Poker

Free Poker Intro

Poker is a world famous game which is a favourite of many casino fans. It is a game of chance that that includes a deck with 52 cards. The players can be 2 to 10, which makes it extremely flexible and suitable for people who like to play in a diverse environment – with both beginner and advanced players. All poker games start with a certain bet and card deal. As a rule, each individual play is won by the player with the strongest hand.

The good thing about this type of casino games is that besides playing in a physical casino you can try it online from the comfort of your home. What’s more, nowadays, you even have the chance to play online poker for free. Many online casinos provide this option.

History of Poker

The founders of modern poker games are the ancient Persians, who invented a card game similar to today’s poker. Many years later, the old Europeans decided to rename the game with its current name and soon after, transferred it to the New World – America.

The earliest records of poker are from 1834. An archival document from that year describes a poker game played at a ship sailing on the Mississippi River. AT first poker was played with 32 cards and later with 52 cards.Over time, poker popularity has skyrocketed.

In 1910, the state of Nevada banned all casino games. However, poker withstands this ordeal and is not lost.

In 1931, the game was completely legalized and remains so to this day, when it is fully regulated by the gambling laws.

Key terms in poker

Before you start playing any of the popular free poker games, you should familiarize yourself with the key terms used during the rounds:

• Small blind

It is used in Hold’em games and as you can tell from the name it is the smaller of the two blinds. It usually represents one third or two thirds of the bet in the first round.

• Big blind

This is a complex bet that can be taken by one or more players before the cards are dealt.

• Flop

The term describes the first three community cards shown together, face up. It is said that the “good” flop depends on the number of draws possible, and how many hands are possible with it.

• Turn

This is the fourth face up card. It is also known as a blank card because it is unlikely to help a player.

• River

The term is used for the fifth and final face up card. It is also called the “fifth street”. After it is dealt, the last round of betting comes.

• Showdown

This is the moment when all participants in the game show their cards and determine who has the best hand. The moment comes after the end of the fourth round of betting. If the last bets are not paid, there is no showdown.

In addition to the terms mentioned above, there are others that are used for decision-making at the time the cards are already dealt at the table. They are also valid if you play online poker for free.

• Call

This is the action you can take after the player before you has made a bet. In other words, you can use them when you decide to pay (call) the previous bet.

• Raise

The raise is usually received when the amount of the current bet made by another player is raised.

• Bet

This is a very important move and represents any bet from a player who is in line and wants to bet money on his hand. He can make a bet only if no one else has made a bet.

• Check

This term is known as the poker pass, or so-called zero bet. The player does not bet anything, but keeps his hand and stays in the game. A check can only be announced if no one has made a bet before you.

• Fold

If you declare a fold, you give up the cards dealt to you and participate in the current round of the game. The bets you make remain in the pot (prize pool) and you can re-enter, but only in the next hand.

• All-in

Going all-in means betting on all the chips you have. Under this condition, you can no longer place bets or call. However, the rest of the players have the right to continue the game normally.

Poker Combinations

The poker hand usually consists of the top five cards available to you. It is very important to know their meaning and strength. This is what will help you succeed when you play online poker.

There are diverse types of poker hand combinations –but generally they are classified as strong and weak combinations.

Strong poker combinations

Royal flush

The royal flush is the strongest of all poker hands that exist. It is made of 5 consecutive poker cards with identical suit – from 10 to A.

Straight flush

The straight flush comes after the royal flush – it is the second of strength in a poker game. It consists of five successive cards of one suit. If two players have this hand, the winner is the one whose hand ends with a higher card.

Four of a kind

The hand consists of four matching cards and is the third strongest. If two players have a square, the one with the stronger hand or, in extreme cases, the stronger fifth card wins.

Full house

The term means the fourth hand, which is a combination of a pair and three identical cards. If two players have a full house, the one with the stronger threes wins. If they are the same, the strength of the pair is crucial.

Flush

This is a combination of five cards of same suit. In a double flush, the one with the stronger cards wins.

