Simple and straightforward poker rules. Poker rules

Poker Is one of the most interesting gambling games. If you have never played it, then you should definitely try it, because unlike other card games, here you need not only luck, but also a certain skill (or as it is also called "skill").

Anyone can learn to play poker today. Dozens of articles have been written about the rules of poker and a huge number of videos have been filmed on Youtube. But often the authors of the instructions do not take into account the fact that it is difficult for a beginner to understand all the nuances of the game if you explain everything very dryly and schematically. For this reason, in our article we will try to explain as clearly as possible the basic rules and features of the game of poker.

But first, it should be noted that there are several types of poker. Such types as Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Studd, Razz, Chinese poker and others are now widespread. We will look at the rules of the most popular of them - Texas Hold'em. Nevertheless, all variants of the game have several things in common: combinations of cards, the presence of rounds of betting, etc. And having mastered the rules of Hold'em, in the future you can easily understand the rest of the disciplines.

Basic poker rules (No-Limit Texas Holdem)

Everyone understands that without knowledge of the rules, it is impossible learn to play poker.

First of all, there are different poker formats in terms of the availability of bets. The most popular of these is Knowlimite Hold'em. In it, you can place any bets without restrictions. That is, you can even put all your chips on the line at once. But this should only be done if you have experience and understanding of the situation.

What you need to play poker

To play poker, you need at least two players, a deck of 52 cards and chips (money, or other items that you play with). Classic poker tables are designed for 6 or 9 people. But basically any number of players can play, ranging from one-on-one format to a table with ten participants. If there are more than a dozen players, the game will be too inconvenient.

In casinos and poker rooms, a special table is used for the game, and the cards are dealt and the game is controlled dealer(croupier). This is a specially trained person who deals cards, accepts chips from players during the draw, distributes winnings, and generally makes sure that the game is in accordance with the rules. When amateurs play in normal home conditions, then usually the functions of the dealer are performed in turn by each of the participants.

A few basic concepts:

• Hand- pocket cards that the player receives face down;
• Buy-in- the contribution that is made to gain access to the game;
• Distribution- the circle of the game from dealing cards to showdown. The game can consist of one or many hands;
• Blinds- blind bets made by two players before the cards are dealt;
• Stack- the total amount of chips that are in the game at the disposal of the player;
• Bank- chips, which are claimed by the players remaining in the current hand;
• Combination- combinations of various cards (closed pocket and open on the table).

Basic game formats

Online and offline poker rooms have several main game formats poker:

• Cash game (game for money). In it, each chip has its own value. For example, it can cost 1 cent or 1 dollar. The player sits down at the table with a certain number of chips. Bets in this format are stable (do not change over time), the player can leave the game at any time with the current win, or in case of a loss, add more chips to his account.
• Sit-n-Go- a poker table, where each participant receives for a certain amount of the entry fee ( buy-in) the same number of tokens. The game at the table continues until several winners are determined, and the rest have lost all their chips.
• Multi-table tournament- the principle is the same as in Sit and Go. Each participant in the tournament receives the same starting amount of chips for a certain amount of money. Further in the tournament, the stakes gradually increase, the number of tables and players decreases, until all the winners are revealed. In such a tournament, the number of prizes and the amount of prizes have been agreed in advance.

Composing combinations

The basic element of poker is combination(combinations of different cards). These combinations are made up of pocket cards(which, each player receives face-down, and only he sees) and cards that are laid out on the table, and are open to all players at the table. That is, those and other cards are combined with each other.

In terms of combinations, the main goal in poker is make a better combination than your opponents... But this is not always necessary to win. Another option is to outsmart your opponents into believing that you have better cards than theirs. It is called bluff and it is because of this element of deception that poker is such an attractive entertainment. Because of bluffing, poker is often referred to as a "game of liars."

Poker hands are like traffic signs. Without their knowledge and understanding of the composition, you will not be able to fully play poker.

Each player must remember not only what this or that combination consists of, but also its seniority. You should know that four of a kind is older than a full house, and trips is better than two pairs. It should also be understood that combinations can consist only of the player's pocket cards, only of the cards on the table, of both cards together.

