How To Play Poker Guide for Beginners
CasinosOnline-Canada has created the best how to play poker guide for beginners. Learn the rules and online video poker and become the next poker star. Not only will you have the knowledge to play the game, but we will also show you how to manage your bankroll and choose the best poker casinos. We will teach you about the different types of poker and the betting options available.
This guide will help you:
- Understand poker rules
- Know the winning hands
- Make bets in poker
- Manage your poker bankroll
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How To Play Poker
There are many different variations of poker available for Canadian players to enjoy. Each variant has its own rules, but it is still quite simple to master the basic rules and gameplay. When playing poker, the aim is to put together a strong hand against your opponents. One of the easiest and popular variations of poker is Texas Hold ’em, and there are five basic steps to follow:
- Players are dealt two private cards, and initial bets are placed.
- Five community cards are then dealt face-up to create the ‘board’ followed by a betting round.
- Players use these shared cards in conjunction with their cards to make the best possible hand of five cards.
- The last step is the shutdown. During the shutdown, players who are still in the game reveal their hands.
These steps can be used for any online poker variant but ensure that you check any specific rules you need to follow.
How to Identify Winning Online Poker Hands
Understanding winning hands can help you immensely along your online poker journey. Before heading to the online poker tables, you should familiarize yourself with the basic hand rankings. This can help you make precise bets and gives you confidence in the hands that you have.
Royal Flush
- Sequence: 10 – J – K – Q- A
- A royal flush is the most famous hand and cannot be beaten. It consists of 10, Jack, King, Queen, and Ace, and must be the same suit.
Straight Flush
- Sequence: 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7
- Five cards of consecutive ranks and the same suit.
Four of a Kind
- Sequence: K – K – K – K
- Four cards featuring the same rank.
Two Pair
- Sequence: J – J – 7 – 8 – 8
- Two cards of a matching rank, another two cards with a different matching rank, and one kicker.
Full House
- Sequence: Q – Q – Q – 3 – 3
- Three cards in the same rank and the other two cards in the same rank.
Straight
- Sequence: 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7
- Five cards of consecutive ranks, but not the same suit.
Three of a Kind
- Sequence: J – J – J – 4 – 7
- Three cards in the same rank and two cards that are different ranks and suits.
One Pair
- Sequence: A – A – 3 – 6 – 7
- Two cards of the same rank and three cards of different ranks and suits.
Full House
- Sequence: J – J – 3 – 3 – 3
- A pair and three of a kind.
Flush
- Sequence: J – 10 – 4 – 6 – 3
- Five cards of the same suit but not the same sequence.
Jacks or Better
- Sequence: J – J – 8 – 3 – 4
- A hand with a pair of Jacks, Kings, Queens or Aces with three different cards.
Pair
- Sequence: 8 – 8 – 3 – 7 – 9
- Two cards with the same rank.
High Card
- Sequence: none
- In the event of a tie, the hand with the highest card wins.
Online Poker Strong Hands
Certain hands are stronger than others. For example, hands such as A – A, K – K, Q – Q, J – J and 10 – 10 are good hands to raise on. Hands that feature A – K, A – Q and A – J with the same suit are other examples. These are good hands if you want to raise with a pre-flop or make continuation bets.
Medium Strength Hands
These include hands with K – 10, Q – 10 and J – 10 with medium pairs such as 7 – 7, 6 – 6 and so forth. They are good at raising hands and depend on your position.
Minimal Strength Hands
These are decent hands featuring 2 – 2, 3 – 3 or basic pairs. They are good hands if you wish to call a pre-flop during a late position.
Top 5 Tips for Playing Poker
Playing poker online is as exciting and thrilling as it is in a land-based casino. What makes the game even more enjoyable is being able to control your environment. When playing poker games, you can play at your own pace. Whereas at a land-based casino in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, you are playing against real players who may be quicker and more experienced than you. But, playing online comes with its risks and quirks, so it is good to have a couple of tips and tricks up your sleeve.
Understanding Poker Odds
Taking the time to understand online poker odds gives you a great advantage. You may need to do some reason on the odds of different hands, but ultimately, it will help you in the long run. If you are sitting with poor poker odds, you will most likely be going through your bankroll too quickly. To give yourself a winning chance, assess your hands and odds and decide whether you should stick with it or not.
Practice Makes Perfect
Take every opportunity you can to practice your skills. You can do this by playing free poker games or using poker simulators. You can also practice calculating your odds, and you can find poker calculators on the web. Remember that poker skills do not come overnight. Most of the game is based on intuition, and playing poker online is harder than playing it in real life. In real life, you can assess the other opponent’s habits and emotions to gauge what you should do, but you cannot do that when playing against a computer.
Manage your Online Poker Bankroll
The online poker world is tough to master, so always remember that you cannot become a skilled player overnight. Famous poker players have gotten to that status by being smart, and you can apply the same thinking in online poker. Know when to cash out and when to deposit more funds. Managing your bankroll is all about managing risk.
If you have had a bad poker day, quit and play again the next day. Our experts say that you should not spend more than 5% of your total bankroll on a tournament buy-in or cash game. It would help if you played smaller stakes as a beginner, and you will thank yourself for doing so.
Manage your Poker Bluffs
You may think that bluffing takes place regularly when playing poker, but on the contrary, it does not. You can only really bluff in live poker and land-based poker games; therefore, it is not advisable. If you plan to call an opponent’s bluff, ensure that you understand your hand value and the odds.
Avoid Doing Too Much
Online poker can be played at many different levels and stakes, such as exclusive tournaments to micro stakes. We suggest starting with low-stakes poker games and then working your way up. In most cases, the higher the stakes, the more experienced players you will find. Play at a level similar to yours, and as you grow and develop your skills, you will be able to play against bigger and better players.
Other How To Play Guides
If you are interested in learning about other table games and popular casino games, look at our detailed guides below and become an online casino games pro!
FAQ’s About How To Play Online Poker
Texas Hold ’em is one of the easiest variants as well as the most common. Because of its popularity, you will find many rules and reviews about the best odds, hands and strategies.
Our experts have stated that it takes around three months to learn the game rules and around two years to master the game.
It depends on how often you play and how well you understand all elements of the game. If you know how to play the game efficiently, you will be able to win real money.
Calling other opponent’s bluff is almost impossible when playing online poker as you cannot see the other players. If you are playing a live tournament, you may be able to, but we suggest limiting your bluffs as it could cost you large chunks of your bankroll.