Straight

As follows, this is the sixth strongest hand in poker, which is formed by five consecutive cards. When two players have a straight, the one with the stronger cards wins.

Weak poker combinations

Three of a kind

This hand consists of three identical cards and is the seventh strongest. For two players with a triple, the winner is the one with the stronger fourth or fifth card.

Two pairs

Logically, this hand includes two pairs of identical cards and is the eighth strongest. If two players have such a combination, the two pairs are compared first. If they are the same, the fifth card is decisive again.

Pair

As you may have guessed, the pair consists of two identical cards. In the case of two players who have a pair, the one with the stronger third, fourth or fifth card wins.

High card

The last combination you can use is the so-called high card. It only comes in handy if you don’t have any of the above. If two players reach this position, they start comparing their cards and the one with the stronger ones wins.

Poker Rules

The goal of the various poker games for free or for real money is to make such a combination of your cards that you can beat the combinations made by your opponents or the dealer. The winning player is determined by the so-called “showdown”, when the cards are turned face up or when all other players in the game have folded.

Before the initial deal of two cards, you should know that the big and the small blinds are determined. The value of the bet you have to make depends on them, as well as who is to be the croupier (unless you play a live casino with real croupiers).

Immediately after accepting the bets, the current dealer places three cards on the flop, all three of which must be face up. Two more rounds follow, where players make decisions and place a fourth (turn) and fifth (river) card on the table, respectively.

We have already explained above what are the possible actions you can take when you are on the move and need to make a decision.

Another thing we need to add is that all these rules apply when playing online poker for free or not. Therefore, try to remember them no matter how and where you plan to practice this poker casino fun.

Types of poker

Poker for free of for real money is a favorite game of many people around the world. It is therefore not surprising that today there are more than 130 varieties of offline and free online poker. In each country, the different types of poker games are divided into separate categories. In many places you can even play online poker for free.

Today we will introduce you to the most popular online poker options. There are 5 most popular options that are available in most casinos online both for free and for cash money.

Texas Hold’em

This is the most popular online poker game for free almost everywhere and many of the virtual casinos offer different types of it. For sure, almost everyone has heard of Texas Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em is played with 52 cards and allows the participation of a minimum of two and a maximum of eleven participants. In the game, all the rules and hands described above apply.

The first thing you need to know is that you will receive two cards that will be visible only to you. The next step is to make a bet. Then 5 cards are dealt, which are placed in the middle of the table.

The object of the game is for each player to collect the strongest hand using both his and the 5 dealt cards. For this purpose, you can use two, one or none of your cards and as many as you want from the dealt 5 ones.

Omaha poker

The popular free Omaha poker online bears a resemblance to Texas Hold’em. That’s why many people play it to diversify. Of course, as much as there are similarities, there are differences between these two types of poker.

The first thing you will notice is that here, instead of two cards at the beginning, four are dealt. The second more important difference is that you do not have so much freedom in drawing up your winning hand. Here you must use two of yours and three of the shared cards.

Like baccarat, Omaha online poker also has its subspecies. For example, they include Omaha with a pot limit, Omaha without a limit and Omaha with a fixed limit. In the first round, each player can bet up to the size of the pot (for example, a euro 50 bet in a euro 50 pot). This is the most common type of Omaha poker.

With Omaha No Limit, you can bet any amount on all your chips. In comparison, with the third type of Omaha poker online, you will have certain betting limits in each round.

Three-card poker

Poker with three cards for free is probably the most classic version of the game. It uses a whole deck of 52 cards. In addition, on the first deal, you will only receive three cards. This type of poker is characterized by speed and dynamism, as it excludes the terms flop, turn, river, etc.

Once you receive your three cards, you should place a bet. This bet is of two types – ante and pair plus. The first type is equal to the croupier’s bet, and the second is a pair bet or a better game available.

There is a significant difference here in the arrangement of the hands. In three-card online poker, a straight hand is stronger than a flush hand. The logical explanation for this is that it is easier to get a flush than a straight one.

Omaha with five cards

As you can guess from the name of this game, Omaha with five cards comes from Omaha poker. This kind type of poker is extremely exciting. With it, you first receive five cards that only you can see.