Senior hand	This is an option when you have not made any combination. If you and your opponents do not have any of the combinations, then the winner will be determined by the highest card from the player's hand
Pair	The variant when you have collected two cards of the same rank (identical cards, for example, two aces (A-A) or two sevens (7-7)
Two Pairs	Two pairs of cards of the same rank (for example, Q-Q + K-K)
Three of a kind	3 cards of the same rank (for example, three eights - 8-8-8)
Straight	5 cards that go in a row (for example, 4-5-6-7-8 or 10-J-Q-K-A). There is one atypical straight that starts with an ace and is called the wheel - A-2-3-4-5
Flush	A combination of 5 cards of the same suit (for example, 10 ♠ J ♠ 6 ♠ 2 ♠ A ♠, where all cards are spades)
Full House	A combination, which consists of three cards of the same rank plus two cards of a different rank (you can determine which full house is higher using the three cards that are included in the set). Example - 7-7-7-A-A or 10-10-4-4-4
Four of a kind	4 cards of the same rank (for example, 9 9 ♠ 9 ♣ 9 ♦, 7 ♦ 7 ♣ 7 ♠ 7, J J ♦ J ♣ J ♠ etc.)
Straight-flush	Five cards in a row with the same suit (suited straight - 7 8 9 10 J)
Royal Flush	The best poker hand that you will hit once in tens of thousands of hands. It consists of 5 highest cards of the same suit, from 10 to Ace (for example, 10 J Q K A)

Sometimes incomplete combinations of several cards can be collected by two or more players. Then, to determine the winner, we use Kicker... This is the card that determines the winner in case of identical combinations. For example, the first player has KQ, and the second has KJ. The table fell 6-K-8-10-8. This means that both players have two pair KK-88, but the first has a kicker queen, and the second has a jack. That is, the first player wins here. But if instead of 6 or 10 there was an Ace on the table, then he would be a kicker for both players, and they would split the pot among themselves.

But in general, the main task of a poker player is to win as many chips (money) as possible using various strategies.

Sequence of moves and blind bets

Each participant at the poker table has a certain number of chips. As in other card games, players' moves are clockwise in poker. But, to determine the order of the play, three special marker chips are used: Dealer (Dealer / Button), Small Blind (SB / Small Blind) and Big Blind (BB / Big Blind). In a real game, these are three plastic pieces. The dealer is the starting position at the table, which is used to determine the order of the moves. And the so-called blinds, which are placed after the dealer, are symbols for players who must place mandatory “blind” bets, even before receiving cards. That is, at least two players always make bets at the initial stage of the draw, regardless of the quality of the cards received. Usually the big blind is the small blind times two (but not necessarily).

To keep things fair, these three marker chips (dealer, small blind and big blind) will move in a circle each time they are dealt. Thus, all players will take turns making mandatory bets, while others will be able to win at least something.

“If these compulsory bets were not there, then the players could constantly fold to pass. And the game would have lost interest, because every time the cards would have to be dealt a new one. "

The main stages of playing poker

Poker consists of four main stages, each of which ends with a round of bets from the players:

• Preflop- when the players received two pocket cards and make their first bets;

• Flop- three cards common for all were laid out on the table + subsequent trade;

• Thorn- the fourth open card is laid out on the table;

• River- the last fifth card was put on the table, after the final bets, the players show their cards (occurs Showdown).

How to play poker - considering a hand with a specific example

Let's consider an example where a small group of friends gathered to play poker. There are six of them: Victor, Ivan, Vova, Andrey, Pasha and Kostya. They decided that they needed to make the game more interesting and play for money. Each deposited 200 rubles into the common bank. The total prize fund is 1200. Together you decided that there will be two prizes. The person who takes the first will receive 800 rubles, and the second - 400. Each participant was handed out 1000 chips, and they will play with blinds 10/20.

