How to Play Poker Archives

Category: How to Play Poker

5 Tips to Win Poker

If you’re new to the game but want to win poker, this is the place for you.
I’ve been playing poker for some time now, and I’ve noticed how 5 tips changed my game dramatically – and took me from poker beginner to poker pro.

They aren’t complicated, in fact you probably practice some of them without even thinking about it – but being conscious about it will instantly improve your poker skills.

I’ve made a short video that quickly explains the 5 tips to win poker, but this page continues underneath the video with a more in depth explanation, a lot more detail and more of my videos to further explain each tip.

How to win poker

Easy tips to win poker

There’s no right or wrong way to play poker. There’s not one method that will guarantee success. But there are ways and means for you to maximize your chance of winning.
There are good habits, and bad habits. Situations to avoid and situations to seek.

And there are those who have the knowledge to exploit them. These five poker tips will make a huge and instant change to your game, and show you how to win poker.
Let’s get into it.

1. Know your starting hands

One of the most common beginner mistakes in poker is to see too many flops.
New players are curious to see what the flop will make of their hand, and so they end up throwing chips after a hand that was never going anywhere. This may not sound like too big a deal, but if you constantly waste your chips hoping for a magic flop, you’ll quickly see your stack go down. Advanced players know what starting hands to throw away so as to not waste chips, allowing them to trust their math and go big when needed.

Great players immediately access their starting hand after being dealt their two cards, and they know what to look for. What gives a hand potential, and what cards should just be thrown away?

There’s a science behind this.
I’ve made an in depth video about starting hands, in case you want to get into more detail and see some examples of what starting hands to play and what to throw away.

If not, I’ll outline the basics underneath.

Basically, paired starting hands are best. Like two kings.
After that, we look for ‘high card value’. Cards of high value, like an ace or a queen, have good potential for high pairs from the board.
We then look for ‘suitedness’, meaning cards of the same suit – like hearts.
This is because a suited starting hand has potential for a flush from the community cards.
Lastly, we look for ‘connectedness’, meaning cards that are close to each other in rank.
Cards that are close to each other, like a 9 and a 10, have potential for a straight. Cards when a larger gap has less potential, and cards that are 5 ranks apart are terrible.

What starting hands to act on very much depends on your position. Another main pillar of poker strategy. So let’s have a look at tip number 2 in how to win poker.

2. Beware of position

Position is one of those things that no new player thinks about, but when told about it you go “Oh”. But it’s actually pretty simple. ‘Position in poker’ refers to the way players are seated at the table – more specifically, in what order they get to act.

As you probably know, every round of poker has a dealer, a small blind and a big blind. Since the small- and big blind are forced to bet an amount, the first player to act freely is the player sitting after the big blind. This is the worst position to be in, since you have to act your turn without having seen anything from your opponents.
You have no intel to go from. Just your own cards.
The later your position, the better. Since you get to see other players act first.

The dealer is considered the best position, since you get to act third last for the first round and last in every round after that. Like the role of dealer, small blind and big blind, your position of course changes clockwise after every round.

Position and starting hand strategy is very much related, and the later your position, the wider range of starting hands we should play.
For more on position, and an in depth view at what hands to play in what positions, see this video or our blog post on the subject.

3. Know how to bluff

Bluffing is easily the most recognizable and famous tool in the toolbox of poker strategy. Made famous by TV and movies. And it is a great tool, although the frequency of which players bluff in movies is very much exaggerated.

The perfect hand doesn’t come around too often in Texas Hold’em. This means you can’t just fold every bad hand and go all in on every good hand. That’s too easy to read.

Bluffing is a great way to win some chips even with terrible cards and keep your opponents guessing. Whether you’re doing a semi bluff or a pure bluff, you should always keep your opponent in mind.
And it’s one of the secrets of how to win poker.

Limit your bluffing to when you’re up against one or two players. It’s easier to bluff a few players than a whole table.
Likewise, you should focus your bluff to times when your opponents seem hesitant or are low on chips. Weak players probably won’t not have the guts to call you out.

Lastly, it’s important to consider your opponents playing style. It’s a lot safer to bluff against a player with a tight playing style than against a loose cannon, who might randomly call your bluff.

And of course, most important of all, if you’re bluffing, the last thing you want is to go into a showdown with your weak hand. Finish the job before that, and force your opponents to fold.

For more info and example of how to bluff in poker, check this video or our designated blog post on the subject. Now you know how to win with a bad hand – but what do we do when a great hand comes along? Let’s look at betting.

4. Know how to bet

Knowing how to make the most of a great hand is absolutely crucial if you want to win poker. If you’re dealt a great hand, like two aces, you can’t have everyone fold before the flop and leave you with just the blinds. You need to make the most of your hand. This takes a good betting strategy.

Betting in poker is usually divided into two different categories; a blocking bet and a value bet.

A blocking bet is designed to control the pot. By placing a small bet, you get inside your opponent’s head and stop them from making a larger bet. Since just the fact that you made a bet makes them more cautious and less aggressive. They’ll most likely call.

That way you get to set the price for further participation – allowing you to see another round without too much investment. Quite genius.

