PKR’s Beginners Guide To Poker is perfect for new poker players with everything you need to start playing online poker starting with the basic rules of poker.

The basics including the rank of poker hands, what beats what and all the rules of Texas Holdem poker. With an overview on the different types of poker games like tournaments & ring games to choose the games most suitable for you. With a useful guide on the value of different starting hands and how to play them.

PKR’s Intermediate Poker Guide is perfect for players who have got the basics and are ready to understand some key concepts for playing winning poker.

The articles in this section cover the importance of postion at the poker table, how to play pocket pairs & how to play your hand after the flop. With an important guide on how to manage not to go on tilt and the basics of calculating odds & outs. Finishing off with some tips for playing Sit N Go’s and a brief introduction on how to play Omaha.

PKR’s Advanced Poker Guide is pefect for more advanced poker players who want to develop their game beyond a good intermediate level and want to raise their game to the maximum.

Moving up a notch to understanding the types of player, techniques for bluffing at poker & a guide to playing heads-up poker. The importance of managing your online poker bankroll, calculating pot odds effectively & strategy for winning multi-table tournaments. This section finished off with some good recommedations of poker books that are well worth a read.

Regardless, the top three starting poker hands are uncontested, and the other seven make consistent appearances on all the lists. It’s only the order in the bottom half that ever changes, and even so the card combinations for the most part remain the same. These are the most commonly cited top ten starting Hold ’em hands:

AA / Pocket Aces … Hands down pocket aces are the best starting hand a player can get. When a competitor tips his cards after a deal and involuntarily cracks a smile, it’s probably because he’s got a pair of these.

KK / Pocket Kings … This is another combination that raises no controversy with its ranking as the second best starting hand.

QQ / Pocket Queens … A rare few radical players may argue this placement, but most players agree that a pair of ladies takes an easy third in the starting hand rankings.

JJ / Pocket Jacks … The real debate begins with the fourth ranking. Conservative players will always place a pair of jacks above the AK suited by merit of its immediate value in the game.

AK Suited / Big Slick … This duo usually appears in the fourth, fifth, or sixth slot on a top ten list, though occasionally it makes third … How to play poker – ace king

10 10 / Pocket tens … Sixth is about as high as this hand gets on the average top ten list, though beginners often favor it over the non-pair combos.

AK Unsuited / Big Slick … The big boys in any color are a regular combo on the top ten list.

AQ Suited … An ace and any face suited have a solid place in the top starting hands.

KQ Suited … As the ace drops out of non-pair face combos, the ranking always gets lower.

AJ Suited … Many players rank this above the KQ.

AQ unsuited … May also appear as an alternate for the KQ suited, depending on the list maker’s preference.

With few other exceptions, these are largely regarded to be the top ten starting hands.
Many new players play it safe by folding with anything less than these eleven combinations.

This is a far safer tactic than some beginners use; oversimplifying their cards and betting on any pair or combination of face cards. Advanced players know better and don’t have to play it so safe. As with any game, you learn as you go and the more hands you play the better you understand the potential of your hand the next time around.

The most opportune time for a semi-bluff is when you’ve gotten a middle pair on the flop with an ace to back or when you’ve got a decent hand for pulling a straight or flush in the turn. Betting with these hands tells the other players that you’re working on something, but betting higher than usual implies that you’ve already got it.

The great thing about a semi-bluff is that you’ve got two chances to win the hand. If the other players fold after your early bet, then you win a small pot quickly. If they call, you still have a good shot at picking up a better hand on the turn and winning anyway with a larger pot.

Once you start your semi-bluff remember the number one rule of any bluff—remain consistent.
To reduce risk, be observant of pre-flop betting and especially of players that re-raise, which suggests a top ranked starting hand. Do not semi-bluff a strong table. The whole idea of a semi-
bluff is to take advantage of a perceived weakness, and semi-bluffing against players that aren’t
going to fold is basically just betting too high on a mediocre hand. Anyone with a strong hand
will be happy to call your bets and build their pot.

