Online Poker is by far the most played and popular card game in both the land-based and virtual casinos. Originated in America, Poker is among the most lucrative games in the world.
Do you know online Poker is the most loved card game in countries like the US, Canada, Italy, France etc.? A game meant for every age group; it helps to improve your mental ability, bankroll management, dealing with bad debts and decision making.
Whether you play Online poker free or for real money on desktops or smartphones; you’ll get the most exciting betting experience. Online poker tournaments are the extra advantage to win a huge pot of money.
This game guide to playing online poker is straightforward and quite easy to understand. We have got you covered with everything from the poker rules, recognizing hand values, strategies to place & win bets and the best online poker sites 2021.
So, get ready to play online poker for real money!
Before you get started with playing online poker at traditional casinos or your favourite online casino. There are some most important factors that you must consider are:
Betting Styles | Description |
---|---|
No limit | Players are allowed to place maximum stakes as per their bankroll. |
Limit | The maximum betting limit is fixed on the online poker table. Bets and raises are restricted to a certain size. |
Pot Limit | The maximum bet depends on the current value of the pot. The pot contains all the bets placed by players. |
Ok, so by now you must have decided on your poker table and playing style. That’s nice!
Now, the time is to know your stakes that you’ll be playing for. The stakes number indicates the minimum and maximum size of your bets and raises.
Let’s take an example: $4/$10 table limit represents your initial two bets will be raised by $4 whereas the last 2 bets will be incremented by $10.
Let’s get started with the poker basics first!
Online Poker is a card game played with a single deck of cards with 52 cards in each deck. All the players have to start with some initial small bets that are collected in the pot. The whole amount is called the boot amount.
These small bets are referred to as Blind bets; that means players are forced to place the bets without looking at the cards. There are two types of blind bets:
If you are playing Texas Hold’em, the first two players to the left of the dealer are forced to place small blind and big blind bets respectively.
The first round of betting is called the pre-flop phase. The boot amount keeps on increasing after every round in a single session of poker.
Players don’t need to play each hand in online poker. According to Texas Hold’em Rules, players can take a ‘sit out’ option while being in the game.
Each player along with a dealer plays online poker with an aim to form a better hand value to win the game.
Remember, only a single player can win the pot of money in the end.
What’s the aim of the game?
The goal is to create a better hand value than the rest of the players in the game. It’s not necessary to get the royal flush combination every time.
The hands with cards like pairs of aces, kings, queens and jack or cards in sequence like 8,9, 10 or king. queen, Jack is referred to as good hand values.
Online Poker is the best combination of skill and luck. What makes poker more interesting than other casino games like baccarat, roulette?
It’s an easy, exciting and intellectual game to play quite similar to live poker. even if you opt for a virtual poker table; you are playing against real players from around the world. It’s a fast-paced game where quick actions are required to make the next move.
The opportunity to win real money is the major reason that punters from across the globe are attracted to this game.
The best game for low to high rollers that can be played anytime and anywhere without leaving the comfort of your home.
Also, the option to play poker live tournaments makes this game even more fascinating.
Whether it is online poker or live poker; the rules remain the same. Online poker has a virtual dealer, it is fast-paced and can be played with small value bets and the risk of losing money is low. You get to play with unknown players; so it becomes quite difficult to judge the gestures.
Whereas live poker has a live dealer and is often played with a fixed entry fee that can vary as per your selection of online poker. The risk of losing money is quite high. The same strategies are followed in both formats.
Switching is easy from live to online poker and online to live poker. You can opt to leave the poker table at any moment. Whether it’s live or online poker, your goal remains the same i.e. to force the rival to fold cards before the showdown option.
Let’s discuss the differences!
Safe & secure deposit payment options are available to play online poker. You can select any of our suggested online poker sites that provides the world’s largest online poker rooms with guaranteed player protection.
All the payment options available use 128-bit layer SSL encrypted technology. So, your money transactions are always safe. You can easily find the following payment methods:
The first and foremost step is to register at any online poker site of your choice. Once you have logged in; the second step is to make a deposit in your casino account to start placing bets. Take a look at the steps below to know how to play poker online:
A computer dealer automatically deals the cards with all the players in online poker.
So, you might be wondering what are Fold, Call and Raise actions? Well, these are the choices offered to the player when it’s their turn on the table.
