Correct poker. Rules of the game of poker. Letter designations of card suits in online poker

In this article we will try to cover a sufficient amount of information and present it as clearly as possible, for easy comprehension by a beginner.

So how do you learn to play poker?! But let's see what we have prepared:

  1. Poker terminology;
  2. Names of positions at the table;
  3. How the game proceeds;
  4. The goal of poker is to form a pot;
  5. Combinations collected in poker;
  6. Last instructions.

For everyone who will try to argue with us, I would like to present you with a fact in advance - This is an article on “How to learn to play poker from scratch”, not “How to become a professional from scratch”. I mean that this is not everything that can be found about poker, but it is enough to learn how to play poker from scratch on your own.

Poker terminology

How does the distribution proceed?

How can one learn to play poker from scratch without knowing how the hand plays out?! Of course not, so short review distribution, read below;).

The hand begins with setting the blinds. They are placed by SB and BB, they sit to the left of the button. Next, the dealer distributes one card (up to two) starting from MB. There are only seven cards in the game. Two hidden ones are player cards. The five open ones are common. Everyone can use them to create combinations. After four stages of bidding, a showdown occurs and players find out whose cards are stronger.

The goal of poker is to form a bank.

The goal of poker is to win the pot. In order to achieve this goal, you should know how a bank is formed. The initial formation consists of setting blinds, those very blind bets. Without them, a player starting trading would have no reason to do this. The bank is replenished at the end of each trading stage.

Poker combinations

You won't learn to play poker from scratch on your own, or even with outside help, if you don't memorize these poker combinations :

You see, nothing complicated. No more difficult than learning the multiplication table;).

Final instructions

Answering the main question of how to learn to play poker, I would like to say that all methods are, in principle, good. But the question should be asked - why are you learning to play? If for yourself, then just read this article, several books and look at the free waters offered on this site. If you decide to make money from poker, you should invest some money in your training, still read the articles on your own, attend group courses or hire a coach right away. The history of success shows that you can do it on your own, but any successful poker player will tell you that it would be much faster with a coach.

Any training begins with the basics, the basics, or, in our case, the rules of the game. The rules of poker for beginners often seem unnecessarily complex and require a lot of time to learn.

In reality everything is much simpler. Nobody learns the rules of poker from books and chaotic explanations from friends. Full-fledged interactive materials, equipped with images, videos and full explanations not only of each element of the rules, but also of the game situations in which they are applicable or unacceptable.

The games offered by casinos and poker rooms are derivatives of the original games and the basic rules of poker, such as Hold'em, are also present in other games such as Omaha. It becomes clear that having studied the key points of the original game for the remaining varieties, it is enough to focus on distinctive features and the rules of poker for each specific game will become much clearer.

Key rules of playing poker

These include, which are the same for all its varieties. Texas Hold'em, Caribbean Poker or Painted Poker have the goal of collecting the strongest possible combination in the showdown, with 10 key combinations for each game.

Actions at the table . They are subject to rules and depend on the type of game. Here you can highlight the key rules, for example, the distribution is made from left to right, one card at a time, the first card is demolished and the deck is covered from below.

Stages of distributions . Each game has a number of trades or exchanges governed by rules. There are no situations that are not described in the manual for a particular game.

Game situations and their solutions . It often happens that players make the same combinations, then their fate is decided by the kicker in games where the competition is between players or they win together if they are opposed to the establishment represented by the dealer.

Any traditional or familiar situation is governed by rules, designed to establish a common framework for the participants in the game.

When it comes to playing poker As a professional appearance, you can consider many patterns that make mastering even the most complex game quite simple.

Reaching heights in the senior divisions, tournaments and events are impossible without long-term practice and knowledge of all aspects of the game in all its manifestations, as well as studying the vision of poker, its rules, features and any little details from accomplished gurus.

We present to you the rules of poker for beginners, which will help you understand the general concepts and basic aspects most popular card game in the world.

Texas Hold'em uses a 52-card deck. From two to ten people can participate in the game at one table. The highest card is an ace and then in descending order to the lowest - a two. True, the ace, depending on the combination, can act either as the highest card or as the lowest.

