and 10, all the same suit.)
3. Straight flush (This is a combination of five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit.)
4. Four of a kind (This is a combination of all four cards of the same rank.)
5. Full house (This is a combination of three of a kind with a pair.)
6. Flush (This is a combination of any five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence.)
7. Straight (This is a combination of five cards in a sequence, but not of the same suit.)
8. Three of a kind (This is a combination of three cards of the same rank.)
9. Two pairs (This is a combination of two different pairs.)
10. Pair (This is a combination of two cards of the same rank.)
11. No Pair or High Card (When you haven’t made any of the hands above, the highest card plays.) For example, you have 3♦, J♣, 8♠, 4♥, and 2♠ (The jack plays as the highest card).

Poker Action on Table

Check – Passing the action to the next player clockwise without putting the money in the pot. In this case, this means that you decline to wager without folding your hand. Remember that you cannot check if there has been a bet during that round. 

Bet – Wagering money on the table. So, if the other hasn’t made a bet, then you have the option to do so. Even so, once you bet, the other players then have the option to fold, call, or raise only. 

Call – After betting in a round, you now have an option to “Call”. This means that you are matching the latest highest bet in the round. 

Fold – Quit playing the hand. In this case, it means that you are going to discard your card until the next round. Take note that you can only fold when facing a bet. Moreover, it is considered bad etiquette to fold out of turn and is usually against the rules. 

Raise – If you are confident with your card, you can increase the amount of the current bet. Furthermore, this means that you are making a bigger bet than the highest bet made by another player in the betting round. So, always remember that you cannot incrementally raise your bet and can only raise it in one move. Also, you could raise, to get your opponent to fold. So, if you want to get rid of other players, make an opponent pay to make a hand he is drawing to, or take control of a hand.

How to play Poker: The Betting Rules

Do you want to learn how to play and win poker? You need to understand the betting rules first to increase your chances of winning. No matter what variants of poker game you are playing, the same betting rules apply.

How to play Poker: The Pre-Flop 

After dealing with cards, Pre-flop is the first betting round that will begin clockwise. And it will start from the player sitting left immediately to the Big Blind (Under the Gun). In particular, each player can call the big blind, fold his cards, or raise the bet based on the strength of his whole card. The betting round will continue the same way until all players have acted. So, if the pot is right, the betting round ends. In this round, only the player at the big blind position can call “Check”. 

How to play Poker: The Flop

After the pre-flop round, the dealer burns a card and deals 3 community cards face-up on the table. And the first 3 cards are called “flop”. While all the community cards are called “board” collectively. Similarly, the next round of betting commences, and the players have the option to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

How to play Poker: The Turn

After the flop, the dealer will then “burns” the top card of the deck and proceeds to add another card face-up on the table. One more card is being dealt. This means we now have four community cards on the table. After that, the third round of betting begins. The player will continue to have another round of betting whether to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

How to play Poker: The River 

This round is where the final community card is dealt and the final round of betting starts. With the fifth community card in hand, you should have a hand that can win. You can also try to bluff. In this round, the player with the highest 5-card combination will win the game. As a result, he will get all the chips wagered in the pot. 

Do you want to learn how to play and win poker? Know your OPPONENT.

One of the best casino strategies that you need to learn how to play and win poker is to closely watch your opponents. And figure out what kind of players they are. There are types of a player based on their activities during the game.

Tight/Aggressive players

This type of poker player is what you need to watch out for as they use fear to knock their opponents. They often play fewer hands or bet only a small percentage. Also, they are also aren’t afraid to raise their when the opportunity arises. Oftentimes, they tend to bet large amounts so that it costs their opponents more to stay in the hand. 

Loose/aggressive player

This type of poker player often enters too many hands and leads with too many bets. With this in mind, you can take advantage of their recklessness. You can try to work out when they started overplaying their hand. 

You should also study your opponents’ body language. As well as their actions before they reveal their hands. Through their action, they may unknowingly reveal their strategy.