How to Play Poker Online: Tips and Tricks for Playing Poker at Online Casinos

The Basics of Poker

The aim of poker is to have a better 5-card hand than anyone else at the table. Poker hands are ranked depending on how unlikely you are to be dealt them. 

After being dealt cards, players go through multiple rounds of betting, either calling, raising or folding, until the final showdown. Not all games will reach that point, which is how you get games where a good bluff wins the pot, but when it does, the remaining players reveal their hands, and the chips are awarded to the winner. 

The poker hand hierarchy is as such:

• Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J and 10 of the same suit

• Straight Flush — five cards in sequence of the same suit

• 4 of a Kind — four cards with the same rank

• Full House — and three of a kind and a pair

• Flush — five cards of the same suit, not in order

• Straight — five cards in sequence with different suits

• Three of a Kind — three cards with the same rank

• Two Pair — two pairs in the same hand

• Pair — two cards of the same rank

• High Card — in the absence of any other hand, the highest card is scored, with Ace as the highest

The number of cards dealt, to who, and the betting rounds all change between different poker variations, of which there are many. Some games have community cards, while others rely on players' separate hands. We recommend trying out a few different versions of poker to find one that works well for you. 

How to Play Poker Online

Online poker has been a driving force in bringing the online gambling industry to where it is today. It remains popular today, with sophisticated programs dedicated to translating the game into the digital space. 

Unlike some games, poker is actually quite difficult to adapt one-for-one since it's a game as much about reading your opponents as it is about understanding the rules and best moves. However, instead of letting that hinder the game, online poker has simply evolved into a game of its own, with different quirks and tactics. 

Regardless of which poker variation you choose to play, though, there are some things you should do before and while playing online to make sure your experience is the best it can be! 

Before all else, you need to make sure that you're playing on a trustworthy website. There are plenty of these in the UK, so you won't have to look hard, but you must make sure that you're on a site with a UKGC licence and plenty of reliable payment methods before you start depositing your money. This element of safety can't be understated. You can find plenty of good options here on LiveScore. 

Next, one of the best parts of playing online is that you have options for practising. Demo modes and instructional videos can help you get used to the way online poker works, especially if you've never played before or have only played in land-based establishments. 

While you're still getting the hang of it, it's important to take full advantage of any excuse to practise in low-risk environments. If you can't find good demos, you can opt for low-stakes tables instead, playing for pennies rather than hundreds. Free-play tables do exist and can be good practice, but most experienced poker players say it fosters negative playing habits, so it might be a good idea to steer clear. 

Playing poker on your computer is very simple. Once you've deposited and joined a poker lobby, you'll be placed at the virtual table and be given options for betting and playing. Online poker streamlines the experience, keeping track of certain numbers for you (like the size of the pot or how your hand ranks) and making it faster to take actions. And if you ever need a little help, you have instructions to hand at all times. 

What are the Different Variations of Poker?

As such a popular game worldwide, it's unsurprising to see so many different types of poker sprout up. However, only some of these variations make their way to online casinos and online betting sites. Here's a quick look at the most popular poker variations you'll encounter when you play:

Texas Hold'em

The most popular version of poker is easily Texas Hold'em. Its widespread popularity is thanks to the simple ruleset and high level of accessibility. You can find this game at any casino and on any poker site, with plenty of people to play with.

In Texas Hold'em, players are each dealt two cards, and then across four turns of betting, five community cards are dealt. By the final round, called the River, you need to make the best poker hand possible from the seven cards available to you, with one or both of your cards used. 

The one issue that new players may find with Texas Hold'em is a direct result of its popularity: the skill curve is harsh. As it's played by so many people, the average skill level is overall higher than other versions of poker, which can make it a little harder to get involved. 

Omaha

Omaha, also called Omaha Hold'em, is a very similar game to Texas Hold'em. There are a few minor differences, but the main two are that players are dealt four cards each, and they must use at least two of them in the final hand. In general, Omaha poker plays a little slower, but these small changes to the rules (especially the limitations in how many community cards you can use) can drastically change the strategies you work with. 

Omaha is also well known for being played in its Hi/Low variant, to the point where many people know the game as Omaha Hi/Lo before anything else. This just means that the pot is split between the players with the best and the worst hands available — this can apply to the same player! 

Best of all, Omaha Hold'em is a little easier to get involved with since it's not quite so popular. So, if Texas Hold'em is a little too intimidating, try this one out first. 

Seven-Card Stud

Stud poker is one of the more well-known types of poker, but there are still more versions of this! Seven-card stud is the most popular stud poker, with regular tournaments and tables to be found in the modern scene.

As suggested by the name, players are dealt seven cards over the course of the round: three up front, then a fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh separately, each with a round of betting between. Of these cards, only the first two and the seventh are dealt face down, so you can use your opponents' upcards to strategise. 