Cards are dealt clockwise, two to each player face down. The remaining cards in the deck are used in the next 4 betting rounds.

Card combinations

Poker combinations are the first part for a successful game. There are exactly ten of them in total. Next, we will provide you with all the classic combinations that you need to know to continue playing:

  1. Flush Royal(Royal Flush) - five high cards of the same suit from Ace to Ten.
  2. Street Flush(Straight Flush) – five consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, 10-9-8-7-6 spades.
  3. Kare– four cards of the same value.
  4. Full House(Full House) - a combination consisting of three cards of the same value and two more cards of the same value. For example, K-K-K-2-2.
  5. Flush(Flush) – five cards of the same suit, regardless of their value.
  6. Street(Straight) - five cards in a row in ascending order, regardless of their suit.
  7. Set(three cards) – three cards of the same value.
  8. Two pairs– two pairs of cards of the same value.
  9. Pair– a pair of cards of the same value.
  10. High card– when all participants in the drawing do not have any combination, the player who has the highest card in his hand wins.
In all cases when two or more participants in the drawing have the same combination, the winner is determined by the seniority of all or the first cards.

Basic rules of the game during the draw

As the game progresses, you need to perform certain actions:

  • Check (skipping a move) – while there are no bets in the game yet, you can skip a move. The cards are not discarded. After you check, the next player takes the turn. If all players at the table check, the round ends and the pot remains unchanged.
  • Beth (first bid) – if no one has made a bet before you, you can make a bet. This means that players following you cannot exercise the right to check.
  • Fold (card reset) is a refusal to participate in the current drawing. The player who folds does not participate in the game until the next deal of cards.
  • Call (betting equation) – acceptance of a previously made beta.
  • Raise (increasing the bet already placed) - adding to the pot an amount greater than the amount of the bet someone made. If a player who previously bet wants to continue playing, he must either call or reraise.
  • Showdown (determination of the winner) - showing the cards of all opponents remaining in the game to determine the strongest combination.

Trading Rules

According to generally accepted Texas Hold'em poker rules, each hand consists of four rounds of betting:

After all players have received their cards (hands), the first round of betting begins. Each participant in the game must decide whether to continue or leave the fight for the pot, starting with the player sitting to the left of the big blind (the player setting the mandatory bet). Once all players have announced their decision, the next round begins.

The players who bet preflop remained in the game. Three community cards are revealed on the table, which each player can use to make a winning combination. Each remaining participant must again announce his decision in the same manner as preflop.

The third stage of trading in the distribution. A fourth appears on the table General Map. The remaining players again decide whether to bet or fold.

River - the final stage of trading

A fifth card is revealed on the table. The total pot, built from players' bets, will go to the player who collected the strongest combination, or who managed to eliminate the rest of the opponents from the drawing.

Mandatory rates

Bets are intended to speed up the pace of the game. They are the ones who, formally, encourage players to fight for the bank, because otherwise everyone will just sit and wait until a strong pocket pair arrives. In the rules of the No Limit Hold'em poker game, a special marker called the “button” is used to designate the nominal dealer in each hand.

  • Before the start of the game, the poker player who is first to the left of the button places a “small blind” (SB) - the first mandatory bet.
  • The player first to the left of the small blind bets "big blind"(BB), which is twice the size of the small blind. It should be remembered that the size of the blinds may differ from the size and betting structure of the tournament.
  • Dealer. A position at the gaming table, which conventionally designates the place of the person dealing the cards. The location of the big and small blinds is determined relative to this position. Typically, the dealer's position is represented by a chip with the letter D. After each hand played, the dealer's position moves clockwise. It is advantageous in that the poker player occupying its place is one of the last among the participants to make a decision.

Game formats

By rates:

  • . The most popular poker format. The size of bets here is not limited - do not want to. You can go all-in, betting your entire stack. Players can use any tactic, from hard and aggressive play to push-fold and bluff. Playing no-limit poker provides everyone with a wide range of tools to influence their opponents - the only important thing is to be able to use them correctly.
  • Limit Hold'em. The difference between limit and no-limit poker is very noticeable. Here the size of the bets and each increase is limited to a fixed amount. Promotions are only allowed twice. Maximum number promotions during one round are also limited - 3 times. This way, you won’t lose a lot of money in one hand. This type of poker is great for beginner players who would not like to risk their bankroll too much.

