Poker Tips for Beginners

Introduction to Poker

Poker is one of the most popular card games where a player places bets on the actual or perceived value of his hand. Even though numerous versions of poker are played worldwide, the basics of the game are the same.

Basics of Poker

The game is generally played with one or two packs of cards. A poker hand consists of five cards. Poker is played with different coloured chips. The white chip is equal to the lowest bet amount, the red chip is equal to five white chips and blue chips are equal to 10, 20 or 25 whites or two, four or five red chips.

During the betting interval, a player can bet and another player to the left can either call (bet the same number of chips), raise (adds more chips to call) or fold (no chips are added into the pot and the player drops out from the game).

There are two betting intervals, and a betting interval ends when each player has put the exact number of chips as his predecessor or has dropped off. After both intervals, all the remaining players need to show their hands and the best hand wins all the chips in the pot.

A Peek into Poker’s Popularity

Poker has always been a people’s favourite. The advent of online casinos has increased the number of poker players tremendously. The online version of poker is less risky, more accessible, fun, and easy to play.

The thrilling game rewards the right use of skill quite profitably, which is another important factor for its popularity.

Importance of Poker Strategies for Newcomers

This game needs both luck and skill to succeed. Good strategy and practice can guarantee good winnings.

As a beginner, make sure you learn the various poker tips and tricks before you start playing the game. 

Understanding the Basic Rules of Poker

 A newcomer needs to have a clear idea of the different types of betting and poker hands before he starts playing the game to minimise his losses. There are two types of poker- draw and stud poker. The type of poker is determined by the type of number and composition of the players.

Let's take a look at some of the common terms in Poker and what they mean:

Wild Cards

In poker, a wild card is used to represent any other card in the deck and help in creating rare winning combinations such as a full house or straight flush.

Normally, the following are all designated as wild cards:

2 Jokers

A Joker which can act as an Ace

A card of any suit which can make a Flush, Straight or Straight Flush (bug)

Every 2 as a Wild (deuces wild)

One-eyed Jacks of Spades and Hearts

The lowest-value card

Fixing a Betting Limit

Fixing a betting limit is important as it prevents undue advantage for people with a lot of money to buy more chips.

Limits can be fixed using the fixed limit (where no one can bet more than a stipulated limit), pot limit (when the number of chips in the pot is used to raise), or no limit (when there is no restriction on the betting limits).

Overview of Poker Hands

In poker, understanding the hierarchy of hands is essential for success:

Royal Flush

At the top of the ladder sits the illustrious Royal Flush, comprising a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. Royal flush happens when all four face cards and one 10 of the same suit are in a combination.

Straight Flush

This is the highest rank possible when there are no wild cards. This is a sequence of five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Four of a Kind/Full House

This is ranked below the straight flush and has four cards of the same suit. The Four of a Kind boasts four cards of equal rank, while the Full House combines a Three of a Kind and a Pair.

Flush/Straight

A Flush consists of five cards of the same suit, not in sequence, while a Straight features five sequential cards of any suit.

Three of a Kind

A hand that has 3 cards of the same rank.

Two Pairs

A combination of two pairs of different ranks.

One Pair

A hand with only one pair of the same rank.

No Pair

The lowest-ranked combination where none of the five cards pair up.

Poker Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Bluffing is an excellent trick to win the pot. When a player makes a bet or a raise that no one else has called, he gets to take all the chips in the pot without showing his hands. However, you need to bluff intelligently after understanding your position amongst the players and when you're sure that no one else has a winning combination.

Always start to play poker with a very low stake to minimise your financial risk.

Review and analyse your gameplay and understand your decisions both good and bad. Learn from your mistakes.

Make use of the free online poker games to understand the techniques of the game well.

Analyse your hand based on your position at the table. If you start early, take a cautious approach but in a late position, you have more information and can experiment with different hands.

Observe the betting patterns and the well-timed moves of experienced people.

Calculate the pot odds- the ratio between the size of the pot and your bet size. This plays an important role in your profits. Start thinking about a range of hands instead of a specific hand.

Wrapping Up

Poker is not only a game of chance but of skill and strategies too. Mastering poker techniques takes time and practice. 

These poker strategies for newcomers can help you elevate your game, but if you are still looking for more poker strategies, feel free to log on to Puntreview.