So, at the very beginning, three markers are placed near the cards of three players (dealer / SB / BB). Clockwise. Players must do the following:

• Victor will be on the button (he will be on the deal, that is, he will act as a dealer);
• Ivan is in the small blind - he bets 10 chips;
• Vova is in the big blind, his mandatory bet is 20 chips.
• The rest are not betting anything yet.

The beginning of the game described above is always the same. Two players place the mandatory bets and everyone gets a pair of cards.

Preflop

• Discard cards(Pass / Fold) - stop participating in the current hand and fold. Then the dealer places them in a closed pile in a separate pile. This should be done if you have openly weak pocket cards.
• Equalize(Call) - place a bet equal to the maximum bet at the table at the current moment (currently, the largest bet at the table is 20 chips).
• Raise the rate(Raise) - raise the bet relative to the maximum at the table. This is usually done in multiples of the big blind. For example, in our case, you can raise to 20, 60, 100, 600 chips.
• Receipt(skip turn). This option is available only if you have placed the maximum bet in the current round and no one has bet more after you.

Alternatively, you can go All-in(put all your chips on the line), but then you risk losing everything and remaining only as an observer.

The principle on this and on all subsequent rounds is the same - in order to stay in the game, you need to equalize the largest bet at the table.

Our example: The first person to bet preflop is the player to the left of the big blind. This is Victor. In order for Victor, Andrey, Pasha and Kostya to continue to participate in the distribution, they need to deliver 20 chips. And Ivan - 10. But if, in the process, one of them raises (raises the bet), then all the rest will have to call it already. The last word preflop is for Vova. He's the only one who can just skip and do Receipt(simply because he has already made the maximum bet - the big blind). But if someone raised the bet, then he would have to report more chips.

An important point! On all subsequent rounds except preflop, the small blind bets first. And if it is not there - the players who go next in a clockwise direction.

In our case, the players were passive, and everyone called the bet (delivered 20 chips each). All six participants continue to draw. There were 120 chips in the pot after the flop.

Flop

When all bets are equal, a new round begins, which is called Flop... The dealer puts three cards face up on the table - they are common to everyone. That is, the players make a combination of two of their own hidden cards, and those on the table. The participants check what combinations they have obtained, and the trade continues.

At this and all subsequent stages, the first person to enter the game will be the person to the left of the dealer, the one next to which the SB chip is (small blind).

Each of the players again has access to options:

• Receipt(skip a move) if no one has made a new bet on the flop before you;
• Beth(make a new bet) - put a certain number of chips, multiple of the size of the big blind;
• Pass(fold)- fold cards so as not to lose chips;
• Call(equalize) or raise(raise the rate) - if one of the opponents made a bet before your move;
• Go all-in(all-in) - put all your chips on the line.

These actions can be used for all subsequent rounds of trading.

In our example: cards A, K ♣ and 7 are laid out on the table.

Ivan checked and Vova bet 60 chips. Pasha and Andrey felt that they had nothing to play with and folded their cards. After that Kostya called Vova's bet (60 chips). Victor, who had a strong combination in his hands, decided to raise the bet even more and added 60 more chips on top (the maximum bet in the round is already 120). Ivan, who already doubted his cards, folded them.

So, we have Vova, Kostya and Victor in the drawing. But the first two need to equalize the bet (call), since they put 60 chips into the pot on the flop, and Viktor - 120. Vova decides to just call Viktor's bet, but Kostya acts more aggressively and raises the bet by another 120 chips relative to Viktor's raise ( he does re-raise). The maximum bet is now 240 chips. Now Victor and Vova need to add 120 chips each. But Vova was actually bluffing and wanted to steal the opponent's chips. Now that he saw that Kostya and Viktor might have very good combinations, he folds his cards, losing 120 chips in this play. Victor supports Kostya's bet - and delivers 120 chips to the bank.

Flop Results:

As a result, we now have 720 chips in the pot (120 preflop chips + 600 chips that came in after the flop fight).

Remained in the game: Victor and Kostya. Each of them has 740 chips left in the stack.

Turn and river

When the flop is over, the dealer puts a fourth card on the table. This round is called turn... After that, the betting circle begins again.

