Poker may be the King of casino games. Poker elicits images of the proverbial smoke-filled room, six-shooters prominently displayed on the table as the players vie for an upper hand against seasoned, grizzled opponents.
How many horses, farms, and ranches have been won and lost at the poker table over the years?
In every generation, there are new poker players. Some learn how to play poker from their father or mother. Others learn at the poker table. Many new players now can learn how to play poker online here at Everygame Poker, our online poker room!
Jackpot Capital Features One Type of Poker
At Everygame Casino, we offer many versions of video poker which is a variation of five card draw poker. A lot of gamers love to play video poker here online as another way to simply play poker.
In this article, we will talk about poker more generally and we will focus on poker played against live opponents. We would like to talk about how to play poker for players who know the basic rules of poker.
We will also concentrate on how to play poker in a poker room online with some mention of how to play in a casino on land.
Isn’t Poker Different These Days?
Indeed, it is!
Nowadays, most poker players, however seasoned, are not grizzled. Their six-shooters, if they own such a gun, are safely locked away at home. No one bets his or her horse, farm, or ranch anymore. Players bet real money.
What is still true and will be true as long as people play poker, is that everyone is trying to get the upper hand against their opponents!
So, let’s take a look at how people play poker in the modern era.
A Lot Depends on the Game
There are many variations of poker. Omaha and Texas Hold’em are the two variations most often played over the table or at our online poker room. However, at friendly games with pals, there is often a “dealer calls” rule and many variations get played over the course of an evening’s poker.
A lot of poker variations have one or more wild cards!
So, when we try to explain “how to play poker” we have to get down to the most basic of basics since each variation has its own unique way to play it.
Always be Aware of the Hierarchy of Hands
The chances of winning a hand may be very high if you have two pair but you might be up against a player who has three of a kind or the possibility of getting that hand.
Two pair loses to three of a kind and any player’s approach to a hand has to take that and all other hierarchy of hands conflicts into account before deciding on how they will continue in a hand.
How Does a Poker Player Know What an Opponent Has?
The short answer is that players don’t know!
The long answer is that many good players can surmise what an opponent either has or is likely to have based on their observation of that opponent’s playing style and their own experience playing poker.
Thus…
The Most Important How to Play Poker Rule: Observe Thine Opponents at All Times!
In online poker, it is much more difficult to observe one’s opponents. At a poker game on land, it is not only possible to observe one’s opponents, it is of vital importance!
Keep in mind that almost any opponent in any poker game, whether online or on land, will know the library of knowledge any beginner should have mastered. The purview of this article is to get at the basics beyond those basics!
How Can an Online Poker Player Observe an Opponent?
We pay attention to style and tendencies. It also takes some time to get to know an opponent. This holds true on land as well. A player may play often at a land-based poker room and still play against total strangers each time.
Still, there are aspects of any poker player’s game that give an observant opponent an extra measure of knowledge about a specific hand.
Here are a few personality traits that poker players should look for in an opponent:
- Confidence or lack of confidence. A player who had a very good hand and was playing after another player bet, might demonstrate a low level of self-confidence that can lead players to win by bluffing them.
- Rampant ego. There are some players who believe that they “know everything” even as they know just a little. These players can often be lured into a hand where they have no chance to win and still think that they have a great hand.
- Super tight. These players are afraid to make a large bet. The two main reasons are that they are nursing a modest bankroll or that they are simply afraid to take a considered risk. This type of player can be bluffed relentlessly and often is!
- Super loose. This is the opposite of the above type. He or she doesn’t like to fold and believes they can win on the river. These players are bored by the true need to wait for a hand. They hate being “told to fold” 70% of their hands before the flop.
- Chatterbox. Daniel Negreanu has perfected the art of chatting up opponents. It is very important to realize that Daniel Negreanu is the ONLY ONE who has so perfected this art! In online poker, it is a good idea to try to get an opponent to “chat”. Many players can be distracted from the poker by concentrating on the chatbox!
- Silent type. Once again, we observe the opposite of the type mentioned above! The silent type falls into two categories and it helps to distinguish the silent type at your game from the other silent type. They are the very shy type who doesn’t like to talk and the purposely inscrutable type who thinks that he or she is throwing opponents off their game. In both cases, a player who chats may find a weakness in the silent type of opponent!
- The mathematician. This opponent has studied poker math and knows it quite well. If you are not a poker mathematician, an opponent who is a poker mathematician is a truly formidable opponent. At Everygame Poker, it is so easy to leave one game and join another that it might be that the best way to play poker in a case like this is to simply leave the one game and join another.
Online Poker Offers Flexibility and More Control
At Everygame Poker, as we said, a player can leave one game and join another. Players can also play for self-limiting lengths of time. It’s a lot harder to limit one’s poker at a land-based poker room.
Everygame Casino offers a full spectrum of online casino games. Playing at Everygame Casino and Everygame Poker gives players a wide range of gaming choices!
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