Because the game of poker is the most popular card game in the world, and so many versions of it exist, there has to be a standardizing format that applies to the basic game itself and encompasses as well all the variations. This standardized format exists in the form of the official poker rules, so that one can play the game anywhere in the world, and the basics of play apply.
There is a lot to learn when you first take up the game of poker, but if you concentrate on the most important factors first, you will find the rest will fall into place easily. The first of those factors is learning how the hands are ranked. A poker deck consists of 52 cards and contains 4 suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. The suits are equal in value, unlike in some other card games like Bridge, and are never used to break ties. Some game variations exist where the jokers are used in play, but these are “wild card” games, and never used in tournament play. To play well, you must learn the hierarchy of hand rankings, and here they are from lowest to highest in rank: no pair, 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind, straight, flush, full house, 4 of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.
According to the official poker rules; there are 3 main groups of poker games and those would be the community card games, draw poker games, and stud poker games. Under the heading of community card games we find Texas Hold Em, Omaha, and Pineapple Hold Em. The draw poker games consist of those that allow you to discard any of the cards in your dealt hand and redraw new ones to try and gain a better ranked 5 card hand; and these include Jacks or Better, or Lowball (where the winning hand is the one with the lowest ranking, not the highest). Lastly, there are the stud poker games that include hands played with 5 or 7 cards in combinations of face up cards and down cards.
The next most important facet one should know about poker playing is how to bet your hand and just how the betting sequences work. First, the betting moves in a clockwise motion around the table, and one never bets out of turn. The first person to bet by putting money in the pot is said to open the action, and that betting is done by announcing your intentions or moving your chips in the direction of the pot. Never toss the chips into the pot, that is referred to as “splashing” and no one can effectively tell if you put in the number of chips that you said you did—it’s not allowed. Raising a bet increases the amount of the last bet and you announce your intentions before you raise-rules are different in different games, but most games have a cap on the amount that is allowable to bet. Calling a bet is simply matching the amount already bet so the player can remain in the game. Checking your bet is when you decide not to bet or fold by tapping the table or saying “check” and remaining in the game. Folding is just that, you fold your cards into a pile and toss them toward the dealer or “into the muck” and you are no longer in the game.
Poker has a set way of play no matter the variation of the game you are in; the official poker rules have made that a mandate; and the play progresses in an orderly fashion around the table. To be a good player and hold your own at a playing table, you must know the rules, know the rankings of the hands, and know how the play and the betting proceed. The actual play starts with the dealing of the cards, then the opening bid; everyone bets; play action; more betting again; another round of play action and so on until there is only one player left who has not folded and he wins the pot. Occasionally, you have a tie where 2 hands are equal in value at the end of the game—-in that case the 2 players split the pot, or in the case of a showdown, one or the other takes it.
A more extended form of the betting that is allowed by the official poker rules and is present in every hand played in one form or another is the Antes or the Blinds. These are modes of forced betting that are designed to keep the play moving, and differ in the fact that Antes are paid every hand by every player whereas Blinds are essentially rotating antes that are determined by the position of the player button. And, another factor that comes into play while betting is that of Bluffing. When you want the pot, but don’t have a strong enough hand to win it on the merits of the cards you are holding, then you deftly make the players around the table THINK you are holding great cards by your inflated betting and then they will hopefully be intimidated by what they think you are holding, and will fold their hands and let you win the pot. This works every now and then, and some great players are masters of the art, but don’t do it too often—-it tends to backfire when you least expect it.
You can play poker for free
Well, in casinos, you cannot play any game if you have no money. With online poker, you can search for free sites that allow you to play poker for free. Those players who play poker for fun do not like wasting a lot of money playing poker. If they are using platforms where they must deposit money, they will stake very low. Otherwise, they prefer free k9win.
Poker is the king of the card games and has so many fun ways of being played that it provides a lot of good times for all ages and people of all walks of life. The official k9win login rules keep everything under control, and one is free to partake of the fun and excitement of playing a fast-moving, brain-teasing game and possibly win a little money in the process. No wonder it is so loved by so many.