When everyone has placed their bets on the turn, the dealer places the last card face up on the table. This stage is called the river.

There are five open cards on the table, and now each player can roughly imagine what combinations his opponents can have, worse or better than his.

Our example: on the turn, 9 ♠ was added to cards A, K ♠ and 7. Victor and Kostya checked. And the river came 3. The first word is for Kostya, since he is the first after the dealer. He bets 480 chips (more than half of all his remaining chips), and Victor, without hesitation, supports it.

Showdown - showdown and determination of the winner

After the last open (fifth) card is shown on the table, another round of betting takes place. Players who are left with cards after him show them. The one with the best combination wins.

The player who made the last bet on the river must show the cards. If the others see that they have a weaker combination, they may not show their cards or show only one card.

Showdown is possible at any of the previous stages of the game, if the players went all-in. Then they reveal their cards, and the dealer places the cards that are missing on the table.

Important: when discarding cards at any of the previous stages of the game, they cannot be revealed. Because in this way you give additional information to some rivals.

Our example: Victor shows up first as he was the last to bet. He shows: A ♣ K ♣. In total, he has two pairs: aces and kings (A A ♣ + K ♠ K ♣). And that's a pretty good combination. But only Konstantin had 8 4. This means that he collected a flush of hearts (five cards of the same suit): A 7 3 8 4. The pot, in which 1,700 chips have accumulated by the showdown, goes to Kostya. He now has 1960 in chips. After this hand, he almost doubled his stack.

Interesting moment: There are situations when players have almost the same combinations. Then a combination of five cards is looked at for each of them.

What's next?

We've only looked at one hand. A group of friends will play until two winners are determined. The game is over when the winner has collected all 6,000 chips.

After each deal, the dealer collects all the cards, interferes with them, and deals again, two to each. At the same time, he moves the marker pieces one position to the left. Players play with the amount of chips that they were able to win in the previous hands. Now mandatory blind bets will be made by Vova (small blind) and Andrey (big blind). And Ivan will have the dealer's position. Etc.

You can play with the same rates or agree in advance about the growth of the blinds. For example, poker rooms have temporary levels, at each of which the blinds are different: the first one is 10/20, the second one is 20/40, the third one is 40/60 and so on.

conclusions

To summarize, there are only three basic rules of the game of poker:

1. Each player receives two pocket cards(hand) that shouldn't be shown to anyone (except for showdown).
2. The one who wins in poker forces opponents to fold, or the one who, after opening shows the best combination(Showdown is possible when all-in at any stage of the game or at showdown).
3. Combinations consist of 5 cards(which are made up of seven cards: two pocket cards and five on the table). They can use only a few cards (both from the table and your pocket), but in controversial situations, it is the 5 best cards of each participant at the poker table that are compared.

After the first hand, Victor from our example has only 260 chips out of 1000. Now it will be much more difficult for him to claim the prize. His mistake was that with a fairly strong combination on the flop, he allowed the opponent to reach the river and build even better.

But this is the great attraction of poker. You can never calculate everything 100%. The rules of poker can be learned in half an hour, but becoming a pro will take thousands of hands, training and skill improvement. In addition, poker cannot do without such a fundamental quality as complete self-control. Without it, even very talented players cannot reach the top.

Both too aggressive and too weak tactics can have very strong consequences for further hands at the table. Although there is a significant amount of luck in poker, the professionals are guided by a rational approach, mathematical and psychological analysis. But that's a completely different story. We will tell about it and many other things in other articles on our website.

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General rules for all variations of poker. Key provisions

Poker has many variations. The rules for each individual variation have some differences, but the basic points are common to all types of poker.

Poker is usually played with five or seven cards. But there are variations in which you get one card and the rest are twelve.

A common point in all the rules of poker are poker hands or just hands (combinations of cards) that are formed in the course of any game. At the end of the game, the player with the strongest hand wins, but in some poker variations, the weakest hand (card combination) wins.

