Poker comes in several variations but all of them can look daunting to a newbie. With the different terminology, multiple players and unusual phrases like ‘call’ and ‘fold’, it can look like an incredibly complex game from the outside. But poker is also one of the most interesting and popular casino games where you can get casino bonuses you can play, so it pays to learn the basics so you can get involved. Here’s a beginner’s guide to how a game of No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker works, which is one of the easiest versions to learn for beginners.
The Basics
In a basic game of poker, the dealer deals everyone in the game two cards, starting with the player on their left and ending with his or herself. The player to the dealer’s left is the first person to act and they can either Bet a certain amount (in No-Limit Hold’em, they can bet any amount, but this may differ with other versions of the game) or they can Check which means they do nothing.
If anyone in the game decides to bet the other players can:
• Call – this means to match the amount of the raise into the pot
• Fold – give up their hand and any chips they’ve already put in the pot
• Raise – put more chips into the pot.
This process continues until everyone has either called or all of the chips are in the centre. The first betting round complete, the dealer then deals three cards face-up on the board. These three cards are known as community cards and anyone can use them – this is called the flop. Again, everyone who is still in the hand has the chance to bet and raise or fold and once this is complete, the dealer places a fourth card on the table which is known as the turn. Everyone has another chance to bet, check, raise or fold, and the dealer places a fifth card on the board which is known as the river. Everyone in the game has one final chance to bet, check, raise or fold. If there is more than one player still left in the hand after the final betting hand, when the cards are exposed, the player with the highest-ranking hand will win the pot.
The Blinds
The term ‘the blinds’ are key to poker but they’re not as complicated as they first seem. The small blind and the big blind are small bets which the players to the immediate left of the dealer are forced to put in before each hand begins, which they have to do so without seeing your cards, meaning they are going in ‘blind’. This is a feature of the game to increase the action as otherwise players would be able to fold each hand without consequences.
Tips for Success
The best tip for playing poker is to not play very many hands – play up to 20% of the hands at a standard nine-handed table. You should also try to avoid calling, which new players commonly do as they’re not sure whether the cards they have are any good. But betting is much stronger than calling because you can win a pot without actually showing any of your cards, but you can’t achieve the same with calling.
