Poker is an umbrella term used to describe a family of card games that involves a great level of skill and strategy. There are different variants of Poker, with each variation having its own set of rules and strategies. Texas Hold’em Poker being the most popular among them is played widely across the world on professional as well as recreational levels. The rules of Poker are very simple and can be learned in a few minutes. Though, no matter how easy Poker might look on the face, it requires a keen acumen and lots of practice to acquire the skills required to play it on a professional level. If you have just started and do not know how to play poker, then you must learn the key aspects of the game.
With the rising popularity of card games online and poker websites like Adda52, you can now participate in an online poker game from your smartphone comfortably. Texas Hold’em Poker is the most popular variation of this game online; In this post, this will be our focus. This quick guide will allow you to learn the key aspects, rules, and strategies of Texas Hold’em Poker and will help you understand this game better and appreciate the skills that are required to master it towards your journey to the top.
Basics about Poker
- Number of Players
Though it is possible to play with even 2 players, Texas Hold’em Poker is ideally played between 6 to 10 players. Players should be seated in such a way that no player can peek into other’s cards. When it comes to online poker games, you need not worry about this.
- Dealer
Dealer is the player responsible for dealing in the cards and holds an important position in the game. The dealer changes after every hand in a clockwise pattern. In an online poker game, there is no actual dealing of the cards, but the position is of great significance.
- Chips
While playing poker, you do not use actual currency notes. You need to purchase chips in order to join the table. You can purchase new chips when your previous ones have finished.
- Pot
Pot signifies the total amount that can be won with the current hand. As each player places a new bet, the money in the pot increases.
- Small Blind
This term is used to signify the player sitting to the left of the dealer. Before every hand begins, the stakes of the game are decided, and the small blind must play a specific amount of chips, which are added to the pot.
- Big Blind
Big Blind is the player sitting to the left of the small blind and have to add a bigger amount that the small blind to the pot.
How to play Poker?
Now that you are familiar with the basic terms of Poker, let’s understand how the Poker hands are dealt. The aim of the game is to make the best possible hand of 5 cards from the total 7 cards that will be available to you, including the community cards.
- Starting hand involves dealing two cards, face down, to every player and are known as hole cards.
- Thereafter, each player is required to take any of the following actions according to their turn: –
- Call: – When you make a bet equal to or greater than the last bet, it is signified during the game as “I Call.”
- Check: – When no bet has been made till your turn comes, you can say “Check” to not place a bet. In case a bet has been made, you cannot use “Check.”
- Bet: – You can place a bet with an amount of your choice if no other player has placed a bet. Otherwise, you must match the amount bet to remain in hand.
- Raise: – You can “Raise” only if other players have placed a bet during the round. Herein you are required to place a bet with a higher amount. In order to remain in the game, other players need to “Call” or “Re-Raise.”
- Fold: – If you want to exit the current hand, you need to “Fold.” You cannot participate in the hand after you opt for “Fold.”
In Texas Hold’em Poker, there can be four different betting rounds: –
- The Pre-Flop: – This round starts as soon as the players receive the hole cards and before any community cards have been dealt.
- The Flop: – This round takes place after three community cards have been dealt.
- The Turn: – This round takes place after the fourth community card is dealt with.
- The River: – This round starts after the final community card has been dealt.
The betting round continues until each player has matched the bet or has folded. Subsequently, the next betting round starts, or the hand is complete. After the last round of the betting, the “showdown” takes place wherein active players must declare their hands, and the player with the best-ranking hand wins. In order to win, you need to make the best combination of five cards using your hole cards and the community cards.
Hand Strength
As mentioned above, in order to win a hand, you must make a better 5-card hand against other active players. Here is a sequence of poker hand ranked from best to worst: –
- Royal Flush: – The highest possible five cards of the same suit in a sequence (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and a ten)
- Straight Flush: – Five cards of the same suit in a sequence.
- Four of a kind: – Four matching cards (For, e.g. Four Queens)
- Full House: – Combination of three matching cards and two matching cards (For, e.g.: – Three Kings and Two Jacks)
- Flush: – Any five cards of the same suit.
- Straight: – Five cards of any suit in a sequence.
- Three of a kind: – Three matching cards and two random cards. (For, e.g.: – Three Queens, once Ace, and one Nine)
- Two Pairs: – Two sets of matching cards and a random fifth card. (For eg.: – Pair of Kings, Pair of Tens, and a Two)
- Pair: – One set of matching cards and three random cards.
- High Card: – In case none of the above-mentioned hands is there, the highest card of the entire hand.
With all this information in your hand, go ahead and enjoy Online Poker game with players from around the world. Poker in India, for example, is becoming extremely popular as online Card games enable people to earn real cash with their skills. You can hone your skills with free poker games and once you have mastered the skills, go ahead and play professional Texas Hold’em Poker online.