In almost all types of poker, players are fighting for the pot. The players put their money into the pot, and as a result, the owner of the strongest hand wins the pot. The player can also win the bank in the case when the other participants have folded their cards. The game of poker does not always take place for money, there are cases of playing for matches and cigarettes :), but that's another story. In modern online poker rooms, as a rule, there is the possibility of playing for play (virtual) money, which from a professional point of view is not recommended in principle, as it can radically deform the perception of the atmosphere of a real game in conditions of risk and bluff. Risk and bluffing are integral parts of the real game of poker, so beginners are strongly encouraged to hone their skills at tables with low betting limits (max $ 0.50).

Most types of poker are played with community cards. These are cards dealt face-down (face down), all players can use them to make hands (combinations) along with the cards that they received in their hands when dealing. The two most popular types of community card poker are Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker, and their rules are the most similar. In other popular variants of poker, cards are also dealt face up, which only belong to one player. They can be seen by all participants, but only the player to whom they were distributed can be used. Among these poker options are Seven Card Stud and Five Card Stud ( the individual poker rules by game variation are given below).

In poker, there can be one or many (depending on the version of the game) betting rounds. In each round, players can stay in the game without placing a bet (check) or deposit a certain amount into the pot (place a bet). A bet is usually made in cases where they have a strong or better hand (a combination of cards), or simply bluffing in the hope that other players will fold, assuming that the opponent has a strong or better hand.

As soon as the bet is made by the player, the others can: align it (accept the bet) in order to stay in the game; raise the bet in order to force the rest of the participants to deposit more money into the bank in order to stay in the game; discard cards and exit the game.

Some variants of poker are played with wild cards. A wild card can be used as a card of any rank and suit in order to improve the player's hand (combination of cards). As a rule, jokers act as wild cards, such games are usually found at home, in casinos and online poker rooms are extremely rare.

Today, poker has become an international game, played by millions of people around the world, more and more often the tournament tables of the world championships in poker are occupied by immigrants from the countries of the former USSR - poker has no borders, languages ​​and skin colors.

The development of the Internet has given a new round in the popularization of poker. Previously, in order to become a good poker player, you had to visit poker clubs and other closed communities of players, spend all your free time on it, lose significant amounts of money. Nowadays, any owner of a computer with a “below average” configuration and an Internet connection can join the global community of poker players, become a true professional and even get rich from the comfort of their home.

At the same time, your opponents or teachers can be real players from different countries of the world, with different levels of experience and playing skills.

A person becomes a successful poker player not in a day or two, you may need from several months to several years, but having reached the desired level of play, you will never regret the time spent on this.

Community cards can be used by any player together with his "hole" cards in order to collect the best combination of five poker cards. In this case, closed cards can be used in full, partially or not at all.

According to the rules of poker, the best five-card hand wins, which can consist of either five community cards or two face down cards in each player's hand.

Video poker rules

For your convenience and a better understanding of the rules of poker, as well as a visual analysis of the small nuances of the game, we recommend starting the study by watching a short video, which is designed just for beginners and will allow you to quickly learn the basics of the game of poker.

After watching, you can solidify certain points by studying the detailed poker rules on this page below.

Complete rules of action at the table

Every poker hand starts with mandatory bets. Before the cards are dealt, two players (sitting to the left of the button) place the mandatory bets - the small and big blinds. The small blind is half the size of the big blind.

These bets are needed so that the participants in the distribution have something to fight for. In a cash game, the size of the blinds is determined by the limit with which the game is played at this table. Traditionally, the table limit is referred to as 100 big blinds, i.e. at an NL10 ($ 10 No Limit) table, the blinds are $ 0.05 and $ 0.10. Thanks to the blinds, there is always money in the pot.

