Understanding The Basics Of Poker Betting!

Author: Matthew Smith

If you have not played poker before, then you should know that poker is played "clockwise" and players bet in turn. Betting in online poker is very simple and all you need to do is click on a button that says "bet". But if you understand how a game of poker is played at a brick-and-mortar casino, it will help you play better, even at an online casino.

Starting with the basic poker lingo is as good a place as any. "Opening" bets are made by the first person to put money in the pot. A person "checks" if they do not wish to bet or fold. "Raising" is the increasing of the amount of the bet. "Folding" is giving up your stake on the pot and not going ahead with that particular game.

Before the first hand is dealt, all the players have to put money in the pot, to get a stake in the game. This is done either with antes or with blinds.

In an ante, each player puts an equal amount beforehand in the pot. An ante is not the actual bet amount; it is just a way of making a beginning and somewhat like "tax" being paid by each player to be part of that game. This method is usually used in Stud games.

A blind is a bet where one or more players put some money in the pot before the cards are dealt. "Two blinds" are most common, where the player who plays after the dealer, blinds half the amount of the normal bet and the next player blinds the whole bet. This method is used in Texas Hold'em.

Poker games are also defined by the limits on betting. In community games, these limits are called limit, pot limit and no limit games. As is obvious, in a limit game, there are betting limits to be followed, on every bet and every raise. In a pot limit game, the maximum that can be bet is the size of the pot. In a no-limit game, the player is free to bet all the chips he has with him, at any point of time.

If a player has more chips than the others, it does not mean that he is automatically the winner and the player with less loses. The money that the player with fewer chips can win, is limited by the amount he puts in the pot.

It may be a bit difficult to figure out the whole concept just by reading, but keeping these things in mind while playing, will certainly help in understanding poker better.

About the Author:

Matthew Smith has been playing poker online for many years with great success and now offers his expert advice to help new players succeed using a free poker bankroll.

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