How to Play Poker

Poker is currently undergoing a surge in popularity, due in part to its prominence on television and popularity with celebrities. Want to join the fun? It's easy to get started.
Here's an approachable overview of how to play 5 Card Draw, Texas Hold'em, and some basic strategies you can use. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily adapt to playing other variations (described below) and improve your poker skills through practice.

Understand the basics of poker. Poker is usually played with a standard 4-suit 52-card deck. The ace normally plays high, but can sometimes play low. A joker or other wild cards may be added. At the showdown, those players still remaining compare their hands according to the hand rankings. Suits are not used to break ties, nor are cards beyond the fifth; only the best five cards in each hand are used in the comparison.
In the case of a tie, the pot is split equally among the winning hands.

• Wild cards introduce an additional hand, five of a kind, which normally ranks above a straight flush. When a joker is in play, it usually can only be used as an ace or to complete a straight or flush. It cannot be used as a true wild card.

Become familiar with poker hand variations. The person who wins is the person with the highest-valued hand. You can't win if you don't know which hands will take the pot. If two players have hands with the same value (e.g. two full houses) or no one has a winning hand, then the player with the highest value card in their hand wins (Ace is highest).
Print out a ranking of the poker hands and memorize the hands.

Chip in. Place an "ante" (pronounced ant-ee) or "token bet" (pronounced token bet) into the pot (usually a spot at the center of the table, although you can use a pot if you wish). Every player places an equal amount of whatever your currency (poker chips, nickels, bills, car keys...). Whoever wins takes it all.

Deal or be dealt with. After shuffling (showing off) the dealer distributes the cards face down starting with the player to his or her immediate left and continuing clockwise, one card at a time, until everyone has five cards. The deck is placed in the middle of the table.

5. Look at your cards while everyone else looks at theirs. This is the time to evaluate how strong your hand is. Beginner players usually end up showing how strong their hand is with what is known as a tell. Some tells include; shallow breathing, lack of or too much eye contact, facial muscle flexes, etc. Trying to reduce these tells will give you a better chance. Keep your "poker face".
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   Take turns. The first person to make a call is usually the player on the dealer's left (who was dealt the first card). That player can open (place the first bet) or check (pass the decision onto the next player). Once the pot is opened, meaning that a player bets a certain amount (e.g. places a nickel in the pot), all of the people who already had their turns have two options:
   • See or call - Stay in the game by putting the equivalent amount in the pot.
   • Fold - Quit the game by putting your cards face down on the table; whatever you put in the pot stays in the pot.
   • After they've made their choices, everyone who still has a turn will have those options, plus an additional one:
   • Raise - Stay in the game by putting more than the last person put in the pot.
   • If someone raises, then everyone who already had a turn must see or fold again. Then the next person has their turn.
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   Draw. Once everyone has had a turn (even if everyone checked) get rid of up to three cards you don't want and have them replaced. This is done in turns, again beginning with the player on the dealer's left and going clockwise. Choose the cards that you don't think will help you gain a winning hand. You might get rid of three cards, or you might keep them all. If you do get rid of cards, put them face down on the table so no one sees what you had.
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   Go through another round of betting. As before, the first player can either open or check, and the checking can continue until someone opens, after which players can see, raise or fold. More people will start to fold once they realize their weak hand isn't worth the bet.
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   Expose your cards. Everyone turns their cards over to see who has the winning hand. Winner takes all

Part 2 of 5: Playing Texas Hold’em

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   Understand the basic rules of Texas Hold’em. Each player is dealt 2 cards face down, and 5 community cards will be shown face up. Players try to make the best hand possible out of their 7 cards.
   • Each player takes a turn being the dealer. In Texas Hold’em, blinds take the place of an ante. The player to the left of the dealer is the small blind, and the next person is the big blind. The big blind is the minimum bet, and the small blind is half of that.
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   Begin play. Play begins with the first player to the left of the big blind. That player either calls the big blind (plays the minimum bet), raises, or folds. Play continues around the circle, with each player having to match the previous bet, raise, or fold. If no one raises, the big blind can check or raise before the next round.
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   See the flop. After the first round of betting has been settled, the dealer reveals the first 3 cards of the hand, called the flop. The dealer places the top card on the deck face-down. This is referred to as a Burn card. The next three cards from the deck are displayed face-up. Each player now has 2 cards in their personal hand and 3 community cards. Another round of betting begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
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   See the turn. After the second round of betting, the dealer burns the next card and then reveals the 4th card of the hand, called the turn. The remaining players bet again, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
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   See the river. After the third round of betting, the dealer burns the next card and then reveals the 5th and final card of the hand. Players bet on their hands, and the winner takes the pot. If a player bets, and the rest fold, then the winning player does not need to show his or her hand.