After that, each player is dealt two cards face down, from this moment the game begins. In regular Hold'em, as in most other types of online poker, the player has the opportunity to take several different actions. The complete list of actions available to players in various situations is as follows:

• FOLD- this is a refusal to continue the fight for the pot in response to a bet (bet) or raise (raise) from the opponent. In this case, the player folds his cards and they leave the game to discard. The player who folded can no longer participate in this hand.
• RECEIPT- if no one has made a bet in the current round, the player can check. In fact, this is a skip of a move, and transferring it to the next active player who sits on the left. Receipt does not mean refusal to fight for the pot, this is just a refusal to make a bet in the current round.
• BET- if there are no bets in the current round, the player can make a bet (bet). In this case, he sets the price for the continuation of the game. The players sitting after him decide what to do: fold (fold), equalize (call) or raise again (raise). The minimum bet in the game is the big blind.
• CALL- if a bet was made in the current round, the player can call it by making a call and adding to the pot the same number of chips equal to the bet or raise of the last player.
• Raise- if a bet is made in the current betting round, the player can raise it by making a raise. To do this, he must make a bet that will exceed the bet of the last player. To qualify for this pot, all other players must either call or reraise. Otherwise, they have only one option - this is to fold their cards, that is, fold. In No Limit Hold'em, the size and number of raises not limited.

Circles of commerce (streets)

All of these actions are taken by the Hold'em players in each of the four rounds of betting, or as they are called otherwise "streets":

• Preflop
• Flop
• Thorn
• River

In each round, betting continues until the person to the right of the last player to bet or raise. When the turn returns to him, the next round begins or the hand ends if all the players before him chose to fold. Below you can clearly see the effect of these poker rules in the photo.

Preflop

After all the players have received their cards, each of them decides what he will do - give up the fight for the pot and fold his cards, try to continue the game by calling one big blind or raising at least two big blinds.

The first to speak is the player to the left of the big blind. The word then moves clockwise from player to player in turn. If no raises have been made preflop, then the big blind has the final say. If one of the players raises, then the game develops according to the scenario described above until all players have their say.

At the end of the betting round, all bets made by the players are collected in one common pot, for which the fight will continue on the following streets - the flop, turn and river.

Flop

This round of betting begins at the end of preflop. Three community cards are laid out on the table, which are called the flop (from the English "flop"). As you can see in the photo above, community cards are located in the middle of the table and are available for everyone to view.

All players can use these cards to compose their combination, but they cannot be taken into their hand or exchanged for cards on the flop - they are available to all players who continue to fight in the distribution.

Unlike preflop, flop bets start with the first active player to the left of the button. For example, it could be a player in the small blind, if he did not fold his cards preflop. The last action on the flop is the button.

Players have the same actions as on preflop, with one exception - if no one has made a bet before, then the player can check and pass the move to the next player without putting anything in the bank.

After all the players have said their word, all bets made are added to the current pot.

Thorn

After the flop has ended, the fourth community card is laid out (dealt) on the table - the turn (from the English "turn"), which is also used by all players to compose their combinations.

Another round of betting takes place, following the same pattern as on the flop. It starts with the first active player clockwise to the left of the player on the button.

The four face-up cards on the table already provide enough information for the players to make decisions and assess their chances of winning.

River

After the end of trading on the turn, the fifth and last card - the river (from the English "river") is laid out on the table. After opening the river card, the players analyze the final combinations they have collected and conduct the final round of betting.

The betting round begins again with the first player clockwise to the left of the button, and the same betting rules apply as on the flop and turn.

All the money deposited by the players into the bank is added to the current bank, and the game goes to the final stage.

Showdown according to the rules of Texas Hold'em

According to the rules of poker, players who equalize all bets on the previous streets take part in the last round of the game - the showdown. It is here that the winner is determined, who takes the pot. All players show their combinations.

The strongest five-card combination (hand) wins, which the player makes out of all cards available to him. In other words, to compose your combination, you can use all five community cards, or one of your own cards and four community cards, or two pocket cards and three table cards.

Important! the winning combination is always determined by five cards

If, on four cards, two players have the same combination, the so-called Kicker Is the highest unpaired card.

For example, if the players have and on the table, then the combination that is higher than the opponent's five-card hand with a queen wins.

If the combinations and kickers completely coincide, then the pot is divided equally between the players.

An example of such a situation is a board when two players show and, respectively - in this case, their common combination is two pair on aces and tens with the king as the kicker.

