Best Poker Sites

Poker Games – How Do They Work?

Despite being the most popular card game in the world, several people don’t know how to play poker, let alone try different types of poker games. So, how do you really play poker?

First, most of these games use a 52-card deck, but the poker rules differ from one establishment to the next. Basically, house rules depend on where you play since they are usually passed down based on traditions and skills.

So, whether at your cousin's house, the local bar, or an online poker casino, you must intentionally read up on the house rules. Once familiarized with them, you can place an ante, the mandatory wager all players in the game put up before receiving their chips.

Next up, players place a blind, which is the bet placed before getting their cards by the player seated on the dealer's left side. Now, the game can start and can go up to four rounds. However, it usually goes for two rounds in most poker variations.

Betting options in poker

After placing the ‘ante' or ‘blind,' you can proceed with your game. Players can choose to call where they match or raise another player's poker bet, raise where you increase your bet size within a specific round, or even fold where you withdraw your existing wagers, including bets already placed.

Other poker betting options include check, where you refrain from placing a real money bet. It could be before placing the first bet in a betting round or if you want to avoid further raising or folding during a specific round. But if a player raises or folds in that round, others must raise or fold their bet.

You can also choose to place an All-in bet, where you bet it all. That's relevant if you don't have adequate chips in play to place a wager but still want to participate in the game.

Another player can put you all in. For example, a player with $1000 can decide to go all in. If you only have $200, you’re also all in without the need to add any money to match their stake. If you lose, you’re kicked out of the game automatically. The maximum you can win is $200, though.

But in most online poker sites, there are table limits. So, you can only use chips that are actually in play. You cannot add more chips mid-hand.

Common Poker Terms

Want to know more about how a poker game works? Here are other terms to explain it further:

• Forced bet: Usually refers to the ‘ante' or ‘blind.' That's the compulsory wager players place before the start of a poker game.
• Dealer: The dealer controls the game by dictating how players put up their blinds and place their other bets. The dealer usually starts the game by unfolding the game in a clockwise manner.
• Chips: They are what players purchase with real money in real-life poker games. They are usually red, white, green, blue or black, but can also come in other hues. The dealer assigns the value of each chip at the beginning of the game, after which players can exchange cash for them.
• Limit: The minimum and maximum amount a player can wager on a specific poker table. There are different types of limits, including pot limit, fixed limit, and spread limit.
• Deuces: Any card that has two values in a deck. Deuces Wild means that two cards can replace any other cards on the table.
• Flop: The first three cards the dealer gives during the first round – are face-up cards.
• Capped betting: A rare option where players are not allowed to wager more since the limit has been hit, and there have been four raises already. In this case, calling bets is the only option.
• Bug: Also known as a joker, preferably used as a wild or limited wild card. It serves as an ace. But if this card is required to create a flush or straight, it becomes that card that's needed.
• Wild card: Refers to a card whose value a player can determine.
• Bluff: It's when a player chooses to intimidate other players in the game, claiming a solid hand, even though they have a weak hand. Bluffing is meant to make the other players fold.
• Hand: The combination of cards a player holds, usually five in number. It can also mean one poker round.
• Buy-in: The initial bet amount required to enter a poker game.
• Pot: The sum of all forced bets and other wagers placed during a specific round. The winner of the pot is the last player in a specific poker round or one with the best hand.
• Showdown: It's when players in a specific round reveal all their cards at the end of the game, determining the best hand.
• Kicker: The highest ranking card in your hand. For instance, if you have three-of-a-kind, the fourth and fifth cards are the kickers.

Poker Hand Rankings

Of note, you should also understand poker hand rankings to know what a strong hand means. The stronger the hand, the higher the odds are against you drawing it.

While some poker games may employ alternate hands, there's a standard hand ranking that most games observe. Here's a brief overview of the standard ranking of poker hands, beginning from the highest:

• Royal flush: Five cards from one suit in consecutive order from 10 to ace.
• Straight flush: Five cards from one suit that don't qualify as royal flush.
• Four of a kind: Four cards of similar value, each from the four suits in the deck of cards. The fifth card should have the highest value on the table or hand.
• Full house: Three cards of the same value from different suits. The other two cards should have the same value but from different suits. If two players have a full house, the player with the highest value of three-of-a-kind cards wins.
• Flush: Five cards of the different suits that follow no particular order. If two players land a flush, the player with the highest value cards wins.
  Straight: Five cards following a consecutive order from at least two suits. In this scenario, an ace can be the lowest ranking card below a two or the highest ranking card after K, but never both.
• Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value but from different suits. The other two cards of the highest ranking complete the hand.
• Two pair: Two sets of different cards from different suits but of the same numerical value. Regardless of its suit, the remaining card of the highest value completes the hand.
• Pair: Two cards of the same numerical value from different suits. The rest of the cards complete the hand.
• High card: The highest card in a hand – has the highest numerical value.

Overall, understanding poker hand rankings and how the poker game works is fundamental in creating a winning strategy, whether you are playing online or physically.

Types of Poker Games at Online Casinos

Since the inception of poker, the game has undergone massive transformations. And that's why we have so many poker classifications. Generally, we can categorize the games based on gameplay or the betting limit. But, the specific types are not exclusive to one category.