Fold: If a player chooses to fold; it means they are not interested in the game any more and will lose the chance to win the pot. The turn moves to the next player in such conditions.
Call: In case a player makes a call; they have to place a bet equal to the current bet value of the online poker table at that moment.
Raise: The player places the bet of a higher amount. Rest it depends on the table limit and betting style. For instance; a player can raise the bet to the maximum betting limit as per his budget in a no-limit table
Want to play Online Poker like a Pro? So it’s important to know every single detail about poker. So you don’t get confused while playing online or live at any poker table. Take a look at the nicknames for different hands in online poker.
Winning doesn’t depend only on the cards dealt with you. Your position on the poker table affects your winning status a lot. For example, if you are sitting at the dealer button position, you’ll be the last one to make a move.
So that becomes an advantage for you. As the player who is last to take the call has more information about the cards with opponent players and can take better decisions.
Below is the poker table with 10 players; try to understand the positions:
Terms | Description |
---|---|
SB( Small Blind) | Before the game begins(flop) and cards are dealt; the player sitting to the left of the dealer has to play a small bet. |
LB( large Blind) | The player at the 2nd position to the left of the dealer has to place a bet equal to the minimum bet of the table. |
MP( Middle Position) | The 4th to 7th position starting from the left of the dealer. |
UTG( under the gun) | The weakest position on the table. The first player in the betting; who has to take an action. |
HJ(Hijack) | The player sitting in the 2nd position from the right of the dealer. |
BTN( button) | It’s the dealer position on the poker table. The position with the huge advantage. |
CO ( Cut off) | The position to the exact right of the dealer button. |
The first betting round before the cards are dealt with by the players. During this phase; two players sitting to the left of the dealer are forced to place blind bets. The player at the 1st left position places the small blind bet whereas the player at the 2nd position places the large blind bet.
The three important factors to be considered while playing preflop:
Do you know? The big pocket pairs like a pair of ace, king, queen and jack are valued as the best hands for playing in pre-flop betting.
You can also opt for big suited connectors ( ace-king) or big connectors( different suits).
This question strikes most poker hold ‘em, beginners. Well, that’s what we are here for! Honestly speaking, only practice and game experience can help you in perfection. So, the best option is to play online poker free a few times to get a better understanding of rules and betting options.
Once you get familiar with the rules, betting options, payouts, gambling terms & environment. You can easily switch to online or live poker at any time.
But we have collected the best of information to answer this question that’ll make your job a little easier.
If you are playing a Texas hold’em online poker game, the players are asked to take action. They are offered to either fold, call or raise. All the bets go straight into the pot. So you have to think wisely before making any move.
Bonus Tip: Be prepared for the losses. Not every game can be won.
Check the poker hand rankings from high to low. The highest is the royal flush and lowest is the high card hand combination.
A player needs 5 consecutive cards with a condition that all cards should belong to one suit. A-K-Q-J-T is known as the royal flush.
A combination of 5 consecutive cards in the same row. For example: 3,4,5,6,7 and so on.
Three cards of the same rank. Example: Ace of spade, aCe of Heart and Ace of Club.
A combination with four cards of the same rank.Eg: King of spade, club, heart and diamond.
As the name indicates; the combination consists of two pairs that mean 4 cards. One pair of one rank and another pair of different rank.
A combination of two cards of the same rank. Example; Jack of club and diamond.
The card combination of 5 cards of a particular suit but not necessarily in a sequence.
A hand value including an ace or any other high card to beat the other players.
Five cards of the same suit in consecutive patterns, Eg: 3,4,5,6,7 of the same suit.
In Texas, Hold’em; Online Poker odds are the winning chances of a particular hand against the opponent. While playing, you must have noticed that we keep on thinking about yours and the opponent’s odds of winning. You have to place the required bet size in the next move to win the hand. It includes:
Look at the table below that reveals the Poker Odds of Common hands combinations. It will help you make better decisions.
Common Hand Values | Winning Probability |
---|---|
AK & 76 Suited | AK wins 60% |
AK & QJ | AK wins 64% |
AK & 22 | 22 wins 51% |
AK & KQ | AK wins 73% |
AK & KK | AA wins 87% |
AK & KK | KK wins 66% |
AT & KQ | AT wins 58% |
AA & KK | AA wins 80% |
AA vs 22 | AA wins 80% |
AQ & KJ | AQ wins 60% |
A2 & JT | A2 wins 55% |
AQ & KQ | AQ wins 70% |
AQ & QJ | AQ wins 70% |
KK & K2 | KK wins 94% |
AA & 76 suited | AA wins 77% |
The best part about online poker is the availability of unlimited variants unlike traditional poker games.
