Your Ultimate Guide to Playing Online Poker 2023

Now, we briefly discuss the history of poker. These days, most people associate poker with the game of Texas Hold’em which remains the most popular poker game both online and offline. When it comes to the history of poker, we have to go back to the 1700s when one of the earliest versions of poker was played. There is also strong evidence that the game of poker in its different variations was popular among ancient Chinese and Persians. What we know for sure is that the game of poker was called Poque before becoming Poker.

When it comes to all other casino games, most of them were introduced to the United States by European settlers and the same is true for the iconic game of poker. More specifically, the game of poker found its way to the USA back in the 1860s when it was brought by French travelers. Shortly after, new versions of poker were introduced, including Stud and Draw Poker.

At the turn of the 20th century, Robstown in Texas introduces the popular variation of Texas Hold 'em. The game, however, lacked a fan base for close to fifty years. The game was finally given fresh life in Las Vegas when in the late 1960s when many iconic Las Vegas land-based casinos opened their doors and included Texas Hold’em tables in their gaming lobbies. A couple of years later, Dune Casino in Las Vegas organized the first Texas Hold 'em competition. This is what skyrocketed the game’s popularity which persists today.

With the growing popularity of Texas Hold’em, the Binion brothers decided to organize their own poker event after acquiring Gambling Fraternity Convention. This will eventually become the World Series of Poker, the biggest poker event. Thanks to the rise of online casinos, the game of poker skyrocketed in popularity once again and today, online casinos offer quite a few different online poker variants.

Turn: In the dealing order, the turn is the fourth community card.

Trips: Having a combo or Three of Kind, such as having three Jacks or three fours.

Round of Betting: Whenever a new betting round starts, players get to decide on their move, they can fold, call, raise, or check.

Royal Flush: Royal Flush is the strongest poker hand and it consists of an Ace combined with a Queen, King, Tens of Spades, and Jack.

Straight: Having a poker hand with five successive cards, such as having a four, three, two, one, and Ace.

River: River is the last community card in the dealing order.

Rake: Rake refers to a commission taken by the house from each pot.

Pot: Pot refers to potential winnings at stake.

Pair: Having two cards of the same value, such as having two fours or two fives.

Hole Cards: Cards dealt facing down visible only to players.

Flop: Flop refers to the first three community cards dealt.

Flush: Having a poker hand with five cards of the same suit.

Community Cards: Community cards are available to all players and they are always placed at the table facing up.

Buy-In: Buy-in refers to the minimum amount of chips you need to invest in order to play.

Bluff: Bluff refers to tricking other players into believing you have a strong poker hand when in reality, your hand is probably among the weakest. The main goal of bluffing is to make other players fold.

Blinds: Blinds are small and big and both are compulsory wagers that have to be made. The player sitting next to the croupier on the left side must place a small blind, while the player sitting two places on the left side from the dealer must place a big blind.

Now, we examine the game’s rules. Every poker gaming round starts when the croupier shuffles the deck in use and all poker games use a fifty-two-card deck. When it comes to playing big blinds or the lowest bet, it is placed by the player seated two places from the dealer on the left side. Small blinds are generally half of the big blind and they are placed by the player sitting right next to the croupier also on the left side. Once blinds have been placed, all players get two cards.

The gaming round starts with the participant who placed the big blind or the person seated next to the dealer on the left side. Players have a couple of options. They can increase the stake or make a call and match the stake in the game. Players can also check if they have reached the maximum bet. Players can also fold and quit the gaming round if they do not have strong cards.

Once all players have made their decision, the flop is dealt or three community cards. The fourth community card or Turn is dealt the following gaming round and the next betting round starts. The last community card or River is then dealt before all players who are still in the game show their cards. The winning player is the one with the strongest five-card hand. Below, you will find all of the poker hands starting from the weakest to the strongest.

High Card: If you do not have at least a Pair or higher, you have a High Card. If nobody has a Pair or higher, the player with the strongest high card wins.

Pair: Having two cards of the same value.

Two Pairs: Having two Pairs with one odd card.

Three of a Kind: Having three cards that have the same value and two odd cards.

Straight: Having five successive cards that do not share the same suit.

Flush: Having five cards that have the same suit.

Full House: Having three same cards with two odd cards.

Four of a Kind: Having four cards of the same value and one odd card.

Straight Flush: Having five successive cards that have the same suit.

Royal Flush: Having Straight Flush made of higher cards, Aces, and higher.

More experienced poker players understand the importance of incorporating certain winning strategies to boost their winning odds. In order to help you out, we have a couple of easy-to-understand tips and tricks for you featured down below which could easily improve your winning odds. 

HORSE May Not Be the Best Option for New Players

What makes the poker game called HORSE very exciting is the fact that it combines multiple different games. With this being said, you cannot be good at playing HORSE if you are not familiar with a couple of different poker games, including Seven Card Stud, Fixed Limit Omaha, Fixed Limit Hold’em, Razz or Seven Card Stud Low and Seven Card Stud. Essentially, HORSE is not the best option for beginner players. 

Understand Your Payout Potential

Having a winning hand does not guarantee a payout and this is true no matter which poker game you play. This is why it is important that you understand your payout potential on different qualifying hands and how your payout potential can fluctuate based on what the dealer has. 

Having One Winning Hand is Not Always Enough

You also need to understand that having one winning hand may not be enough, depending on which poker game you play. For instance, in Pai Gow poker, you need to have two winning hands or two hands that beat the croupier’s hands. 

Know When You Should Raise

It is also important that you understand when to raise and when to fold. Most professional and more experienced poker players who play Caribbean Stud Poker recommend you raise the stake whenever you have a Pair or anything stronger. If you do not have at least a Pair, consider folding. 

Test Different Winning Strategies

To become a better poker player, you also want to test different winning strategies. In other words, you want to invest some time into exploring and testing different poker-winning strategies. With the right winning strategy, you can increase your winning odds every time. 

Know the Payouts Associated with Each Winning Hand

You also want to invest some time into familiarizing yourself with the payouts associated with each winning hand. Also, keep in mind that scoring wins on your lower-paying hands can sometimes generate more profits in the long run than scoring big wins not so frequently. 

Learn the Difference Between Having a Strong and Weak Hand

No matter which poker game you play, knowing the difference between weak and strong hands always goes a long way. Sometimes, the best route to take is to quit and start playing again if your hand does not have high winning odds.