Are you playing online poker for the first time? Can you feel a gush of anxiety and excitement run through your veins? If fear is overpowering you, don’t worry, because we’ve got you. This blog is aimed at helping you understand poker from the basics to ensure that you have the maximum fun while playing the game. This is a simple and comprehensive guide to poker rules for beginners. So let’s begin to shuffle and get ready to roll!

What is Online Poker?

Online poker is simply the game of poker played over the internet against many kinds of opponents with their own strategies and skill. It’s the same mind sport you know and love but with more flexibility and options and it’s much easier to give a try! 

You get to choose your stakes and your buy-in

You have access to more options in a single poker platform than you would in multiple casinos

You get to choose your own schedule, you get to play poker when you want to play poker, irrespective of whether it’s early morning or the wee hours of the night. You decide when you play, no ifs and no buts. 

All-in all online poker has made poker accessible to all who want to play this thrilling game of skill.

What is the Objective of Poker?

The objective of Poker is to win your opponent’s chips while trying not to lose yours. 

There are two primary ways to go about it: 

  1. Making a better 5 card hand than your opponent and winning chips from them 
  2. Making your opponent believe you have a better 5 card hand than them and taking their chips

However you go about it, the goal of poker is to win your opponent’s chips while not losing yours! Making a strong hand is one of the methods for accomplishing it. 

Simple Poker Rules for Beginners

Let us now look at the simple rules to play poker. If you are a newbie trying your hand at the game for the first time, this beginner’s guide to poker can be used for handy reference.

Stage #1: Shuffle ‘em up!

This is the first rule and stage of poker play when the dealer shuffles the entire deck of cards well before dealing them out to the other players. Then, depending on the type of poker game you choose to play, the dealer will deal each player the appropriate number of cards. For instance, 4 cards each are dealt in Omaha and 2 cards each in Texas Hold’em. 

Stage #2: Pre-Flop

This is the starting stage of the game where all players decide whether to fold, call, or raise based on their hole cards and strategic considerations. This stage is crucial as it sets the groundwork for the subsequent rounds of the game.

Stage #3: Flop

Three community cards, also called the board, are opened face up. Players can now start making their strongest 5 card hand and see where they stand.

Stage #4: Turn

Now, the 4th community card is revealed, turned face up. At this stage, it starts getting clearer as to what is the value of every player’s hand. Players can again check, raise, or fold at this stage.

Stage #5: River

Now is the turn to reveal the 5th and last card in the deal, face up on the table. By now, all the players very well know the full value of their hand. Players are given one last chance to check, raise, or fold. 

Stage #6: It’s showdown time!

If two or more players remain after everyone has made their decision on the river, it’s showdown time!

Stage #7: The best hand wins

The player with the best or the highest-value hand is declared as the winner of the pot. For this, it is important to know your hand rankings. We will learn more about how we can determine the winner using hand rankings in the next section. 

Basic Poker Hand Rankings

As stated above, to be the winner in poker, it is essential to know your hand rankings well. This is because a majority of (nearly 90%) beginners end up making mistakes in poker when they assume that they have the winning hand but they don’t. Along with the basic poker game rules for beginners, it is helpful to know the following too:

  1. Royal Flush – all cards of the same suit and in the sequence A-K-Q-J-T
  2. Straight Flush – cards in any sequence but all of the same suit, such as 8-7-6-5-4
  3. Four of a Kind – 4 cards of the same value, such as 2-2-2-2
  4. Full House – 3 cards a kind and a pair
  5. Flush – all the cards are of the same suit
  6. Straight – basic sequence of cards, such as 8-7-6-5-4
  7. Three of a Kind – 3 cards of the same value, such as 4-4-4
  8. Two-Pair – 2 pairs of cards, such as 8-8 and 6-6
  9. Pair – any pair of cards, such as A-A or 3-3
  10. High Card – your highest-value card

When to Play a Hand?

How do you know when you should play a hand or when to fold in poker? Here, knowing your hand strength, position, opponent tendencies, stack sizes, and betting patterns are of underlying importance. 

Poker Positions at the Table

This is another key thing to know in the rules of Texas Hold’em Poker for beginners. Poker can be played between 2 and 10 players on a single table. This also means that the seating can sometimes have its set of pros and cons. The poker positions at the table are subject to change according to the placement of the blinds and button (which rotate clockwise after every round). 

  • Seat 1: Big Blind (BB) – This means that you have already invested a full big blind and can see what everyone else does before you decide to call, raise, or fold pre-flop.
  • Seat 2: Small Blind (SB) – This implies that you have invested half a big blind and may often need to decide whether to complete the bet or fold pre-flop.
  • Seat 3: The Button (BTN) – Players in this position are the last to act in all post-flop betting rounds and it is considered to be the most advantageous position in poker.
  • Seat 4: The Cutoff (CO) – It is believed to be the second-best position at the table as it allows you to play a relatively wide range of hands.
  • Seat 5: The Hijack (HJ) – This is a strong position but slightly less advantageous than the cutoff.
  • Seat 6: The Lojack (LJ) – It is an early middle position and requires a tighter hand range compared to later positions.
  • Seat 7: Early Position (EP) – It requires a tight range of hands due to acting early in the betting rounds.
  • Seat 8: UTG + 1 – It is the second seat to the right of the button; a very early position, so a tight range of hands is necessary.
  • Seat 9: UTG – First seat to the right of the button; first to act pre-flop, so you need to play very tight. 

Tips to Ace Poker

Now that you know quite a bit about playing poker as a beginner, let us share some tips on how to play the game with confidence and ace it, even the first time.

Tip #1: Memorize the poker hand rankings shared in the blog above and understand the strength of your hand.

Tip #2: Thoroughly research online resources to learn how to play the game before investing any money.

Tip #3: Keep it fun. If you think things are not going well for you, take a break from playing.

Tip #4: Practice, practice until you get it. You will find plenty of free poker games to try out on the internet. 

Tip #5: Try and play fewer hands strongly. Wait for the right time to strike.

Tip #6: Keep a close eye on the positioning of your opponents at the table. It allows you to make more informed decisions, adjust your strategy accordingly, and exploit positional advantages to maximize your profitability in the long run.

Tip #7: If you have a strong hand, you want to play for a lot of chips to win the maximum from your opponent.

Tip #8: When playing each hand, make sure you play it as you’d want your opponents to assess it.

Tip #9: Manage your finances well. Know the risks that the game involves and avoid putting all your funds in one hand. Playing the game responsibly is key.

Tip #10: Don’t be embarrassed about losing a hand. Remember, poker is all about upskilling yourself with every hand, every game. You are going to lose several pots before actually making that big win! Take your lesson and move on.

Wrapping it Up

These are just a few simple rules to help you get started in the game of online poker. Remember, like any other game, the best way to excel in poker is to practice and learn a new skill with each hand that you play. Practice makes perfect and it won’t be long before you are the indispensable king or queen of poker. 

If you’re eager to sharpen your poker skills in a welcoming environment, why not kick off your journey with PokerBaazi? It’s the perfect place to immerse yourself in the game, learn new strategies, and engage with a vibrant community of fellow enthusiasts. 

Disclaimer: Playing poker can be addictive and does involve an element of financial risk. We highly encourage you to play responsibly. 

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