The rise of online poker has contributed to it becoming one the most popular card games in the world, but 4️⃣ there are so many different types of poker that it can seem daunting to the beginner.
Here, Telegraph Betting introduces you 4️⃣ to the broad concepts that unite all forms of poker and shows you how they fit together to play one 4️⃣ of the game’s most popular variants, Texas Holdem.
We’ll also discuss the four main types of poker under which all poker 4️⃣ games can be categorised.
Then, once you’ve got to grips with the basics, you’ll find our guides to the specifics of 4️⃣ how to play the most popular types of poker at the bottom of this piece.
How to play poker: concepts common 4️⃣ to most types of poker
Poker-hand rankings
All games of poker are based around common poker-hand rankings which are used to decide 4️⃣ which player’s hand wins in a game of poker.
Some poker game types will use the common hand ranking in different 4️⃣ ways, such as making the lowest value hand the most desirable (low-ball poker).
Learn the order of strength of poker hands 4️⃣ on our poker-hand rankings page.
Bluffing
It’s possible to win poker hands without holding the best hand by bluffing your opponents.
Bluffing usually 4️⃣ involves projecting confidence in your hand by betting in a manner that suggests your hand is better than it is, 4️⃣ in the hope that your opponents will believe you and fold rather than risk taking you on in the showdown.
Forced 4️⃣ bets
Most forms of poker require some form of compulsory bet at the beginning of a hand usually referred to as 4️⃣ the ‘ante’ or ‘blind’. Many forms of the game feature a small blind and a big blind, with the latter 4️⃣ generally twice the size of the former.
The dealer
Whether you’re playing physical poker at home, at a bricks-and-mortar casino, or an 4️⃣ online casino the role of the dealer determines the order in which the blinds are put up and players make 4️⃣ their bets. The game usually unfolds in a clockwise direction starting with the dealer.
In both physical and online casinos the 4️⃣ dealer is generally not one of the players so a token denotes which player is nominally the dealer for each 4️⃣ hand. This then rotates clockwise from one hand to the next.
Betting options
Following the forced bets, the first round of betting 4️⃣ begins. Players usually have the following betting options to use depending on their confidence in their hand.
Call — Matching another 4️⃣ player’s bet or raise
— Matching another player’s bet or raise Raise — Increasing the size of your existing bet in 4️⃣ the same round of betting
— Increasing the size of your existing bet in the same round of betting Fold — 4️⃣ To withdraw from the hand, sacrificing any bets already made.
— To withdraw from the hand, sacrificing any bets already made. 4️⃣ Check — Until the first bet in a round of betting is placed, players can choose to check (decline to 4️⃣ make a bet while reserving the right to bet later in the round).
— Until the first bet in a round 4️⃣ of betting is placed, players can choose to check (decline to make a bet while reserving the right to bet 4️⃣ later in the round). All in — When a player doesn’t have enough chips left to call a bet they 4️⃣ can play all their remaining chips. Subsequent betting takes place in a side pot and the all-in player can only 4️⃣ win the amount of chips in the pot when they went all-in in any subsequent showdown.
Rounds of betting
In poker, each 4️⃣ round of betting offers a chance to utilise the betting options outlined in the previous section, based on your confidence 4️⃣ in your hand and your perception of the quality of your opponents’ hands. The latter can chiefly be gauged by 4️⃣ seeing how much they are betting or raising.
All types of poker feature at least one round of betting, while the 4️⃣ vast majority feature at least two.
These rounds usually take place before and after game events such as the dealing of 4️⃣ the flop in Texas Holdem and allow for degrees of strategizing by players as the hand progresses. Texas Holdem and 4️⃣ Omaha, which are so called ‘community card’ games, can feature up to four rounds of betting.
How to play in a 4️⃣ poker in a nutshell: a game in brief
Here we illustrate how to play a game of poker in a nutshell. 4️⃣ This is how to play the world’s current most popular type of poker, Texas Holdem.
Dealer deals each player two cards 4️⃣ The small blind is placed, followed by the big blind. The first round of betting ensues, players bet according to 4️⃣ confidence in their hand Dealer deals three ‘community cards’ face up. The second round of betting begins Dealer deals the 4️⃣ fourth community card, also known as the turn The third round of betting begins Dealer deals the fifth community card, 4️⃣ also known as the river The final round of betting ensues. If two or more players still haven’t folded, all 4️⃣ remaining players show their cards. The winner is the one with the best hand according to the poker hand rankings.
Betting 4️⃣ structure/limits
There are various different ways in which betting can be structured in poker. The three structures below are the most 4️⃣ common in online poker and are usually listed alongside the type of poker in online poker lobbies.
Pot limit (PL) — 4️⃣ A player may bet or raise any amount up to the size of the total pot.
Fixed limit (FL) — Betting 4️⃣ and raising must be done by fixed amounts.
No limit (NL) — A player can bet all of their chips any 4️⃣ time it’s their turn to bet
The four main poker variations
The many different types of poker can generally be classified as 4️⃣ falling into one of the following four categories:
Community card poker
Players are dealt a number of cards less than a complete 4️⃣ five-card poker hand. A number of face-up community cards are then dealt with the objective that the players make the 4️⃣ best possible five-card hand with some combination of their own cards and the community cards.
Famous varieties include: Texas Holdem, Omaha
Straight 4️⃣ poker
The earliest form of poker, each player is dealt a full hand of five cards. A round of betting ensues 4️⃣ in which players can raise and reraise until the game concludes.
Famous varieties include: five-card brag, three-card brag
Draw poker
Another poker variation 4️⃣ in which players receive all five cards at the beginning of the game, draw poker then allows them to attempt 4️⃣ to improve their hand by discarding cards and being dealt replacements.
Famous varieties include: five-card draw
Stud poker
In stud-poker games, players are 4️⃣ dealt their cards one by one in a specified combination of face-up and face-down cards, typically with a round of 4️⃣ betting between each card being dealt.
Famous varieties include: seven-card stud, razz
Learn how to play popular types of poker and the 4️⃣ rules specific to each game
Want to know the rules specific to popular types of poker? Check out the links below.
Ready 4️⃣ to start playing online poker in the UK?
Take a look at our painstakingly researched list of the best poker bonus 4️⃣ sign-up offers for UK players.
