Guide To Play Poker And Tips For Beginners

Here we will talk about Poker Tips for Beginners. Poker is a popular and the most exciting mind sport in the world. Online poker has made this fascinating game accessible to players all over the world – from beginners to hobbyists to pros. Now you don’t have to go out of your home to learn how to play poker or experience a good game of poker. You can access this game on your desktop and mobile phone -both. Here are the Poker Tips for Beginners.

Step-by-step Guide on How to Play Poker?

Our step-by-step guide on how to Play Poker will make you start playing this game in no time. Let’s have a look at Poker Tips for Beginners.

Texas Hold’em

To start with, Poker is played in multiple variations and Texas Hold’em is the most popular variant. The objective of Texas Hold’em Poker is to win the pot. This is one of the poker tips for beginners.

You can easily understand the rules of Texas Hold’em poker. Learning it will take no time. Mastering the game, however, takes a bit longer and constant practice. These are the Poker Tips for Beginners.

How to Play a Poker Game? The Players, the Card Ranks & the Deck

Two players or up to ten players can play Texas Hold’em poker. It is played with a 52-card deck excluding the joker. Cards are ranked from Ace (the highest) to Deuce or 2 (the lowest). However, in some hands, an Ace is also considered the lowest card – for example in a hand where you have 5, 4, 3, 2 and an Ace.

To start the poker game the dealer hands out two cards each to all the players and, over several rounds of betting, puts five community cards on the table. The player with the best five cards (two of his own and three community cards) wins the pot. So, how would you make out which hand is the best?

It is based on poker hand rankings. Poker hands are ranked in a particular sequence, starting with a Royal Flush at the top and a High Card at the bottom.

To learn to play poker, you must know and memorise these rankings:

1. Royal Flush

A royal flush is the best hand to have. It consists of A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit (diamonds, hearts, clubs or spades). 

2. Straight Flush

A straight flush consists of five cards of the same suit in sequence. For example, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Hearts is a nine-high straight flush. In fact, the royal flush is an ace-high straight flush. 

3. Four of a Kind (Quads)

Four of a Kind (Quad) are four cards of an equal rank of any suit. An Ace of Hearts, an Ace of Diamonds, an Ace of Spades, an Ace of Clubs, and an Eight of Diamonds.

4. Flush

Flush consists of five cards of the same suit, no matter the order or sequence. For example, a Queen, 2, 3, 4, 5 of Diamonds. 

5. Full House or Full Boat

A full house, also termed a Full Boat, consists of three of a kind and a pair. King of Spades, King of Diamond, King of Hearts, 7 of Clubs, and a 7 of Hearts. 

6. Straight

Straight consists of five cards in sequence from any suit. For instance, 7 of Diamonds, 8 of Hearts, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Spades, and J of Clubs. 

7. Two Pair

A pair is if you hold two cards of the same rank. Two Pair is if you hold two of those. For instance, a 3 of Hearts and a 3 of Diamonds; and a 5 of spades and a 5 of hearts. The fifth card can be of any rank from any suit. 

8. One Pair

One pair consists of two cards of the same rank and the rest three cards can be of any rank from any suit. For instance, a 9 of clubs, a 9 of Diamonds, a 5 of Diamonds, a 3 of Hearts, and an 8 of Hearts. 

9. High Card

A high card is about having the highest card win. Like a 5 of Diamonds, a King of Spades, a 7 of Hearts, an Ace of Clubs, and a Queen of Diamonds. 

Games With Different Betting

How to play a poker game- Texas Hold’em Variant

Texas Hold’em poker has many variants, mostly based on how the betting takes place. It’s important for you to know how to play poker across these variations. Learning this is one of the poker tips for beginners.

1. Limit Poker

Playing this game you are allowed a maximum of four bets during any betting round. These bets can include a Raise, Re-raise, and the final Raise; unlike No-Limit Poker and Pot Limit poker. Here you do not have any limit to the number of raises that any player can make.

In Limit Poker, the Bet, as well as the Raise, are considered beforehand. For instance, the Bet and the Raise amount in a 1/2 Limit game must be equal to 1. No more, no less. By the end of the game, i.e. in the last two rounds, the Bet and the Raise must be equal to 2. 

2. Pot Limit

You can raise a bet on the total amount in the pot. For instance – if the total amount in the pot is 40 and the first player to act in the betting round bets 10, then the second player can bet a total of 30 (20 – 10) for his portion of the call and raise by the same amount. The total amount of money in the pot when the action got to him, including his call. There are unlimited raises allowed in this poker.  

3. No Limit

In this variant of Texas Holdem poker, there isn’t any bet limit. Players can make any amount of bet in any round, including staking this entire stack. However, the minimum bet amount should be equal to the Big Blind. 

Here are some points to remember and poker tips for beginners: 

Missing the blinds

To prevent late entries to a game, you have to post an initial fee that is equal to the big blind, or you can sit out and wait until the big blind reaches your position. This is a poker tip for beginners. The ‘late’ player can choose to:

Wait for Big Blind

If you, as a player choose to wait for the big blind, you will be sitting out and won’t be able to join the action until the big blind comes around to their position. If you are at the table, then sit out for a while and miss the big bling, you will also have to miss the small blind and the dealer’s button. This is one of the poker tips for beginners.

Post Big Blind

If you missed the blinds, you are required to post an amount equal to the big blind plus a ‘dead’ bet that is equal to the small blind. 

Main and side pots

In case you run out of chips to match a bet, you need not fold your cards. If a player has the best hand, he receives all chips (both the main and side pots). If another player wins, he takes only the main plot, but the side pot goes to the player with the second-highest-ranking poker hand. It is one of the poker tips for beginners.