Returning to the semi-bluff for flushes and draws, it is important to note that many new and
even intermediate players will over bet when they pull these combinations on the turn. A semi-
bluff on these combinations is best performed when players seem likely to fold. Otherwise you
run the risk of them pulling a better hand and pumping your semi-bluff bets. The semi-bluff is a
great resource for skilled players but is frequently misused by over eager amateurs.

When used correctly, the semi-bluff has a two-pronged advantage. Having a good hand to begin
with gives you a decent chance of winning the hand on the turn or even on the river, but that
combined with the potential of a quick fold gives you twice the opportunity for taking the pot. The success of your semi-bluff relies largely on your ability to read the other player, so choose
your victims wisely.

Poker Tournaments

As you may well know from watching popular shows like the World Poker Tour, or even from
participating in poker night at a friend’s, the primary betting medium in poker is chips. Poker tournaments have one large prize that is built up from buy in fees and sometimes sponsorships.

Once a player deposits their buy in, they get a predetermined number of chips. Each player in a
tournament starts with that same number of chips. While a value is ascribed to each chip, in tournament play chips are pretty much equivalent to points. When you run out of chips, you are also out of the tournament. In rare instances, some types of poker tournaments will give the option of buying back in early in play to help build the final jackpot, but for the most part when you lose your last chip you are gone, as are your chances at taking a piece of the prize.

At the end of the poker tournament, the player that has accumulated the most chips wins. The prize pot is divided among the first so many places, with the winner taking the largest percentage.

Poker Ring Games

Ring games work on a totally different premise. You’re still playing poker, and you’re still
betting with chips, but the value assigned to each chip is their real cash value. Each player starts with a different number of chips depending on how much they bought. As the play progresses, a play may go all in and lose all their chips and return to the game by simply buying more chips.

Ring games are stand-alone games. They are the everyday type of game you can expect to find
in poker rooms during peak, non-tournament hours. Players can play as many hands as they can afford, or they may stand and cash in their chips at any time.

Tournament Strategy vs. Ring Game Strategy

When playing a tournament, every chip counts and a single hand can break you, but you must
play aggressively or you won’t be competitive as the blinds get higher. When playing ring games, you can play selectively. A single hand is just that, and it has no impact on the next one.
Furthermore, the risks are different. When you get knocked from a tournament, you only lose
your buy in, but high stakes ring games can produce very large pots. Which style of game you choose to play is based on personal preference. But understanding each and altering your strategy accordingly is the only smart way to play.

Texas Hold’em can be played two main ways … No Limit Holdem and Limit Holdem. The poker rules are the same, but the betting styles differ dramatically. Texas Hold-em itself is a relatively easy game to learn. It takes a lot of time, money, and observation to attain the skill level needed to play as a professional, but it doesn’t take hardly anything to understand the game enough to enjoy playing it.

A regular game of Texas Hold ‘em can accommodate as few as two to as many as ten players per table. As with all other poker games, there is also a dealer and a 52 card deck. The dealer distributes two cards to each player, face down as with any other card game. You may view your cards but are required to conceal them from your opponents. These cards are referred to as your hole cards, and they comprise your starting hand.

The first round of betting occurs as soon as players have received and viewed their starting hand. You may bet, raise, call (which means you will meet a previous player’s bet but not raise), or fold (which means you forfeit the hand) depending on the strength of your starting hand.

After the first round of betting, the dealer places three cards at the center of the table. These are called community cards and can be used to make any five-card combination with the hole cards. These three cards are called the flop. There is a round of betting after the flop with the same options as previously described.

After the flop a fourth card is dealt to the center of the table. This is card the turn. As before, another round of betting ensues, followed by the dealing of the fifth and final community card. This card is called the river. After the river is dealt, there is a final round of betting followed by a showdown. The showdown is when all remaining players reveal their cards.

