How to Play Poker Games Online

So you’re looking to learn how to play poker? Well, you certainly came to the right place! It’s very easy to learn how to play poker. In fact, most poker games can be learned in a matter of minutes. However,learning a poker game and becoming good at it, like anything else in life, requires practice and patience.

Poker Basics

Let’s clarify one thing first. When people say “how to play poker“, they usually refer to Texas Holdem, which is a specific poker game. Poker in itself is not a game, but rather a game genre. Poker games include Texas Holdem, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw, and many others. All of these poker games have one thing in common: They use the general rules of poker. The first step in learning how to play poker is to learn these basic poker rule, as listed below:

Poker Hand Ranking

Learn about all the possible poker hands which are used in most poker games. You probably heard the term “Royal Flush”, but do you know what a straight flush is? Do you know which of these hands is stronger? A full house or four of a kind? Don’t worry! It’s very simple, and it’s all explained in the poker hand ranking section.

Winning Poker Hand

Sure, you may know that two pair is better than one pair, but what happens when two players have the same two pairs? Who wins? Learn how to determine the winner in situations where more than one player made a similar hand. Learn about using “kicker” cards. Learn about split pots. It’s all explained in the determining the winning poker hand section.

Poker Terms

Poker has its own language and to avoid confusion, you should learn some basic poker terms. Words like “blinds”, the “dealer” or “dealer button”, are common in poker. Read all about these and many others in the poker terms section.

Poker Betting

What does it mean to call, to raise, to check or to fold? When can you do so? We explain everything in the poker betting section.

Once you have some familiarity with these four topics, you’re almost there! The next step in learning how to play poker is of course learning the a specific poker game.

Poker Games

Below are the three most popular poker games in the world:

• Texas Holdem
• Omaha
• 7 Card Stud

If you want to learn more poker games, we have instructions for all the popular onliner poker games. See our poker games page for more info.

How to Play Poker Online

Playing poker online is extremely easy, and we only recommend the best and most reputable poker rooms. All you need to do is click on of the our links below to visit a poker room and download the software. When you install the program, you will be prompted to create your player account, and then you’re all set to go! All the poker rooms we promote allow you to play for free with “play” money.

We do recommend you make a small deposit and try out real money poker. There’s a few reasons to do so: First, it’s certainly more fun to have something tangible at stake. The second reason is that the quality of poker games is better with real money up for grabs. The problem with play money is that players will call anything with any card, just to see if they can get lucky. The plays are therefore illogical and the games become a “lottery”, which is not the intent of poker. This is a really bad habit, and one you should avoid. Even if you’re new to poker, a small deposit of just $20 can take you a long way since all the poker rooms listed below offer micro limit poker, meaning you can play for just pennies.

Don’t forget that poker rooms also offer a deposit bonus for new players. You can usually earn 100% of your initial deposit up to a maximum amount. Be sure to use the bonus codes we list below when you make your initial deposit to ensure you are eligible for the bonus we list.

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