By method:

  • Tournaments. A huge number of poker players who buy-in take part in this format. Participants play on different tables simultaneously until one final table remains. At the end of the game, the prize fund is divided among the best players.
  • Cash games. The game is played with real money, exchanged in advance for chips.
  • Heads-up. Translated from English it means “1 on 1”. As you guessed, in this case there are only two participants sitting at the table, who determine the winner.
  • Fast poker. This type of poker is significantly different from others. In other games, the formula is the same: the player sits down at the table, if necessary, discards his bad card and waits for his opponents to play the hand to the end. In fast poker you don't have to wait for anything - as soon as you fold your hand, you are moved to another table. Actually, the next hand has already been dealt to you.

Other types of poker

  • poker for money, and still make money, you may need time. But learning poker, believe me, will bear fruit.

    #2 – Which poker room is best for a newbie to start at?

    In total, you can find dozens, if not hundreds, of poker rooms online. After reading our article, in which we described the main rules of playing poker for beginners, also take into account our recommendations.

    When choosing, do not forget to take into account those parameters that suit you best for the game: traffic, playing field, promotions and bonuses, appearance client and so on.

    Since downloading and installing almost any poker client is always free, we would recommend giving it a try several options at once, and experience in practice which room you like best. For example, start with or, play and compare these two poker rooms. Then try to download the same one, and draw parallels between all of them. It won't be difficult!

One of the most popular types of online poker is Texas Hold'em. This is what is shown on the sports television channel. That is why we will now consider the main rules of the game poker hold'em. At the beginning of the game, each participant is dealt two cards, which are called “pocket” cards. The dealer deals three community cards to the middle of the table.

Can be created by combining your pocket cards with community cards from the middle of the table. After this, two more community cards are dealt to the table. The player can place his bet after each new round, thereby forcing other players to fold their own cards.

In principle, you can start playing poker right now, because for this it is enough to know only these few rules stated above. Poker is a multifaceted game, and in order to become a true professional, you need to study all aspects of this game in detail. Our article will answer all your questions, and after reading it you can say with confidence that you know 100% how to play poker!

Step-by-step description of the game of poker

The plastic chip that moves clockwise after each hand is called the Dealer button. Using this chip, the right to move and the order of cards being dealt are determined.

To start the game, two players must post a blind. (Poker terms may be intimidating at first, so we'll try to explain each one for you.) Blind in poker is called blind betting. The player who sits next clockwise from the dealer button must post the small blind, and the next one must post the big blind. These are done even before the cards are distributed to the players. The small blind is usually half the value of the big blind.

Round 1 – Preflop
Once the blinds have been placed, the player further clockwise looks at his cards to make a decision.
The rest of the players look at their cards to decide whether they bet or skip the bidding. There are three actions available in this case: call, raise and pass.
If a player decides to continue the game, his bet must be equal to the amount of the last bet, but if he decides to raise the bet, then the rest must respond by equalizing the bet, raising it or passing.
In this description we will follow the example of an online tournament:
Near open cards there is a dealer button. On the left two seats are called , and next to it is the big blind

Round 2 – Flop
The time comes to reveal the three community cards on the table. This stage is called "". Now the word is up to the player sitting to the left of the dealer. His actions are to place a bid or skip the auction. Again, each subsequent player can call, raise, or fold. When all players have folded or placed the same number of chips in the pot, the round is considered over.

Round 3 – Turn
After the second round has ended, a fourth community card is dealt to the table. Now each player has a total of six cards to make a combination. It's time for the betting round.

Round 4 – River
The next card, called the “river,” is revealed to the table. And again it’s time for the betting round.

Showdown - Showdown
All those players who did not pass open their cards to show the combination that they managed to collect. The player with the strongest combination is considered the winner and takes the entire pot.

How to become a better poker player. Rules of the game for those who intend to become a professional.