Part 3 of 5: Essential Strategies

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   Know your starting hands. When you’re starting your initial round of betting, it’s important to know whether or not the hand you have is worth playing. In Texas Hold’em, you have two cards to start, and you’ll need to decide if you should play them or fold.
   • Hands to raise: Pairs of tens, face cards or Aces are almost always a good hand to raise with. An Ace and a King or an Ace and a Queen are strong hands as well. If you have these hands, bet before the flop to raise the value of the pot.
   • Hands to call: An Ace with a face card, or two consecutive face cards of a different suit are strong hands to call with. Two consecutive non-face cards of the same suit can work in your favor. Low pairs should call, but not raise.
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   Know when to hold and when to fold. The key to being successful at poker is knowing when to fold your hand and accept a smaller loss, or when to hold onto it and risk a larger loss knowing that you have a good chance to win the pot. If the flop comes and you’re holding a hand that doesn’t play, check and fold. You don’t want to keep betting money at a hand that won’t win. If the flop comes and you have a strong hand, bet at it. This will force weaker hands out and raise the value of your pot.
   • If your hand could play if the right cards come up, then you’ll want to determine if it’s worth holding out for them. Calculating pot odds can go a long way towards helping you make these decisions.
   • Pot odds are calculated by determining the percentage chance that you have to draw the card you need. To calculate them, count the number of outs you have. These are cards that will improve your hand. Multiply the number of cards times two, then add 1 to get the percentage. For example, if there are 10 cards in the deck that could improve your hand, you have about a 21% (10 x 2 + 1) chance of getting a card you need.
   • Next, you’ll need to determine if it is worth betting. Calculate the pot+bet, which is the pot total plus the bet to call. So if the pot is $120, and the bet to call is $20, then the pot+bet is $140. Multiply your percentage of your outs with the pot+bet. In the previous example, a 21% chance with a pot+bet of $140 would look like 0.21 x 140 = 29.4. This means you should call bets lower than %29 of the pot, or around $40. ^[1]
   • Working out the pot odds is only a guideline, and doesn’t take a lot of variables into account. Use it as a basis to judge the worthiness of a hand.
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   Understand the psychology. Playing your opponent is arguably more important than playing your cards in poker. You have to be able to read what your opponent is doing, as well as trick them into not knowing your plan.
   • Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. You will lose hands, it’s guaranteed. Don’t let setbacks affect your attitude and playstyle.
   • Change up your pace. If you’ve been playing your cards close, and not betting wildly, start bluffing a bit more. If you’ve been bluffing, go back to playing tighter. Switching often will keep opponents from being able to predict your actions and guess your cards.
   • Read your opponent. Adjust your playstyle to your opponents’. Look for players that are betting carelessly, and try to trap them. Learn to see the tells, which can give you an estimation of their hand. Some basic tells: a hand over the mouth is usually concealing a smile; shaking hands is nervous, but that could be a good nervous or bad nervous; if a player glances at his or her chips when the flop comes, they probably have a strong hand; if a mediocre player is staring at you, he or she is likely bluffing.
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   Think on your feet. Don’t get bogged down with systems, react to situations as they arise. Every poker situation is different because of the human factor.
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   Plan your bankroll accordingly. When you are learning, you should never invest more than what you would consider “fun” to lose. Don’t add to your bankroll after losing everything you’ve invested. Wait until you are comfortable losing that amount again.
   • When you start winning on a regular basis, adjust your bankroll to maximize your earning potential. The general rule of thumb is you should be able to afford to lose 200 bets at the highest limit. So if the limit is $5 bets, then your bankroll should be $1000.
   • Track your wins and losses. This will help you figure out if you are winning or losing in the long run. Also, depending on where you live, you may have to pay taxes on your gambling income.

Part 4 of 5: Poker Hands: Reference Sheet

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   Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit) - Most valued because it's most surprising when received. It is a common misconception that this is harder to get than any of the other set of 5 cards.
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   Straight Flush (five cards in numerical order, all of the same suit) - Can't contain a King and a Two in the same hand (e.g. Q-K-A-2-3).
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   Four of a Kind (four cards of the same number and any other card)
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   Full House (three cards with the same number and two cards with the same number) - ties are broken by the highest value card in the three of a kind.
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   Flush (all five cards from the same suit) - Numbers don't matter.
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   Straight - (all five cards in numerical order) - Suit doesn't matter. Can't contain a King and a Two in the same hand (e.g. J-Q-K-A-2).
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   Three of a Kind (three cards with same number, two other random cards) - If the other two cards have the same number, it's a full house (see above).
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   Two Pair (two sets with the same numbers plus a random card) -
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   One Pair (two cards with the same number, the rest of the cards are random).

Part 5 of 5: Variations

 Below are the variations.

• Straight poker - Five cards are dealt to each player with a round of betting after each. The best hand wins the pot.
• 5-card stud - This is similar to straight poker, where you are stuck with the cards that you are dealt except, in this variation, four of the cards are dealt face up for all to see. The person with the best hand wins the pot. The dealing goes as follows: One card is dealt face down (the hole card) to each person, then one card is dealt face up to each player and there is a round of betting; there are three subsequent rounds where another card is dealt face up to all who have not folded and this is followed by a round of bets. Once the final bet is made, the hole card is revealed and the person holding the best hand takes the pot.
• 7-card stud - Your goal is to make the best 5-card hand possible. In 7-card stud, players are given two face-down cards, then one up before the first round of betting. Another three rounds of one card face up goes to each remaining player (who has not folded) with a round of betting after each dealing. The final card goes face-down followed by the final round of betting. In stud, the cards dealt face down are called "hole cards."
• Lowball - The goal is to get the hand with the lowest value.
• Omaha - Four pocket cards are dealt face down, betting ensues, and then five community cards are dealt face up. A player must make a winning hand using two of the pocket cards combined with the three community cards.
• Pineapple - Dealt three hole cards, discard one before the flop, play like Texas Hold'em.
• Crazy Pineapple - Dealt three hole cards, discard one after the flop, play like Texas Hold'em.
• Cincinnati - Four hole cards and four community cards with four rounds of betting.
• Dr. Pepper - Five card draw with 10s, 2s and 4s wild.