Now, let’s say you’re dealt a great starting hand – like a pair of aces.
This is the best starting hand in poker and you’d be pretty likely to win.
When you have a great hand, it’s important to make the most of it – you want a massive pot to win.

But, if you try to build a pot by instantly raising by a lot, other players might be scared off and fold their cards – leaving you with just the blinds and some change. Not quite the massive win you were hoping for.

This is when we place what’s called a value bet.
A value bet is designed to build the pot, but to do it in such a manner that opponents won’t be scared off. You place small bets, big enough to drive up the pot but just small enough to not scare off opponents.

A value bet is essentially the opposite of bluffing, since this time you actually want other players to call or even raise your bet. You want them to think that building the pot is their idea, and that they’re in charge. Essentially doing your dirty work and digging their own grave. It’s actually quite evil – but oh so effective to win poker.

5. Don’t limp

Limping is perhaps the most common beginner mistake in poker. And easy for more advanced players to spot and pounce on.

Limping basically means to ‘hesitate’ or show a lack of faith in your cards when it’s your turn. This is typically when a player tries to just check or call instead of making a decision.

If you want to win poker, you have to play with conviction. Therefore, it’s best to either raise or fold – checking and calling usually isn’t a good idea.
If you have good cards; raise.
If you have bad cards; fold.
It’s that easy.

Limping is very obvious when players try to check after the flop or, even worse, after the turn. Especially if they start aggressive and bet pre flop but then suddenly show a limp the next round. It could be that they have great cards and are trying to play it slow – but most likely, they just didn’t hit anything on the board and try to limp their way into seeing if the next community card will make something of their hand.
Don’t limp – play with conviction.

Best poker app for friends

If you and your friends are new to poker and just want to have some fun, you should consider downloading our free EasyPoker app. It doesn’t ask for a credit card, has no gambling and you only play against friends. The best app for poker nights with friends.

The app takes care of everything, so all you guys have to do is just play your cards.
Perfect, whether you guys are physically sitting together or playing online from separate locations.
And it’s free, so you have nothing to lose.

More tips to win poker

Knowing just a little poker strategy goes a long way and you’ll be amazed how even just small tips will make a huge and instant difference to your game – making you stand out from the crowd. As mentioned in these tips, knowing how to bet and how to bluff is really the most important part of poker strategy. It’s the salt and pepper of poker.

Lucky for you, we’ve made complete beginner’s guides to both.

Have a look 👇👀

Poker Positions Explained

What are poker positions and how do you play poker in position?
You’ve come to the right place.

I’ll tell you exactly what the different poker positions are and how to play each position.
And by the end of this breakdown, you’ll find a complete visual chart for you to save and look at whenever you need a reminder.

If you prefer watching over reading, here’s a video explaining the basics of poker table positions.
Beneath the video, you’ll find further explanation and in depth charts.

What are poker positions?

Poker positions refers to the way players are seated around a poker table and in what order players get to act in a round. Being one of the last players to act is obviously a huge advantage, since you get to see all other players act before you need to make a decision.

All rounds of course have a dealer.
To the left of the dealer is the small blind, and left of the small bind is the big blind.
Since the small- and big blind are forced to place a bet, the first player to act pre-flop is the person sitting after the big blind.
After that, we continue clockwise around the table, ending with the small and big blind.

After the flop however, the small blind will be first to act for the rest of the rounds.

We usually divide the different positions into 3 groups; early, middle and late position.

EARLY POSITION

The first couple of players to act in a round are in what we call early position.
This includes both the small- and big blind – but also the players sitting after the big blind.
This person is usually referred to as ‘Under the Gun’ (UTG), since you have to act without any clue from the other players. If you are playing at a table with nine or more players, the person sitting after the player ‘under the gun’ is often considered early position as well, and referred to as ‘UTG+1’.

Early positions are the hardest positions to be in, with Under the Gun being the absolute worst position.

How to play under the gun

If you’re sitting under the gun, you need to be careful. The only thing you have to go on is the two cards in your hand – and that’s not a lot.
We recommend staying within the top 10 starting hands – that’s high pairs and aces with a suited face card kicker.

Middle Position

The players sitting between early and late positions are in what we call ‘middle position’.
Since early position is usually 3-4 players, and late position is 3 players, the size and number of players who fall into middle position of course varies depending on the total number of players at the table.

The later your positions, the more hands you should consider playing.
Sitting in middle position, you have seen the actions of some of the earlier players, which is a huge advantage. You still need to keep a level head though, and know your chances.

How to play middle position

If everyone before you have folded:
Raise with medium pairs or higher, aces with a face card kicker or any two suited cards higher than a 10 – like JQs or 10Js.

If someone has already called:
Call with medium high pairs, suited cards of ten or above and any suited connectors.

If someone before you has already raised:
Re-raise with pairs 10 10 and above, ace king or ace queen.

Or call, if you have suited connectors or a pair of up to 9 9.

Late Position

Sitting in late position opens up a lot of different hands to play.
You’ve had the advantage of seeing how other players chose to act, and can feel a lot more secure.

