Poker Rules: Learn the Basics and How to Win

A Complete Guide to Poker Rules

Are you interested in learning how to play poker? That’s great. Poker is one of the most exciting games. You can play it with friends or even competitively. It’s an excellent way to pass time and can also be a source of money. ‘

But before you get started, you need to learn the basics. And this starts with understanding the most important rules of poker. Fortunately, this is the easiest part of learning to play. We’ll start with the more straightforward basic etiquette, hand rankings, and betting rules before going to more advanced concepts like bluffing. 

Basic Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules

Before we get to the technicalities, let’s start with the rules that are usually unspoken and unwritten. Knowing these rules ensures a fair and smooth game for everybody at the table.

1. Don’t be rude or mean to other players or the dealer, even when on a bad losing streak.
2. Wait until it’s your turn to play. Don’t let the excitement of having a good hand or the fear of having a bad one drive you into jumping the gun. 
3. Don’t make string bets. 
4. Don’t show your cards until the showdown, even when folding. You don’t want to give other players information that will change how they play. 
5. In the same spirit, don’t talk about your cards while the hand still goes on. 
6. Stack your chips neatly in front of you when making a bet. Don’t splash the pot- toss your bet at the center of the pot because it makes it hard to tell how much you’ve bet. 
7. Pay attention to the game. Don’t take out your cellphone or do anything that will interfere with your ability to follow the action. 

Hand Rankings

A hand in poker consists of five cards. Different combinations have different rankings and determine who wins a particular round. Generally, you want to know which hand is stronger than what hand. So, here are poker-hand rankings from the strongest to the weakest. 

1. Royal flush

This is the rarest and best hand in poker. It consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit in order of value, like A♦K♦Q♦J♦T♦. 

1. Straight flush

Five consecutive cards of differing suits. Being the second most potent hand, it can only be beaten by a royal flush or another straight flush of higher-ranking cards. 

1. Four of a kind

A four of a kind hand consists of four cards of the same suit, plus a fifth that is the highest in the hand or among the others on the table. 

1. Full house

A full house is a hand with a three of a kind, i.e., same value card in three different suits, plus a pair, i.e., two cards of the same rank in two different suits. It can be beaten by the three hands mentioned above or a full house with the three of a kind value. 

1. Flush

These are five cards of the same suit in any order, i.e., not in a sequence. When two or more players have flushes, the one with the highest value card wins. 

1. Straight

A straight hand consists of five cards in a sequence but from different suits. 

1. Three of a kind

This is a poker hand with three cards of the same rank but in three different suits. 

1. Two pairs

A hand with two different pairs. A pair is a set of two cards of matching rank. 

1. Pair

A pair is a set of two cards of the same rank in different suits. 

1. High card

If you don’t have any of the above hands, the highest card is your strongest hand.

Betting

Poker is all about betting. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand how poker betting works across the different poker variations. Fortunately, most poker variations use the same betting structure, so it should be easy to understand. 

The first things you need to know are poker blinds and the pot since most poker games use the blind system. Blinds are mandatory wagers that are placed into the pot before any cards are dealt. The pot, on the other hand, is the sum of money that players wager during a single game or hand. 

Poker blinds are paid by the players in the ‘small blind’, seated to the left of the dealer button, and ‘big blind’, seated to the left of the small blind, positions at the table.

Betting Order

The player to the left of the blind starts the first round of betting. From there, the game moves clockwise until every player at the table has had a chance to act. During your turn, there are four different betting actions to choose from; 

• Call, i.e, match the previous bet or raise. Players call when they believe they have the best hand. If you call and win, you take all the money in the pot
• Raise, i.e, increase the size of the current open bet or raise. The next player to bet must at least match this amount to stay in. 
• Fold, i.e, let go of your cards and surrender your chances of winning the hand. Folding means you can no longer win what is in the pot.
• Check, i.e, pass the action to the next player without making any wager. It’s only allowed when nobody before you has made a bet on the current street. 

Betting Size

In most games, the minimum bet allowed is equal to the big blind, which is determined by whoever is hosting the game. 

How big the bets are will depend on the rules of the game. In ‘No-Limit’ poker, a player can go all in, i.e., bet all their chips at any time during a hand. 

Going all in allows you to win as much money as possible off your cards. However, you should only consider doing so if you’re absolutely sure that nobody at the table has a better hand than you. This is because if you lose, you’re out of the game. 

Some games do have a limit. This can be ‘Pot-Limit’ or ‘Limit.’ In the former, the maximum raise allowed during a hand is equal to the size of the pot, while in the latter, the bet amount is set at a particular size and the number of raises during each round of betting are limited. 

Pots

During a game, there is the main pot and side pots. Blinds go into the main pot before a hand begins. When an active player bets, their amount increases the size of the pot. 