Steps:
Bank. When all bets placed during a deal of cards are in the center of the table, each player must call the previous bet made to remain in the hand. The bank does not depend on the currency you play with. These could be bills of exchange, poker chips, car keys, etc. Whoever wins gets everything.

Distribution of cards. Once the deck of cards has been shuffled, the dealer deals them face down to the player on their left and moves clockwise, dealing one card at a time, until all five cards have been dealt.

One by one. The player to the left of the dealer is usually the first to make a decision. He may still skip the auction, giving up his turn next player. When one of the players has already placed a bet in the pot, then the other players have the following options for playing the game:

1. Call the last bet and then stay in the hand;
2. Fold your cards and leave the drawing in this hand;
3. Raise your bid even higher.

Draw. If the bidding is over, then all players who remain in the hand will be able to exchange one or more cards (even all five) or not exchange their cards at all. Cards are exchanged starting with the player to the left of the dealer and then clockwise. When exchanging cards, you discard the ones you don't need face down, so that players don't see what you had in your hands.

New trade. Just like in the first trade, all players take turns making their choice: whether to confirm their bet or not. If a player believes that his combination will not be winning, he can fold.

Showdown. When bidding is over, the remaining players in the hand must reveal their cards to establish the winning combination.

Poker combinations.
So, we discussed how to play poker. Poker combinations also deserve serious study and analysis.

– in poker this is the strongest combination, it consists of the following cards: 10, jack, queen, king, ace. The listed cards in this combination must be of the same suit.
Straight - flush– is also considered one of the strongest combinations of the game, but is collected quite rarely, consists of the following cards: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. These cards are also collected of the same suit.

  • A call is an equalization of your bet with the previous one.
  • Bet means betting a certain amount of money.
  • Check (zero bet) - can only be made if there are no bets in the game. In this case, the turn passes to the next player.
  • Passing is discarding cards and exiting the current pot without completing the trade.
  • Raise (increase in bet) is an increase in the size of the bet.

Step 8. Some additional information about trading

It is important to remember that the betting round continues until each player matches the highest bid or folds. When the round ends, all bet chips are added to the general pot and a new round of betting begins. As mentioned, the player to the left of the button again starts betting first.

Remember that the blind counts as a move in the pre-flop (first) betting round, that is, the third player from the button makes the first move, since the first and second players are forced to post a blind.

Step 9. What are table limits?

Each poker table has its own set limit. This limit determines the size of the forced bet (blind). In a $1/$2 game, the blind should be $0.50 for the small blind (for the first player) and $1 for the big blind (for the second player). Remember that the blinds vary. Typically the small blind is half the size of the big blind. For example, in a $3/$6 game the big blind is $3 and the small blind is $1.50. This is very important for choosing the right level of play. Think about it - if you have $100, then you shouldn't play at the $10/$20 level because you might have to bet all your chips before you get any good cards.

Step 10. Play without limits

This is the most popular version of Hold'em. No Limit Hold'em Each player can bet or raise at any time by an amount determined only by the number of their chips. When going all-in, he bets all his chips in one go. If someone, even with more chips in the stack, raises it, the first player does not automatically lose, but can only win an amount equal to his own chips. In Limit Hold'em, bets are limited by the blind level. For example, at a $3/$6 limit, the first bet would be $3. A raise would mean betting an additional $3 - no more, no less.

Step 11. Now you are ready to play!

You've read our ten-step guide to the basics of Hold'em. As we said at the beginning, the beauty of this game is its simplicity, but we recommend reading this guide carefully until you fully understand each step.

After you do this, The best way further study of the game - participation in it and mastering the main points in practice. You will be surprised how quickly you will get into the game.

To consolidate the material you have covered, we recommend that you register at one of the best online poker rooms, for example, at 888 Poker and play for play money. Web site 888 Poker has a Russian version, so you will not have any difficulties. You only need to take two steps:

  • fill out the registration form with your data (in Latin letters)
  • download and install free poker room software

You will be credited with conditional money, with which you can train. If you lose, you will be awarded more.

Thus, in just 5 minutes you will have the opportunity to sit at such a table and play against real people from all over the world!

Oh yes. We forgot to remind you of the first rule of poker - play for fun!