Five-Card Draw

While this game is very well known and probably the version most commonly depicted in film and television, five-card draw has fallen out of the mainstream in recent decades. However, as a classic game, it's worth giving it a try, and it's one of the easiest types of games to play with a few friends. 

Five card draw deals five cards to each player. Players then choose to bet or fold. After this, each remaining player has the option to discard up to three cards from their hand and be dealt new ones. At this point, a final round of betting happens before the showdown. It's one of the most simple versions of poker, but it gives you very little information and flexibility, which are factors that many avid players value. 

Short Deck (6+) Hold'em

Short Deck Hold'em is a variation of Texas Hold'em where the 2, 3, 4 and 5 cards have been removed from the deck. It sprouted up in East Asia and has started to make waves in Europe and the USA. With a smaller deck, you'll find more interesting hands more frequently, and the Ace can still work as the first or last card in a straight. 

Important to note that thanks to the missing cards, most places changed the hand hierarchy so that a flush is higher than a full house. With fewer cards in play, you're now more likely to pull a full house than a flush. 

Type of Poker Actions

There are many actions you can take in a poker game, each with unique names depending on when you make it in a round. Here's a quick look at some of the actions you can take in poker and what they mean:

Blinds

The first two bets made in a round of poker are the big and small blinds. These are forced bets to start the pot, which are made by the two players to the left of the dealer (the button). The small blind is the minimum buy-in, and the big blind is typically double that (although not always). Since the dealer shifts players with each round, the blinds change too. 

Check

After the blinds have been paid, you have the option to bet or check. Checking is to avoid buying into the hand yet, but you can change your mind later. This passes the action onto the next player to your left. However, if a player before you has bet or called, you won't have the option to check. 

Bet

The first bet made into the pot, after the blinds, is simply a bet. This is distinguished because later bets don't have the same name. 

Call

If someone has made a bet before you, you can call their bet; this may also be called meeting a bet. It means that you add the same amount as whoever came before you to the pot in order to either join or stay in the game. 

Raise

Instead of calling, you can choose to raise a bet instead. This is where you increase the amount you're putting into the pot to increase pressure. To stay in the game, other active players must then either call or 're-raise,' or else fold and surrender the money they've put into the pot.

Fold

If you lose confidence in your hand, folding is cutting your losses and withdrawing from the game. Sometimes, all players bar one may fold, leaving them as the de-facto winner. Bluffing and raising effectively is done to convince other players to fold. 

All-In

Going all in is to stake all of your remaining chips on a hand. This doesn't necessarily mean that your opponents have to meet this, but it also means that you don't have to call any other raises. It's a good way to keep a strong hand in the game without running out of chips to bet. This is a common dramatic flair used in movies, but outside of specific scenarios, it's not always the best option available to you. 

Bluffing & Semi-Bluffing

To bluff is to act like you have a good hand when really you have nothing more than a high card, or even worse! For example, making a very large raise when you don't have anything of value. While bluffing is nigh synonymous with poker, it isn't something you'll need to do all the time; middling poker hands are more common than strong ones and are where you'll be playing most of the time. 

A good bluff and an effective raise can be used to convince other players to fold before the showdown, but you won't always want to do this. Know when to try your luck and when to cut your losses.

Guide to the Poker Table

Compared to the many other card game tables, the poker table is quite complex. The different seats all have unique names, and they change with every round. But once you're familiar with the various names and how the gameplay is passed on, you won't have any trouble sitting down and getting stuck in. 

To start, let's go over the different seats at a poker table. Which ones are present can change depending on which poker variant you're playing and how many people are sitting at the table. The following list covers all the seats you might see starting from the dealer and moving left around the table:

• The Button — the dealer, will have a small token to designate their position

• The Small Blind — holds a token and has to make the first bet into the pot

• The Big Blind — holds a token and makes the second forced bet, usually double the amount of the small blind

• Under-the-Gun

• Under-the-gun + 1 — you may add more under-the-guns at bigger tables, but it's rare for poker to have more than 9 players. 

• Middle Position

• Lojack

• Hijack

• Cut-off — sits to the right of the dealer

In many instances, especially casual games, you don't need to know what each poker seat is called beyond the button and the blinds, but it helps to know where you sit because the seats are important for betting order. The seats are gathered into three groups, with early, middle, and late positions. If you struggle to understand what to do seat by seat, it may be easier to base your strategy on where you fall in these groups. 

As indicated, in land-based poker houses or even casual games, the dealer is one of the players who physically deals out all the cards. Online, the button still holds the seat but doesn't do the dealing, which is instead handled by the computer or live dealer. However, the position still affects when the button gets to bet. 

