How to play Poker: the essential rules, hands, and betting terms

Summary:

• Online Poker provides a digital platform to enjoy the classic card game from anywhere.

  Whether a beginner or experienced player, understanding hand rankings and betting terms is crucial for success.

  Players receive cards, make decisions, and reveal hands in a round of online Poker.

• Online Poker offers a virtual gaming experience with hand rankings, betting terms, and round structure to master.

Online Poker is one of the most popular online casino games, offering a way to try your chances at a classic card format without visiting a physical venue.

Whether you’re familiar with Poker already or trying it for the first time, here’s what you need to know before you sit at a digital table.

What is online Poker?

Online Poker is a digital version of the classic card game, offered on licensed platforms. Instead of sitting in a physical room, you join a virtual table where the software deals the cards, manages the action and shows you when it’s your turn.

You make the same decisions you would in person, but through on-screen buttons rather than physical chips. Your cards and other players’ actions are displayed on screen, and the game moves at a steady pace.

Online Poker is accessible at any time and comes in a range of formats. Some prefer slower, more relaxed tables, while others choose faster versions. The core rules and play remain the same as the traditional game.

Poker hand rankings explained

In Poker, hands are ranked from lowest to highest. Here’s the order:

• Royal flush – Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 all in the same suit. This is the strongest hand in most formats.
• Straight flush – Five cards in a row, all in the same suit (like 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack of hearts).
• Four of a kind – Four cards of the same value, plus one extra card (the “kicker”).
• Full house – Three cards of the same value and another pair (three 9s and two 4s).
• Flush – Five cards of the same suit, in any order.
• Straight – Five cards in a row, but in different suits.
• Three of a kind – Three cards of the same value, along with two unrelated cards.
• Two pair – Two different pairs plus one extra card (two 6s, two Jacks and a spare card).
• One pair – Two cards of the same value, plus three other unrelated cards.
• High card – When you don’t have any of the above combinations, your strongest card decides the hand (Ace-high, King-high, etc.).

How a round works

A typical round follows this pattern:

1. You receive your cards – Depending on the Poker type, you’ll get two cards or more in other formats.
2. Community cards may be dealt – Some versions place shared cards in the middle of the table. Everyone can use these to build their best hand.
3. You choose how to act – You can fold, check or bet using the buttons on screen. The game moves around the table, giving each player a turn.
4. The final hands are revealed – When all betting is complete, remaining players show their cards and the software identifies the winner.

The main betting terms

• Fold – You stop playing this hand. You give up your cards and can’t win the pot.
• Check – You stay in the hand without putting in more chips, but only if no one else has bet yet.
• Bet – You place chips into the pot when no one else has acted yet in that round.
• Call – Someone has made a bet, and you match their amount to stay in the hand.
• Raise – Someone has bet, and you choose to increase the amount. Other players must then decide whether to fold, call or raise again.
• All in – You put all your remaining chips into the pot. You can’t bet any further, but you stay in the hand until the end.