In order to play
real money online poker you will need 5 easy steps
1. UNDERSTAND THE CARDS AND THEIR VALUES
Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards (except for Ross Perot Poker, which is played with less than a full deck). The cards are ranked from high to low in the following order: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Aces are ALWAYS high. Aces are worth more than Kings which are worth more than Queens which are worth more than Jack, and so on. The cards are also separated into four suits. But you already knew that from playing Go Fish, right? The suits are all of equal value, meaning that no suit is more valuable than another. It's a very democratic game.
Each player is dealt five cards. The object of the game is to end up with the highest-valued hand. From best to worst, hands are ranked in the following order:
Royal FlushStraight FlushFour of a KindFull HouseFlushStraightThree of a KindTwo PairOne PairHigh Card
2. LEARN THE BASIC RULES OF THE GAME
Now that you know what it takes to win, we can clue you in on how the game itself is played. Unlike bridge, poker is almost always played for a lofty goal: cash. Before the game begins, the players should collectively decide on a betting limit. A betting limit keeps the game friendly, and prevents people from gambling mortgages, cars, or spouses away.
3. KNOW THE LINGO
By reading this SYW, your poker vocabulary has already increased tremendously. Still, we don't feel comfortable releasing you to the card sharks without further stepping up your savvy. To avoid getting taken to the cleaners - or having your knees broken over a bad bet -
4. BET SMART
Betting smart may sound like an oxymoron, but there are some tricks to minimizing how much you lose and maximizing how much you win at the poker table. After all, a good poker player will still win even if he has bad cards, all because he knows how to bet correctly
5. LEARN SOME VARIATIONS OF THE GAME
Once you've mastered 5-Card Draw, consider trying your hand (ahem) at one of the other countless poker games that are out there. Here are four popular poker offshoots to get you started:
5-card stud & 7-card studHold-emLowballVideo Slot Machine Games