How to Play Poker for Beginners: The Basics in One Page

Poker is not one game but a family of them. Learn what they share and you can sit down at any of them.

What every poker game has in common

1. Everyone gets cards, some or all of them hidden.
2. Players bet on whose hand is best, in one or more rounds.
3. You can fold at any point and lose only what you have already put in.
4. The best hand at the showdown wins the pot — unless everyone else folds first, in which case the last player in wins without showing.

That last point is the heart of poker. You do not need the best hand to win, only the last one standing.

The betting actions

On your turn in a betting round, you can:

• Check — pass without betting, if nobody has bet yet this round.
• Bet — put chips in.
• Call — match the current bet.
• Raise — increase the current bet; everyone else must call the new amount, raise again or fold.
• Fold — give up the hand.

A round ends when every player still in has put in the same amount.

The main kinds of poker

• Community card games. Each player has a few private cards and shares five face-up cards in the middle. Texas hold'em is the most played poker game in the world. How to play Texas hold'em. Omaha is similar, with four private cards.
• Draw games. Each player gets a full hand and can swap some cards. Five-card draw is the classic home game. How to play 5 card draw.
• Stud games. Some of each player's cards are dealt face up, so you can see part of every hand. Seven-card stud was the main casino game before hold'em.

Hand rankings

Every standard game ranks hands the same way, from royal flush down to high card. Learn them first. Poker hand rankings with a chart.

Forced bets: antes and blinds

So there is always something to win, each hand starts with forced bets:

• Antes: everyone puts in a small amount.
• Blinds: two players — the small blind and big blind — put in bets before the cards are dealt, and the duty rotates round the table with the dealer button. Blinds and the dealer button explained.

Habits of winning players

• Play fewer hands. Beginners play far too many. Fold weak starting hands and wait.
• Position matters. Acting after your opponents is a big advantage; play more hands from late position, fewer from early.
• Bet when you are strong. Calling a lot and rarely betting is the most common losing pattern.
• Bluff sparingly and only against one or two players. A bluff into five opponents rarely works.
• Watch the other players when you are not in the hand. That is when you learn the most.
• Set a limit before you sit down, and stick to it.

Setting up a home game

Six to eight players, two decks of plastic cards, a few hundred chips, a dealer button and a felt surface are all you need. How to host a poker night.