When more than two players are in a hand, and at least one player is all-in, the remaining players at the table start competing for the side pot. 

Dealing

Dealing involves dishing out the cards to be used during a hand to players on the table. The person doing this is known as the dealer. He is also responsible for managing the pot and bets made during rounds of betting. Overall, they ensure the game moves swiftly and smoothly from one hand to the next. 

Depending on the game, the responsibility of being the dealer can shift from player to player, as in home games, or remain on a designated person, as in card rooms or casinos.

Dealing cards usually happens in the following steps;

1. Shuffling

The dealer first shuffles the cards. This is important as it randomizes the order of the cards, preventing the players from knowing where specific cards are. In the same spirit, the dealer must make sure that the bottom card is invisible to the players during shuffling.

1.  Dealing

After shuffling, it’s time to issue the cards to the players. There are two ways to do this; the American-style, where the dealer pinches the front right corner of the card and throws it at the player, and the European-style, where the dealer touches the top of the card and slides the card towards the player.

Dealing example in Texas Hold’em poker

1. The dealer deals two cards face down to each player, starting with the player on their immediate left. 
2. They then monitor the “pre-flop” betting round, during which every player can raise, call, or fold. 
3. The dealer then deals three shared cards to each player, starting with the player on their immediate left. This marks the beginning of the second round of betting. 
4. They will also deal a single community card to begin the third round. 
5. After the third round, the dealer deals another community card. This is known as the river. 
6. The dealer now asks the players to reveal their cards. The best hand wins. 

1. Manage the pot

The dealer manages the pot by ensuring that all bets and bet sizes are properly made. They will verify how much the players are betting and raising. They’ll also need to keep track of the side pots.

In a game of Texas Hold’em, this will involve; 

• Ensuring that the player puts out a bet equal to the amount they have vocalized.
• Counting the chips if the player puts out a bet without vocalizing the amount .
• Correctly distributing the chips that have been made into the main and side pot(s).

1. Burn and turn

Burning happens after every round of betting concludes. It involves discarding the card at the top of the deck face. 

How to play different types of poker

There are many different types of poker. Each has its own rules and unique gameplay. Here’s a look at the basic gameplay of the most popular poker games around. 

How to play Texas Holdem poker

Texas Holdem is the most popular poker variant. Therefore, most of the rules in this article will be based on it. The aim of the game is to create the best possible five-card hand (see poker-hand rankings below) in order to win the pot. 

The game starts with two players on the dealer’s left making mandatory bets. The dealer then starts dealing two cards face down beginning with the player on their left. These cards are known as hole cards and can only be revealed to other players during the showdown.

From there, betting begins. The game will go through the following phases; 

• First round of betting (pre-flop): Starts with the player to the left of the big blind and proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table. During betting, players can call, raise, or fold. 
• The flop: The dealer burns (removes from the game) one card and deals three cards face up. 
• Second round of betting (post-flop): Betting starts with the player seated to the left of the dealer and continues until all players have taken action. 
• The turn: This is also known as ‘Fourth Street.’ The dealer burns a card before dealing another card from the deck to all the remaining players. 
• Third round (post-turn): The third round of betting commences.
• The river: This is also called ‘Fifth Street.’ During this phase, the dealer deals the final community card. 
• Fourth round (post-river): The fourth and final round of betting. 
• The showdown: The showdown is the time in which each active player reveals their hands. 

Rules of showdown

During the showdown, each player plays the best hand they can make from the two hole cards and five community cards they’ve been dealt during the game. The one with the best hand wins the game. 

It can happen at any point during the game where there are two players remaining after a round of betting. However, if the game commences until the fourth round of betting, it must happen regardless of whether there are two or more players.

What happens during a tie

It’s quite possible that two or more players will share a best hand. If they share a best hand of five cards, the pot is shared equally between them. Any odd chips go to the player on the dealer’s left. 

But if they share a best hand of fewer than five cards, the kicker breaks the tie. This refers to the highest hole card that isn’t part of the best hand. The kicker with the highest numerical rank wins the pot. 

How to play Omaha poker

Omaha poker is a popular online poker variant. It’s quite similar to Texas Hold’em, but there are several key differences that set it apart. For instance, players are dealt four hole cards, which is twice as many as Texas Hold’em poker players receive. 

Also, the best hand must have two hole cards and three community cards, unlike in Texas Hold’em, where a player’s hand can consist of two, one, or no hole cards in combination with the community cards. 

