Encouraged by the success of graduates, glamour models and ex-professional sports stars, many of whom have abandoned their careers of old to play poker full-time, beginners are realising that there is plenty of money to be found playing the world`s most popular card game. Though the biggest cash pots are still in Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, London and other poker capitals of the world, distribution of prize money is slowly shifting towards the online community.
As professional poker players compete for thousands of dollars via the internet, beginners are hoping to take a slice of the action.
Registration
Beginners must find a reputable website (more on this below), register their details and install the necessary software before they can begin playing poker online. During the sign-up process, new members are invited to make a deposit. Introductory bonuses are also available, so players ought not feel the need to spend money on the game before practising with free credits (it should be noted that the majority of bonuses cannot be transferred for real cash, either directly or indirectly via winnings).
Play Money
The best way to learn online poker is to start playing, but high-stake games ought to be avoided until beginners know exactly what they are doing. Free-to-play tables and freeroll tournaments offer the best way to learn the game free of charge.
Betting
In a game of Texas No Limit Hold`em, the most popular and financially rewarding variant of poker, players can perform several actions. A player can fold his hand, which simply means to quit the game and lose any chips or cash he contributed to the pot up until that point, or he can participate further. If he continues, he might be able to check (pass the turn without making an additional bet. This is only an option if all other active players decide to check), bet, call (equal the value of another player`s bet), raise, re-raise or go all-in (put his entire stack on the line in a single game).
The rounds of betting are sandwiched between several phases of the game: the flop, turn and river. Before the flop, each player is dealt two cards. These are known as `hole` or pocket cards and they are not revealed to other players at this stage of the game. On the flop, three community cards are drawn for all to see. Two more community cards are dealt after additional betting, one on the turn and the last on the river.
Winning
The player with the most valuable hand (five cards comprising the two hole cards and three best community cards) usually wins; however, players can bluff others to a certain extent by betting them out of a game (preferably early on). The person with the best hand cannot always be confident of victory. Hands are ranked as follows: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, pair and high card.
Finally, players must choose a reputable site on which to play. PokerStars is arguably the world`s number one provider of online poker, not least because it features regular tournaments, huge cash pots and an international community of players.
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