The best poker position to be in is the dealer, since you get to act third last before the flop, and lastly for the rest of the rounds. The dealer is often referred to as ‘The Button’ since this position is usually show by a physical or digital button with the letter ‘D’ on it.
The player sitting just before the button is often referred to as ‘Cutoff’.
And the player before that is called ‘Hijack’ – because players often “hijack” late position advantage from the cutoff and button with an opening raise.

How to play late position

If all players before you have folded:
Raise with any pair, any suited ace, any ace with a kicker of 7 or higher, any two cards of ten or higher and any suited connectors.

If someone has called before you:
Raise with a high pair, or an ace with a face card kicker.

Feel free to call with any pair, suited high cards, a suited ace and suited connectors.

If a player has raised before you:
Re-raise with high pairs or aces with a king or queen kicker.

You can call with medium pairs or suited connectors.

Mix up your play in poker positions

So there you go. Now you know what positions are, and how to play them.

All of this being said, you should of course mix up your play from time to time in order to stay unpredictable.
And keep in mind that your position in a round depends on the location of the button.
Since the dealer button changes clockwise after every round, your position changes as well.

Practice playing poker positions

The best way to learn poker positions is to play a lot of poker. I recommend downloading our free EasyPoker app. The app takes care of everything from dealing cards to sorting chips – so you can focus on assessing your hand and poker position.

The app is meant to be played with friends and works as a digital version of your physical poker set. It’s intuitive design and built in voice chat makes it perfect for poker with friends
– whether you guys are playing face to face or online from separate locations.

More on how to play poker

I’m not a professional poker player. I’m just a guy who fell in love with the game.
So, like all other beginners, I went online to do some research. But everything I found seemed overly complicated and not at all easy to understand.
That’s why I decided to boil it all down into a few YouTube videos called the ‘How to Player Poker’ playlist on YouTube. It will take you from complete beginner to skilled player – in less than an hour.

Now that you know how to play poker positions, you might want to read up on how to sniff out a bluff! We’ve made a great blog post about that as well – and you can find it here.

Poker Tells – Most Common Tells in Poker

Learn how to read the most common poker tells with this easy guide. By the end of this guide you will know what to look for when playing live poker with friends and family – and what you can do to minimize your own poker tells. Enjoy!

Poker Tells – Guide

Live poker is becoming increasingly popular and assessable with our app EasyPoker – which allows you to play live poker games with friends and family.

After years of sitting alone in the dimly lit rooms of traditional online poker you must now once again learn how to read your opponents by looking them in the eye – and what not to do when you flop the nuts!

We recommend checking out the EasyPoker app to practice your poker face in games with friends – anytime, anywhere.

This is a complete guide on common poker tells and how to read your opponents. We’ll look at common tactics of poker players – and what police and detectives look for when investigating cases and interviewing suspects.

Most Common Poker Tells

If you’ve seen the movie Casino Royale you know that James Bond figures out Le Chiffere’s tell. This tell is pretty obvious (finger to temple and eye twitch) and it might not be as easy in real life. But the way Bond finds out about the tell is something you need to learn in order to become the poker champion among your friends.

As you can see in the video “When He Bluff’s” Le Chiffre plays a week hand but end up winning after the river card. This event of luck is actually unlucky in the long run, as it uncovers his tell.

This is later uncovered in a conversation between bond and Vesper:

Bond: Le chiffre is bluffing.
Vesper: But he had the best hand.
Bond: Which he got off the last card.

The take away from this is to learn how your opponents play and analyze when they end up getting the winning hand – and know how they act after that. This is easier said than done, but it’s actually really fun to do – especially when you end up knowing exactly how to play your opponents.

Some common tells to get you started are listed below.

😩 Acting Weak

This is a very common tell among new players. Sighing, shrugging or a gloomy face might be an indication of a strong hand.

🙇 Straightened Posture

Player sits differently or suddenly have a straightened posture – This is an indication of a strong hand. Be aware.

🙃 Unusual Speak Patterns

If a player who normally talks a lot suddenly clamps up – or the other way around. This can mean that he or she has been dealt a strong hand or has hit the nuts.

👄 How Players talk

When a player bluffs he might have a hard time talking or is trying not to answer questions – or takes a long time to do so. This is because he does not want to give out any tells. Ups.

⏱ Impatient player

Look out for players that suddenly appears impatient and really wants to get on with the game. This is an indication of a strong hand.

🤑 Overly Confident

If a player makes a loose or fast bet this might be a sign of overcompensation. He does this to look strong and confident – but it’s actually a strong indication of a weak hand.

😶 The “Freeze” Poker Tell

Players that “freeze up” right after doing a bet is often bluffing. If the player is afraid of triggering any tells, he or she will try to sit as still as possible.

🤩 Suddenly awake – Classic Tell

When a player suddenly seems more energized this often means that he or she has a strong hand – and is ready to battle.

🙄 Eye Contact

Having a strong hand usually make players more calm and more likely to look you in the eye. If they have a hard time looking you in the eye or have flickering eyes they are likely to be bluffing.

⏳ Acting time

If a player takes longer than usual to check – he is often thinking about betting or checking. This is a sign that he has a hand that might be strong.

Meanwhile players with weak hands often check pretty fast.

