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How to play Poker

Learning how to play poker can be quick, easy and fun with this William Hill guide.

Ready to master poker? We’ve got everything you need – from poker rules for beginners to the best poker strategy, a glossary of poker terms to different ways to play poker.

Want to know what wins in poker? Check out our poker hand rankings guide.

Join the action – we have a wide range of online poker games at William Hill Vegas.

The objective of poker

To win at poker, either create the highest-ranking hand or convince all other players to fold. The winner takes the ‘pot’, meaning the bets wagered by players during each round.

Poker rules for beginners: step-by-step guide

1. Shuffle

The dealer shuffles the deck well between every hand. Each player is dealt hole cards – which is two cards in Texas Hold’em, and four cards in Omaha.

2. Pre-Flop

This is the initial betting stage where players first have the option to call, raise, re-raise, or fold, based on the potential value of their starting hands.

3. Flop

The three community cards (board) are revealed in the centre of the table. Players can begin building their hands, and again choose to check, raise or fold.

4. Turn

The fourth community card is turned face-up. The value of each player’s hand starts to become much clearer. Players again check, raise or fold.

5. River

The fifth and final card is placed face-up, and players are now aware of the full value of their hand. It’s the last chance for players to check, raise or fold.

6. Showdown

The final stage. All remaining players reveal their hands face-up for everyone to see.

7. The best hand wins

The player with the most valuable hand wins the pot. Knowing your hand rankings is essential – see our poker hand rankings guide.

Poker hand rankings

Types of plays and bets in poker

In poker, bets are placed before the game in the form of forced bets, typically big and small blinds, and throughout the game by calling or raising during each betting stage.

Note that a player does not necessarily need a good hand to bet. Raising the bet to try and convince players you have a strong hand is a common bluffing strategy (and a risky one).

All betting rounds have to be properly completed before the action can begin or resume, ensuring all players have agreed exactly what is at stake.

Here are a few poker plays and bets to help you become familiar with the poker table:

Check

To place no additional bet. The action simply passes round the table to the next player on the left. You can’t check if a bet occurs before your turn in that round. However, if every active player decides to check during a betting round, that round is deemed complete.

Fold

To discard your cards face-down, and take no further part in that hand.

Bet

If no wager has yet been made, you can choose to bet yourself. Once your bet has been placed, the remaining players must decide whether to call your bet, raise it, or fold their cards. Please note: the minimum table bet should always equal the big blind bet.

Call

Once a bet has been placed, remaining players have the option to ‘call’, which simply means matching the current table bet to continue playing a hand.

Raise

To increase the size of the initial bet, you can ‘raise’ the bet by proposing a bigger one.

Forced bets

A ‘blind’ is a mandatory bet placed before every hand of Hold’em and Omaha poker, by the two players sitting to the immediate left of the button (dealer). There are two kinds of blinds – big and small – and these increase over the course of the game to encourage the action, and prevent players from simply folding each turn.

  • Small blind

The small blind is the player seated between the button and the big blind. The small blind bet is always 50% of the big blind bet.

  • Big blind

The big blind sits to the left of the small blind, two places to the left of the button, and is double the amount of the small blind bet.

  • Ante

Another type of forced bet, but required by all players. Typically found in tournaments and poker variations like Seven Card Stud, to promote and encourage gameplay.

Starting Poker Hands

When dealt your opening two cards, there are a huge number of possible combinations you could have in your hand. Some are more famous than others and have unique nicknames.

See the chart below for a guide to some of the most well-known starting hands:

Rank OrderHand NameDescriptionProbable OccurrenceCombinations
1Royal FlushAll the same suit, sequence A-K-Q-J-T1 in 649,7374
2Straight FlushFive cards in a row, all in the same suit e.g. 5-6-7-8-91 in 72,19336
3Four of a KindFour cards of the same value e.g. K-K-K-K-71 in 4,164624
4Full HouseThree of a kind as well as a pair e.g. J-J-J-Q-Q1 in 6933,744
5FlushFive cards all the same suit e.g. 5-6-Q-2-10 all Spades1 in 5085,108
6StraightA basic numeric sequence, but different suits, e.g. 7-6-5-4-31 in 25310,200
7Three of a KindThree cards of the same value, plus two not paired e.g. 9-9-9-7-K1 in 4654,912
8Two PairTwo pairs e.g. Q-Q-7-7-41 in 20123,552
9One PairAny one pair e.g. 2-2-6-J-K1 in 1.361,098,240
10High CardNo matches, highest card only e.g. K-Q-7-4-21 in 0.991,302,540

Playing Your Hands

So when should you play a hand? When should you fold? As every expert poker player knows, calculating your ‘poker equity’ is key – i.e. the probability percentages which show the likelihood of your hand winning a showdown, and your current share of the pot.

