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Play Free Poker For Fun or Profit:
 Learn rules of poker. Hands, tips, odds, Texas Holdem rules. The reason that it's so popular is that unlike most other forms of gambling, if you are a skillful player you can make money playing poker. Most other gaming bets have a built-in percentage, leaving you little chance of winning long term. There is also the ego factor with poker as you pit your intellect and skill against other players, not against a large corporation.
Why is poker such a booming business right now? Because anybody can learn to play, play it well, and do it as cheaply as they want to. It’s fun for anybody that wants to play. The pros have always played the game and always will, that will never change. But what makes prize pools of millions are the ordinary, everyday people that are able to enter the tournaments because they love to play the game.
Where do I begin?
If you have never played before we recommend you first purchase a book or DVD and study it. Alternatively sign up for an internet game that offers free play so that you grasp the mechanics and dynamics of the game before spending real money.
POKER HAND RANKINGS:
Royal Flush: T, J, Q, K, A all of the same suit.
Straight Flush: Five cards in a row all of the same suit, but not Ace high.
Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank e.g. KKKK.
Full House: Three cards of the same rank plus a pair e.g. KKKAA.
Straight: Five cards in a row e.g. 5,6,7,8,9.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, but not in a row.
Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank e.g. KKK.
Two pair: Two pairs e.g. KKAA.
One pair: Any two cards of the same rank e.g. KK.
High card: If no-one has anything, the highest card wins – aces count high. Back to Top
BETTING OPTIONS:
FOLD: end participation in the hand and forfeit any money already put into the pot.
CHECK: make no bet, but reserve the right to stay in the hand. (You can only check if no-one else has already bet).
BET: put money into the pot. (The amount you can bet varies depending on the betting rules of the game).
CALL: match a bet made by another player (or players) in order to stay in the hand
RAISE: put extra money into the pot beyond the amount needed to "call". Back to Top
POKER ODDS:
Odds of being dealt any particular hand in 5 cards:
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Royal Flush: 0.0015 %
Straight Flush: 0.0015%
Four Of A Kind: 0.02%
Full House : 0.14%
Flush: 0.196%
Straight: 0.39%
Three Of A Kind: 2.13%
Two Pair: 4.75%
One Pair: 42.2%
Nothing (High Card only) : 50.1%
Hand Ranking (Best to Worst)
Straight Flush (1,2,3,4,5 and all the same suit)
4 of a Kind
Full House (3 of a kind and a pair)
Flush (all the same suit)
Straight (1,2,3,4,5)
3 of a Kind
2 Pair
1 Pair
High Card
Chip Values
Red 10
Blue 30
Green 50
Black 100
Poker Strategy |
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Master the four critical skills of poker
1. Math Skills
2. Discipline
3. Psychological Skills
4. Understanding Risk & Reward
#1. Math skills
Good poker players know general percentages. They know that you have about 1 in 8 chance of hitting a set when holding a pocket pair, and that you have about a 1 in 3 chance of completing a flush draw at the flop.
They know the importance of 'outs.' Outs are simply the number of cards that will improve your hand. Count your outs, multiply them by two, and add two, and that's roughly the percentage shot you have at hitting.
They can figure out the 'pot odds'. Knowing outs is meaningless unless it's translated into rational, calculated betting. Knowing you have a 20% chance of hitting, what do you do then? Well, simply once you figure out your chance of hitting/winning, you divide the size of the pot at the river (i.e. the current pot plus the amount of money that you think will be added through future bets) by the amount you have to put in. If you have a 20% chance of hitting and the bet to you is 50, if the pot at the river will be greater than 250, call. If not, fold. Math skills are the most basic knowledge. Read a book about pot odds, implied odds, etc. That's day one reading. Anyone who doesn't understand these concepts should not play in a game until they do.
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#2. Discipline
Good poker players demand an advantage. What separates a winning poker player from a fish is that a fish does not expect to win, while a poker player does. A fish is happy playing craps, roulette, the slots; he just hopes to get lucky. A poker player does not hope to get lucky; he just hopes others don't get lucky.
