How To Play Poker

Card games are very popular at LeoVegas, and within that collection, we have an ever-growing amount of poker games which always give our players what they need. Featuring a selection of old-school games, such as Texas Hold'em or Three Card Brag, to new modern twists to the game poker.

However, many players who visit an online poker site may need clarification on the basic poker rules or how to get started by placing a bet. Luckily, we have you covered as we show you the basics of how to play poker games right here in our live casino.

Poker has remained a popular and successful casino game for centuries worldwide, especially in Las Vegas. However, since the boom of online casinos, many players have branched out into new poker variants, and it's because of this you will need to know betting rules and basic rules before you join a table.

The History of a Poker Game

The game of poker as we know it originated in the early 19th century in the USA. However, it has roots that go back nearly 1,000's years, with a version of the game being played without cards.

That said, it's the modern variant in which a poker player will take part when playing cash games at a casino, and this stems from the late 1800s. Growing in popularity with crews working riverboats along the Mississippi River, the love for the game then travelled across the US and slowly worldwide during the 1900s.

It’s this rich history that helped turn poker into the game we know and love today.

How to Play Online Poker: Basic Poker Rules

Before playing a poker game, players must be aware of some basic poker rules; these include the pot limit, the community cards and poker hand rankings. All of these will be important if you're playing a cash game. Originally played with only one deck of cards, in modern online casinos, this has now changed with live dealers having an automatic shuffling card shoe that keeps many cards of multiple packs shuffled. This is similar to many card games and is not only limited to when you play poker.

The main objective of any online poker game is to make the best five-card hand possible or give an indication to the other players in the game you have a strong hand, which could cause them to make more bets during the rounds of betting.

When learning how to play poker, players will also become aware that there are eight possible poker hands which can be made with the cards during the seven-card stud variant. These hands may involve five cards, which include two from the player's hand and three of the community cards shown on the table. However, players may have a hand in fewer than five cards and may not even need the final community card.

The next thing to note when learning how to play poker is the betting rules. For most seven-card stud games, there will be five betting rounds, and players bet either before the first cards are dealt, if they are the small blind or big blind (also known as forced bets) or in between the founds.

How to play Texas Hold'Em Poker

If you choose to play a variant of seven card stud, one thing to note is that the order in which a player bets when you play poker will change after each game. Normally the players who are posting forced bets, so the small blind or big blind will be seated to the left of the dealer and this move around the table periodically so that all players are involved.

There may also be a betting limit applied to tables, so this is also something to take into account as you learn how to play poker.

After the first round of betting has concluded in seven card stud, the dealer deals exactly two hole cards face down, and play begins. Players will have the chance to look at their online poker hand before choosing whether to progress to the next stage, and before the next community cards are dealt, the betting begins.

Following the first round of betting, three face-up community cards are then dealt in the middle of the table. Often called the flop in Texas Hold'Em, these cards will be visible to players throughout the game, and after this process has been completed, another round of betting will commence.

It is worth noting that the flop may differ depending on which poker variant you choose to play. In the seven-card stud variant of online poker, there will be another card dealt, which is called the turn. Following the revelation of this card, the next betting round will commence.

Before the final round of betting, the dealer then adds the fifth and final card to the table.

This means there will be five cards in the middle of the table, plus the two cards the dealer deals in the player's hand at the beginning of the game.

Following the final betting round, the best hand wins the pot, so simply make the best winning hand from the cards from hole cards and community cards, and that hand wins.

How To Bet in Poker

The next important thing players will need to know when learning how to play poker is how to bet appropriately during a game.

There could be a pot limit which means you can only bet or raise the amount in the pot, or there could be no limit betting, which means you can choose what to raise or call during a poker game.

During a game of online poker, bets in a cash game will be placed using poker chips. Each chip used in a betting round will have a specific value attached to them. And if the table has a fixed limit, these chips will not go above that amount.

However, before betting begins during a game and when learning how to play poker, players will need to be aware of the terms they are likely to come across so they are not left feeling underprepared.

Poker Betting Terms

Most poker variants will include the betting terms below, so why not take a look at our glossary as you learn how to play poker?

Check Before any betting rounds have taken place, you have the option to check or pass up the opportunity to bet in poker games until the game returns to you.

Open This is the first round of betting made during poker games, and each action follows on from this initial bet.

Fold If you don't feel you have a strong poker hand, you can fold and stop betting until the current game has ended. However, any money you have bet will remain in the game, and the best hand wins the pot.