👀 Looking at their hand

If a player keeps looking at his or her cards, this might be an indicator of a strong hand.
Watch out for this.

Be Aware of Bad Players

You can be the best player at the table and know all the tells of your opponent. You have them right where you want them – but then they end up calling your awesome bluff. All because they have no idea what they are doing…

You can’t read a poker player that basically has no idea what’s going on in the game. This is the kind of player you typically meet at home games with friends and family. Make sure your opponents has at least a basic understanding of the game and hand strength before trying to read their tells. Consider showing this video guide on how to play poker before the start of your home game.

Don’t be an actor

Now that you know these common poker tells – don’t try to act them out. You will look foolish and even bad players will be able to spot your lies and acting.

Instead you should use this information to think about how you can bring continuity into your way of playing. The more continuity you have – the harder it is for other poker players to read your tells.

Read Poker Tells like a Detective

FBI, CIA, Detectives and similar officials need to be able to tell whether someone is lying or telling the truth. They can figure this out just by looking at their “Poker Face”, body language and their eyes. Here are some psychological techniques used by officials all over the world – it might help you read your opponents tells.

Facial muscles

When a person is calm their facial muscles are relaxed as well. And what makes people calm? Yes, having everything under control – and not lying.

But as soon as we see something or someone we do not respond positively to, our muscles around our face tens up. This can be lips that tighten up or even disappear, licking of the lips and cheek muscles tightening up. The nose can also move a bit upwards when we experience distress.

If the lips quickly purse up it’s a sign of a person disagreeing or thinking about something alternatively to what is said or happening. This could be the reaction to a bad flop or some simple talk around the table.

The forehead is also a great way to tell how a person is doing psychologically. If it’s tense or sweaty – then he might be lying and uncomftable.

Touching the face

Another sign of distress is touching the face. This can be mild facial massaging or stroking. This is a clear indication that something is bothering a person.

The Eyes

If a person reacts positively to something (great cards etc.) their eyes tend to open up just a bit extra while the eyebrows will slightly raise.

If we experience something negative or unpleasant people often squeeze their eyes a bit.

Poker Terms and Slang

There’s a ton of poker terms and slang out there and sometimes it can be hard to keep track of it all.
At EasyPoker we’re passionate about facilitating digital poker with friends, and so it seemed only natural to compose a complete poker glossary to go with our app.

Basic Poker Terms

Ante – A small bet put down by all players after being dealt their cards. The ante makes sure there are always some chips to be won in each hand. Most poker styles, however, use ‘blinds’ instead of an ante.

All-in – Betting all the chips you have.

Bet – An amount betted by a player.

Betting Round – Refers to the windows of time where players can make bets. In Texas Hold’em, this would be before the flop, after the flop, after the turn and after the river.

Blind – A forced bet by one or more players before any cards are dealt in a hand.
This is to make sure there’s always chips in the pot for a round. It also means that players have a natural shrinkage in their stack so that a completely passive player will lose chips too. Blinds are typically structured as big- and small blind and put down by the players sitting to the left of the dealer.

Big Blind – A forced bet by the person sitting left of the dealer to get the pot going. Typically twice the value of the small blind.

Bluff – When you think you have weaker cards but still bet/raise in an attempt to fool your opponent into folding their stronger hand.

Call – To follow the most recent bet or raise and put down the minimum amount to do so, without raising further.

Check – If a betting round still hasn’t had a bet, you can choose to check, which is essentially betting 0 amount, with the option to call or raise if another player chooses to bet.

Community Cards – The card placed on the table for all players to see and compare their hand to. Also called ‘The Board’. In Texas Hold’em and Omaha this would be the five cards of the flop, turn and river.

Dealer – The person who’s in charge of dealing the cards. If you’re not at a casino, the role of the dealer typically travels clockwise around the table after every hand. Even if you’re playing digitally and no cards are shuffled or dealt physically, you still need the role of the dealer, since this dictates the role of small- and big blind.

Flop – The first three community cards. These are all placed on the table for all players to see after the initial betting round.

Fold – When a player chooses to give up his or her cards and take no further part in a hand.
This can be done in any betting round.

Heads up – When only two players are competing for the pot.

Kicker – The highest unpaired card in your combination. If two players have almost the same hand, the player with the highest kicker wins.

Muck – After a hand, if a player doesn’t have to show his or her they can choose not to.
This is called ‘to muck’.

No Limit – Different styles of poker have slightly different rules. Some styles have an upper limit to how much players can bet. No limit means players can choose to bet as much as they have whenever it’s their turn.

Pocket – Refers to the two cards you were dealt and have in your hand. Like ‘pocket fives’ or ‘pocket aces’.

Raise – To raise means you not only call a bet, but further increase the amount.

Rake – A certain amount of the price that is sometimes taken by the facilitator, be it a casino or an online platform. The EasyPoker app does not do this.

Small Blind – A forced bet by the person sitting left of the ‘big blind’ to get the pot going. Typically half the value of the big blind.

Showdown – When all final bets are placed and players show the cards in their hand to determine who’s got the better cards.