Good poker players understand that a different game requires a different discipline. A disciplined no limit player can be a foolish limit player and vice versa. A disciplined limit player is always very tight preflop. He or she will not play too many hands, only the ones that have a very good chance at winning.
However, a disciplined no limit player is VERY different. This player is not so concerned with paying too many blinds; instead, he or she does not want to get trapped. The main difference between a disciplined limit and no limit player is that the limit player avoids piddling away his stack bit by bit while a disciplined no limit player avoids losing his whole stack in one hand. Hence, a disciplined no limit player can play a lot of hands. Preflop, he or she can be as loose as 'that' girl in high school. However, a good no limit player knows when to toss hands that will get him or her in trouble.
A disciplined player knows when to play and when to quit. He recognizes when he is on tilt and is aware when a game is too juicy to just quit while ahead.
A disciplined player knows that he is not perfect. When a disciplined player makes a mistake, he learns. He does not blame others. He learns from the mistake and moves on.
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#3. Psychological Skills
A good player is not a self-centered player. When a poker pro walks into a poker room, he always empathizes with his opponents. He tries to think what they think and understand the decisions they make and why they make them. The poker pro always tries to have an answer to these questions:
a- what does my foe have
b- what does my foe think I have
c- what does my foe think I think he has
Knowing the answer to these questions is the first step, manipulating the answers is the second and more important step. If you have a pair of kings and your foe has a pair of aces, and you both know what each other have and both know that you each know what the other has, why play a game of poker? A poker pro manipulates the latter two answers by slowplaying, fastplaying, and bluffing in order to throw his opponent off.
Good poker players know that psychology is much, much, much more important in a no limit game than in a limit one. Limit games often turn into math battles, while no limit games carry a strong psychology component. Back to Top
#4. A Clear Understanding of Risk-vs-Reward
Pot odds and demanding an advantage fall into this category. Poker players are willing to take a long shot risk if the reward is high enough, but only if the expected return is higher than the risk.
More importantly, they understand the risk-vs-reward nature of the game outside of the actual poker room. They know how much bank they need to play, and how much money they need in reserve to cover other expenses in life.
Good poker players are fundamentally slightly risk-averse. Risk loving are perfectly happy risking their entire roll on an even odds bet, a risk-neutral person is indifferent towards it, and a very risk-averse person would never risk his whole roll. Thus, a good poker player is slightly risk averse because he demands a big enough advantage to not be considered 'risk-neutral,' but he tends to value every dollar in his roll equally. If you cannot afford to lose your entire roll, you should not be playing with that much money.
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Starting Hands
The first thing you must understand when you play Texas Holdem is which hands are good and which are bad. Though it depends on the number of people in the game and the type, here is a general guide to use when you are just starting out but want to be a winning player at the lower limits. I suggest starting out at a fixed limit of $1-2 or lower.
Hands to Raise with:
These are 'premium hands' that you want to jam the pot with preflop:
AA, KK, QQ, AK, JJ, AQ, 1010
Hands to call with:
You want to see the flop with these hands and then decide. Do not call three bets with these hands, call only one or two. AJ, KQ, QJ, J10, 109 (only if of same suit),99, 88, 77, Ax (same suit)
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Pot Odds
Once you hit the flop, you should use pot odds to decide your next action. When you hit the flop, either you will be winning or hopefully winning (with a made hand) or you want cards to improve your hand (you are drawing). If you have a made hand, you should bet and raise. You want to win the pot now because more cards can only help your opposition. An example of a made hand is if you hold AK and the board is KJ4.
