There are many variations of the game of Poker; the most popular of these include:

• Texas Hold’em
• Omaha
• Omaha Hi/Lo
• 7 Card Stud
• 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo

There are also a variety of Video Poker games available, but don’t be fooled, the only similarity between those and live poker are the concept of wanting the highest hand and the draw, other than that, they really are different.  Let’s however get back to the live game:

1)The Basics

• Players use chips which represent money and contribute towards a pot.
• Players are dealt cards and bets are placed in the hopes of winning the pot usually with the strongest hand.
• The winner is the Player with either the strongest hand or the last Player after all others have folded. He claims the pot.

• All suits in a deck are of equal value
• They are represented by symbols on each card

• The Rank is the sequence of the cards from the highest, usually Ace, to the lowest, usually Two.
• In some instances the Ace can be used as the lowest ranked card, to form a 5 high straight. It can also be used to form an Ace high straight where 10 is the lowest ranked card.

• The highest rank determines the winning hand.
• Hands are ranked as follows (from lowest to highest ranks):

• Tc•Jc•Qc•Kc•Ac
• Th•Jh•Qh•Kh•Ah
• Td•Jd•Qd•Kd•Ad
• Ts•Js•Qs•Ks•As

No matter what the game, they all follow the same basic strategy where the aim is to win. The important things to know before starting to play are:

2) The Deck

A deck contains 52 cards with 4 Suits and 13 cards in each Suit.

The picture represents all the cards in a deck. They are separated by suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) and ranked lowest (Ace) to highest (King).

3) The Suit

4) The Rank

<5) Hand Rankings

A high card is five mix suited unrelated cards, which doesn’t qualify as any one of the above hands. Example 1: Ks•10d•9s•6d•2h
When comparing two high cards, the Player with the higher ranked high card wins. If Players tie on the high card, the next high card is compared, and so on.

A pair consists of two cards of one rank:
Example 1: Qs•Qc•10d•7h•5s
When comparing two Pairs, the Player with the higher ranked Pair wins. If Players tie on the Pair, then the next high card is compared and so on.

Two pairs consist of two cards where each pair is of the same rank
Example 1: As•Ac•5d•5h•2c
When comparing two sets of Two Pairs, the Player with the higher rank of each Pair wins.

Three of a Kind consists of three cards of the same rank
Example 1: Js•Jc•Jd•Ah•7s
When comparing two sets of Three of a Kind, the Player with the higher ranked Three of a Kind wins.

A Straight is a hand consisting of five consecutive cards despite the suit.
Example 1: 8s•9c•10d•Jh•Qh
When comparing two Straights, the hand with higher end card wins.

A Flush is a hand consisting of cards of the same suit despite the rank order
Example 1: Kd•10d•6d•4d•2d
When comparing two Flushes, the winning hand is determined by the rank order of the highest card or cards. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared and so on.

A Full House is a hand with Three of a Kind and a Pair
Example 1: 10s•10c•10d•5h•5c
When comparing two sets of Full House cards, the winning hand is determined by the highest rank of the Three of a Kind.

Four of a Kind is a hand with four cards of the same Rank
Example 1: 9s•9c•9d•9h•Ks
When comparing two sets of Four of a Kind hands, the winning hand is determined by the highest rank of the Four of a Kind.

A Straight Flush is a hand with five consecutive cards of the same Suit.
Example 1: 10s•Js•Qs•Ks•As
When comparing Straight Flushes, the hand with higher end card wins.

A Royal Flush consists of an Ace high Straight Flush. There are only four Royal Flushes in Poker. They are:

• 10s•Js•Qs•Ks•As
• 10c•Jc•Qc•Kc•Ac
• 10h•Jh•Qh•Kh•Ah
• 10d•Jd•Qd•Kd•Ad

All suits are equal, and all Royal Flushes are equal. A Royal Flush is the best hand a Player can get in the game of Poker.

Benefits of Online Poker

Why should you play online poker as opposed to the brick and mortar version? More and more people are finding that the best poker sites are the place to get their poker action. Even players who have played in brick and mortar poker rooms for years are making the switch. Why? Here are three reasons.

First Benefit of Online Poker: Value - There are a lot of costs associated with going to a live poker room that have nothing to do with the play of the game itself. For example, it costs money for gas to travel to the casino, and you may have to pay for parking once you get there. You’ll feel obligated to tip casino personnel, especially the dealers, who will expect a dollar or two after every pot you win. When you play online, these costs are eliminated. The only cost you need to deal with is the casino rake, and even this is usually considerably lower online than in a live game.

Second Benefit of Online Poker: Multi-Tasking - When you play at a live casino, all you can do is play the one game you are in at one time. You can&rsquo;t handle situations that come up at home or run out to do a few errands in between hands. When you play online, you can do all of these things. Furthermore, if just playing one game isn’t enough for you, online poker software allows you to play multiple tables at once, so you always have some action going somewhere.

Third Benefit of Online Poker: Data Collection - Online poker software allows you to take notes on your opponents and recall them whenever you play those particular people. There are also software programs that you can add on that analyze your play. When you play live, you do not have these options. You must rely only on your memory and perhaps a notebook to keep track of useful data, which is far less efficient.

For people who enjoy convenience, saving money and each collection of useful information, the benefits of online poker are without question.

Even those who enjoy the occasional trip to a live poker room will often prefer to get most of their poker in online.

Think you’re ready to try your luck in one of our Recommended Poker Rooms or would you like to learn more about Poker strategies?