If many players go all-In, several side pots are created. Those players who have participated in all the rounds of betting are eligible to win the main as well as side pots. Players who have gone all-in stand to win only the main and side pots created till they went all-in.

1. How to play poker online – The Omaha Version

This is another version of poker, which is similar to Texas Hold’em Omaha poker. It is also called Omaha Hold’em. In Omaha, players get four-pocket or hole cards instead of two, and that’s the biggest difference between the two variants. Players need to make combinations using only two of their four pocket cards and three of the five community cards on the table. The best-ranking 5-card hand takes the pot. 

Omaha High/Low gameplay

While most games reward the best-ranking hand, in Omaha High/ Low even the lowest-ranking hand is important. The pot is split equally between the highest-ranking and lowest-ranking hands. While playing Omaha High/Low, a player can make their five-card combination using only two of their four pocket cards and three of the five community cards that are placed on the table.

2. How to play the poker game: 7-card Stud

The 7-card stud is a classic variant of poker. The basic rules stay the same, with the best five-card hand winning the pot. However, in a big difference between Texas and Omaha, players are individually dealt seven cards each.

This game has five rounds of betting. But before the betting starts, each player contributes a fixed nominal amount to the pot (called the ante). The action then starts on the third street. 

1. Third street

In this round, players are dealt three cards each, one of which is face-up or exposed. The player with the lowest exposed cards starts the betting (called the bring-in). Player betting options are similar to the other variants of the game (you can call, raise, fold or check). 

2. Fourth street

In the fourth street, a fourth card is dealt with the players, face-up. The player with the highest poker hand in exposed cards starts the betting. For example, if in a table of four, player A has QQ exposed, player B has QJ, player C has two 8s and player D has a suited 8 and & 7, player A will start off the betting round as he has the strongest hand. 

3. Fifth street

A fifth card is dealt face-up, and the player with the best poker hand starts the betting.

4. Sixth street

Yet another face-up card is dealt to the players, and once again the player with the best hand starts the betting. 

5. The river (or seventh street)

A seventh card is dealt face-down to the players. Betting once again begins with the player who has the best-exposed hand. Once all the betting is completed, we move to the showdown. 

6. Showdown

The last person to raise shows his cards first. The best five-card hand wins the pot. This is one of the poker tips for beginners.

Poker tips for beginners

1. Don’t play many hands

Never think that every hand is a winning poker hand. Some hands are more likely to win than others and as a beginner, you need to take the time to memorise poker hand rankings, study poker probability, learn positional play, and get familiar with player psychology. 

2. Play with players worse than you

If you are better than the players you are playing against, it makes sense that you will be a winner in the long haul. If you are the 8th best player in the world, it will not be profitable to sit at a table with the top 7 poker players in the world. Choose your games and limits mindfully. A good table selection can help you make more money. This is one of the poker tips for beginners.

3. Limit the bluffing

Although bluffing is a legitimate strategy, you must understand the right time to use it. Try occasional bluffing but the art of knowing when and how to bluff only comes with knowledge, practice, and experience. This is a poker tip for beginners.

4. Play a lot, Practise a lot

Practice is the only solution to mastering poker. The more you play, the better you will become. You can be a part of many tournaments. Look for freerolls as well. Tournaments are a great way to practice the game and the action. This is yet another poker tip for beginners.

5. Play to your positional strength

The best position to play from is the button. Try to play as many hands as you can when you are in later positions. Play safe when you are one of the newbies. Play maximum hands when you are on the button. This is also one of the poker tips for beginners.

6. Don’t play high stake

As a beginner learning how to play poker, don’t play in high-stakes games based on just a few wins. High-stakes games are usually played by experienced hands, and you will be starting at a disadvantage.

7. Don’t multi-task

When you are new to this game, stick to a single table. Yes, multi-tabling has its own thrill. That can wait till you have mastered the basics. Playing at a single table will allow you to watch how the game proceeds and take better decisions on your hand. 

8. Know the interface

Take time to learn the interface and become familiar with it. While the Spartan Poker games are easy to play and designed to be intuitive, it pays to spend some time understanding the gameplay 

9. Make friends and play

Poker is a great way to meet like-minded people and make friends. So, don’t hesitate to chat or connect with other players. It will make your poker journey more enjoyable and you may even learn some tricks of the trade on how to play poker online. 

Common Poker Chip Values and Colors

• White – $1
• Red – $5
• Orange – $10
• Yellow – $20
• Green – $25
• Black – $100
• Purple – $500
• Maroon – $1,000

Tournament chip value and colours differ. It’s necessary to note that most tournament chips do not represent actual dollar values. These are merely money used throughout the tournament. Players start with a certain amount and hope to increase that as blind levels increase.

Poker chip values in tournaments and cash games

Players and casinos have long used chips to represent cash and make it easier to wager. A player’s chips are his weapons. They vary in colour and denomination based on the stakes involved or the level of a tournament.

Poker chip values and colors in poker tournaments

• White – 25
• Red – 50
• Orange – 100
• Yellow – 500
• Green – 1,000
• Black – 5,000
• Purple – 10,000

Synopsis

These are the most effective strategies and ways to learn and master the art of poker playing. It has many variants which you can master just by memorizing the rules and mastering this art. These Poker Tips for Beginners provide a comprehensive overview of the basics of playing poker, particularly focusing on Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and 7-card Stud variants. Beginners should focus on understanding hand rankings, betting strategies, and the importance of position. It’s essential to exercise patience, select favorable tables, and limit excessive bluffing until familiarity and experience are gained. Consistent practice and participation in tournaments can help enhance skills and knowledge. By adhering to these guidelines and gradually gaining expertise, novice players can embark on an exciting poker journey, both online and in-person, gradually improving their gameplay and increasing their chances of success.