If you do not have a made hand, you are drawing. You must use 'pot odds' to determine if you should call or fold. First, you must count the number of outs you have. An out is a card that will make your hand the best hand. For example, if your hand is KJ, and the board is Q 10 7, then your outs are 4 Aces and 4 9's, or 8 outs total. To calculate your percentage of hitting an out, you take the # of outs X 2 + 2. Once you figure out this number, you multiply it by the pot to see what the maximum bet is that you can call. For example, if you have 6 outs (6 cards will help you), you have about a 14% chance of hitting. If the pot is 100 and you must call 10, you should call b/c you can call up to $14 (.14 X 100) but the cost is only $10. However, if the bet to you was $20, you should fold Because that would require a 20% chance of hitting.
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Deception
Bluffing and Slowplaying are two deceptive techniques you should employ.
Bluffing
Contrary to popular belief, bluffing is almost useless in a low limit game (anything less than $2-4). Rarely will people not call to a showdown, so there is no point in scaring people out of the pot. I suggest waiting to bluff until you play at a higher limit. When you play at a higher limit, it's best to bluff when you 'represent' something and there are only one or two opponents in the pot. For example, betting at the flop with a high card on the board 'represents' a pair, raising when a flush is possible 'represents' the flush.
Slowplaying
Slowplaying means deceiving your opponents into thinking you have less of a hand then you do. For example, suppose you hold KK. The flop comes K33, so you flopped a full house! There is no need to scare people out of the pot because there is little chance of someone drawing out on you. Thus, you should wait to the turn or maybe even river to jam the pot with bets and raises. You should slowplay if two conditions are met:
1. You hold a whopper and there is almost no chance of someone drawing on you
2. You will only get action if some other cards come out that will improve your opponents' hands, but these cards are not good enough to make these hands beat yours. Back to Top
Poker Tips
This collection of poker tips was put together by Mike Sexton (host of PartyPoker.com and commentator for the World Poker Tour), and Linda Johnson (a noted poker player and personality).
Pay attention
Watch who's playing in an aggressive or loose way and who's playing tight, try to play the loose players and avoid the tight players, unless you've got a strong hand.
Watch the chips
Always be aware of everyone's chip count. Know who has more chips than you and play more carefully against them - a mistake could knock you out. It's usually better to play pots with players who have fewer chips than you do.
No match
If your cards don't match any of the community cards, throw your hand away when someone else bets.
Ace in the hand
Don't play every time you have an ace in your hand. However, play an ace if it's accompanied by a card of the same suit or by a 10 or higher.
Hands to stay with before the flop
Play with pairs (7-7, 9-9), two face cards (K-Q, Q-J), or hands that can make both a straight and a flush (8-9, 6-7 of the same suit). Be patient and fold other hands, unless you're in the blind.
Good hand? Bet strong
In no-limit Texas Hold'em, players can bet all of their chips at any time, so bet aggressively when you have a good hand.
Watch and wait
Play fewer hands when you're one of the first players to act, because you'll be 'out of position' and vulnerable to raises from the remaining players.
Wait your turn
Do not act until it is your turn; play proceeds clockwise at the poker table.
Be a 'bettor,' not a 'caller'
Being aggressive is good.
Call their bluff
If someone raises in a late position (near or on the button), re-raise them a good amount if you are on the blind. Chances are, they don't have a big hand and they're just trying to steal your blinds. (This style of play, known as going 'over the top', is probably the strongest play one can make in no-limit Texas Hold'em.)
Be patient
The biggest mistake most players make is to act too quickly. When you're making an important decision pause to think about how the betting has gone and what your opponent might have. Take your time.
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Texas Holdem Rules
In Poker, just like life, there are winners and losers. Poker Wingman gives you the edge to be a winner at Texas Holdem - life is up to you. Whether you're playing for bragging rights or beer money, poker will test your skills and strategic abilities.
Holdem in a Nutshell
There are two kinds of Texas Holdem – Limit or No Limit. Limit games have a maximum bet for each hand, and in No Limit games a player can bet all their chips on the table in one hand (go ALL IN). Hold’em can be played with 2-10 people. Most online games have 6, 9, or 10 player tables.
