Poker Game Rules

Learning the poker game rules is not the difficult bit, mastering it is. The simplicity of learning the poker rules is what makes so many people love this game. As a complete newbie, you might get overwhelmed navigating the seemingly complicated poker rules, so, here’s a basic guide to help you learn the basics poker game rules. Starting with these, you can skill up without friction to play on the best poker sites of India. Here's what we have got covered:

● The basics Texas Holdem poker rules .
● The basics poker rules of Pot Limit Omaha poker.
● Other common poker game rules .
● Poker rules to follow while playing online poker for free .

Basics Poker Game Rules

When the poker community says you have to learn the poker game rules, they are referring to a guide to play one of the most popular variants of the game. It implies, “learn the basics Texas Holdem poker rules, the most popular variant referred to learn basic poker rules. One needs to understand that these poker game rules are of two natures when it comes to different poker variants.
1. Common poker rules: These poker rules include hand strength, hand ranking , wagering rounds and action.
2. Uncommon poker rules: Pot size, number of cards dealt, poker strategy , starting hand ranges.

Texas Holdem Poker Rules

Game	How many Players	Poker Rules
Texas Hold'em	2-10	How to Play Texas Holdem Poker?

Whether you play it in the form of a tournament or as a ring-game, the basic poker rules and the hand rankings don't change as per Texas Holdem Poker rule.

Pot Limit Omaha Poker Rules

The second-most popular poker variant is Pot-Limit Omaha Poker. The poker game rules of this game vary slightly from Texas Holdem poker rules while the common poker rules govern a larger section of the cash game.

Game	How many Players	Poker Rules
Omaha Poker	2-10	How to Play Pot Limit Omaha?

Other Common Poker Game Rules

The Value of Poker Hands – Poker Rules

A common poker rule is the poker hand values. Be it a game of Texas Holdem or Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) , the value of poker hands remains the same. Here’s a look at the value of poker hands for both PLO and Texas Holdem poker rules.

As per the standard poker rules, when a hand reaches a showdown, the player with the highest rank card wins the pot. This holds true in Texas Holdem poker rules and PLO rules alike. Another one of common poker game rules followed in all its variants.

Basic Poker Rules Of Poker Hand Rankings

One can win a hand in poker only in two ways:
1. Have the best possible five-card hand combination at showdown or
2. You bluff and force your opponent to fold by only representing a stronger hand.

The objective is to make the best five-card , poker hand combination. To make the best combination, one must be aware of the poker rule of Poker hand ranking. The Poker game rules that include these hand rankings are another common rule shared by Texas Holdem and Pot-Limit Omaha poker rules.

These rankings are placed from the lowest to the highest in order, 10th being the highest as per the poker game rules.
1. High card: If no combination is formed as per the poker card rules, then a player’s hand is valued at the highest single card. If two players have the same high card, the second card or the (kicker in poker) comes into play and breaks the tie with its value.
2.One Pair: A pair is formed when you have two of any of the same cards as per the poker game rules.
3. Two Pairs: A two pair is formed when four out of your five cards are two pairs as per the poker hierarchy . If two players have two pairs, the highest pair wins. These rankings remain true in both Texas Holdem poker rules and PLO rules.
4. Three of a Kind: When you have three of the same cards, you’ve formed three of a kind or a set.
5. Straight: A straight is a five-card hand consisting of running cards regardless of suits. Ex: 6♦ 7♠ 8♠ 9♦ 10♥. If two players have a straight, the higher straight poker wins . In this case, 8-9-10-J-Q will beat the hand in the example.
6. Flush: : All five cards of the same suit together is called a flush. The player with a superior value flush wins when two players have a flush poker .
7. Full House: Full House: When a player has three-of-a-kind (set) and a pair in their five-card combination, it is called a full house. Ex: 6♥ 6♦ 6 ♣ J♥ J♦.
8. Four of a Kind: A powerful hand with the odds of hitting it of course! If you have four cards of the same value, you have four of a kind .
9. Straight Flush: As the hand rankings increase, so do the odds of hitting it. A straight flush is the combination of a straight (running cards) + flush (same suit). So, if your five-card hand combination has a running poker sequence of the same suit, you’ve hit a straight flush!
10. Royal Flush: The golden hand of poker is the Royal Flush. A royal flush is a straight flush that runs to Ace, making it the undefeatable hand. This is what royal flush glory should look like on your felts: 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥. We’d like to add that the poker odds of hitting a Royal Flush as per the poker game rules is 1 in 650000 hands!