Online poker is fast-paced, follows aggressive betting styles with different playing styles. you get to play with live players from across the world without actually knowing them. It’s a low-risk online gambling game.
The best and cheapest way to play online poker 24/7 while sitting at home. All you need is skills, luck and a genuine online casino sites to play poker online. Betway, Fun88, 10CRIC etc. are some of the leading casinos that offer live, online poker games and no download poker games.
The good news for all those players who love to play at multiple poker tables at the same time; online poker is available in the multi-table format.
And, in case you want to move to live poker for placing live bets and real-world like gambling experience; you can easily switch at any time.
All the mentioned games are offered by most of the online poker sites. You can easily find them in no limit., fixed limit and pot-limit betting format.
Rest there are infinite variants of online poker games that you may come across on different online poker sites.
Now let’s discuss the popular online poker tournaments, sit and go tournaments and cash games in online poker!
Online poker tournaments allow you to win big pots of money. Different types of poker tournaments are available that you can participate in as per your budget and preferences. The poker tournaments are also telecasted on T.V’s
The question may arise; how much do I have to bet and can I earn real money?
Every player gets a stack of chips in exchange for money with an additional entry fee. The goal is to collect all the chips from the players into the pot. The one who stays till the end is declared as the tournament winner.
Sounds easy! Isn’t it?
Prizes are guaranteed in online poker tournaments ranging between thousands to lakhs. It all depends on the amount you have staked and the total amount in the pot.
Some poker tournaments only pay 1 winner while others can pay 3,10, 20, 30 and so on. Look at the different types of poker tournaments.
This tournament is almost similar to an online poker tournament. The only difference is the number of participants is already decided in the SNG tournament. For example 8-SNG, 30-SNG etc.
These fast-paced tournaments feature 500 chip initial stacks. The tournament ticket ranges between INR 1/- to INR 1510/-. The prizes are drawn randomly. Usually, the rewards are 2X to 10,000X your initial stakes.
The spinner placed in the centre of the poker table displays the result. Want to participate in the SNG tournament? Follow the steps below:
That’s all! Now play & win!
The advantage of playing SNG tournaments is you don’t have to wait long for results, unlike regular tournaments. Also, SNG is known as the effective bankroll builder.
IPC(Indian Poker Championship) , NPS( national poker series), WPT( world poker tournament) are some of the popular poker tournaments organizers in India. Evof Live poker tournaments are held every year in Goa, panjim. You have to qualify for participating in such tournaments through satellite or by reaching the venue. You can also participate in WSOP( world series of poker), UK & Ireland Poker Tour, Aussie Millions and grab the opportunity to win grand prize pools.
The most popular and favourite online poker tournament. These tournaments are the tricky ones that implies all kinds of betting styles. All categories of players can participate from low to high to elite with fixed pot, no limit pot limit pot. These tournaments run almost every day with unlimited game options.
Millions of players from across the globe participate in multi table tournaments to win grand prize pools. It’s quite an interesting online poker game where all participants compete with each other at a multi poker table with the aim of reaching the single poker table.
This turbo structured tournament runs for about a week. The prizes are guaranteed. It is meant for both low to high roller punters. These turbo tournaments are perfect for the poker players who love to play fast-paced games. You can also download the tourney format to play online poker on your mobile for free or real money.
These tournaments are played for free without depositing any money. There is no entry fee plus you are guaranteed to unveil the pot prize with the opponent. You also stand an opportunity to win the pot if your predicted final cards are dealt. These tournaments help you learn the skills, rules and odds to win at online poker. The good news is every registered player on the poker site can participate.
Cash games are played with real chips that a player exchanges with the real money. Cash games keep running online 24/7 with unlimited seat options around the table.
These games are based on simple logic; choose the stakes and game you want to bet on. That means there is no pre fixed minimum or maximum betting limit. The chips you get in online poker cash games are in equal proportion of your buy-ins.
The advantage is Online cash games in India are convenient for users as they can leave and join whenever they want to.