Our handy guide to pre-flop match-ups and hand improvements helps you better understand your pre-flop and post-flop pot equity (%), and enhance your decision-making at the table.

Poker playing hands

 

Pre-flop matchups

This shows the probability of success, and your current pot equity, for different starting hands before the flop:

Overpair vs underpair

An overpair is a pocket pair with a value higher than any other pairs that could be created using the community cards. For the underpair to win in this example match-up, the player would be relying on the low probability of flopping a set, full house or quads.

Pocket aces vs non-pair

Pocket aces are the best possible starting hand in Hold’em poker. Our chart shows players with pocket aces start with an 86.3% pot equity versus a player holding a non-pair.

Hand improvements

The probability of success once the flop is dealt, and the odds of receiving a desired hand.

Flopping a set – 8.3/1 (10.8%)

The probability of flopping a set (a three-of-a-kind made with a pocket pair) is just 10.8%, meaning the chances are low but not uncommon. The chances of making a set or better by the river (fifth community card) increases almost twofold to 19% with a pocket pair.

Flopping a full house – 136/1 (0.74%)

The probability of flopping a full house with a pocket pair is extremely low – just 1 in 136.

How to play hole cards

Using these probability percentages, we’ve created a simple but comprehensive chart, showing what actions players should take pre-flop with a range of different hole cards.

For example, you’re dealt an ace and a jack of different suits (represented as ‘AJ’, as opposed to ‘AJs’ which refers to ace-jack suited). You can simply consult the chart and see whether it’s advisable to raise, check or fold, depending on your position on the table.

Poker hole cards

 

This easy-to-use chart is your perfect companion at the poker table. Download our ‘How to Play Hole Cards’ guide for free, and make it part of your winning strategy in online poker.

Betting strategies

Here are some simple betting strategies to consider when playing poker:

Raising

Whether you’re pleased with the strength of your hand or not, there are several reasons why you may want to consider raising the bet:

  • To boost the size of the pot
  • To force a rival player to fold
  • To reduce the number of players in the round
  • To force an opponent to pay for a hand they are ‘drawing’ to
  • To essentially ‘take control’ of a hand

Check-raising

If a player checks early in a betting round, then after an opponent bets, the same player instead chooses to raise, this is a common poker strategy known as ‘check-raising’.

Players often check-raise when they have a strong hand, and want players to contribute more money to the pot that they are confident they can win. For example, if you flop a set with a low-value pocket pair, players who raised pre-flop are likely to have a pair of high-ranking cards like aces or kings – and may feel compelled to bet if you initially check.

Using the same logic, check-raising can also be used as a means of bluffing, by playing aggressive on low flops when players have indicated they have high-ranking cards pre-flop.

Slow Playing

Alternatively, if you suspect a check-raise on the flop will cause a player to fold, then the smarter option could be to ‘slow play’ by check-calling instead, and hope your opponent plays more aggressively by betting on the turn or river later in the hand.

Exploitative Betting

This style of betting involves identifying a pattern to another player’s behaviour, and then exploiting it to win. It can also refer to using counter strategies to identify mistakes made by opponents and using betting to take advantage of the situation.

For example, if a player is folding a significant number of times during a game, an opponent could exploit this by playing more aggressively and bluffing relentlessly.

Folding

Don’t think your hand will be a winning hand at showdown? Are the stakes getting too high? Simply choose to fold. But be advised: a good starting hand – for example an ace-high or a pair – shouldn’t be discarded unless you read an opponent’s much stronger hand.

How to bluff in poker

Bluffing involves making or raising bets as a strategy to get your opponents to fold a superior hand to your own – allowing you to claim the pot by default. Without bluffing, you always have to rely on having the best hand at showdown to win.

Experienced players know a bluff is at its most effective when used sparingly, at the most profitable opportunity – while bluffing at the wrong time could be an expensive mistake.

The best time to bluff? When you suspect your opponent has a better hand than you, but could be convinced to throw it away under some pressure.

It takes time and experience to hone your bluffing skills. Consider ‘semi-bluffing’ at first on a hand with strong potential, like a flush draw or straight draw – which is where you hold four of the five cards needed to create a high-ranked ‘flush’ or ‘straight’ hand.

Top 10 poker tips

Let’s break it down – what are the top 10 top tips for effective poker playing?

  1. Research is king – don’t risk your money before you understand how to play.
  2. Practice makes perfect – there are plenty of free poker games to try out.
  3. Pay attention to where your opponents are positioned at the table.
  4. Play each hand according to how you want your opponents to read you.
  5. Know the strength of your hand – memorise our poker hand rankings.
  6. Manage your bankroll, understand the risk you are willing to take on, and don’t commit all of your funds to one hand. Bet responsibly.
  7. Likewise, don’t overcommit your bankroll to a poor hand while bluffing.
  8. Have a strong hand? Try to get opponents to commit more funds to the pot.
  9. Play fewer hands more aggressively – it’s about choosing the right time to strike.
  10. Poker is meant to be fun! If you’re having a bad day, take some time off from playing.

