How to Play Poker
Learn to Play Texas Holdem Poker and Other Poker Games
The instructions for playing poker that I include on this page are introductory in nature. Keep in mind that poker isn't one game; it's a multitude of games that share certain characteristics. Rules vary from poker game to poker game, but the shared elements are what makes all the different poker games qualify as "poker".
Poker Basics
What makes a card game a "poker game" as compared to another kind of game? Poker basics include two things:
- Poker hand rankings
- Betting
Poker Hand Rankings
Poker is a comparing card game. All poker games have a methodology for ranking hands, although some poker games are played where the "high" hand wins and some poker games are played where the "low" hand wins. The standard ranking of poker hands goes like this, from highest possible hand to lowest:
- Straight flush (Some hand rankings pages list a "royal flush" as a separate hand ranking, but it's not really. A royal flush is the highest possible straight flush you can have, with an ace high.)
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- High card
Poker hand rankings are determined by the cards' ranks and/or suits. For
example, a straight is a hand where the cards' ranks are all consecutive,
like 23456. A flush is a hand where the cards' suits are all the same, like
having all hearts.
A pair is when two of the cards in your hand have the same rank, and a three of a kind is when three of the cards in your hand have the same rank.
Low Hands
In games where you play for low, there are two ways to determine a low hand. The first is to consider ace a low card and to ignore flushes and straights for determining the winner. The second is to count aces as high cards and flushes and straights are NOT ignored.
Most home poker games played at a kitchen table play for high only.
Betting
Poker is a betting game. If someone bets and you're not willing or able to match their bet, then you have to fold. If you've folded, then you've decided not to risk any more of your money, but you've also relinquished any claim to the pot.
In many card games, you keep score with a points system. Not in poker. In poker games, you keep score by how much money you win. (In free games, you still "wager", but you just wager something worthless, like chips or matchsticks.)
There are four types of betting actions you can take in a poker game:
- Betting
- Raising
- Checking
- Folding
- Calling
You "bet" when no one else has bet in front of you. This is called "opening the action."
You "raise" when someone in front of you has bet, and you want to make a bet on top of his bet. For him to stay in the hand, he has to put that much more money into the pot.
Checking can only be done when no one else has bet yet. Checking means that you're staying in the hand, but you're not putting any money into the pot. If someone behind you bets, you have to decide whether or not to call, raise, or fold.
Folding means to drop out of a hand in the face of someone else's bet.
Calling is when you match the other player's bet, but don't raise it.
Types of Poker Games
Poker games come in lots of varieties. Holdem poker games involve shared cards, for example--in Texas holdem, you get two cards in your hand, and then you and your opponents share five cards on the board. In Omaha holdem, you get four cards in your hand, and your opponents share five cards on the board.
In other games, like stud poker and draw poker, you and your opponents have no shared cards. In five card stud, you get five cards that belong to you and no one else. In seven card stud, you get seven cards that belong to you and no one else.
Poker games can also be classified by whether or not they're played for high, low, or both (hi/lo). Omaha is often played hi/lo (Omaha hi-lo poker), which is where the highest possible hand and the lowest possible qualifying hand split the pot. Razz poker is a stud game that's played for low only.
The games can then also be classified by their betting limits. Texas holdem is often played in a no limit format, which means you can bet or raise any amount up to the total number of chips you have on the table. Pot limit Texas holdem and Omaha are also popular, and in those cases, you can bet up to the amount that's already in the pot, but no more.
Learning to Play Poker
Reviewing the specific rules for the specific poker games you want to play is a good first step toward learning to play poker.
Watching other people play poker can be a good way to learn to play poker too. You can watch Texas holdem on television, or you can watch poker at your local cardroom. (That's called railbirding.) You can watch people play poker on the Internet too.
Once you've done some reading and some watching, a natural next step in learning how to play poker is to play some free poker games. Play money games give you the chance to see how the mechanics of the game work without having to risk any of your own money. Then you can move up to real money poker when you feel ready.
The Basics of Poker Strategy
Hundreds of pages can be written about poker strategy, but the basics of
poker strategy can be summed up in two words: selective aggression.
Beginner poker players should start their poker strategy learning by figuring out which hands to play and which hands to throw away. Winning poker players put themselves into situations where they are a favorite to win. Losing poker players play every hand they get.
A quick Internet search for the name of the game you're playing, along with the phrase "starting hands", will help you get a handle on how to selectively play starting hands. Figuring out what to do after that is the fun part of learning the basics of poker strategy.
Aggression means betting and raising instead of calling and checking. Poker is a game of pressure. You want to force your opponents to pay to play with you. If you have two pair, and your opponent is drawing to a flush, you're the favorite. So don't let your opponent draw to the flush for free.
Get the hand, then bet the hand. Those are the basics of poker strategy.
This page about how to play poker was last updated on May 3, 2010.