Poker is a game of skill and strategy, and one that is fun to play both with a group of friends, and alone online. Many people begin their poker career by playing with friends, often around their dining table in a competition that goes on late into the night. But with many of us struggling to enjoy face to face time with our social groups right now, 2024 is the perfect time to try your hand at playing poker online. Thanks to virtual reality and real-time dealers, online poker is more popular and sociable than ever, and you can start playing online by staking very small amounts (often just a few pennies) helping you to minimize your financial risk whilst learning your craft. If you want to learn how to play poker online then you’ve come to the right place: Here’s everything you need to know to get started!
Table of Contents
What is Poker?
img source: time.com
Never played poker before? Let’s start at the beginning! Put simply, poker is a card game where players place bets or wagers on whether or not they think they have the best hand. Poker is a one-pack card game, and there are many varieties of it, and many different styles of play. The most important thing to understand when playing poker is the value of the hand you have. Each ‘hand’ consists of five cards and could include anyone (or a combination of) the following:
Five of a kind – If you are playing a game that contains a wild card (such as the joker, which can represent any card) then five of a kind if the highest possible poker hand that you can receive. It means that you either have four of a kind plus a wild card, or two of a kind plus three wild cards.
Straight flush – Using a standard pack of cards with no wild cards? Then a straight flush will be your highest hand. This hand consists of five cards from the same suit in chronicle sequence: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of hearts would be one example of this. The higher ranking your straight flush is the better (and if your cards are the royal cards from one suit, this is known as a royal flush).
Four of a kind – Just like five of a kind, four of a kind involves having four cards that match (the same card from each suit) and then one unmatching card. A three of the kind works in the same way, with three matching cards and two unmatching cards.
Full House – One of the most colorful hands, a full house includes three cards of one rank and two cards of another.
Straight – A straight is five cards in sequence, but the five cards are not all from the same suit. So you may have a 4,5,6,7 and 8, but only two of those cards will be from the same suit family.
One Pair – This is an incredibly frequent hand to find yourself with. IT means that you have one pair of cards (the same numbers from two different suits) and then three individual cards.
Two pairs – Just like one pair, but you have two of them! So you might find you have a pair of kings, a pair of threes, and then an individual remaining card.
No pair – Statistically, this is one of the most common hands to find yourself holding. Put simply, none of the cards in your set pair up. In this situation, the hand is rated by the highest card it contains. For example, if you had no pair but had a king, this would beat a hand that held no pair but had a jack.
Where to Play Online Poker
img source: departures.com
Once you understand how to play poker, it’s important to know where to play online poker. No matter how much, or little, you intend to wager, it’s essential that you look for a legitimate online casino that is safe and secure. Sites such as Pokerlistings are a great place to start, as they will outline the best poker sign up offers and bonuses from a wide variety of reputable online poker websites.
Different games will offer different betting limits: these are perceived as necessary in many games, as otherwise, the player with the largest amount of funds could keep raising the stakes until they win by default. When you are an online poker newbie, it is often advised that you start by playing small stake games, so that you are minimizing any losses as you hone your craft. A number of sites even offer free to play games, which are great if you want a risk-free way to try your hand at online poker for the first time. This is also a perfect time to remind all new online poker players that they should never gamble more than they can afford to lose, and when the fun of play stops, they should stop playing.
Are There Differences Between Online and Live Poker?
img source: grosvenorcasinos.com
The rules of the game of poker are the same whether you choose to play online or in person, but if you have experience of playing live poker with friends and family then you will notice some differences when you begin to play online poker.
Firstly, online poker tends to be much faster paced: largely because the play isn’t interrupted as regularly by conversation. This is because you are usually playing with strangers rather than people you know, but many online casinos are evolving and have taken steps to make online poker a much more sociable experience, with the opportunity to safely engage with the players that you are competing against. Online poker is also more accessible than live poker, as it allows you to play whenever is convenient to your schedule (at any time of the night or day), and you can also play wherever you are: most online poker players choose to play from the comfort of their own living room.
Playing poker online is fun, friendly, and a great way to entertain yourself when you can’t play live poker with your friends. It’s the ideal opportunity to hone your skills, and maybe even win a little money at the same time!
