Play begins with the person immediately to the left of the dealer placing a bet called the small blind, usually half of the minimum table bet. The player to his left places a bet called the big blind, which is the table minimum bet. Each player is then dealt two down cards called hole cards. There is an initial round of betting starting with the player directly to the left of the big blind. This position is often referred to as ‘under the gun.’ The round of betting concludes after each player has had the opportunity to either place a bet or respond to a raise.  

The dealer burns the top card of the remaining deck by tossing it in the discard pile. The next three cards are positioned face up in the centre of the table to act as the community cards. A second round of betting begins, this time with the player in the small blind. If the player in the small blind has folded, play begins with the first player to the dealers left that remains in the hand.

The dealer burns another card and then adds one card to the community hand in the centre of the table.  This card is called Fourth Street. Another round of betting ensues. The same procedure is followed for betting. The dealer burns one more card and adds the last card to the community hand, and one last betting round occurs. The player who can make the best five-card hand wins. 

It was recorded by English actor Joseph Crowell that the game of poker was played in 1829 in New Orleans. However, it was only played with a deck of 20 cards. This 20-card version of the game then spread throughout the rest of the country by, it was thought, Mississippi riverboats. 

Following the spread of the initial version of the game, people started to play with the full 52-card deck, and then the flush was created. It was, however, during the American Civil War that further additions were made to the game. Such additions included draw poker and stud poker. Later came the wild card (in 1875), then lowball and split-pot poker (in around 1900). The spread of the game of poker to different countries is often thought to have been through the US military. 

In the modern day, poker became popular throughout American casinos following the World Series of Poker started in 1970. It soon became a spectator sport with viewers watching the action as a result of broadcast television. 

Now many people play poker in on and offline casinos. Some people play professionally, but many play casually and just for fun, making free bets and taking part in promotional £10 free bets bonuses at reputable online casinos.

The player makes an initial ante wager, and is dealt two cards face down. The dealer also places three community cards face down in the table. The player may now look at his cards and make a bet of one to three times the ante amount, or fold. The dealer then turns the first community card over, and the player may make a second bet. This continues for the second and third community cards. 

The player wins according to the following pay out schedule – pairs 6s to 10s PUSH; Jacks or better pays 1:1; two pair pays 2:1; three of a kind pays 3:1; a straight pays 4:1; a flush pays 6:1; a full house pays 10:1; four of a kind pays 40:1; a straight flush pays 100:1;and a royal flush pays 500:1.

A Royal Flush consists of an ace, king, queen, jack and a ten, while a Straight Flush has to have five numbered cards that are next to each other, for example 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5. Four of a Kind is simple to remember, as it is just four aces for example, along with another card, such as a ten. Full House consists of three aces and two kings, while Flush is often Ace, 10, 8, 5 and 2. A Straight consists of 5, 4, 3, 2 and an ace. Three of a Kind is also easy to understand, as it is just three cards of the same number, while the other two can be anything. Two Pair is where two pairs of cards match, while One Pair is where just one match each other. High Card can consist of an ace, 9, 6, 4 and 2 for example. It is important to get to grips with these as soon as possible in order to be able to play the game well.

At the turn of the century, the advent of tiny hole-card cameras turned Poker into a spectacle, and today Poker tournaments can be watched on TV in many areas, and online around the world. Tournament play is part and parcel of the world of Poker, with the World Series of Poker beginning in 1970 and gaining popularity throughout casinos. With the explosion of online Poker at the start of the 21st century, more and more players found games at the tips of their fingertips.

There are four main variants of Poker including myriad games. The variants are grouped according to the betting and dealing rules. Straight Poker is the oldest of the Poker families. In Straight Poker, a complete hand is dealt to every player and players bet over the course of one round, with raising and re-raising permitted according to the rules.

Stud Poker is the next oldest family of Poker games after Straight Poker. In Stud Poker, players are dealt cards in pre-set combinations of face-down and face-up rounds (also called streets), with a betting round immediately following.

In Draw Poker, each player is dealt a full hand of cards face-down. Players have the opportunity to improve their hand by discarding cards and adding new ones.

The final variant is called Flop Poker, where players are dealt an incomplete hand of cards which they can complete with face-up community cards dealt to the entire table. Texas Hold ‘Em, widely considered the most popular game of Poker around the world belongs to this group of games.

One notable thing about Omaha Hold ‘em Poker, is that in casinos, dealers never actually play the game, even though it all starts with the dealer shuffling the standard 52-card deck.

Following that, the first and second players to the left of the dealer will make blind bets before the cards are dealt. These players put up the minimum bet, which is predetermined. This is called “posting the blinds” and it ensures there is something to play for in every hand.

Following the first blind bets, players are given four cards, face down. These are called their hole cards.

A standard poker betting round then begins. As with other variations of poker, players can choose to raise, call or fold in the betting round. In the betting round, the player to the left of the players that posted the blinds is the first to go.

