Welcome to the complete beginner’s 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. It keeps track of all the 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 everyone from cowboys to presidents. This guide will focus on Texas Hold’em – but once you get the hang of the general rules of poker you will easily be able to move to other types of games like Omaha. EasyPoker deals all four of Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Short Deck (6+) and Reverse Hold’em, so you can switch format without learning a new app.
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-depth guide on this, visit our full poker hands ranking guide. But here is a quick guide:
High Card
The lowest ranked is called high card and is basically just used when no players have any other combinations.
One Pair
The second lowest poker combo is called One Pair. This is two cards of the same number or letter.
Two Pair
Next in line is the Two Pair combination which is two different pairs of cards. Like 3, 3, 9, 9 etc.
Three of a Kind
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.
Straight
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.
Flush
After the straight comes Flush. The flush consists of 5 cards of the same suit, in any order.
Full House
Then we have the Full House – a combination of Three of a Kind and one Pair – all in one hand.
Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind is 4 cards of the same number or letter.
Straight Flush
Next up is the Straight Flush which is a Flush in sequential order.
Royal Flush
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.
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 to the left of the dealer button (the player who is dealing) have to post the small blind and big blind. These are forced bets, and they make sure there are always chips on the table to play for. Some poker formats use an ante instead, a small bet from every player rather than two, but Texas Hold’em uses blinds. 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. Checking passes the action on without putting chips in, but it only carries you to the next round if nobody else bets. If another player does bet, you still have to 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. How much to bet is its own skill, and our guide to poker betting walks through it.
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 bet during the round (the pot). If two players end up with the same hand, they split the pot – our glossary of poker terms covers that and the rest of the vocabulary.
The dealer button then moves one seat clockwise, taking the small and big blind with it, and the cards are shuffled for a new hand.
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.
More Poker Content
Here’s some more poker content you might also find useful.
How to Play Poker – FAQ
What is the best hand in poker?
The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker – a straight flush running from 10 to Ace in the same suit. The probability of being dealt one is 649,739 to 1.
What beats what in poker?
From lowest to highest, the ranking is: high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush.
How many players can play poker?
Texas Hold’em is usually played by 2 to 10 players. On EasyPoker, games with 4 or more players need the host to have EasyPoker Plus, which supports up to 12, so you can run a full home game from everyone’s phones.
What are the flop, turn and river?
They are the community cards. The flop is the first three cards dealt face up, the turn is the fourth card, and the river is the fifth and final card.
Which poker games can you play on EasyPoker?
EasyPoker deals Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Short Deck (6+) and Reverse Hold’em. Reverse Hold’em is our own variant, where the river is dealt first and the flop comes last. This guide covers Texas Hold’em, which is the best place to start, and the betting rounds you learn here carry straight over to the other three.