Beginners guide to live poker

Beginners guide to live poker

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Poker is one of the classics when it comes to both card games and casinos

Beginners guide to live poker


Poker is one of the classics when it comes to both card games and casinos. The term actually consists of a number of card games with similar rules. Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular forms of poker where the players wager over which hand is the best according to the game’s rules.

Poker is also played on machines, similar to slot machines. This is called video poker where you can insert money and place bets on the machine. The game is played like a regular poker game and became increasingly popular in casinos in the 80s. New players found this machine less intimidating than the “real deal”, where you play with other people and a dealer on a poker table.

Poker hands


The rules of poker are not that complicated, but it is your tactic and strategies that will make you a good poker player. As mention earlier, there are several poker-like games where the goal is the same; to play the best poker hand. A poker hand is a set combination of your five cards, there are several combinations that all have a matching score. Here is a ranking of poker hands from best to worst:

  • Royal flush
  • Straight flush
  • Four of a kind
  • Full house
  • Flush
  • Straight
  • Three of a kind
  • Two pairs
  • One pair
  • High card


    How to play poker


    The game starts when each player is dealt two cards each, in addition, up to five open cards are laid out on the table during the game. Each player must choose five of the cards, this can be either from the hand or from the table. The goal is to make the best poker hand, to win. Since there are only five cards on the table, these can be used by several players at the same time.

    After you draw five cards to your poker hand, the rest of the cards are irrelevant. For example, you can use one of the cards you have on hand and four of the cards on the table, then the last card on your hand and the last one on the table are insignificant to you. These cards cannot be used to determine equal poker hands.

    Professional and amateur poker


    Live poker on machines is a good start for new players that want to try to play in a casino. It will give you a sense of what the game is all about and can be an exciting way of playing. This might prepare you for some game scenarios that may occur on the table games. The game is also played in world championships and professional leagues, where the best players meet for hours on hours of playing. This is where poker moves from being a game, to a professional “sport”, and the championships are known for being intense and with a nice money prize for the winners.

    A professional tournament like this might be far from your playing level, but starting small on a live poker machine, could be the way to go.