Each time you are out of chips, you have to reload the casino deposit to buy the chips or you are detained from the table.
Online cash games are perfect for low to high budget bankrolls. So you’ll be offered to choose among different stakes to play online poker cash games. For an instance, in No-limit Texas Hold’em India offers the following stakes:
The money you bring is the money you lose or win. Doesn’t that sound honest and logical? This game is worth spending money on or we can say value for money.
The online poker cash game won’t end even if there is a single player left on the table.That means if you are on a losing streak, you always have the opportunity to recover your losses.
Nothing is perfect! So, there are some disadvantages also:
When you lose in cash games; you lose the whole of your bankroll in a single go. As all the money in the bankroll is stakes. The value of chip= Value of your bankroll. Oops! So, take care while choosing your game type.
If you are playing online poker with the motive of earning real money, bonuses & rewards play a major role in boosting your bankroll.
What’s interesting about poker is that every time you participate and win online poker; the online poker sites will reward you with amazing rewards and bonuses that’ll be credited to your online account.
Let’s find out how these bonuses work?
Yay! A great news for poker lovers. Now you can play online poker, live poker or participate in poker tournaments through the mobile apps. Hundreds of Poker Apps are available that you can easily download on your smartphones for free. The apps are compatible on Android as well as iOS devices.
Another option is, you can directly browse your favorite casino sites through your browser. Trust us, we have personally used the apps like 10CRIC, Fun88 or jungleRaja and tried Texas hold’em variant of Poker .So, the apps runs smooth, are easy to navigate with the same features and payment options as you’ll get on your desktop or laptop.
What are you waiting for? Download the best poker apps, Invite your friends and enjoy the best gambling experience ever!
We have explained the online poker strategies that can advance your game and winning odds. Follow our tips!
Do you know there are about 169 possible hand combinations and only 5 of them are valued as premium hands.
The strategy is to try lesser hand values unless you have gained enough confidence in other hand values. Play more to know more. If you are a beginner try to keep your gameplay simple.
The best strategy used almost by every player to make more money in online poker. Playing in position lets you place more accurate bets as you have more information than your opponents. You will get effective bluff opportunities.
Any card that makes the best hand is considered out. But make sure you do not count the cards as outs that can bring better results for your opponent.
‘Pot odds are offered by the pot’ that carries the boot amount to make a call. Whereas poker equity is the possibility of your chances to win the pot over other players.
Note down on a paper; your all the bets you have placed, your outs, the money you have invested, the money you have won. This will help to reduce your losses.
Yes, online poker is legal in India. But make sure you are playing online poker at a legal ad overseas site based out of India to enjoy a hassle-free gambling experience.
Online poker is easily available at casino sites like Betway, 10CRIC, LeoVegas etc. for more options check our list of recommended online poker sites. Convenient payment options are available for Indian players.
Most of the genuine casino sites like Royal Panda, Betway, Fun88 etc. encourage free online poker games for beginners. So, you don’t need to spend any money.
Rake is the commission fees paid by the customer to the casino owners to continue in the game. Generally, it is kept at 2.5 to 10% of the pot value in most casinos.
Always check the reviews and ratings of the online poker site before logging in. Also, look for the license, accreditation batch and customer support of the casino site. It’s better to leave the site right away if you couldn’t find any of them.
Not at all! You can opt to ‘sit out’ any time you don’t want the hands to deal with you. The advantage is you can leave the poker table for a while still being in the game.
Yes, poker can be played in a multi-table format. If you can manage your bankroll, speed and accuracy; it is up to you to decide how many tables you want to put stakes on.
The big blind is the betting option that you have while playing a few initial rounds of the poker game. When playing big blind, players generally stake a minimum bet amount without seeing the card value. It is mostly played by high rollers and professionals.
Our shortlisted casinos are not only legal and verified. But also provide different variants of poker games that a customer can demand. Whether it’s about participating in poker cash games or Hold’em tournaments; you’ll find the best promotional offers. Look at the factors, our experts have personally verified:
Besides just Texas Hold’em; our online poker sites offer different variants like Chinese poker, Short deck Hold’em. So, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to play real money or free online poker? Online poker india real cash offers exclusive bonuses and amazing rewards every time you play & win. Still waiting! All you need to do is Register and play poker!