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.

Poker, with its combination of chance, skill and drama, gives the competent player a good opportunity to earn substantial money from their play.

While the physical poker table allows players to measure their opponents by their physical “tells”, voice, and general demeanour, the online arena is more about determining other players’ betting, bluffing and folding patterns.  The games tend to run between three and five times faster than what is offered in physical poker rooms.  It is also possible to play on multiple tables at once, which is impossible in a physical poker room.  Some players can effectively play up to eight tables at a time, enabling them to maintain a reasonably stable income by spreading the risk around and taking advantage of less competent players.

Online poker is legal in the United Kingdom, and online poker rooms generate income in a number of ways.  Unlike physical games, there are no dealer tips or other expenses, but there is the traditional, bricks-and-mortar practice of the rake, in which 5% to 10% of the stakes up to a pre-determined limit are paid to the poker room per hand in a cash game.  Otherwise, for pre-scheduled games or tournaments, a 5% to 10% entry fee may be charged.  Additionally, some sites offer side bets, where the players play against the house for real money, with the odds in favour of the poker room. 

At the start of a Hold’em game, each player is dealt two ‘hole’ cards. Then, in the centre of the table the dealer adds the community cards, which all players can use to make their hand. First the dealer will turn three cards over (‘the flop’) followed by one more, (‘the turn’) and a final fifth card (‘the river’). Players must make the best possible hand from any combination of the five community cards and their two hole cards. For example, a player can use two, one or none of their hole cards with three, four or even five community cards. At the end of the hand the winner is the player with the best hand.

Hands are ranked in the following order. 

Royal Flush (the best hand in poker, 10-J-Q-K-A all of the same suit)
Straight Flush (a run of five cards of the same suit in order)
Full House (three of a kind combined with a pair e.g 7-7-7-J-J would be Sevens full of Jacks)
Four of a kind (a set of one card e.g four aces)
Flush (5 cards of the same suit in no particular order)
Straight (5 cards of different suits in order)
Three of a kind (3 cards all the same e.g 8-8-8)
A pair (two cards the same)
High Card (None of the above where the highest card trumps)

If it comes down to a tie, which often happens due to the shared community cards, then the hands are separated by ‘kickers’ – the highest card of the remaining five. For example, if two players have a pair of Kings then the player with the next highest card in his hand will take the pot. Similarly, flushes and straights are ranked by the highest card in the set. If the hands are identical then the pot is shared.

The most obvious difference is that players do not physically sit with one another around a table. Therefore, players cannot rely on watching the body language of others for tells. Instead, players must focus more on the game play techniques of others, for example, reaction times and speed of play, in addition to each player’s betting and folding statistics. Even slight variations in these can be tells as to what sort of hand a rival player has, or how they may be feeling in a certain round.

Rate of play also differs in online poker. In a physical game, either casual or in a casino, dealing and betting is slower. Cards must be collected, reshuffled and dealt. However, online play can be almost instantaneous, and some rooms allow players to pre-select their next move before a round is even dealt. Due to this, online poker rooms can play up to three times as many hands per hour as physical games.

A further issue is that of financial cost. In many casinos, a minimum bet of £1-2 is usually required, but in online play this can be substantially lower. As a result, online play can be an inexpensive way of playing poker.

Finally, many online rooms have facilities for teaching novices how to play, usually at no charge. This is an inexpensive way of accruing playing experience, as opposed to physical games where it is almost always necessary to place a monetary deposit.

1.    Once the dealer has dealt two cards to everyone, each player places an initial bet based on the cards they have been dealt.
2.    Three cards are then laid face up on the table which are known as the ‘flop cards’ and for players who wish to continue, everyone places another bet.
3.    The forth card is known as the ‘turn’ card, as your luck could change for better or worse, and it signals another round of betting.
4.    The ‘river’ card is the fifth and final card and a last bet is placed by those still in the game and wishing to continue.  This card is so called because it is down the river the player goes if they cannot make a winning hand by now.
5.    Once this stage is reached, everyone reveals their cards and the winner takes the prize money.