Side Pot – If a player doesn’t have enough chips to call a bet or raise, he or she can bet whatever they have left. A side pot is then created, meaning if that players wins they won’t get the full pot, since they didn’t put as many chips on the line.

Split Pot – When two or more players have the same hand after showdown they split the pot since there isn’t a winner.

Tell – An involuntary action that might show if someone is bluffing. For instance if you lean forward or touch your temple (We’ve all seen Casino Royale).

Turn – The fourth community card on the table, drawn and placed face-up after the second betting round.

Poker Slang

Backdoor – When you play a ‘bad’ hand and catch some good cards on the turn and river to make a winning combination.

Bad Beat – When a player wins with a weak hand that most players would say you shouldn’t play. Typically used to describe dumb luck.

Blank – A community card that doesn’t affect any of the hands left in the betting round.

Board – Meaning all the community cards, both the flop, turn and river.

Bullets – A pair of aces in the hand.

Burn – Before drawing the turn and river, the dealer will discard (burn) the top card of the deck. This is to ensure that players won’t have peeked the card to come.

Button – A white chip that usually says ‘dealer’. The button is placed on the table in front of whoever is considered the dealer of the round and of course travels with the role.

Calling Station – A passive player that checks and calls a lot but never really raises or folds.
Generally considered a weak and bad player.

Chip Leader – The player who has the most chips in their stack.

Crack – When a player is dealt a great hand, but is beaten.
“I cracked your pair of aces…”

Dog – Short for underdog.

Draw – A hand that has potential to be good but needs the right community cards.

Maniac – If a player plays very aggressively, constantly betting and raising, this player is calle a maniac.

Nuts – When you’ve been dealt the best possible hand given the community cards.
For instance, if you have a straight after the flop you might say you ‘flopped the nuts’.

Offsuit – When cards are not of the same suit.

Pocket – The two cards you hold in your hand.

Quads – Slang for ‘four of a kind’.

Rainbow – When the board has no more than two cards of the same suit, meaning a flush is not possible.

Rock – A player that plays without creativity and only bets when he/she has good cards.
Generally considered a bad strategy, as it is easy to read.

Set – A set is three of a kind made from the two cards in your hand and just one card from the board.

Slow Play – When you have a great hand but still don’t raise or bet too aggressively, in an effort to lure the other players to stay in the round and not fold their cards.

Stack – The personal amount/pile of chips all players have.

Suited – Cards of the same suit.

Trips – Slang for three of a kind.

Under the Gun – The player who is forced to make the first action of a betting round.

Now go play

Now that you know the basic poker terms and slang, why not put them to use by playing poker with friends? The free EasyPoker app is your digital version of a physical poker set and provides both chips and cards for you and your friends.

Poker is an old game but constantly evolving and growing. We want to keep this glossary fresh and up to date with the newest poker terms and slang, so if you have any additions or feedback please let us know in the comments below.

And if you need a brush up on the rules of poker, check out this post on How To Play Poker.

How to Play Poker

Welcome to the full beginners guide on how to play poker. The guide is separated into sections and will take you through everything from introduction to poker and types of games to poker hands rankings and general rules of poker. You can also watch the full guide on how to play poker in the video below.

How to Play Poker Video Guide

Watch the full tutorial on how to play poker in this video.

An easy way to get started with poker is to use EasyPoker. This is a free app that facilitates your poker games with friends. I keeps track on all rules, so you just have to enjoy the game.

The most common types of poker games are Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker. These two go way back to the beginning of poker and have been played by eveyone from cowboys to presidents. This guide will focus on Texas Hold’em – but once you get the hang on the general rules of poker you will easily be able to move to other types of games like Omaha.

Poker Hands Ranking

Before we start the guide on how to play poker you will need to know the 10 basic hand combinations and how they rank. For an in debt guide on this you should visit our full poker hands ranking guide. But here is a quick guide: The lowest ranked is called high card and is basically just used when no players have any other combinations.

The second lowest poker combo is called One Pair. This is two cards of the same number or letter.

One pair - how to play poker

Next in line is the Two Pair combination which is two different pairs of cards. Like 3, 3, 9, 9 etc.

two pair - how to play poker

Next comes Three of a Kind which are three cards of the same number or letter. Here the suits have no role in the combination.

Three of a kind - how to play poker

Next up is the Straight which are 5 cards in sequential order. An Ace can be used both as A-2-3-4-5 (lowest straight) and 10-J-Q-K-A.

straight - how to play poker

After the straight comes Flush. The flush consist of 5 cards of the same suit. In any order.

Guide on how to play pokerFlush

Then we have the Full House – a combination of Three of a Kind and one Pair – all in one hand.

How to play poker - Full House

Four of a Kind is 4 cards of the same number or letter.

Four of a Kind - How to play poker

Next up is the Straight Flush which is a Flush in sequential order.

Straight Flush, How to play poker

Finally we have the Royal Flush which is the best hand in all of poker. It’s basically the same as a Straight Flush, but it goes from 10-A. Here’s a fact: The probability of getting a Royal Flush is 649,739 to 1.