There are also situations when the game does not come to showdown. This happens when a player bets or raises on one of the streets, but none of his opponents dares to call. In this case, the player who made the last bet takes the pot and his cards he may not show.

Showdown order

The detailed rules of poker very accurately schedule the sequence of moves, which allows you to avoid any controversial situations and there are also a number of principles for the sequence of showing cards.

If there are several players left in the game, the player who made the last bet opens his cards first. If there were no bets on the river, then the first player who is clockwise from the button first shows his hand.

These rules are often confusing for beginner poker players, but when playing online poker you should not worry about it, as the order will be clearly calculated for you. When playing live, you can rely on the dealer or listen to the most experienced player. At the same time, some rooms may deviate from the complete rules and actually show cards to both players at the same time. In this case, often the opponents' cards can also be viewed after the deal in hand histories.

After the pot is handed over to the winning player in the hand, the next hand begins. The dealer's button (button) moves to the next player clockwise, the blinds are posted, new hole cards are dealt, and new trading for the pot begins.

The easiest way for beginners to learn how to play poker is to print out the beginner's poker rules and then play poker for free in one of the poker rooms... After you play a few hands, the rules will become much clearer for you, and all poker rooms allow you to practice your poker skills at the tables at " conditional money»As much as you want - you have there is no obligation to play for real money.

In a few hours of playing this guide, you will immediately go from beginner to experienced player. In addition, on the Internet you can find poker rules for beginners in pictures and with videos, which is very convenient for the perception of information for the first time. Also, the rules of poker for beginners with pictures can be printed out - this will help you quickly navigate the materials when playing. Some poker rooms even have special tables for beginners, and entire sections of the poker sites are devoted to learning how to play poker.

Poker combinations for beginners

In this section, you will find out which hands win in poker, in order from highest to lowest.

Royal Flush- T, J, Q, K, A are all the same suit.

Street Flush- Five cards in a row of the same suit, but without Ace.

Square- Four cards of the same rank, for example, KKKK.

Full house- Three cards of the same rank plus a pair, for example, KKKAA.

Flush- Five cards of the same suit, but not in a row.

Straight- Five cards in a row, for example 56789.

Troika- Three cards of the same rank, for example, KKK.

Two pairs- Two pairs, for example, KKAA.

One pair- Any two cards of the same rank, for example, KK.

High card- If none of the players has one of the above combinations, then the highest card wins (Ace is the highest, and then in descending order).

Note: Beginners are sometimes confused as to whether the ace counts as the lowest card (ie, “1”) or the highest card (ie, as “11”). Ace can count as a high card or a low card for straights, but not both. For example, A2345 and AKQJT are straights, but 23AKQ is not. Beginners also often overestimate the power of one ace - having one ace in your starting hand is not uncommon, so don't make the common mistake of all beginners by playing every hand with an ace. Read below for more information on starting hands for beginner poker players.

Classic poker betting rules for beginners

Most types of poker can be played with limit bets, pot-limit bets and unlimited bets... Playing with limit rates the amount you can wager at any time is predetermined, and you cannot bet more or less than this amount... The rate usually doubles when a certain range of rates is reached. For example, in a $ 1 / $ 2 game of Limit Texas Hold'em, the amount you can bet when you first see your cards is $ 1. The amount you can bet after you see the next three cards (the “flop”) is also $ 1. But the amount you can (and should) bet after the fourth card (the turn) is $ 2, and the amount you can (and should) bet after the fifth card (the river) is also $ 2.

Playing with pot limit the amount you can bet, equal to the amount of money in the bank and thus the pot gets bigger, so the amount you can bet increases. For example, if there is $ 1 in the pot, then you can bet up to a maximum of $ 1, but if there is $ 20 in the pot, then you can bet up to $ 20, and so on.

V no limit game you can bet as many chips How much do you have, at any stage of distribution.

Poker Action Options for Beginners

• Fold: stop participating in the distribution and lose all money already deposited in the bank.
• Receipt: do not place a bet, but reserve the right to remain in the hand. You can only check if none of your opponents have bet yet.
• Beth: put money in the bank. The amount you can bet depends on the rules for betting in the game.
• Call: Equation of a bet placed by another player (or players) to stay in the hand.
• Raise: put extra money in the pot on top of the amount needed to "call".