Poker Game Rules - How to Make Poker Hands?

As per the Texas Holdem poker rules, players are dealt two hole cards face down. Besides, five community cards are revealed in three phases. The hole cards can be used in any combination with the community cards to form the best five-card poker hand. If the poker game reaches a showdown after all the rounds of wager, players show their cards and the player with the highest-ranking wins the pot as per poker game rules.

Blinds

Among other common basic poker rules, blinds are seen in most poker variants. A blind is a forced wager two designated players need to put forth before the cards are dealt. Commonly known as the small blind and big blind, the position rotates during gameplay with all players taking their turn being the small and big blind . The big blind is double the amount of small blind.

The Action

The action that follows in an online card game of poker and is crucial to learn as a part of the poker rules. The action refers to the next gameplay in a round of poker. When the action is on you, you are provided with the following actions (depending on your position):
• Check: Decline to wager
• Fold: Withdraw from the hand
• Bet: Place a wager on the poker table
• Raise: Match your opponents bet with an additional amount.
• Call: Match the bet of your opponents to continue to play the next street.

The Wagering Rounds

The wagering rounds in poker also known as streets underlie the gameplay based on the universal poker game rules in community poker games. Let’s take a look.
• Preflop: The wager made before any community cards are dealt in preflop
• Flop: The wager made after the first three community cards are dealt
• Turn: The wager made after the fourth community card is revealed
• River: The last and final street is the wager made after the fifth community card is revealed.

Table Stakes

Table stakes is another basic poker rule shared by different poker variants. Be it online, offline, Texas or PLO, table stakes remain the same. They refer to the wager amount you have on the table at the beginning of the hand and players are not allowed to add anything more till the hand plays out.

Also Check-3 Patti Rules

Showdown

A showdown occurs at the end of all the wagering rounds where players reveal their card and the highest hand as per the poker game rules, wins the pot money. The pot gathered is what the winner makes and the dealer button moves before the next hand. This is a basic poker rule followed in both Texas Holdem and Pot Limit Omaha poker.

Few basic Poker Rules you need to know

• If all players have checked, the player to the left of the dealer button still in the hand, is the first to reveal his/her cards. This is followed by the remaining players in the hand as per gameplay tutorial.
• If your hand doesn’t beat the first player’s hand, you have the option to ‘muck’ or fold, meaning dispose of your cards face down and not expose this information to the opponents in poker card rules.
• If someone wagers and then gets called, the last aggressor – the player who wagered last, will reveal their cards first as per the poker game rules.
• While these are the rules for a showdown, a player often reveals their cards out of showdown order when they know they have a poker winning hand. This is also acceptable as per the standard poker rules.

Other Uncommon Poker Game Rules

Limit vs. No Limit Poker Games Rules

The limits as per Texas Holdem poker rules are of two kinds. Games that allow No Limit means a player can wager as much as they want at any point in the hand, including going all in. Other games that allow a pot-limit means there are limitations to how much a player can wager during the hand. The amount a player can wager in hand is determined by the pot size during that point of the game. The pot size is the upper limit or the maximum a poker player can wager during that point in the games as per Pot Limit basic poker rules.

Poker Game Rules to Follow While Playing Online Poker for Free

Since you have a basic understanding of the rules of poker and can always refer back to this guide, it’s time to practice playing poker online . The wise move is to begin without real money and look for free online poker games. Test the basic poker game rules on these felts as they teach you the real-world skills you need to conquer real money poker games.

On PokerBaazi, you can access a variety of practice games and free entry tournaments of different variations of poker games. Play them all, explore your niche and once you find it, master it till the very end to rule the felts with conviction.