Royal Flush (straight flush) - how to play poker

How to Play Poker – Getting Started

With Texas Hold’em each player is dealt two cards facing down. These two cards are for your eyes only and must be kept a secret for the other players. These are called hole cards and are just for you. Once all cards are dealt, the two players sitting clockwise from the dealer button (the player who is dealing) will have to put out the small- and big blind. This is also called ante. These blinds make sure that we always have chips on the table each round. The big blind is usually the double amount of the small blind. Let’s set the blinds to $1 and $2 for this example. All players will have to at least match the big blind in order to continue to the next round. This is called to Call. Players also have the option to Fold and Raise. Folding means to quit the current round and you will have to give up your two cards. If you Raise you not only match the current bet, but raise the price for further participation.

The Flop

After the initial betting round three new cards will be put out on the table for all players to see. This is called the flop. See image from EasyPoker. The cards on the table are called Community Cards. These are for all players to combine with the cards in your hand. After the flop comes another round of betting – starting with the player sitting left of the dealer. All players who wish to stay in the round have to match the highest bet (just like in the initial betting round). Unlike the initial round, players now also have the option to check, which means not to bet nor fold. This will simply let me go to the next round – but only if nobody makes a bet. If one of the other players bet, yoou will have to either fold, call or raise.

The Turn

The dealer “burns” the top card of the deck (meaning it’s removed and put aside) and then proceeds to add another card face up on the table. This means we now have four community cards on the table. Players then have another round of betting – following the same format as last time.

The Final Card (River)

The dealer burns another card from the top of the deck and draws a fifth and final community card for the table. After this we have one last round of betting before players have to show their cards. The player with the highest 5 card combination wins and gets all the chips betted during the round (the pot). The role of the dealer then changes clock wise as well as the role of small- and big blind before all cards are shuffled and you starting all over for a new round.

Let an app handle your game

An easy way to get started with poker is to use an app like EasyPoker to facilitate your game. The app takes care of everything from shuffling to dealing and makes sure that all rules are followed and that chips are correctly distributed. It’s free to download on the App Store and Google Play. Consider giving it a go.

Short Deck Poker – Rules & How to Play

EasyPoker just launched Short Deck Poker – play directly from within the app.

In a recent update we added support for more types of poker games, including Short Deck Hold’em – also known as 6-plus poker. In this post I will talk about why we choose Short Deck Hold’em and how the Short Deck poker rules differ from regular Texas style of play.

Short Deck Poker – using EasyPoker

First off, Short Deck Hold’em is a Plus feature you will find in the EasyPoker table settings. EasyPoker Plus starts from $3.99 and will allow more customization for your home games, as well as many other features. Our goal is to deliver all “need to have” features for free (such as creating a free game for up to 6 players) and nice to have features are Plus. This includes Short Deck Poker.

Why Chose Short Deck Poker?

Short Deck Poker is becoming more and more popular each month. And I completely understand why. The Short Deck game is eliminating all the low ranked cards. This makes the gameplay more intense and leaves a greater chance of having impressive hands – both for you and your competition.

This small but amazing twist made it an obvious choice for EasyPoker to support the poker style. It’s also very closely related to regular texas hold’em, which fits perfectly in the EasyPoker mindset.

Short Deck Poker Rules

Short Deck Poker is very closely related to Texas Hold’em. With Short Deck Hold’em you play without cards lower than 6 (Ace are still included in Short Deck). This means no 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s.

Eliminating these cards means that you have a greater chance of getting a full-house than a flush. It’s also harder to get three of a kind than a straight – unlike in 52 cards poker. This is because you only have 9 cards of each suit, so flushes and three of a kind are pretty rare when playing with a short deck.

Short Deck Poker Hand Rankings

As mentioned above the hand rankings are a bit different when playing Short Deck Poker. This is because the mathematical possibilities change when removing the lower cards. The hand rankings are…

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a kind
4. Flush
5. Full House
6. Three of a Kind
7. Straight
8. Two Pair
9. One Pair
10. High Card

As you can see by the colors, Flush and Full House has switched places. So has Three of a Kind and Straight.

How to Play

You start the game by putting out a small blind and big blind. After that you deal each player two cards with the top down – just like in regular Texas Hold’em. All players need to at least match the big blind in order to continue.

After the initial betting round you lay out the first 3 community cards. Then you have a new betting round. Next you lay out the turn card in the CC, bet again, and then finally add the river card – just like in Texas Hold’em.

In the end all the remaining players need to show their cards in order to find the winner of the pot (keep the mucking rules in mind).

EasyPoker will manage all rules, dealing, blinds etc. for you. Just follow the link to play short deck poker on Android and iPhone or use the buttons below. Just a friendly reminder from me.

Get EasyPoker

EasyPoker will allow you to play short deck
hold’em with friends and family.

Poker Drinking Game by EasyPoker

Looking for a poker drinking game? You’ve come to the right place!
Here are the official rules for the EasyPoker drinking game (Texas Hold’em). This poker drinking game is easy to get started and will get your buzz going in no time. Enjoy!

Poker Drinking Game // Basic Rules

To play the EasyPoker drinking game you must be at least two players. You’ll of course need a poker set – but if you don’t have one, fear not. Just use the free EasyPoker poker app, which is a digital poker set, and allows you to play face to face poker with friends. EasyPoker is available for both iPhone and Android.