The different betting rounds in poker also have special names to indicate what stage of the game you're in. These will again change up between different variations, but in general you'll have:

• Preflop — initial betting

• Flop — first cards dealt

• Turn — additional hole card plus betting

• River — final hold card plus betting

• Showdown — the final show of hands to determine a winner

Some games may also have 'streets' like in seven-card stud since there are more cards to deal. Each turn is an opportunity to call or raise to stay in the game or fold to withdraw before you lose any more money. Again, for most players, knowing these terms is useful but not essential to enjoying the game. 

What is House Edge?

The house edge is a concept in casinos that tells you what percentage of the money bet on a given game is guaranteed to be kept by the house. This is necessary to keep the casino running and profitable; they need to pay staff, stock food and drink, do maintenance on machines and even make rent. So there's an inbuilt profit to games, which means that, in the long run, you will always lose more money than you wager — it's a statistical fact. 

However, poker is a little different. Poker houses and poker tables at casinos don't have house edges because you don't play against the house, you compete with other players. This is often excellent news for players but may leave you wondering how poker games can be profitable. 

The answer is 'rake.' The rake is the money players have to give to the host to join the game in the first place. Many games have a minimum buy-in or minimum bet, but in poker, this doesn't reenter the pot, and you never get a chance to win it back (in a literal sense, anyway, you could make enough profit to outstrip it). 

Rake will vary depending on where and when you're playing — high stakes or VIP tables will naturally have much higher rakes than more casual games in the middle of the floor. So, it works as a good measurement of which table works for your budget. 

Tips and Strategies for Beginners

The strategy of playing poker is an endless abyss that you could discuss forever and still never find an end to. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't start somewhere. We've put together a few pointers for brand-new poker players who want to get involved with the least risk and the most fun while they grasp the ropes. 

Please remember that some of these tips aren't great for long-term play and that you should move on from them once you've got your footing. 

• Start with low stakes — most experienced poker players recommend that when you're learning to play, it's better to play low-stakes games than free games. Keeping your stakes low obviously keeps your risk down as you're still getting into the swing of things. But importantly, it also makes you think like someone playing for money; when you play as if you have something to lose, you'll make smarter, better-thought-out decisions. 

• Understand the position strategies — depending on your seat at the table, you'll have different advantages and disadvantages. In general, the later you sit in the betting order, the better your position (the button is generally considered the best). Take a look through some forums and strategy sites to find expert opinions. 

• Observe your opponents — poker is famous as a game about reading your opponents for tells and behaviour, but it applies to all poker. You can still tell a lot about players online, from when and how they bet throughout the game. Always think about what your opponent is considering, what their aim is, and how you can work around it or exploit it. 

• Don't rely on bluffing — bluffing is a famous aspect of poker, and a well-timed bluff can win you a game with a trash hand. However, bluffing too much too often can not only lose you a lot of money but also make you predictable to other players. Consider your hand when you play and whether it's worth bluffing or cutting your losses. 

• Take advantage of free play — while many expert players recommend staying away from free play, there are reasons to at least try it out. Free-play games can help you learn the rules without risking anything. Just be sure to move off of them before you start developing habits that are bad for real money play. 

• Manage your bankroll — above all, stick to your budget. Poker is a lot of fun and it's especially satisfying to play against real people rather than the house, but don't get carried away. While a lot of poker in the media is overblown, it's still easy to lose a lot of money very quickly when playing poker, so be careful. 

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Responsible Gambling

Poker is unpredictable and exciting, but it's also a game where you risk real money. Spending and losing too much on poker is the quickest way to turn a good game into a nightmare. As such, it's critical that you remember to employ responsible gambling practices as you play. 

Lucky, if you committed to responsible gambling, you've never had more resources available to help you. Both online and in real life, you can find tools and people to help you manage your spending and play time. Here are some basic tips you can use today to get yourself on the right track:

• Set a budget — of course, this is the most simple tip that everyone already knows, but there are many ways to help you stick to this. If you're gambling in person, set yourself a budget and only bring that money with you to prevent you from overspending. And if you play poker online, most sites offer deposit limits that stop you from transferring more than a specified amount into your account over a day, week or month. 

• Time limits — a good way to keep your habits under control is to simply limit the amount of time you can spend doing it. Online, you can often set a time limit that will cut off your account once you've met it. If you're playing in real life, you might benefit from having someone to remind you of when it's time to step away, or setting an alarm if you have the willpower to quit when you need to. 

• Helplines — if you need expert advice, the UK has many helplines and resources that you can turn to. They can advise you on steps to take and how to seek further help. And sometimes, it just helps to talk to someone unrelated about it. 

Self-exclusion — this is easier said than done in real life, but if you're an online player, you can opt for self-exclusion, which will cut access to your account and stop all advertising communication. And in the UK, you can even do this across all participating, licensed casinos!