EPoker Network

Learn to Play Poker

The Electronic Poker Network can help you learn how to play poker today with our comprehensive descriptions of poker rules, hand rankings, poker terms and odds.

It's important to remember that learning how to play poker may happen overnight, but getting good at it requires practice and some extended concentration, so don't get discouraged.

In Poker there are several different games including Texas Hold 'em, Omaha, Draw Poker, Stud Poker and Pai Gow Poker. With each of these games comes different rules and, subsequently, different strategies as well. There are also different betting structures such as Pot-Limit, Fixed-Limit, and No-Limit. Finally, and this is especially important with regards to online poker, there are also different game formats including ring-games and tournament games. Understanding the difference between all of these is of immense importance before you can truly start learning how to play.

For information on all the different games of poker please visit our Poker Games section of the Electronic Poker Network website.

For now, let's begin a discussion of the different betting structures involved and how to bet in a game of poker, in general. Once someone has their initial cards and is the first at the table to bet (the betting goes clockwise), this is referred to as opening or opening the pot. This, in effect, begins the first round of betting and the rest of the players have the chance to call, raise or fold when it is their turn.

Calling is the act of betting the amount that the current bet has reached. For example, if Joe opens the pot by betting five dollars, and, next to him, Sam sees his five dollars and raises him ten dollars, then Sue can call by betting fifteen dollars or she can raise it higher or fold. These are her only options here.

Raising, as you can see, is the act of increasing the current bet to you. In the example above, the bet to Joe when his turn came around was five dollars, but, by making the eventual bet $15 dollars to Sue, he "raised" the pot by $10.

Folding is the act of no longer betting during that round, placing your cards face down on the table and sitting out until next game. Although this action automatically makes you a loser for that round, timely and strategic folding is one of the hardest and most important facets of playing solid poker.

Finally, if the bet is to you, and no one has bet for this round yet, you have the option to "check" as well. Checking is, in essence, the act of betting nothing. Should someone after you place a bet, however, you will be required to match their bet to stay in the hand for this round.

At the end of the final round of betting, all of the players who have yet to fold show their hands. The player with the best hand wins all of the money in the pot. The "best hand" is determined by the hierarchy of hands which is common to nearly all forms of poker and can be seen here.

In the case of some games of poker, there will be a "blinds" system implemented. In this case, blinds or antes are forced bets placed by players before the round of betting. After each round, the players who are forced to play the blind bets are rotated one spot around the table.