Poker: Rules and Tips You Need to Know Before You Play Poker

By: Nicholas Tan

There are many forms and varieties of poker. Some of these include Texas Holdem, Omaha High-Low, 7 Card Stud, and many others. Although these might appear difficult to play, they aren't especially when you get to know the rules before you play poker. Despite the varieties in the games, they share common rules aside from the common goal, which is to win money from the other players by placing strategic bets with your dealt cards.

The general rules you need to know before you play poker are:
- The standard 52-card deck is used when you play poker. The ace is considered as the high card except in High-Low games wherein, it can either be high or low.

- Aside from the hand rankings, study the terms used before you play poker.

- When you play poker, you and the other players will be each dealt with a "hand", a term used for cards. You make a bet based on the strength of your hand in every betting round. You should know the ranking of the hands when you play. This ranking is applicable to all poker games.

- When you play poker, the game moves clockwise around the table. When you play poker online, a disc or a small button in the screen represents this. The bets and the cards are placed and dealt this way.

- The most preferable position when you play poker is the "late position" - the position who bets last from among the group. This is an advantage when you play poker because you can, more or less, gauge the strength of the cards of the other players. To ensure that each player gets this advantage, the dealer button will rotate each hand.

- When you play poker, options like check, bet, raise, call or fold are some of the options you can do during your turn.

- The pot always starts with blind bets.

- When you play poker, betting also makes rounds in order to make the amount of money placed even. Aside from this, each round can have additional cards to be dealt which makes betting more intriguing.

- During every start of a hand, you and the other players who play poker with you are allowed to chips. You can get more of these in between hands but not in the middle of a hand.

- When you are interested to seriously play poker and its different varieties, it is best to get all the explicit game rules of each game. It is best to start first with low limits and then make yourself go higher in those games that involve higher stakes after improving your skills.

- Bluffing is one of the key strategies of winning when you play poker. It is usually used by players to throw off their opponents into thinking that they are holding the best hand. This is what makes the game exciting and interesting. The important point to remember here is for you to use your judgment when to take action when you bluff or when other players are bluffing.

Aside from these rules, here are some tips you have to remember when you play poker:
- When you play poker, remember that the play proceeds clockwise so it is wise not to take any action until it is your turn.

- It is good to be aggressive or a "bettor" than a "caller" when you play poker.

- It is important that you pay attention to your co-players when you play poker. Try to observe those players who are loose/aggressive and those who are tight. Poker experts recommend that it is generally better to play with the aggressive players unless you have a strong hand.

- When you play poker, pay attention to the other player's chip count. Play with those whose chip count is lesser than yours.

- Check your cards if they match the community cards. If they don't, throw your cards when there's a bet.

- A card should always be played with a 10 or higher or another card of the same suir.

- When you are one of the first players when you play poker, you are at risk from other players so it is best to play few hands.

- The most important thing you should remember when you play poker is to take your time and consider everything - the betting and the cards of your opponents

After reading all of these, it is important for you to checkout the specific guidelines and rules of the particular poker game you want to play. Good luck!

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