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Learn How to Play Poker

Poker can be an intimidating game if you've never played before. If you go onto a real money table the first time you play poker, you are more than likely going to run out of money very quickly. Unlike some games, poker takes a lot of skill and it is more than just luck. But this is also the beauty of poker, you control your own fate and if you play well, you will win. You may not win every night but you will win in the long term.

What Games Are Available

Texas Holdem, or just holdem, is easily the biggest game and has almost wiped out the competition. For both beginners and experts alike, this is the game they play. Omaha and 7 Card Stud are also offered at most sites, but there are usually very few players on the games.

Hand Rankings

Sounds simple but it's easy to forget what beats what when you first start. It's not a bad idea to write it down and keep it beside you when you first play. The order is listed bellow:

1. Straight Flush - A run of five cards, all of the same suit
2. Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same value
3. Full House - three of a kind and a pair
4. Flush - Five cards all of the same suit
5. Straight - A run of five cards in a row (aces can be high or low)
6. Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same value
7. Two Pair - Two sets of pairs
8. One Pair - Two cards of the same value
9. High Card - No pairs, straights or flushes

Note: If there is a tie, for example two people both have a pair, the person with the higher pair wins. If you both have the same pair then the person with the highest card wins and so on. It is only a tie hand if both players have hands with the identical values.

Where to Start

So where should you start? The best thing is to play in some free rolls. These are multi-table tournaments that you can enter for free but you can still win money and prizes. There can be hundreds of players in the tournament and it progresses until a winner is declared. This is great for new players because you can play for a long time and you aren't using your own money to learn with. To see a listing of some upcoming events, go to our tournaments page and check the free rolls section.

Another way to start is to play on the free tables, but they aren't very good. Everyone just bets all the time and you probably won't learn very much. Free rolls also suffer from the same problem but not as badly, depending on the poker room. Once you get comfortable and learn a little, then you can move up to the low limit, money tables and you'll have a good chance of holding your own with the other players. So play a couple of tournaments and see if poker is for you. If it is, you'll know right away because, for the people who like poker, it's more than a game, it's an obsession and it grabs you immediately.

by Stephen Erickson,   BorntoBet.com

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