Five face-up cards are then dealt face up. They form the so-called “board”.

The rules for forming a winning hand are as follows: you can use exactly two of your “hidden” cards and exactly three of the community cards. This is followed by bets, which can be of two types – with a pot limit or no limit. They are made clockwise.

If there is more than one player left after the final round, the last player to place a bet or raise last will show his cards. The player with the best five-card hand wins this online poker game.

Caribbean Poker

Caribbean online poker is an interesting variant of the traditional Texas Hold’em and can be found on many online sites. Again, a whole deck of 52 cards is played, but the difference here is that you will not play against other players, only against the croupier.

As you can guess, the name of the game comes from the Caribbean, where it originated. Thanks to modern technology, Caribbean poker is now popular all over the world and is played by millions of people.

The game starts with the distribution of five cards per player. Yours are only visible to you, and one of the dealer’s cards will be face up. If you think you have a strong enough hand, it’s best to make a double bet.

Online poker tournaments

Nowadays, betting on traditional tables is certainly not the only way you can play poker online. Many online tournaments have been developed, which are the main reason for promoting various poker games around the world.

Multi-Table Tournaments

The start here begins with an entrance fee, after which the player receives his chips. This type of tournament promises lots of money, and who wouldn’t want to multiply their bets x 200? Tournaments at many tables have a starting time and, unfortunately, when you lose your purchased chips, the game is over for you.

Sit & Go

This is one of the veterans of online poker tournaments and is a variant of Texas Hold’em. In this tournament, you will again have to pay an entrance fee. The difference here is that the game does not have a starting time, but starts as soon as the tables are full. The goal of Sit & Go tournaments is to win the chips of all players.

Turbo tournaments

If you think live play is dynamic, you should definitely take part in one of the turbo tournaments. There, all actions develop extremely quickly. When starting a game, you should know that the blind levels increase much faster than those in a regular tournament. The duration of each round is 5 or 6 minutes.

Spin and Go

The Spin and Go tournament is a kind of hyper-turbo City and Go. Each tournament has only three players and before the start of the tournament it is determined what the prize pool will be. These tournaments are available at a number of different poker sites.

Satellite Poker Tournaments

These are qualifying events for larger tournaments. Most satellite tournaments take place in online poker rooms, most of which qualify for high stakes tournaments.

Successful Strategies for Poker

You may have heard that poker is easy to learn in theory, but practicing and improving it takes a lot of time and effort. On the Internet you can find all kinds of poker games and guidelines on how to become a better online poker player.

Some poker strategies include:

Starting step

The first thing you need to do is decide if you want to play for fun or for profit. It will certainly be hard in the beginning, but  you always have to have positive thinking about the game, no matter what the purpose of it is. Even if you play with a no deposit poker bonus, you shouldn’t think like you’re losing.

Don’t bluff all the time

In our opinion, bluffing is an art that not every poker player can master quickly. It is not designed to be used in any situation, but rather in one that would help you win the hand. However, the online poker game consists of different moves and strategies and you should not overdo the bluffs.

The starting hand is not the most important

It is not good to focus all your attention on choosing your starting hand. However, the game consists of many of them and very often the next hands are more decisive for the finalization of the round. What will make you a better player is if you start focusing your energy on the next moves and let the starting hand be the least important.

Don’t stay in the game just because your bet is still on the table

This is a common mistake that occurs mainly in novice players. Isn’t it better to give up if you have a weak hand than to lose everything? Our advice to you is to just leave the game while it’s time, even though it’s not over yet. Courage will not take you anywhere here.

Get to know yourself

You can only become a good player if you know yourself well and have control over your actions and emotions. We would advise you to play online poker for free first to assess your skills.

Remember that behind every mistake you make in poker, there is a counteraction that could prevent it. In other words, luck doesn’t help here. You have to be uncompromisingly honest with yourself and not blame your opponents or luck for a possible loss. Poker is a game of self-control and self-knowledge.

FAQ

Poker FAQ