Having some spare time on your hands? Maybe you need a new hobby to keep yourself occupied. Or perhaps you need a distraction from your work. Whatever the reason, you may wish to pick up something that is enjoyable and entertaining. Start by picking something that you already like – like poker. Poker is a widely accepted game worldwide, and you can easily find friends on the Internet who share the same interest as yourself. If you are just starting out, here is a simple guide that you may find useful.
Tip 1: Familiarize yourself with poker rules.
Most online casinos offer poker as a game as it is one of the most popular and commonly played games. The rules of poker are simple. The most difficult part is where you need to remember the winning patterns. For instance, a Royal Flush is the best hand in the game. No other patterns can beat that. Following that, you have the straight flush, and then four of a kind. The patterns are pretty straight forward though. If you are not familiar with poker hands, simply make a quick search on the Internet and you will find loads of information on that.
The game starts with each player having a covered card, and an uncovered card. The covered card is never opened until all cards (5 cards per player) has been distributed. This keeps everyone in suspense and players have to continuously guess the value of other players’ covered cards.
During each turn, the player with the strongest pattern will get to call the bets. The amount is dependent on the rules of the table. For instance, there may be a minimum or maximum amount that a player can bet per turn. Other players may then choose to continue to the game by betting a similar amount, raise the bet, or fold. If a player decides to fold, the game is over for that player. The remaining players will continue with the game.
The game ends when all 5 cards have been distributed to each player. Cards will continue to be distributed as long as there are 2 or more players remaining. When all 5 cards have been distributed, all remaining players must reveal their covered cards. The strongest hand will be the final winner and collects all the money in the pool.
Tip 2: Study strategy.
As you can see, poker is a game that is largely dependent on both luck and skill. Strategy is required because as a player, you never know what cards the other players have (the covered card). So you have to constantly weigh your chances of winning or losing. Sometimes, if you have poor cards, it’s better to fold early to prevent further losses.
Good poker players always have a good understanding of people. In other words, they are able to make accurate guesses of the players’ covered cards just by observing their behavior. This is sometimes not easy as skilled players may be bluffing. If you are a new player, spend some time observing poker players to get a sense of what is happening on the table.
By Gen Wright
Learn more about Online Poker and Sports Betting.