Poker

Looking at the current scenario in Pennsylvania, it wouldn’t be wrong to say “Players in Pennsylvania love Poker.” Thousands of people in the state love to watch the Poker Championship every year and even more love to play it themselves, whether online on a computer or in a brick-and-mortar casino on a Poker table.

If you’re interested in playing this exciting game of luck and deceit, then this guide will teach you how to play Poker. But remember that while Poker for beginners requires you learn a few simple rules, only practising in a game can lead to mastery. And for Poker, the better you get, the more fun you’ll have.

Basic Poker rules

Any number of players between 2 and 10 can play Poker, both in online and land-based casinos. The game requires a standard 52-card deck and some chips in different denominations. All players play against each other and for each others’ money in Poker. The central element in this game is a pot made up of all the bets placed by players at the table. Thus, unlike Blackjack and Baccarat, you’re no playing against the dealer, who is there to simply assist the game.

You can win a round of Poker, and eventually the entire game, by getting the best hand among all the players at the end of the round or by convincing them to give up by pretending to have the best hand. However, money saved is as valuable as money won, so an important part of knowing how to play Poker is to back out at the right time.

Poker hand sequence

Whether a hand is better or worse than another in Poker is determined by where it is on the Poker hand sequence. They’re ordered from best to worst possible combinations.

Position	Name	Description
1.	Five of a Kind	This is the highest possible hand you can get in games that have at least one wild card.
2.	Straight Flush	This becomes the highest possible combination when playing with a standard deck. It consists of five cards of the same suit in sequence. The best Straight Flush is when you get A, K, Q, J, and 10 cards of the same suit. It’s so rare it has its own name — Royal Flush
3.	Four of a Kind	Right below Straight Flush comes the ‘Four of a Kind’. This titular hand means having four cards of the same rank.
4.	Full House	This hand is made when three cards belong to one rank and the remaining two cards belong to another.
5.	Flush	A flush is when you have five cards of the same suit but they’re not in a sequence.
6.	Straight	A Straight is five cards that are in a sequence but don’t belong to the same suit.
7.	Three of a Kind	This combination is made from three cards belonging to the same rank.
8.	Two Pairs	You’ll have two pairs when you have two cards of one rank and the other two cards of another rank.
9.	One Pair	This combination contains one pair of cards of one rank and the other three cards of different ranks.
10.	No Pair	When no player gets a higher combination, then it’s called No Pair and in such a case, the highest single cards are compared to determine the winner.

Betting options in Poker

At the start of your Live Poker game, you’ll have to pay an ante and receive two cards in return. Next, you’ll have to make one of the following three bets:

Fold – Give up.

Call – Match the previous player’s bet.

Raise – Increase the bet.

You’ll have to place bets in several rounds throughout the game as more cards are revealed on the table and new combinations are formed. To continue in around, you’ll have to put into the pot at least as many chips as the previous player or choose to Fold.

This is what makes Live Poker so fun — a real dealer, competitive opponents, and high stakes all in an authentic casino environment. Pick one of our online casinos and start mastering this exciting game today!