As poker’s popularity is still growing in the country and overseas, players new to the game itself, and also experienced home game players, continue sidle up to the fantastic casino poker tables asking to be dealt in.

Poker originated within the saloons of the Wild West and has probably the most game variants. It really is played player against players and not simply against the dealer as in Blackjack, and there is a lot of psychology involved during play. Poker takes a moment to learn as well as a lifetime to understand.
The cards are ranked in descending order starting from the highest; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. Ace can be high or low. You can find four suits; spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, but no suit is higher than another.

There are 2,598,960 possible combinations of cards in a poker hand you may be dealt.
In most games players must ‘ante’ a nominal amount just to possess the cards dealt. In the event the cards are dealt, the betting starts. Players bet in to the pot within the middle of the table and it is done in turn clockwise.

The player with the highest rank showing, is the first to speak as well as to bet. He may either bet or check. By saying ‘Check’, he passes the decision to bet to the next player who will also check. If all players check, then it’s the end of the round. Everyone opens his cards and the highest hand wins.

Say you begin with a $5 bet. If a person else raises $10, he puts $15 in the pot. When your turn comes again you will need to add $10 difference to the pot to stay within the game, and if you want you can also raise or maybe say ‘Pot’. Pot is a raise to the maximum, that means to bet the same amount as the total money available in the pot.

Well, I think you should now be equipped to go out there and play poker. Play intelligently and carefully. Keep an eye out for tells. Know your own limits, and most especially – play to win!