Online Poker Games Rules

Poker is a game that we play to spend our spare time joyfully. Poker card game rules are easy to understand and one can get started quickly. There are many online gamers who are interested in this card game but are not aware of many poker rules online.

At First Games, you will find many popular poker games such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and many more. If you want to know how to play poker and the basics of the game, then continue reading.

How do you Win in Online Poker?

The player who holds the highest-ranked hand during the showdown is the winner of a hand. The other scenario is where a player makes the last uncalled bet, thus becoming a winner without having to reach the final showdown.

To understand which hand dominates the most and the order of hands, you will first need to understand the hands and hand rankings. Below is the list of hands, starting from highest to the lowest:

Royal Flush

Royal Flush is when a player has 5 highest possible cards of the same suit in sequence.

Example: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of Diamonds.

Straight Flush

This includes any 5 cards of the same suit in numerical order.

Example: 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Spades.

Four of a Kind

Includes 4 cards of equal rank. The 5th card (side card or kicker) can be of any value.

Example: King of Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs. Plus, 6 of Diamonds.

Full House

3 cards of the same rank and the remaining 2 cards of another rank.

Example: 8 of Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. Plus, 2 of Spades and Hearts.

Flush

Any 5 cards of the same suit.

Example: 2, 5, 7, 9, and Jack of Hearts.

Straight

Straight includes 5 cards of different suits but in numerical order.

Example: 7 of Spades, 6 of Diamonds, 5 of Clubs, 4 of Hearts, and 3 of Spades.

Three of a Kind

Includes 3 cards of the same rank and 2 unrelated cards.

Example: King of Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs. Plus, 3 of Hearts and 5 of Spades.

Two Pair

2 different pairs of cards and 1 unrelated card.

Example: Jack of Spades and Hearts, 9 of Clubs and Diamonds, and 2 of Clubs.

One Pair

2 cards of the same rank and 3 unrelated cards.

Example: 6 of Spades and Diamonds, 2 of Hearts, 3 of Clubs, and 7 of Diamonds.

High Card

When 2 such hands are compared, the hand with the best-possible high card wins.

Getting Started with Online Poker

In Poker games, there are forced bets like the Big Blind and Small Blind. These forced bets make the starting pot size, which eventually grows due to the actions arising from the subsequent rounds.

Dealing Card and Betting Rounds in Poker Games Online 

Once the cards are dealt, the game moves in a clockwise direction. Each player has to take one of the following actions when it is his turn to act:

Check

Check is basically when a poker player declines the opportunity to start betting. Once the player checks, which he can do only when there is no bet during the current round, the action moves to the next player in a clockwise direction. If no active player chooses to bet, the round is considered complete and all the players remain in the hand.

Bet

A poker player can bet if no other player has done so in the current round. Once the bet has been made, other players have to ‘call’ by matching the bet amount if they have to stay in the hand.

Fold

Fold means to forfeit the cards at hand, meaning that the player can no longer be a part of the current hand.

Call

The Call can only be made by players if the bet has been made for the current round. Calling means to match the current bet that has been made.

Raise

Raise is when a player makes a greater bet than the one already made in the current round. If the remaining players wish to stay in the hand, they have to match the bet (call) or raise it again.

There are many poker game variants that have different betting rounds. Two of the most popular poker games are Texas Hold’em and Omaha, each with four rounds of betting known as pre-flop, the flop, the turn, and the river.

The pre-flop betting round begins when all the hole cards have been dealt and before any community card has been dealt. The next round is a flop which begins when the first three community cards are dealt. The turn and the river betting begins when the fourth and fifth community cards are dealt respectively.

Betting in each round continues till the time every player matches the bet or folds (if there are no bets made, then the round is complete when every player checks).

Showdown in Online Poker Games

At the end of the last betting round, which happens when the last bet or raise has been called, there is a showdown. A showdown is where the active players must ‘declare’ their hands or show. The poker player with the best-ranking hand(s) wins the pot.

The pot can be shared by multiple players, depending on the game rules and how each player’s hand ranks against their opponents.

Betting Limits in Poker Games Online

The amount players may open and raise is referred to as the betting limit. When it comes to betting limits, poker games are of the following types:

No Limit

As the name suggests, no limit betting is where a player can bet or raise by any amount up to their full-stack (total number of chips that a player has at any given time).  

Pot Limit

Poker games with pot-limit are ones where a poker player can bet or raise up to the size of the pot at that time.

Fixed Limit

In Fixed limit poker games, each player can call, bet, or raise only by a set fixed amount. This amount is set in advance for the betting round.

Now that you are aware of poker game rules, play poker and win cash on India’s most trusted gaming platform, First Games.