Poker Card Games
Introduction
Poker is probably the most popular card game around the world. Today, there are many variations such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Russian Poker, Draw Poker, Razz, 3 Card Poker, Open Chinese Poker and many more. Each of the variations of this game has its own rules and features. But no matter how many poker variations there are, they all share the same goal – to put together a winning hand and beat your opponent or dealer. Since poker has gained popularity among gamblers, it can be found at almost any online casino. In this review, we will tell you about the most popular poker card games and their rules, as well as tell you about the best venues in India where you can legally play it.
What do you need to know about poker?
The main thing you need to know when playing poker is not only the rules, but also the basic terms as well as the winning card combinations. Only with a clear understanding of these main factors can you not only become a pro, but also have a great time and make some real money. If you’re still new to the game, here’s some important information to help you get a better grasp of the card game.
Winning card combinations
Since the main goal of poker games is to accumulate a winning hand, here’s a little cheat sheet to help you play the poker cards in your hand and know what the winning hand contains. Of course all types of poker will have different rules and therefore the winning card combinations can be different. Still, in many types of this card game they are often repeated, so you are advised to understand them well.
So here is a general table with the winning combinations of cards in poker, from the weakest to the strongest:
| Combination | Designation | Example |
| High Card | The highest ranking card in the hand | In a combination of Q, 10, 8, 7, 7 the highest card is a queen. |
| Pair | Two cards of the same value | 3, 5, 9, J, J |
| Two pairs | Availability of two pairs of cards | 9, 9, 7, 7, Q |
| Three of a kind | Three of five cards of the same face value | 8 hearts, 8 spades, 8 diamonds |
| Straight | Five cards in order of any suit. Ace may be either a junior or senior card in different combinations | A, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10, J, Q, K, A |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit | 7,10, J, K, A spades. |
| Full House | A combination of 3 cards of one face value and two cards of another face value | J, J, J, 9, 9 |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards out of five of the same value | K, K, K, K, 5 |
| Royal Flush | Five high cards of the same suit, starting with an ace | A, K, Q, J, 10 |
| Straight Flush | Any five cards of the same suit in order | 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 |
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Basic terms used in poker
You’ve probably seen poker being played and you may have noticed a lot of people exchanging different words and phrases referring to a certain action. In poker games online these terms are also used. But how do you know exactly what the dealer means or what action your opponent has done? To help you understand the gameplay and the actions, we’ll show you the basic terms used in all casino poker games. They can be used to define a player’s action, or they can be used to define a particular poker value.
Let’s break them down in order.
Poker Attributes:
Pot – Capital, in the form of money or chips, which players can win during a game. The Pot is made up of players during Betting Rounds.
Button – the white chip which signifies the role of the dealer. Each round the Button chip passes to the next player clockwise.
Hand – The determined winning hand of cards.
Board – Cards which are dealt face up on the playing board.
Hole cards – the face up cards which are dealt to each player at the start of the first round.
Kicker – A card which counts when more than one player has the same combination of cards.
Odds – The probability of making the correct card combination.
Lead – The first bet into the pot that has not yet been raised.
Nuts – The strongest card combination of all possible cards in the round.
Player Actions:
Buy-in – The amount of money that must be paid to join the game, i.e. the participation fee.
The Blind – The mandatory bet, which must be placed before the cards are dealt.
The Small Blind – The mandatory bet placed by the player immediately to the left of the dealer.
The Big Blind – The mandatory bet of the player sitting second left from the Dealer, or the next player to the player with the small blind. The big blind is usually twice the small blind.
Ante – This is the mandatory deposit each player must make to make up the initial pot.
All-in – To wager all the player’s available money.
Call – To Call an opponent’s Bet.
Raise – To Raise the Bet.
Fold – To refuse to continue Betting or to discard cards.
Check – A possible move by a player, if no other player has Bet in the Round.
Popular types of poker games
With so many different kinds of poker available these days, players are faced with a tough choice as to which game to play. To help you decide, we’ll give you a poker games list showing their rules and basic gist.
Texas Hold ‘Em
This variation of poker is probably the most common among poker fans. Almost every licensed online casino offers Texas Hold’em to its users. So why is it so popular? All because of its simple rules. Let’s find out more about this variation.