…You can also just tap here to download 👇

Okay, let’s get started! Other than a poker set you’ll need:

– Beer (or your favorite beverage)
– A loser shot or beverage (We recommend tequila)

You must take a sip of your beverage every time you Fold or Lose a Hand. When a player goes Bust (aka. lose all chips) he or she will have to drink the loser shot or finish the rest of their beverage of choice. Pretty simple.

Special Events

Other than the basic rules for our poker drinking game, you must drink according to the events listed below. We guarantee that you will be drunk in no time!

Ace of Spades in the Community Cards:
Cheers! Everyone takes a sip.

Winning with a pair of twos (deuce):
The winner can point out any player to take an extra sip.

Split pot:
All players involved must finish their drink.

3 in the Community Cards:
Do a 3-2-1-GO countdown and point to a player. The person who gets the most fingers pointing at them drinks.

Winning with a bluff/high card:
Everyone takes a sip (except the winner).

A Queen in the Community Cards:
All women must drink. (Bonus: if no girls are playing just count down from 3 and point at a player. The guy with the most fingers pointing at him drinks.)

A King in the Community Cards:
All men must drink. (Bonus: if no men are playing just count down from 3 and point at a player. The girl with the most fingers ponting at her drinks.)

When a player goes All In:
Drink! All players must take a sip.

Winning with Pocket Aces:
The whole table (including the winner) must finish the rest of their beverages. Cheers!

And that’s it! If you need a quick brush up on the rules check out this guide on How to Play Poker.
Enjoy – and drink responsibly.

For requests or chats please reach out to us.

This is why Three of a Kind beats Two Pairs

As one of the creators of the EasyPoker app I often get asked about which hands are stronger in texas hold’em poker. The most frequent question is by far if Three of a Kind beats Two Pairs. The question is often stated like “How does three 3’s beat my two pairs of Kings and Jacks?”. This seems confusing for a surprising number of people.

The answer is of cause that three of a kind ALWAYS beats two pairs. No matter the cards.

It’s in the math

Math behind three of a kind

Yes, this might sound boring for non mathematicians but it’s a simple question of math. Actually poker is built on math (you probably already knew that).

Getting a strong hand in poker means beating the odds. The smaller the statistical probability of getting the hand, the bigger the chance of winning. The all-time strongest hand in hold’em poker is the Royal Straight Flush. The chance of getting this hand is 649,739 to 1. That is a probability of 0.000154%. For comparison, the chance of getting a single pair is 49.9%.

So far so good.

Three of a Kind vs. Two Pairs

It might sound crazy that, say, three 2’s will beat a Pair of Aces and a Pair of Kings – but it’s not. The odds of getting any two pairs are actually 20:1. In a game of poker with a deck of 52 playing cards, the cumulative probability of this happening is 7.62%. The chance of getting any Three of a Kind is 2.87%.

So there you have it. The reason why any 3 of a Kind beats any Two Pairs is in the math. Bring this info to your next poker night and you will be a genius among your poker-noob friends.

Complete poker hand ranking guide

If you’re interested you can visit our complete poker hands ranking guide to get up to date on all hold’em poker hands.

Let EasyPoker facilitate your poker games

EasyPoker is an app that connects friends and family though poker. This means you can easily setup home games for you and your friends. Works for both for remote games and when you’re hanging in real life. Check it out down below.

Poker Guide to the Best Bluff

Poker is a worldwide phenomenon. But as it has turned to digital, one of the most essential and intriguing parts of the game, the poker face, has gone missing. Poker should be played face to face. And calling someone’s bluff is hard when you cannot see them.

The EasyPoker app brings the best of poker and digital into the palm of your hand. A free face to face poker app, played anywhere, anytime with a bunch of your friends and those you dare challenge. We have made a guide to the most essential things you should consider to become the master of bluff.

5. Avoid Eye Contact

Do not give you the opponent the chance to analyze you. The eyes tell a lot when bluffing, but luckily you can fix that. A pair of sunglasses will disguise your intentions (If it works for superman, it will work for you).
You might look kinda douchey wearing sunglasses inside, but with EasyPoker you can bring poker with you outside – and anywhere else (Sorry about the shameless self promotion).

4. Talk or Don’t

Any tell-tell signs can be noticed in how you behave. If you talk a lot and then stop, well something might not be as it should. This could be your strategy, but be aware of how you act with good cards, as well as with bad cards. This will make your bluff hard to read.
Emotions can show, but if you don’t talk, they might be hard to read and be in your favor.

3. Take your Time

Don’t make any rash decisions. Take your time and bet upon the flop, the river and the turn. If your cards are great, then undermine your own superiority by slowly
increasing how you are betting. It all depends on getting your opponents to bet more than they can afford to lose.

If your cards are weak, your strategy might be to play more aggressively – although this might be where they call your bluff. Take your time and consider your next move.

2. Look at your cards once

One look is enough to know what you have. The cards given are a fact and out of your control. Most poker games are won by how you play your opponents. Looking at the cards more than once, can give them an insight in how you think. Play the opponent, not the cards.