In addition to the dealer, other players sitting at the table have obligations. The player to the dealer’s immediate left is called the small blind, and the player to the dealer’s immediate right is called the big blind. The size of the blind is pre-determined, and the players in the blind positions must bet that money to start the pot.

These are just the bare necessities for understanding Texas Hold ‘em, but you’ve got to start somewhere if you want to learn to play poker. The only way to improve your poker is to play, and there are plenty of places and ways to do that.

 Betting is always a good indicator. A player with a strong hand is usually quick to bet and build their pot. If players are slow to bet and quick to check, their indecision shows a lack of confidence in their cards. This is an ideal time to test your bluff. To bluff convincingly though, you must be consistent. Be prepared to bet aggressively before beginning your bluff or no one will buy into it.

A good bluff is really just a good story, like the fish stories you’ve heard your friends tell and have probably told yourself. You’ve got nothing, but the way you play is saying, “My hand is thiiiiis big.” Timing can go a long way toward making your story believable. For example, if there are two of a suit on the table and you check, and a third of the suit is turned, a bet now tells the other players you are holding a flush. Ideally they will fold on your first bet, but it is important to your story that you continue to bet should they call you.

This can also be done early in the game, but is easiest for the player in the last position. If everyone before you checks before the flop, you know their starting poker hands are weak and can take advantage of their vulnerability with a strong bet. If anyone calls, carry your bluff to the next turn. Your first bet laid the foundation, and your second bet suggests to your competitors that you bettered your hand with the flop. This is usually enough to shake off any players that are on the fence about their hands.

Once you’ve learned how to time your bluffs, the one thing you need to remember is to remain consistent. If you use your bluff sparingly and well, your opposition has no reason to doubt what your bets are saying about your hand.

There are three different variations of Texas Hold’em. All of them are played by the same rules and they are still the same game. The only difference is that the betting structure and limits are different. There is No Limit, Fixed Limit and Pot Limit Texas Hold’em. All three are very common poker games, but still some times mixed up and misunderstood. If you have ever played Texas Hold’em (any variation), you will not have any problem quickly picking up the other limits.

In No Limit Texas Hold’em, which is the form of poker that is used for the World Series of Poker Main Event; there is no betting limit. This just means that you can bet as much as you want. Any amount of money that is front of you can get put into the pot at any time during the course of the game. In Pot Limit Texas Holdem, you can bet as much as you want to bet up to the size of the pot. This is fairly simple as well. It just means that if there is $100 in the pot, that is the most you are allowed to bet. This is another very popular variation of Texas Hold’em.

The last and least popular (although still fairly popular) variation of Texas Hold-em, would be Fixed Limit. This means that you can only bet the amount that is set up for that game. So, if the game was $10/$20 Fixed Limit Texas Hold’em, you would be limited to $10 bets in the first two rounds and $20 bets in the second two rounds. That is the only betting that can be done, only in those increments.

Understanding the different variations is not hard. It is just that a lot of people really simply do not know they exist. Now that you understand that, you will have even more knowledge about poker. It is very important for any poker player at any level to understand these commonly forgotten basics.

 Both ring and tournament poker games share the basics like chips, a dealer, a table, a deck, and some players. The card combinations don’t change, and neither does the betting format. This is where the similarities between ring games and tournaments end and where the strategies for both also diverge.

Thanks to massive media coverage tournaments have become a very popular way to play, so some players may have never even sat at a ring game. Alternately, ring games are basically your everyday poker room games, which means regulars might have thus far avoided tournament play.

The feature that clearly separates the two is how the game progresses. In a ring game you can
play as long as you have the money to buy more chips, and you can leave the table and cash out
whenever you please. The size of the pot is determined on a hand-by-hand basis, as are your cumulative wins and losses.

In a poker tournament, the only money you spend is on the initial buy-in, and potentially a rebuy-in if the option is available. All players start with the same amount of chips. If you lose your last chip you are out of the game, no questions asked, which is why tournament play is often much more conservative. The player that ends the tournament with the most chips is the winner and takes the largest percentage of a pot derived from the original buy-ins.

