How to play poker?

Among the many varieties of poker, the most common Texas Hold'em Poker or as they say Texas poker. The main goal of a Texas Hold'em poker player is to collect the strongest combination of 5 cards. The player who collected this combination wins and takes the pot.

Combinations in Texas poker

In Texas poker, such combinations (in descending order) are accepted:

• Royal Flush - it's an ace, a king, a queen, a jack and a dozen of the same suit;
  
  
  
  


• straight flush - five suited cards in a row;
  
  


• quads - four cards of the same value and one more card;
  
  


• full house - Three cards of the same value and two more cards of the same value;
  
  


• flush (flush) - five cards of the same suit;
  
  


• straight (straight) - five cards in a row, any suit;
  
  


• troika (set) - three cards of the same value and two any other cards;
  
  


• two pairs - Two cards of the same value plus two identical cards of another value plus one more card;
  
  


• couple - Two cards of the same value plus three any other cards;
  
  


• high card - If at the table players failed to collect any of the above combinations, then the combination with the highest card wins.

Rules of the game

In poker Texas Holdem can play at the table 2 players or more, but not more than 10. You need to play poker in such a sequence.

First, mandatory blind rates are entered into the bank - they are called blinds. There are small and big blinds. The small blind is half big. The size of the blinds are indicated for each individual game.

The players who must deposit the blinds are determined as follows. Using a special chip at the table button - this is the player from which the position in poker is counted. Then the left player from the button makes the small blind, and the second from the left - big.

When the blinds are introduced, and they are needed in order to form the initial bank (in poker it is called sweat), The dealer gives each player two cards, which in addition to the player no one else can see (in online poker cards are dealt automatically with the help of a random number generator - RNG). Cards received by the player are called pocket cards or the starter.

From the moment the cards are dealt to the players, the first round of the game begins - it is called preflop. In this and subsequent rounds, players place their bets in the pot. The player who is sitting to the left of the big blind should make the first bet (the player who made the big blind). In Texas poker, this player is called UTG (from English under the gun - "at gunpoint"). Next, players make their bets in a circle, clockwise.

What move can the player make? If the player first enters the round (that is, he is UTG), he can say "check". This means that the player misses the turn, but remains in the game. If a player enters the round not the first, but before it no one has made a bet, then such a player can also say "check".

To place a bet, a player can say "bet" and name the amount of the bet he is making. It should be noted that depending on the variety of Texas poker, the player's bet size may be limited:

• limit poker - the size of the bet is fixed;


• poker pot limit - A player can make a bet no bigger than the size of the current pot;


• Unlimited poker - the bet size is unlimited.

So, to place a bet, the player says "bet". If the bet amount is equal to the bet of the previous player, then this rate is called Call or call. If the bet amount is greater than the previous player's bet, then this is "Raise" or increase.

A raise can be "multi-stage": the next raise is called a raise "Reraise", the next reraise is three-bet, followed by a three-bet increase - this is a four-bet.

If the player believes that he does not win with his cards, he can say "Fold", i.e., fold and discard cards. The player is eliminated from the game until the next distribution of cards.

After an equal number of bets were placed in the bank, the trade ends and on the table are 3 open cards - this is called a flop. The cards on the table are common and can be used to compose a combination by all players.

After putting the flop, another betting round begins. Players again make their bets and at the end of the trade one more common open card is dealt on the table. It is called turn or fourth street (fourth straight). Trade follows again and upon its completion, the last common card is dealt on the table. It is called the river (fifth street, fifth street). It is the final round of trading. Then the players open their cards (this is called showdown) and reveal the winner.

It should be noted that not all the stages of the game are always present. If in any of the rounds in response to the bet of one of the players all gave up, then this player wins and takes the pot. He may not show his cards. This feature of the game of poker is often used for bluffing - Special reception in poker, when a player tries to convince the others that in his hands the cards are much stronger than they are in reality.

How to learn to play poker?

The presented instructions are the most general description of how to play Texas Hold'em poker. There are many different strategies, methods of poker, options for behavior at the table. AND to really learn how to play poker, and also to master all its subtleties is possible only in practice.

To learn how to play poker, you can, of course, goin Las Vegas, but this, right, is very expensive and long. It is much better to learn to play poker with the help of the Internet. This is possible thanks to special online poker rooms. The game in Texas poker online is interesting and fascinating. And special bonuses will make the game process even more enjoyable!