Poker

If you prefer to forego the noise and distractions of a land-based casino or you don’t live near one, online poker is just as much fun, if not more fun, as playing at a physical table. You can play from the comfort of your home, where you are able to concentrate more on the game.

Playing poker online also means being able to switch between different tables and poker versions without having to leave your chair. You may even discover variations of poker you didn’t know existed, such as video poker or Pai Gow Poker.

In addition to the different versions of online poker, poker games can be played in different formats.

1. There are cash games where money is lost or won on every hand dealt
2. There are tournaments where each player starts with a stack of chips that have monetary value.
3. The third format is speed poker, which is a rather new format. Speed poker is played much faster than traditional poker games.

Poker can also be categorized based on betting limits. The betting limits usually determine how much money players can bet at different stages in the game. These limits influence the strategy that each player uses. The primary limits used when playing poker online are “no limit” and “fixed limit,” but it is possible to come across other types of betting limits.

For more info about poker, scroll down the page and read our tips and tactics for online poker.

Related: 5 Basic Poker Strategies You Must Know

About Betting Limits in Poker

To expand more on betting limits, the betting limit of a game determines how much money a player may bet or raise in relation to the stakes when playing with cash. When playing tournaments, it is called a “blind level.”

It is important that you know what the limits are and how they work because they can change the way you play the game. The different types of limits you may come across when you play poker include “fixed limit,” “no limit,” “cap limit,” “pot limit,” and “spread limit.”

In a fixed limit game, everything from the bet and raise amount is predetermined. In no limit poker, which is the most popular type, people can go “all in” if they wish because there is no limit. In pot limit poker, limit and no limit poker are mixed because how much you bet is capped, but you are limited by the pot’s size. In cap limit poker, there is no limit to how much money you can put in during a hand, and the cap is treated as an “all in” even if you aren’t all in. Speed limit poker is like fixed limit poker, but there is a dollar range spread in which the bets and raises must remain within.

It can help to play a few rounds of the different variations of the game to understand how they work. Of course, this means not betting a lot of money until you have the hang of the game. If you have any bonus cash that you acquired upon signup or because you have been loyal to the casino, this is the perfect time to use it.

Cash Games versus Tournaments

The poker rules are the same regardless of which poker format you are playing. However, whether a game is a cash game or a tournament determines how you win or lose money. Tournaments have the potential to win a lot more money, but the amount of money you initially play with may be greater, as well.

In a cash game, you buy in by putting money in the pot. The winner of the hand receives what’s in the pot. In this format, you can leave the game at any time with your winnings. There is no risk of losing your money just because you left. If you lose, you can buy in again so you can keep playing.

In a tournament, an entry fee is paid to acquire a certain number of chips. All players have the same number of chips. The winner of each hand receives the number of chips that go into the pot. When a player runs out of chips, he or she is eliminated from the table. Everyone plays until there is one player left and that player has won all the chips at that table.

There are different tournament types in which the poker rules can vary.

Those types include

• Omaha
• Stud
• HORSE
• Razz
• other mixed games

It is possible for a tournament game to be a no limit game. The stakes can widely vary. For instance, some online poker games can require stakes as little as a few cents to hundreds of dollars. You should read the room rules and watch a few games to see how the game works. If you have bonus cash to use, this is another opportunity to use it.

Different Poker Games

Poker online is fun in all forms. It’s very important to understand the different poker games to determine what you would like to play. You may be the type of person who wants to try them all. The different poker games are listed below.

Speed Poker

Speed poker is a new format that is now being offered at many online poker sites. It is played using Omaha or Texas Hold’em and can be played in tournament or cash game form. All the rules are about the same, but it is played at a much faster pace than your traditional Omaha or Texas Hold’em poker game.

Whenever you fold because of a bad hand, you’re automatically dealt another hand. This is done because players aren’t seated at a single table. The players are moved around different tables. It isn’t very complicated and is a fun and exciting way to play poker.

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em has properly won the title as the most popular type of poker.

It is the most played version on every single online poker site. It is the game of choice, especially when playing live tournament games. You may also find that many players tend to go high dollar when playing this form of poker online, and that’s because they have mastered the complexities of the game. Many high rollers find a lot of appeal in the game because it is challenging.

Omaha

Omaha is very similar to Texas Hold’em.

It is the second-most popular form of online poker, if not the second-most popular online gambling game. It is appealing to players that like its high degree of action. There are also two variations, and they are Omaha Hi-Lo and Omaha High. It is ideal to master the rules of High before moving on to Hi-Lo because High is the simpler of the two Omaha versions.

They share similar betting formats, but they differ in that the showdown mode in Hi-Lo results in the pot being divided among the best low hand and the best high hand. In Omaha High, one player will win the pot.

Razz

Razz isn’t as well-known as the versions of poker online mentioned above, so it isn’t as popular. It is, however, still an enjoyable game.

Because it is a low-ball game, it can be perplexing at first, which means you want a low-value hand rather than a high-value hand. Other than this, the rules aren’t too difficult to understand.

To play this version, you should be patient as you wait for a good starting hand. If you have a 2-3 hand, you need to play it aggressively because it is the best possible starting hand you can receive. In the meantime, you must monitor your opponent’s cards and avoid playing too slowly unless doing so can’t be avoided.

Seven Card Stud

Before Texas Hold’em was a preferred online poker game, Seven Card Stud was the ruler of the online poker world. It was the most widely played. It is still a popular form of poker because each player has more information to work with than compared to the other types of poker. This means there is less chance and more strategy involved.

When comparing Seven Card Stud to Texas Hold’em there aren’t any community cards, ante and  bring in are used instead of blinds, there are five betting rounds instead of four, you get to see some opponent cards, and who goes first depends on the cards.

Five Card Draw

Five Card Draw is less strategy and more chance. The poker rules for this game are very simple, which is why this version is the starter version for those learning how to play poker. It is popular because it’s easy, and that’s why it is offered at many online poker sites. In this game, you rely more on being dealt more cards. The person with the stronger hand wins. You can throw away low cards and draw higher cards from the deck to try to improve your hand.

Whether to use blinds or antes is determined before beginning the game. If antes are used, each player must make a forced bet at the start of the hand. If blinds are used, then the player on the dealer’s left side makes a forced bet at the start of the hand. The player to the left pays a big blind. The size of the blinds and antes must also be decided. When using blinds, it is possible for the big blind to be two times larger than the small blind.

When exchanging low cards in hopes to obtain higher cards, the players draw going from left to right. If a player is satisfied with the hand, he or she doesn’t have to draw new cards from the deck. Once this draw is complete, the second round of betting occurs. The betting format used during the second round is the same as what was used at the beginning of the game. The showdown is when the players show their hands to determine who has the highest one.

Mixed Poker Game Formats

If an online poker game has a mixed game format, you are playing different variants of poker at the same time. You may change versions every two or three hands.

Playing using this format is, perhaps, a good way to test poker playing skill. You should be knowledgeable of the different types of poker to make it through this type of play. If you are better at one type of poker than another, then it is fair to say that you could experience a loss.

If you know them all, you could experience great success with this style.

Finding What Version of Poker Is Right for You

Now that you have explored the different poker games on the surface, you may be very curious in how they play.

The poker odds vary from game to game, the rules vary, and so do the strategies that can be used with each. Fortunately, many casinos offer sign-on bonuses that allow you to try different games before you bet real money.

Use that money to try the different types of poker and see what suits you the most. If you find one or two you like, stick to those and master them in the online environment. If you like them all, you could have mixed poker game play in your future.

No matter what you decide, have fun.