While it is important to play tight in a tournament, you also must play aggressively. The blinds
go up consistently, which means keeping your original stack won’t get you far in later hands unless you continue to build it. It also means that players are progressively taking higher risks to get the most chips before the tournament ends.

Safe bets don’t come along often in a tournament where you might have ten advanced players at one table, and where a single bad hand can put you out of the game. So when you get a really
strong hand, you need to take full advantage of it. Don’t slow hand your monster when you
could be pumping the pot.

It’s easy to say that to come out on top, all you have to do is win more than you lose, but in a
tournament there may be dozens or even hundreds of other players, and they all understand what it takes to win too. A small part of winning is luck, but the majority is playing smart and betting hard.

  The truth is that poker players will argue this point all day long and most of the time, games are won through both; a fair amount of skill and a good amount of luck. Show me someone who believes that it only takes one or the other and I’ll show you a fool.

Just some of the skills that are involved in playing this strategic game include arithmetic, psychology, restraint, calm, courage and assessment. If you lined up twenty different poker players who were completely and totally different from each other, I’ll bet they’d all share most of these qualities … If they’re any good, that is.
On the other end of the spectrum sits luck. The truth is that a player can utilize all of the skills he or she wants and without some blessing of a kiss from Lady Luck, those skills can easily fall flat. What a player can only do is to work with what he has and use those attributes to the best of his ability and then wait to see what happens in the way the cards fall.

However, the skills will be much more important to win.

A seasoned player who wins from luck alone is not much different than a little girl who could win on luck alone or a monkey who could win on luck alone. To continue winning consistently, the person must have skills. Luck can really have an effect on you on a particular night or two but over the course of a month, say, the skills are what’s going to bring home the money.

 It comes down to how often you play. If you play maybe one or two poker hands every year, you want to rely on the luck. But if you play daily, you should really depend on your skill to get you through.

In truth, poker is a game of both the attributes you bring to the table as well as how the
cards will be dealt and who will pick up what cards. Over time, the statistics can be generated as far as skill goes, but it takes a while. In fact, if you had the statistics from each game you’ve ever played, you could probably see the patterns falling here and there. However, luck cannot be measured. While both are important, a seasoned player had better stick to his attributes.

The truth is that luck is really just the result of something happening against great odds.

These things are unlikely but possible; if they were impossible then there would be no such thing as poker odds. The real key to poker is skill. Poker incorporates a wide variety of skills. Math skills are integral to understanding the odds of the game (thereby debunking the idea of luck).

Intuition is an excellent skill to have when reading your other players. Concentration is a crucial skill in the game of poker where so many subtle things are happening at once. Patience, logic, memory, chutzpah…the list of skills related to poker strategy is endless.

 There are no professional players that got where they are with luck. All of these players possess a strong combination of the skills mentioned earlier and understand the different types of poker players. It is important to note that these skills are not luck either; skillful playing and a real understanding of the game come from practice and observation.

Back to that bad word … luck.

While it’s really just hitting the low end of odds, the word and the idea have become synonymous with poker. How common and useful is “luck?” Luck is fairly uncommon, or it wouldn’t be called luck. When players hit a so-called lucky streak, it can mean great things for their game and ultimately their bankroll. Betting on luck, however, is incredibly reckless, because the point of luck is that it’s rare, making the probability of your getting “lucky” highly unlikely. Furthermore, superstitious people would do well to remember that there is bad luck too.

By virtue of its name, luck is totally unreliable. You cannot predict it nor do anything to control it. By viewing luck as a product of odds and probability, you can control your risk. Odds and probability are not a guarantee but an estimate of likelihood, which means that they are not foolproof either, but betting on odds is far safer than betting on luck. Playing with the hopes of getting lucky is like playing with no strategy at all.

The surest way to win is to improve your understanding of the game. Many times beginners think more successful players are “getting lucky.” In truth, these players have put in their time and honed their skills. This is a far more reliable strategy for winning in poker than luck.