• The mandatory bets, small blind and big blind, are put up before any cards are dealt. The small blind comes from the player to the left of the dealer and the big blind from the player to the left of the small blind. 
• The dealer deals each player four hole cards starting with the one to their left. These cards will not be revealed until the showdown. 
• The pre-flop (first round of betting) begins. The player to the left of the big blind is the first to take action. They can call, raise, or fold, but can’t check. 
• After all players have taken action, the dealer burns a card and deals the flop, i.e., three face-up cards. 
• The post-flop (second round of betting) begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This will happen in all subsequent rounds of betting. 
• After every player has taken action, the dealer burns a card and deals another from the deck. This is the turn, i.e, Fourth Street. 
• The players then go through the post-turn (third round of betting). 
• Now, the dealer burns the top card on the deck before dealing the fifth and final community card. Each remaining player will use this and their other cards to build their best hand. This is known as the river or Fifth Street. 
• The post river (final round of betting) follows. 
• To finish the game, players reveal their best hands in the showdown. The strongest hand wins.

How to play 3-card poker

Like Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker, the goal is to play the strongest hand. But this time, you have three cards to play with and you’re playing against the dealer rather than other players on the table. The gameplay looks like this; 

• The player layer places their opening bet, usually an ante bet and/or pair plus wager. 
• The dealer then deals three cards face down to themselves and three cards face up to the player. 
• The player looks at their hand and decides whether to fold or play. If they fold, they lose their bet. If they decide to play, the player places a play wager, which is equal to the ante bet, and pits his hand against the dealer. 
• The dealer then reveals their poker hand. It will only be compared to the player’s hand if its queen-high, i.e, has no flushes, pairs, straights, straight flushes, three of a kind, or better. If the player has the better hand after comparing, the play wager and ante are paid out 1 to 1 and if the dealer’s hand is superior, the ante and play bets are collected. 

If the dealer’s hand is not queen-high, i.e, Jack-high or worse, the play wager is returned to the player. 

How to play heads-up poker

Heads up poker isn’t a type of poker in itself. Rather, it refers to any poker game where the hand is played out between two players. It can be Texas Hold’em, Omaha Poker, or any other poker variation. The same rules apply; the only difference is that you’re playing head-to-head against one player.

How to play video poker

Video poker is usually played on a computerized console, which is a fancy way to say device. Think of it as an online casino game, although it can also be played on dedicated machines similar to the slot machines in physical casinos. 

There are many variants of the game, but all are based on the five-card draw. These include; 

• Jacks or better: The minimum winning hand in the game is a pair of jacks or better. 
• Bonus poker: This variant of video poker is based on jack or better. It offers a bonus for four of a kind. 
• Deuces wild: Two are wild, i.e., when they appear in a hand, they can be used as a substitute for any other card. This helps make a better hand. 
• Double bonus: This video game is based on jacks or better but offers a bonus for four aces.

How to win when playing poker

Who wins a poker game? According to the rules, you can win by; 

Folding to Victory

You can win if every other player on the table folds. Folding is when a player surrenders their cards after deciding that they have no chance of winning. This causes them to lose whatever chips they put into the pot. 

Advanced poker players use techniques such as bluffing to force their opponents to fold. Bluffing involves taking actions that make other players believe that you have a better hand than they do.

Having the Better Hand

Of the active poker players, whoever has the best hand at the end of the game wins. The best hand is determined by the hand rankings. We talked about this at the start of the article, but just to give you a recap, the best hands in descending order are the Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, Pair, and High Card.

Read more;

• How to Win at Poker

Poker Tournaments Vs Cash Game

Some poker rules change depending on whether the game is a tournament or cash game. The most important of these are; 

• Chips: Each chip in a cash game has a denomination that corresponds to its real-money. But in tournaments, chip denominations have no real monetary value. 
• Duration: In cash games, the player can come and go as they please. However, in tournaments, players can’t come and go as they please. The play continues until there is a winner. 
• Blinds: Cash games have fixed blinds that never increase. Tournaments, on the other hand, have blinds that increase every X-number of minutes based on the blind structure. This forces action, ensuring the tournament ends on time. 
• Antes: Antes are more common in tournaments than they are in cash games. However, they do not contribute to money used in the first round of betting. 

FAQs on Poker Rules

What is Flop in Poker

In poker, a “flop” is the first three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These are the cards that all players can use to make their best five-card hand. The flop is followed by a fourth card (the turn) and a fifth card (the river).

What is Turn in Poker

In poker, a “turn” is the fourth stage of a hand, after the flop and the pre-turn betting round. The turn card is dealt face up on the table, and all remaining players can use it to make their best five-card hand. After the turn betting round, the river card is dealt face up on the table.

What is River in Poker

In poker, the river is the final card dealt in a hand. It is also known as “fifth street”. The river is significant because it gives players one last chance to improve their hands before the showdown.

What are the most common poker variants?

The most common poker variants are Texas Hold’em, Heads up, Omaha Poker, and 3-card poker. 

Do poker rules apply in Kid games?

Yes. But because it’s kids, the rules are simplified and can be flexible depending on who is running the game.

How Do You Win When Playing Poker?

You can win by having the strongest hand or causing all your opponents to fold through bluffing.