Call When playing poker hands, you can choose to call, which means you match the largest bet already on the table.

Raise When learning how to play poker, the final important term in betting rounds is a raise, which means you increase the previous high bet on the table.

Pot Limit Within a game of poker, the pot limit is a type of betting structure, and it means the max bet or raise has to be equivalent to the pot limit amount.

Fixed Limit Slightly different to a pot limit as this refers to the limit of which any bets can be made. Within a hold'em variant of poker, these two fixed limits will often be attached to the small blind and big blind.

Bluffing in Online Poker

Bluffing is a huge part of playing poker, and that is why the famous quote 'Poker face' exists. This is because you can't always have the best cards in your hand when you play poker, and bluffing gives players a chance to smoke out other people's hands and potentially still come out as a winner.

Knowing when is an appropriate time to bluff or confuse players with a bet can be tricky in most poker games. However, if you choose to follow this route, don't bluff too early on in a game of poker, as this will cause suspicion from other players.

Poker Hand Rankings

When you play poker, players will need to know the poker hand rankings, so during the game, they are able to figure out which potential hands can offer the biggest payouts and if they can actually form them from the cards in their hand and the community cards.

Below we've listed all of the top poker hands you'll encounter when learning how to play poker, so you can utilise that knowledge alongside other poker rules.

Straight Flush: This hand includes five cards of the same suit. An example of this poker hand would be a list of all spades cards, such as 10,9,8,7,6.

Royal Flush: The royal flush hand is similar to the straight flush. However, this consists of a particular suit's 10, J, Q, K and A.

Four of a Kind: The Four of a Kind is the next highest hand. An example of a Four of a Kind is a suit of the same kind with four. The fifth card is not essential.

Full House: A Full House consists of three cards in one rank and two in a different rank. An example of a Full House would be three threes of any suit and two sixes of any suit.

Flush: The Flush contains five cards, all of the same suit. For example, an ace of hearts, jack of hearts, seven of hearts, five of hearts, and two of hearts.

Straight: With a Straight hand, you can have five cards in sequence of various suits.

Three of a Kind: A Three of a Kind includes three cards of the same ranking amongst two cards of different rankings.

One Pair: One Pair in Poker consists of one pair of cards. An example of this would be two fours of a varying suit.

There is also one other hand, which we've noted below. However, this only occurs in specific game types.

Five of a Kind: The five of a kind is the most valued hand in a game of poker and contains five cards of one rank and one wild card. This hand is only possible in a poker game consisting of more than one deck of cards.

Top Poker Games

Here at LeoVegas online casino, we have many top-performing poker games that branch out from the usual variants. So if you’re looking to learn more about those games, read below for a brief explanation of which games we offer.

Texas Hold Em Poker

Most poker games fall under the category of Texas Hold Em' which features the basic rules we've listed above. These games feature two cards in the player's hand and five within the community cards. Often called stud games, they are some of the most popular poker games which players bet on.

Caribbean Stud Poker

What makes this poker game different from some of the others we have at LeoVegas is that instead of playing against other players, in Caribbean Stud Poker, you play against the house. This means within the game. There is no option for players to bluff. Offering similar payouts to a normal poker game, it is played out slightly differently from normal poker

Three-Card Poker

A modern version of the game of poker is Three Card Poker. Created in the early 90s, this game of poker is played similarly to the five-card version. However, in this game, only three cards are in play to make the most successful winning hand. There are only six winning options available in this game ranging from Straight Flush to High Card, and a game will only be played if the dealer’s hand is Queen High or more.

Play Poker at LeoVegas

If you're looking to try your hand at some online poker cash games, why not see which games we have to offer and play Texas hold'em or three-card poker today?

How to Play Poker FAQs

How many times can you raise in Poker?

During a round of betting, you have the chance to raise your bet when playing poker. This opportunity can arise multiple times until all participants have completed the round.

What are the hole cards in Online Poker?

The hole cards are the two cards which are dealt to the players as the game begins.

When do I place my first bet in a game of live poker?

There are a few occasions where players can place their first bet in a game of online poker. A player may be the small blind or big blind which means they will need to place a bet to get the game in motion.

When will the final round of betting take place in Poker?

The final round of betting will take place if there are two or more players who have yet to fold. If the player wishes to increase their bet, this can be done, and other players will need to match the amount.