1. Consistency is key

This is not a list of “dos and don’ts”, if making eye contact is part of your game, well then please do continue. The most important part is, that you keep whatever you’re doing, consistent. This will create an uncertainty in your opponent.

Good or bad, you keep it consistent. They will never know what you have got.

Poker Hands Ranking Guide

Poker is a well known game using 52 playing cards. But it’s not always clear to me which poker hands are the strongest. Therefore I’ve made this guide to mainly help myself and maybe you.

Poker Hands & Hand Ranking

Check this video for a simple and intuitive explanation.

The cards are divided into 4 suits of 13 ranks each. The four suits are Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds. Traditionally, clubs are listed as the highest of the suits, but officially they all have the same rank in poker.

Aces, poker hands ranking

Poker ranks from highest to lowest

When playing a game of poker, the highest card is Ace (A). The lowest card is Deuce (which is the card with the number 2 on it). Here is the full list of the 13 ranks listed from highest to lowest.

high to low, poker hands ranking

Poker Hands Strength (Highest to Lowest)

I have listed the strongest hands from the highest Royal Flush to the high card standard. But remember; you never play the hand, you play the man.

1. Royal Flush

Royal flush is hands down (no pun intended) the ultimate poker hand. It contains the cards A, K, Q, J and 10, all of the same suit. But don’t get your hopes up. The odds of you getting a Royal Flush is 649,739 to 1. That’s the same as a probability of 0.000154%.

straight flush, poker hands ranking

2. Straight flush

The Straight Flush is like the Royal Flush, except that it doesn’t have to contain the 5 highest ranking cards. That means that the odds of you getting a Straight Flush is simply 72,192.33 to 1. Easy.

Straight flush, poker hands ranking

3. Four of a Kind

Four of a kind is a pretty good hand. Maybe that’s why it’s ranked as the third best hand in poker? It must be. The hand consists of four of the same cards. Oh, like a book in “Go fish”? Now I get it.

Four of a kind, poker hands ranking

4. Full House

I know what you’re thinking. But a Full House has nothing to do with the classic TV series with the amazing Olsen twins. Been there, done that. A Full House is a poker term that means you have a pair and three of a kind, at the same time. Pretty crazy actually.

Full House, poker hands ranking

5. Flush

Even though this poker hand is given the name of a visit to the toilet, the flush has nothing to do with ~~shit~~ excrements. The flush consists of 5 cards of the same suits.

flush, poker hands ranking

6. Straight

(Insert gay joke here). A Straight is five cards of sequential ranks like 2-6, 7-J or 10-A. Be aware that Aces (A) can be both the highest and lowest card in a Straight.

Straight, poker hands ranking

7. Three of a Kind

Andy Warhol once said “One’s company, two’s a crowd, and three’s a party”. I’m not sure he was talking about poker, but damn, he was right. The Three of a Kind poker hand consists of three cards of equal rank. The chances of you having a Three of a Kind poker hand is 46.3 to 1. So it’s definitely not impossible to land this dreamy threesome.

Three of a Kind, poker hands ranking

8. Two Pair

You know that awkward double date where your girlfriend wants you to be best friends with her girlfriends boyfriend? That sucks, especially because her boyfriend has that weird thing or don’t play poker. Luckily, Two Pairs in poker is awesome. The hand consists (funny enough) of two cards of the same rank, plus two other cards of the same rank.

Two Pair, poker hands ranking

9. One Pair

One pair is pretty simple. You just have to have two cards of the same rank. Even my three legged blind dog can pull that off.

One pair, poker hands rank

10. High Card

Are your poker hand so weak that it didn’t meet any of the above requirements? Then I would probably just kill myself. Or you can use the High Card rule. Simply just pick out the person with the highest card in the rank from Deuce (2) to Ace (A). And there’s your winner.

High Card, poker hands ranking guide

Play poker with Friends

Poker is a fantastic game. And now you know pretty much everything there is to know about the poker hands you can play! So why not do a field test?

We’ve created an awesome and free poker app that lets you play face to face poker with your friends anywhere, anytime!

Poker Hands

So, we all know and love how poker was originally meant to be played. With friends and foes, face to face, at a table full of crisp cards and booming piles of chips. And we love to do that whenever we can.

But what if you just want to play a spontaneous game of poker with your friends on the go? Say at boring social events, on a long train ride, at the office or in line for a concert? No one cool walks around with a full poker set on them at all times. You may be able to gather half a deck of playing cards – but poker chips? Come on, man.
This is when you make desperate decisions and start using anything from broken matches to rolled up paper as chips. Stop. Right. Now.
We’ve got you.

Unlike other poker apps out there, EasyPoker mimics a real life game of face to face poker. With our app, you play against friends in the same room – not shady avatars from strange countries like “Asabajadar” – whatever that is.

Do you need to connect a credit card? No. A real life poker set doesn’t come with a credit card solution, so neither does EasyPoker.

EasyPoker really is the easiest way to play a game of face to face poker – anywhere, anytime.

The poker app you and your friends have been waiting for – and we think you deserve.

Click here to download the free app from the App Store or Google Play Store!

Highfive.