How to Play Poker to Increase Winning Odds

The poker game is so tempting to sit down at the table for many enthusiasts. Thanks to Internet technologies, you can play online poker right in your living room dressed a bathrobe or underwear. Despite the virtualization of the gameplay, poker is still an exciting game with good winning odds. Whether you are a noob or a professional poker player, it will not hurt you to return to the rules of the game again to refresh them in your memory.

Although there are many variations of this game, you can play poker right after you learn the basic rules. In this review, we will focus on such things as poker hands to play, poker cards and their value and so on. We also provide with some tips that will help you become a better player.

Casino Poker – How to Play this Game?

Although from version to version, each poker game has its own characteristics, you can quickly learn how to play the basic game. In almost any case, the main goal of the game is to get a strong – winning – poker hand. Here are 5 basic steps you should follow on how to play poker:

• The first step is placing bets. There may be antes – when all players make small bets – and the blinds – the size of the bet depends on the player’s location at the table.
• Next each player receives two cards face down. Depending on how strong a hand you have, you make one of the decisions – check, bet, call or fold.
• The third step of our how to play poker guide starts after three cards face up are dealt. Now you can evaluate the strength of your hand more accurately and proceed to the second round of betting. When the turn is dealt, you get a chance to make a better hand. Keep in mind that you cannot have more than 5 cards on hand.
• In the fourth step, the fifth card face up is dealt and all hands are already finalized. It’s time to take part in the last betting round.
• In the fifth step, the winner will be determined. The pot goes to the player with the strongest hand – the best poker combination.

The listed steps on how to play poker are applicable for the most popular version – Texas Hold’em. They work when you play some other versions of poker – however, you should carefully learn all the features of the game before you sit at the table.

How to Play Poker – Winning Hands

Here are a few strong poker hands that can make you a winning player – arranged in decreasing order of hand strength:

• Royal Flush is the name of the following combination – 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace. All cards in a combination must be of the same suit.
• Straight Flush is the second strong hand consisting of 5-6-7-8-9 – all of the same suit.
• Four of a Kind is a combination of four cards of the same rank.
• Full House will be announced if your hand contains three cards of one rank and 2 more cards of another rank – for example, 3 eights and 2 sixes.
• Flush is a five-card combination in which all cards have the same suit.

Although the stronger the hand, the higher your winning odds, there are several more potentially winning poker combinations – Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs and others. If two or more players have the same hand, they look at the rank of the cards to determine the winner.