Once the first betting round is finished, the dealer discards the top card to prevent cheating, then puts three cards in the middle of the table, face up. These are called community cards, which can be used by any player. Following the distribution of the first three community cards, another betting round takes place. This time, the player directly to the left of the dealer starts the betting round.

Following the previous betting round, the dealer will once again discard the top card before putting the fourth community card onto the table. Another betting round then begins.

The fifth and final community card is then handed out, after the top card is discarded once more.

At this point, players choose three community cards as well as two of their hole cards to form a five-card poker hand. The final round of bets are then placed.

Players then show their hands, starting with the last one who raised the last. The winner is the player who has the best hand.

If placing a ‘pair plus’ bet the results are given on the hand that the player holds.  The hand that the dealer has is not relevant.  The player must have at least a pair; a hand with nothing wins nothing.  Odds may be as high as 40-1 for a straight flush and as low as evens for a pair.

With an ‘ante and play’ bet the cards are dealt before the bet is made.  Once the cards are dealt the player is able to fold and lose the money that has already been wagered, or play and add additional monies to the bet already placed.  If the play bet is chosen then the dealer’s hand will also be revealed.  A queen high in the dealer’s hand will qualify and the outcome depends on both the dealer’s hand and the player’s hand and the type of bet that has been made.  For example, if the dealer’s hand does not qualify and the ante bet was placed then the payout is usually even money, while if the play bet has been played then the result is push.

If the player has at least a straight then a bonus may be paid on the ante bet that is not dependent upon the hand of the dealer or if the player has won or lost.  These bonuses depend upon the individual casino but can be as high as 5 to 1 for a straight flush or even-money for a straight.

For those not familiar with the game, Texas Hold ‘em is a variation of poker that begins with an ante, as most forms of poker do. The next step of the game is each player being dealt a pair of cards. To make a complete poker hand, these cards must be combined with the community cards. There are five community cards in total and the series of three community cards that the dealer places face up are called the flop. The remaining pair of community cards is called the turn or the river. 

Though a hand with the flop may be apparent right away, the cards in the river may change the focus of the player’s hand. A straight may appear to be the most likely option at first, but as the round moves on a flush may become the player’s goal.

Once the first three community cards are placed, the players make bets based on their hand. After each card from the river is turned over, bets are made. 

What tends to make this game intense is the fact that so much relies on the community cards, which players have no control over. Smart bets and bluffing must be perfected to become a winning player. 

In terms of hands, the same rules as five-card stud apply. That is, a royal flush is the best hand possible, unless there are wilds called and the lowest hand is a high card. 

However, because there are no draws in Texas Hold ‘em, hands are often won with a pair. A royal flush in this form of poker is quite rare.     

888games.com has a variation on the game called Hold ‘em or Fold ‘em, which essentially follows exactly the same rules as Texas Hold ‘em.

The decision to extend the WSOP across the Atlantic was taken after Harrah’s Casinos purchased the rights to the brand in 2004. The company subsequently purchased London Clubs International, which owned three leading casinos in the London area, paving the way for the inaugural elite series in 2007 at the Empire in Leicester Square casino. Three events took place between September 6th to 16th of that year and 18 year old Annette Obrestad was the big winner after taking down the £10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event for a £1,000,000 jackpot and coveted gold WSOP bracelet.

A fourth event was added to the schedule twelve months later. John Juanda followed Obrestad into the record books after beating 362 players to secure a £868,800 top prize. The series continued to grow in 2009, as a fifth tournament was introduced and notable pros J.P Kelly, Erik Cajelais and Barry Shulman all tasted success. James Bord, the most recent Main Event winner, landed a £830,401 jackpot in 2010 after besting Fabrizio Baldassari in heads up play, to become the first British player to triumph in the showpiece tournament.

The Majestic Barriere Cannes and Le Croisette Casino Barriere are set to host the action in 2011, after a decision was made to move the series from its traditional home in London. Seven events, covering No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha variants, will take place in addition to a €550 NLHE Ladies (Non Bracelet) Event. It will also be the first time that events at the WSOPE count towards the prestigious WSOP Player of the Year Award.

Poker Hands

A poker hand is always five cards.  Any cards that are not within the hand have no ranking in the game.  If two players have the same hand, then the highest card within the given hand wins.  For example, a straight of K, Q, J, 10, 9 would beat a straight of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.  If two players have the same hand with the same ranking numbers, then it is a tie and the pot is split.

In poker, hands are as follows: one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, and straight flush.  The highest possible hand in poker is called a royal flush.  This hand is an ace high straight flush.

Individual Cards

If none of the players can form a hand out of their cards, then the winner is determined by whoever has the highest card.  If two players have the same high card, then the next highest card will be ranked.  This continues until there is a winner. If the players have exactly the same hand, then a tie is declared, and the pot is split.