Poker Rules & Tips
The Poker Rules Learn the rules of poker
Poker is a popular card game and the poker rules are easy to learn, but difficult to really master. Whether you are new to the game or want to learn more; this page explains the poker rules in detail and provides a clear poker explanation. This makes the rules of poker even easier for beginners. In addition, you get the best poker tips and strategies for every level to help you become a successful poker player.
This is how you play poker
Poker is a game played with a regular deck of 52 cards, where players bet against each other and must rely on their hand, poker strategy and luck to win the pot. Poker always involves five cards. The most common and popular version of poker is Texas Hold'em, in which your poker hand is formed after you are dealt two hole cards and five community cards (three on the Flop, one on the Turn and one on the River), which you must combine to form a five-card hand with the most value.
There are two ways to win at poker;
- You bluff and force your opponents to fold their hands, or
- You have the best hand with five cards at the showdown
A showdown is when two or more players are still in the hand at the end of the last betting round. All players show their cards to determine the best hand.
Are you ready to put theory into practice? Try playing a cash game or a tournament at GGPoker and start playing poker online.
Poker game rules
When playing poker, there are some basic rules you need to know in order to establish your strategy. Visit our Learning to Play Poker page for more information on how to get started playing online poker and what constitutes a strong strategy. We distinguish in the poker world between online poker and live poker. Online poker can be played in the Netherlands at GGPoker. Simply enter your e mail address, Choose a secure password and a Nickname, and you can play poker
Poker Combinations
In poker, the hand with the highest value determines the winner. For example, a Full House beats a Flush. So it is important to rank the poker hands so you know whether to bluff, call, fold or raise. The poker hand with the highest value is a Royal Flush, which consists of A, K, Q, J and 10 all of the same suit. The least valuable of all poker combinations is a High Card, where you play only the highest card instead of other combinations. At the end of a poker hand, the five cards face up and the player with the best poker combination is the winner.
Positions and Blinds
Table positions determine the order of play. All action revolves around the Dealer button, the Small Blind and the Big Blind located to the left of the button.
The Blinds are first to act after the Flop and influence what other players do each round of betting.
Preflop and Flop actions
Preflop action begins with the player sitting to the left of the Big Blind, then continues clockwise. The Big Blind is last to act. Players must choose between three actions:
- Fold
- Call
- Raise
The flop refers to the turning up of the first three of the five community cards. Play then proceeds to post-flop, where players have the chance to check, bet, call, fold or raise based on how the three community cards affected their hand.
Turn actions
The turn, the fourth common card in Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker, follows the flop (the first three cards). It is a crucial stage in the game because it provides the second chance to improve the hand.
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After the turn, players have four community cards at their disposal to form their poker hand, along with their hole cards. The turn often leads to changing bets as players have a better idea of their hand strength. Excitement rises as the possibility of making a winning combination increases.
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It is an important moment on the way to the final showdown.
River actions
The river is the fifth and final community card placed on the table in Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker. This card follows the flop (the first three cards) and the turn (the fourth card).
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The river is crucial because it provides the last chance to form a winning hand. Players use their hole cards in combination with the five community cards, including the river, to create the best possible poker hand.
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The betting round after the river usually leads to the showdown, where the winner is determined based on the strongest hand.
Showdown
The showdown occurs when there are at least two players left in the game, who must then reveal their cards to win the hand.
The winner is the player with the best hand of five cards who then takes the pot.
Poker rules for betting actions
You now know that each poker hand has different betting rounds, depending on the variant being played. In each round of betting, a player must decide whether to fold, check, call, bet or raise when it is his/her turn to make an action in the hand.
Check
With a check, the player chooses to pass the action to the next player in turn. With a check, a player does not have to put anything into the pot, but neither is he out of the hand yet. A check is possible only if it is your turn first, or if all other players still in the hand have checked before you. If someone has bet before you, you cannot check.
Fold
With a fold, the player discards his cards and stops playing the hand. A fold means you lose everything you have already put into the pot at that point, but you also don't put anything new in. Folding can be done simply by giving your cards back to the dealer.Â
Folding is possible when another player in the hand has placed a bet or a raise.
Bet
A bet means that the player bets a certain amount. Usually you do this based on your hand strength. However, this can also be done as a bluff, i.e. when you think your hand is not stronger than those of your opponents in the hand.
Betting is possible when you have the first turn on the flop, turn or river. Betting is also possible when all other players have chosen to check before you.
Call
Calling is done when you would like to match a bet or a raise from your opponent to go to the next betting round or the showdown. If no one calls a bet or raise, the hand is over and the player who placed the bet or raise immediately wins the hand.
Calling is possible if another player has placed a bet or a raise. You can also place a call before the flop (preflop) by matching the value of the big blind. The latter is sometimes called a "limp".
Raise
Raising occurs when a player raises an opening bet, bet or raise from another player. When a player has raised, all players still active in the hand must decide whether to fold, call or re-raise. A raise will therefore never be the last action in a hand.
The betting round is over when all players have either folded or called on the last raise. Raising can usually be an effective strategy, especially when you only have 1 or 2 other players left in a hand.
Basic poker strategy
Poker is popular because it combines strategy, psychology and luck - but before you start playing, you should learn basic poker strategy to maximize your chances of success. First, you should memorize the ranking of poker hands, as most beginner mistakes are made when a player thinks he has the winning hand when he does not. From strong to weak, the correct order is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High card. Read our guide to hand ranking for more information.Â
You should also learn poker terms so you know exactly what happens each round. After the cards are dealt, players have the option to call (pay the raise total), fold (discard your cards and surrender the chips already in the pot) or raise (bet more chips). Without knowing the correct terminology, you may accidentally make the wrong action. Check out our page of poker terms for more information.
It is also important to become familiar with the game variety of poker so that you know how the game will play out. Generally, a game of Texas Hold'em begins when the button has dealt two cards to each player, starting with the Small Blind. The player to the left of the Big Blind is first up and can choose to fold, call or raise. Then each player at the table gets the same options, with the Big Blind last.
Then, on the Flop, three community cards are dealt, followed by another round of betting. Then two more cards are revealed, the Turn and the River. Then comes the final round, the showdown, where the winner is revealed. Check out our guide to Texas Hold'em for more information on how the game is played.
Poker tips for beginners
Poker may seem difficult to master, but once you have followed the basic tips, you are in a strong position to refine and improve your strategy. Our poker tips for beginners are:Â
1. Play 'aggressively'
The poker rules are there for a reason! What you often see is that beginning players more often choose the options check or call. However, if you want to put more pressure on your opponents, the options bet or raise can sometimes be very effective. The trick is to pick the right moment.
2. Don't play all hands
Folding before the flop? No problem! Of course it's fun to play as many hands as possible, but it's not always the best strategy. If you choose more carefully before the flop which hands you do and don't want to play, it can benefit your game.
3. Think about your position
Now that you know the poker rules, you know that you have different positions at the table. Certain positions are stronger than others. For example, if you are in the button position then that is to your advantage! This is because it means that from the flop you will always be the last to make your decision. You then already have the information of what the players in front of you are doing, take advantage of it!
4. Know the poker rules!
Not entirely obvious. On this page, we explain the basic rules you can get started with. The basis of a good poker game is understanding the rules. Once you have played a few times, the rules will soon become self-evident.