To start the game, the deck is shuffled, the blinds are posted and each player is dealt two cards face down, his hole cards. Then, five 'community' cards are dealt in the middle of the table, in a sequence of 3 cards (Flop), then 1 card (Turn), then the last card (River). All players can use the community cards. The winner has the best 5 card hand, made from their hole cards and/or the community cards.
Wanna bet? Holdem is split into four rounds of betting; pre-Flop, on the Flop, the Turn and the River. The betting moves clockwise around the table, starting from the player position next to the dealer button, which moves one place to the left after each hand. In online games, the dealer button replaces the 'real' dealer. In each round of betting, the players must decide to check, fold, call, or raise. After the final round of betting, if there is more than one player left in the game, there is a showdown in which the players reveal their cards and the highest hand wins. If two players share an identical hand, the pot is split.
The Details on Texas Holdem
The Blinds
Before the hand starts, the two players sitting to the left of the dealer post 'blind' bets. These are called blinds because they are made before the players have seen any cards. The blinds ensure that there is some money in the pot to play for as the game starts. The player to the left of the dealer posts the 'small blind', and the player positioned to his left then posts the 'big blind'. The small blind is usually half the size of the big blind. Feeling burned about the blinds? Shake it off, everyone takes a turn.
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The Hole Cards
The hand starts with players each receiving two 'hole' cards that only they can see and use. There is a first round of betting, called the pre-flop, where you decide whether to play your hand or fold your cards.
The Pre-Flop
At this point you have not seen the community cards, so your decision is based solely on your hole cards:
CHECK - If there is no wager on the current betting round, you may check. The act of checking passes the action to the next poker player immediately on your left. A check does not forfeit your interest in the pot, it's like a pass to defer your move. If all players check during a round of betting, the round is considered complete.
BET - If there is no wager on the current betting round, you can bet. If you bet, the action moves immediately to your left and any subsequent poker players may fold, raise, or call.
FOLD - When you fold, you're out of that hand. You're still in the game, but you give up any money you put in the pot on that hand. Simple.
CALL - If there has been a wager on the current round of poker play, you can call. Calling means you're gonna match the bet made by your opponent, but you're not going to increase the number of chips.
RAISE - If there has been a wager on the current betting round, you can raise. Raising means you're gonna match the current bet, and make a higher one. All subsequent players are required to call the raise or raise again ("re-raise") to maintain interest in the pot. Feeling nervous about when to raise? That's why you need Poker Wingman!
Experienced poker players fold 75% of their hands at the pre-flop.
When the betting resumes, the player who made the big blind (the first full bet), can 'check' or opt to stay in the game without adding anything to the pot. However, if an opponent has raised, the big blind has three options: he has to either fold, call, or re-raise. This first round of betting is limited to one bet and three raises.
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The Flop
The Flop is where your poker strategy comes into play. Three community cards are dealt face up on the table, and you can combine these cards with your hole cards to make the best possible poker hand. A second round of betting occurs, where you decide to fold, call or raise. In Limit games this second round of betting is the last round at the lower limit. After this round all bets and raises will be at the higher limit.
The Turn
After the Flop action is complete, a fourth card, the Turn is dealt face up on the table. The Turn is another community card that you can combine in any way with your hole cards. A third round of betting follows, which is at the higher limit in Limit games.
The River
When the action on the Turn is complete, the last community card, "the River card', is dealt face-up, and the final round of betting begins. This round of betting is limited to one bet and three raises.
The Showdown
The moment of truth. When the action is complete, the pot is awarded to the best five card poker hand. If there is more than one player left in the game, there is a showdown in which the players reveal their cards and the highest hand wins. If two players share an identical hand, the pot is split.
The pot goes to the winner, the dealer button is moved one position in a clockwise direction, the blinds are posted, and another hand begins.
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Holdem Starting Hands Guide
The best starting hands in Hold Em :
Pairs : AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88
Big suited cards: AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, KQs, KJs, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs
Big unsuited cards*: AK, AQ, AJ, AT, KQ
* AK plays well in all hold em games, the rest play much better at Limit Hold Em than No Limit / Pot Limit.
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