This game uses a deck of 52 cards. The number of players at the table can vary from 2 to 9 people. At the start of the game, each of the players on the table receives 2 personal cards. At the same time 5 face up community cards are placed on the table. The aim of each player is to put together the winningest possible five card hand combination using both private and community cards. For example, a player could use 2 face cards and 3 community cards or 1 community card and 4 community cards. Play is clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the batten. The dealer’s button moves one step to the left with each round. The two players to the left of the dealer must always make the small and big blinds. This is followed by several rounds of Texas Hold’em:
- Preflop;
- Flop;
- Turn;
- River;
- Showdown.
Preflop is a round in which players hold 2 hole cards. Flop is a round in which the first 3 Community Cards are placed on the table. Turn is a round in which 4 Community Cards are placed on the table. River – A round with 5 Community Cards. Showdown is a showdown of all the players on the table to determine the winner by hand strength.
Omaha
Omaha is the second most popular poker game. The rules and the nature of the game are very similar to Texas Hold’em and not much different. There are also 4 rounds of betting (preflop, flop, turn and river), and cards are dealt in the fifth round. There’s also a dealer, blinds and the winner is determined by the winning five-card hand. Still, there are differences. The difference is that, according to the rules of Omaha poker, the player receives 4 pocket cards, note 2. Thus, a winning hand is a hand that must have 2 pocket cards out of the 4 available and 3 total. But although Omaha is already a variation of poker. There are also several variations of it.
For example, players have the following variations to choose from when playing Omaha:
- Limited.
That is, before each trade a certain limit bets. You can not exceed the amount set.
- Pot-limit.
The maximum betting amount is limited by the number of chips in the pot, i.e. its size.
- No Limit.
Maximum bet is limited only by the Player’s Chips. There are no other limits.
We also advise you to pay attention to Omaha High and Omaha High-Low. In Omaha High, the winner is the player with the strongest hand combination. In Omaha High Low, the pot is divided between the strongest and weakest hands. However, in order for a player to win the pot, their hand must not be higher than 8.
Due to this variety, players can choose which hand appeals to them most and in which variant they can make more money.
Chinese poker (Pineapple)
This type of card game has several poker names. For example, open poker or pineapple. This type of game is not at all like Texas Hold’em or Omaha. The main difference is that the entire game is played out in the open. But Chinese poker is also popular, and here’s why:
- No chips are required to play;
- The entire game is played in the open;
- No community cards;
- It is possible to see the opponents’ hands;
- There are no betting rounds;
- There are no mandatory bets, etc.
So what is the essence of the game and why do people like to play Chinese poker so much? We’ll tell you the rules of the game and you’ll understand everything.
Pineapple Rules
The game is played with a deck of 52 cards. There can be no more than 3 players at a table. Each player has three boxes, or three hands, in which they have to put together their maximum winning combinations. The arrangement of the hands is as follows:
- Bottom box – 5 cards;
- Middle box – 5 cards;
- Top box – 3 cards.
As a result, this hand arrangement is very similar to a pineapple, which is where the name of the game comes from. In doing so, the bottom box should have the strongest hand combination, the middle box the second strongest, and the top box the weakest. This is the only way to ensure that a player wins. In other words, the main rule is that there should be no dead hand. For example, if the middle box has a stronger hand than the bottom box, the player loses.
The game starts when the dealer hands each of the participants 5 cards, which should be placed in three boxes of their choice. Once the players have done this, the cards can no longer be re-deposited. The dealer then hands out three more cards to each of the players, two of which are dealt and one is discarded. This continues until each player has 13 cards. Once each player has laid out 13 cards in their boxes, the strength of each row is compared between all the players on the playing table. The winner is the player who has the strongest combinations in all the boxes.
The best poker sites in India
If you want to play for real money, it’s important to choose a reliable and legitimate gaming platform. We compared many poker sites and casinos that offer variations of poker, and were able to highlight a few of the best:
These poker sites have the necessary gaming licenses to ensure that Indian players can legally play and make real money. You can also find an impressive range of poker games on these sites, including Texas Hold’Em, Omaha, Pineapple, Stud, 3 Card Poker, Dro-Poker, Badugi and many other interesting variations. What’s more, these are the platforms where you can hone your skills by playing poker for free!