Here are the most common poker classifications based on gameplay:

Straight Poker

As the earliest version of poker, straight poker is where players only wager the five cards dealt to them without drawing. Thus, players only raise and reraise until the game ends.

Top examples of straight poker include:

• Three-card brag
• Five-card brag

Lowball Poker

Usually, the highest-ranking hand wins in a standard poker game. But things work differently in lowball poker. That's because it operates by inverting the standard poker hand ranking system. In other words, the lowest-ranking hand wins here.

The dealer distributes a specific number of cards to each player, and they try to land the lowest-ranking hand. The most popular variants under this category include

• California lowball, or ace-to-five lowball
• Kansas City lowball, or deuce-to-seven lowball
• Ace-to-six lowball
• Razz poker

Draw Poker

Here, a player receives a full hand of five cards before the first betting round. Afterward, they can improve their hand by drawing or replacing three of their cards with better ones from the dealer during the various rounds of the game. The player with the best hand wins.

Popular draw poker variants include:

• 5-draw poker
• Badugi
• Triple draw poker
• Double draw poker
• 7-card draw poker

Stud Poker

Stud poker involves the player receiving a combination of 5 to 7 face-down and face-up cards, one at a time. The player with the best face-up cards combo is usually the first to receive a card during the next round.

But what are the most popular stud poker games? Here's a list of our top picks:

• 7-card stud poker
• 5-card stud poker
• Caribbean stud poker
• Chicago stud
• Dakota stud

Community Poker

If you're in the mood to play poker with your friends, consider community poker variants. These games revolve around the use of community or shared poker cards.

After players are dealt their less than five hole cards, known as pocket cards, the dealer reveals several shared cards by placing them in a line or specific pattern on the table. These cards are known as ‘board.'

Each round consists of players attempting to land the best hand possible using pocket and community cards. Popular community poker variants include:

• Texas Hold'Em
• Omaha
• Manila
• Pineapple
• Six-plus Hold'Em

Top 5 most popular online poker games of all time

There's no shortage of online poker real money games. In fact, most of our recommendations feature poker sites with over ten poker titles. And they all vary based on skill, gameplay complexity, and rules. The following are the most preferred online poker games:

Texas Hold'Em

Perfect for new and experienced poker players, this variant is prevalent in the best online poker sites for real money. The best part is that it's straightforward to play.

This community poker variant starts with players dealing with two-hole cards (pre-flop). Next, three face-up cards are dealt during what's called the flop stage. The dealer then reveals a fourth and fifth face-up card in two stages: the turn and river.

All players wager in every stage as they try to get the best hand possible out of the five to seven cards allocated. The game can end with two players revealing their cards during a dramatic showdown. Otherwise, all players but one will fold.

Ultimately, the goal is to have the best hand possible by the end of the game. Note that the best possible hand can fail to use any of the community cards on the table.

Omaha

Omaha and Texas Hold'Em are very similar, especially since they are both community poker games. However, there are a few differences when it comes to their gameplay.

In Omaha poker, players are first dealt with four-hole cards. Not two like in Texas Hold'Em. The dealer then reveals three community cards, then the fourth and fifth during the turn and river stage.

Like in Texas Hold'Em, each player places a bet of their choice in each stage of the game. However, all players in Omaha play till the end. The best hand at the showdown wins. If there's a tie of two players having the best possible hand of five cards, the pot is shared equally.

Likewise, there are tons of Omaha variants. But a popular option at the best online poker sites is Pot Limit Omaha. That's because many players love its action-packed gameplay and large pots.

Omaha Hi/Lo is also quite popular since it offers dual pots and requires players to employ a strategic angle. As such, it's best for advanced or intermediate poker players.

7-Card Stud Poker

Also named Down-The-River, the 7-card stud was a popular poker game before Texas Hold'Em captured the poker scene. Nonetheless, many real money poker sites still offer this variant. After all, it's pretty easy to play, making it a versatile option for novice and professional players.

So, how do you play 7-card stud poker? It starts with players being dealt two hole cards and one door card. Then, all players receive three face-up cards and one more face-down card. And, as you would expect, there's a round of betting after every stage of the game.

With all seven cards dealt, the goal is to create the best five-card hand combination at showdown. Note that if a player discards a card at this stage, it's impossible to reclaim it if they notice they would create a more powerful combo with it.

Five-Card Draw Poker

If you love classic Western movies like The Cincinnati Kid, you'll love playing five-card draw poker. In fact, this variant is popular among those who can hold a good poker face. After all, you don't reveal your cards till the showdown.

The game starts with players receiving five hole cards followed by a betting round. Next, the players can exchange at least three of their cards to strengthen their hand and then another round of betting.

After this, players reveal their cards, with the best hand winning. Otherwise, a player could be bluffing and cause others to fold, making them the last player/winner at showdown. It's that simple!

Heads-Up Poker

Instead of playing the standard multi-player poker table game, heads-up poker is where two players compete head-to-head in a particular poker variant. It could be

Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, Five-card draw, or any other version. So, the players follow the same rules; the only difference is that the game is between two players.

The best part of this type of face-off poker is that it truly allows those involved to test their poker skills. They must adjust their strategies to accommodate the opponent's moves.

If you're confident about your strategy, know how to read poker faces, and have experience noticing and capitalizing on player weaknesses, this is the game for you.