Texas Hold'em rules for beginners

One player is the dealer and the two players to the left of the dealer place forced bets of the agreed amount called “ small blind" and " big blind"(The small blind is usually half the size of the big blind).

For every player two cards are dealt face down (their name - " hole cards" or " starting hand») And the betting round begins. Then three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table (" flop") And all players can use these three "common" cards with your hole cards to make the best five card hand. Bets continue and two more community cards are dealt face up (" turn" and " the river») With a round of bets after each of them.

The last player to place a bet that no one has called or the player with the best five-card hand the pot wins... Players can use both, one or none of your hole cards to collect their final hand, and if several players collect the same combination, then the pot is divided between them.

Starting hands for beginners

Many newbies at first playing too many hands... Get used to it fold everything but the best hands and play with these hands aggressively- A classic mistake newbies to poker make is calling with strong hands rather than raising. Here is a list of the best hands in Texas Hold'em - the most popular version of poker for beginners.

• High pairs: AA, KK, QQ, JJ;
• Two high rank cards: AK (especially strong hand), AQ, AJ, AT (suited best);
• Middle pairs: TT, 99, 88, 77, 66 - Be prepared to fold this hand if you miss a set on the flop or if there are overcards.
• Little couples: Pairs below sixes can be played if you can see the flop cheap - if there is a lot of action preflop then fold those hands.
• Suited connectors: For example, JT suited are only worth playing from late position, and only if you can see the flop cheaply. Novice poker players often overestimate the value of suited cards - this is a really good hand when the right suit comes in, but it doesn't happen as often as many beginners think. Having a suited ace is preferable because if you hit a flush, you have the largest possible flush. A lot of newbies lose big money by making the second best flush!

Omaha Poker Rules for Dummies

The rules of Omaha are very similar to those of Texas Hold'em, except that in Omaha each player is dealt four hole cards(face down) instead of two. Bets are placed in the same way as in Texas Hold'em. One significant difference between these two varieties of poker is that in Omaha you must use two and only two of your four hole cards to make a combination.

Seven Card Stud Poker Rules for Dummies

Each player pays the agreed ante and gets two cards face down and one card face up(the latter is called “ by door card"). This is followed by a round of betting, in which the player with the lowest door card is forced to open “ bring-in rate»(The agreed amount, which is less than the ante). The other players on the left can then add to the full bet. After the first round is completed, it follows three more rounds: All players who are still active are dealt face up cards, then the last card face down. After each card is dealt, a new round of betting follows. In all rounds after the first, the player with the highest open card begins to place bets.

Too hard? It will become clearer if you play several hands - just play poker for free in one of the poker rooms you can trust. Act out strong starting hands and play aggressively and you will immediately go from beginner to experienced player.

The best poker rooms for beginners

PartyPoker Is the perfect choice for newbies as they have created special poker tables for beginners that only new players can play (for real money). You can play at these tables within 45 days after making your first deposit at PartyPoker - after 45 days you are no longer considered a rookie and therefore will no longer be able to play at the rookie tables (you will have to join the big boys at the main tables). Betting levels at the beginner tables fluctuate $ 0.02 to $ 0.50... To play, simply create a real money account at PartyPoker, then in the lobby select the “ Real money", then - " Beginners". After that, all available tables for beginners will be displayed - just click on the table you want to sit at and then click on an empty seat at the table.

Another good choice is Bet365 Poker... This may seem strange, since this poker room is one of the few who does not offer play money tables... However, the reason this room is a good choice is simple - they have one of the most generous deposit bonuses which means that as you learn to play poker, you can play with Bet365's money rather than your own. You can also add very small amounts of money to start the game. While the Bet 365 tables seem too aggressive for a beginner, your opponents may tend to play loose and sloppy poker, which is great for those players who are willing to be patient and only play with strong starting hands. Discipline and playing with only strong hands is a key factor in teaching newbies..