Poker variations

Here are the three poker variations which are most frequently played worldwide:

Community card poker

The most popular variation of poker, seen in Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em. Players are dealt their starting cards, which can be used in combination with the five community cards in the centre of the table to make the best five-card poker hand.

Stud poker

Stud variants see cards dealt in a face-up and face-down combination across multiple betting rounds, meaning all players are given partial information. Before Texas Hold’em became popular in the 1970s, the most common form of poker was Seven Card Stud.

Draw poker

A poker variant where players are dealt all five of their cards, and then swap out or ‘draw’ new cards to replace existing ones and create the best five-card hand possible. The most popular variation of draw poker is Five Card Draw.

Start playing poker online

Even the best players in the world had to start somewhere. Whether you’re looking to play a few hands with your friends, or play online poker for real money, playing online poker games has never been better or easier than at William Hill.

Register to play online

It’s easy to register for a William Hill online poker account. Just click the ‘Join’ button at the top of the page, and enter the personal information requested on our registration page. Then click to confirm, add your deposit, and you’re ready to play your first hand.

Poker FAQs

Can you play poker with two people?

Yes, it is possible to play poker with two people. This is known as ‘heads-up’ poker, and is more common than you might think. The term ‘heads-up’ can also be used to refer to the last two players left in a game when the rest of the table has folded.

What is the highest hand in poker?

The highest hand in poker is the royal flush, which consists of the sequence A-K-Q-J-10, all in the same suit. The probability of having this hand is extremely low at roughly 1 in 650,000, and your chances of winning the hand are nearly 100%, so bet accordingly.

Use this handy poker hand rankings guide in your next game.

Is a pair of aces stronger than a pair of jacks?

Yes, in traditional poker aces are classed as the strongest cards, so a pair of aces is stronger than a pair of jacks. But note that lowball poker games like deuce-to-seven invert the traditional card rankings and count aces as high – making it the weakest card in this game.

What is ‘muck’ in poker?

‘Muck’ refers to the discarded pile of cards which is no longer part of the game. Most often this consists of the cards ‘burned’ by the dealer after the shuffle at the start of each round, and also the discarded cards of players who have folded.

Is one suit higher than the other?

No, unlike other card games such as bridge, every suit is assigned the same value in poker, no matter the colour. The winning hand is decided by the value of the hand, which can be affected by multiples of the same suit, as laid out earlier in our poker hand rankings.

How to play poker in tournaments

In its simplest form, players pay a fee to take part in a poker tournament, which goes towards the tournament prize pool. All players begin with the same number of chips. The blind bets begin small but grow in size as the tournament progresses. As players begin to lose their chips and get knocked out, tables start to combine to fill up empty seats.

When only one final table remains, the player who eventually wins all the chips on the table wins the tournament. The prize money is shared among the top-finishing players, and the winner usually receives around 25-30% of the original prize pool.

There are three main types of tournaments:

  • Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT)
  • Single-Table Tournaments (STT)
  • Sit and Go Tournaments (SNG)

Learn more about tournaments in our William Hill guide to poker tournaments.

How to play video poker?

Live poker games at William Hill bring all the thrills of real-life casino poker onto your screen, and perfectly replicate the feel of taking a seat at a casino table, where the aim is to have the best hand when each player’s cards are shown at the showdown.

Unlike live poker where players play one hand a time, video poker at William Hill is a five-card draw game that lets you play multiple hands.

When was poker invented?

While the origins of poker are believed to trace back almost 1,000 years, the game as we know it shares striking similarities with As-Nas – a five-card stud style 16th century Persian game. As-Nas plays almost exactly like poker, with a dealer, raising stakes, and creating combinations of pairs, kings and high aces – but notably without flushes or sequences.

Other game scholars, however, point to the 17th century French card game Poque – the suspected origin of the name ‘poker’ – which was brought to North America by French colonists, and its German equivalent pochen. Both games were based on a 16th century Spanish game called primero – the root of the straight poker game ‘three-card brag’.

What is poker equity?

Poker equity refers to a player’s share of a pot at a certain point in time, based on the likelihood of a hand winning a showdown. I.e. the percentage you should win a poker hand.

For example, if there is £100 in the pot, and your probability of winning the hand is 80% thanks to an overpair of pocket aces, you have a pot equity of £80.

Equity is constantly changing throughout a game of poker. You can gain pot equity when your opponent chooses to call (and thus increases the pot size), and prevent your opponent from realising their potential equity by betting and increasing their chances of folding.

Want help calculating pot equity during a hand? Check out our pre-flop match-ups and hand improvements charts above, or on our poker hand rankings page.

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