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What are some basic poker rules?
Once you’re familiar with how the game is played, there are still some poker rules that you should know about before you start to play for real money in an online casino. The exact details of the rules listed below may differ between variants, but these are the typical things you should be aware of:
Blinds
Most forms of poker have big and small blinds. These are sums of money that must be paid by two players each hand, to boost the value of each pot. This is totally normal and isn’t something you can avoid; just hope you have a good hand when it’s your turn to pay blinds.
Decks
In virtually all forms of poker, a single deck of cards is used. This is to prevent bizarre hands like 5 or 6 of a kind emerging. Measures like shuffling and burning mean that players still can’t accurately predict what cards will come out next.
Rake
When playing in a land-based venue or in an online casino, the house will take a certain percentage of the pot or the tournament buy-in to generate profits. This figure could be anywhere between 3-10% and is completely above board and difficult to avoid.
Chips
The number of chips you get when you sit down at an online poker table can vary hugely. It will depend on things like table limits and whether you’re playing at a tournament or not. Check this out in advance so you don’t end up feeling like a fish out of water.
People
How many people can play varies slightly from casino to casino. In theory, 20+ people could play at a single Texas Hold ‘Em table. In practice, most casino/online poker sites limit tables to around 10. Any more than 10 or 12 players at a table and hands simply take too long to play out.
Cards
How many cards you get, and whether they’re face up or face down, varies widely depending on the poker variant you’re playing. Make sure, before you start playing, that you understand all the rules of your chosen variant.
What are pot odds?
Pot odds are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a call the player is facing. In a nutshell, pot odds can be used to help a player decide whether or not it’s a smart move to place a bet, based on the cards they need to complete a winning hand. They’re definitely worth getting familiar with as you learn about poker online.
1. For example, let’s say you hold a pair of fours at the start of a hand. To hit another 4, making a set, on the flop your odds would be around 7.5 to 1. You know this because there are only two other cards you need (2 out of 52), you hold two yourself, and the other players hold two apiece.
Learn Pot Odds 1
2. If you’re not going to make more than 7.5 to 1 on your bet by playing, it’s not worth playing; the ‘pot odds’ are not good enough for you to call. So, if the pot had $25 in it, and you had to bet $5, your pot odds would be 5 to 1: not enough to make the call.
Learn Pot Odds 2
3. Let’s say you make the call anyway, and the flop misses you entirely, coming J-K-2. Your chances of hitting that 4 just went up, as there are fewer cards to come out. However, the action gets a bit crazy post-flop and you’re being offered around 10 to 1 on your money to make a call, knowing that your hand odds are about 9 to 1. Now you DO make the call.
