Poker rules for beginners. How to Start Playing. Tips from the Pros.

Poker is one of the most popular card games that has won the hearts of millions of people on Earth. Some folks like to play with friends in the kitchen for fun, or they might challenge themselves in mobile apps for virtual chips. And there's another bunch who plays for real money. Let's be honest, not everyone can win. That's why it's super important to learn the right way. And it all starts with understanding the rules of poker.

Today, we're going to break down the basics with the help of coaches from the SV poker backing fund. We'll use the most popular version of poker — no-limit Texas Hold'em — as an example. Just remember, the rules might seem simple at first for beginners. You'll get the hang of it after a few reads. But even pros spend a ton of time trying to get a better handle on things and learning new stuff.

The best way to get the hang of poker rules for beginners is to learn about the different hands. Beginners often make one common mistake — they try to memorize them like a poem from school. But experience shows that this method doesn’t work. It’s important to understand what makes up each hand, to sort out in your head how they’re put together and how they differ.

So, the best idea for the first time would be to make a cheat sheet — take a photo on your phone or print out a list with all the hands. Check it every time you’re not sure if you’re getting the right picture of what’s going on in the game.

We'll introduce you to all possible poker hands in order of increasing strength. This means that the weakest will be at the top of the list, and the real "monsters" will be closer to the end:

1. High card. You're probably not in a good situation if you only came to the river with a high card. This is the name of the hand when you failed to collect a stronger hand. For example, A-6-8-K-4 is the highest card, an ace or ace-high.
2. Pair. With it, your chances of winning at showdown are already increasing. This is the name of a hand consisting of two cards of the same value. For example, K-K-5-2-6 is a pair of kings.
3. Two pairs. An even stronger hand. A-4-5-A-4 is two pairs: aces and fours. But a poker hand always consists of five cards. So, the five in our example is the kicker. It only plays a role if two or more opponents managed to collect combinations of equal strength - this is what the rules of poker say.
4. Set (trips, three of a kind). Three cards with the same value. Different names are used depending on the method of collecting this combination, but according to the rules of poker, its strength remains the same:
5. Set — two pocket cards and a third on the board.
6. Trips — one pocket card and two on the board.
7. Straight. Five cards, following each other in descending or ascending values, form a combination called a straight. It is important to note that the values ​​of the suits of the cards do not matter when making a straight. The exception is the ace - a card that can take two values ​​​​in accordance with the rules of poker.
8. Maximum — straight from ten to ace (T-J-Q-K-A).
9. Minimum — straight from ace to five, which is also called a "wheel" (A-2-3-4-5). Please note that a combination like A-K-2-3-4 is not a straight, but an ace-high.
10. Flush. Five cards of the same suit, the values ​​​​of which are not important for making a combination. They are taken into account only if several poker players managed to collect flushes.
11. Full house. This combination is often called a "full house" by bad translators, but such naming is not used among professionals. This is a combination of a set and a pair. For example, A-A-A-3-3 is a full house on aces and threes. According to the rules of poker, when comparing two combinations, first attention is paid to the strength of the set, and only then to the strength of the pair.
12. Four of a kind. One of the strongest combinations in poker is four cards of the same value. For example, K-K-K-K-Q is a quad of kings with a kicker queen. The kicker plays here extremely rarely. Only in cases when there is a common quad on the board.
13. Straight flush. Certainly one of the most powerful combinations in poker. This hand consists of five cards of the same suit, and all of them follow each other in order of value. This is a combination of a straight and a flush.
14. Royal flush (royal flush). This is a special case of a straight flush, when it is collected from ten to ace. Absolute nuts, which can never be beaten in Texas Hold'em.

You already know about the rules of poker and the strength of the hands. Now let's talk about what the game is all about. There are two main goals:

1. Win the hand. I want to say right away that you won't win 100% of the time. Or even 50%. It's normal if sometimes your opponents take the pot. Your job is to play your best poker and do better in the long run.
2. Make a profit. In the long run, luck plays less of a role here. Your results depend only on the moves you make in each hand. That's why it's important to keep learning. And it's better to do this with experienced coaches from SV poker.

The rules of poker aren’t that strict. There are a few ways you can win a hand:

1. Make your opponents fold. This is when you don’t have a strong hand, but you bet big anyway, hoping they’ll believe you and give up. Bluffing is a big part of poker, and it’s often shown in movies and TV shows. In real life, pros don’t bluff as much as you might think.
2. Have the best hand. The dealer or random number generator (RNG) on online sites decides this at the showdown. If more than one person gets there, they reveal their cards and the winner is whoever has the strongest hand.

You already know about poker hands and how to win. Now let's talk about the flow of the game. A hand consists of several betting rounds, called streets. Let's go through it step by step.

This is the start of the action. Two players to the left of the button place forced bets — the small and big blind. They do this before the dealer deals everyone's cards. It might seem unfair, but it's not. After each hand, the dealer's marker (button) moves one spot clockwise. So during the hand round, all players will have to place forced bets in turn. And they are there to make the game more exciting. Without blinds, poker players would only join a hand with pocket aces. But there are chips in the middle of the table that you want to compete for.

The first move in poker is for the player sitting right after the big blind. They’ve got a few choices:

Fold — throw away their cards. The good news is, you won’t lose any more chips this round. But the bad news is, you can’t win this pot anymore, either.

Call — match the bet. Right now, it costs one big blind to play. But calling right off the bat isn’t the best idea. You let a lot of opponents into the pot, making it less likely you’ll win.

Raise — increase the bet. In no-limit Texas Hold'em, the minimum raise is the same as the last raise. So if someone raised before you, your minimum bet is 2 big blinds. And there’s no limit on how much you can raise. You can even put all your chips in, going «all-in».

The betting on the pre-flop goes on until some players call the bets or everyone folds. If that happens, a new deal begins, and if there are still a few poker players in the game, it moves to the next stage.

Things get more exciting when the first three community cards appear on the table. The preflop power dynamics can change completely. And it’s important to keep that in mind when deciding your next bet.

The poker rules slightly change at this point. Now, the player in the small blind position starts betting. If they folded, then the action goes to the first active player clockwise. Having the button position is the most advantageous one at the table in postflop because you make a decision last, knowing what your opponents did.

If nobody wins the betting on the river, the dealer calls for a showdown. This is when players reveal their hole cards to compare whose hand is stronger.

There are different versions of poker rules about who should go first in showing their cards. Usually, it’s the last player who made an active move at the table.