Prominence Poker – Basic Overview and Guide

This is the start of a series to help you go from knowing nothing about poker to being good at virtual money poker with low stakes.

W tej części, we will talk about the absolute basics of a poker game called Texas no limit hold ’em. You’ll learn what the game is about and how you play it.

Wstęp

Welcome to my guide on how to enjoy playing No-Limit Texas Holdem (we’ll call it NLH from now on). Don’t let anyone tell you that playing for fun, even with fake money, is pointless. It’s only true if you’re aiming to make a living from it. You can play with anything, from matchsticks to digital poker chips. This game is all about having a great time, and it takes a while to become a master. You can take it to whatever level you’re comfortable with.

This guide is here to help you go from “I don’t even know the rules” to a point where you’re making smart choices on how to play each hand, no matter who you’re up against – whether they’re beginners or seasoned pros.

Why play poker?

Playing poker is a blast. It’s a game that relies on skill, meaning the best players will always rise to the top over time, while the less experienced players might find themselves at the bottom. Naraz, it’s a game where luck plays a big part in the short term.

But it’s not just about the cards and odds. You’ve got to learn to read people’s behavior and outsmart your opponents sitting around the table. It’s the kind of game where you can become pretty good fairly quickly, but you can keep honing your skills for years.

Plus, it’s an excellent way to build patience, keep cool under pressure, and enhance your problem-solving abilities.

Do I need to be a math whiz to excel in poker?

Nie, not at all. It’s handy to have some basic math skills, but unless you want to be a pro, just the basics are sufficient. Even at advanced levels, what matters most is recognizing the type of player you’re facing and figuring out the strength of their hands from the way they play, rather than complex math.

The Goal

The main aim in poker isn’t about winning the most hands; it’s about collecting the most money or chips. You can win just a few hands and fold the rest, yet still make a good profit. Your focus should be on getting other players to bet a lot on your strong hands and investing as little as possible when you decide to fold.

Podstawy

In No-Limit Texas Holdem, you’ll typically find 2 Do 10 players sitting at the table, z 2, 6, Lub 9 being the most common numbers. There are two main types of games: cash or ring games where the blinds are fixed (we’ll explain this in the next chapter), and you can add more chips anytime you want, and tournament games where the blinds increase regularly, and once you run out of chips, you’re out of the tournament.

Playing involves making bets using a certain number of chips until everyone either “folds” (deciding they don’t have a strong enough hand and dropping out of the round) or until everyone has put the same amount of chips in the current betting round. The game moves in a clockwise direction around the table, starting with the player after the big blind (we’ll talk more about this later) before the “flop” (the first three community cards shared by all players). After the flop, it starts with the small blind player.

There are a maximum of four betting rounds. Potem, any remaining players compare their cards to determine the best hand in what’s called the showdown. Each player’s final hand is created from their two “hole cards” (dealt face down at the start of each hand and known only to the player) and the five face-up community cards on the table. The player with the best hand wins all the money in the “pot,” which is where all the bets go. The hand is then finished.

Once a hand is done, the button, small blind, and big blind positions all move one position clockwise, and a new hand begins.

The “Blinds”

In each poker hand, before anyone gets to see the first three flop cards, there’s a small fee players have to pay, called the “blind.” In cash games, this fee is usually between 1/50th and 1/300th of the buy-in, which is the total value of chips you can bring to the table.

In every hand, there’s a big blind, who is required to pay the blind fee, and a small blind next to them, who pays half of the blind and can decide later whether to pay the other half.

This blind system is in place to prevent players from just playing the very best hands and avoiding the rest. If players tried that, they would slowly lose more chips when they’re the big or small blind than they would win on the hands they choose to play.

In some games, there’s also an “ante,” which every player must pay in each hand. Antes are typically quite small (often the big blind divided by the number of players at the table) and are meant to encourage more active play from everyone.

Playing Hands (Pre-Flop)

When it’s your turn to act in a poker hand, you have a few options. Możesz “zginać” your cards, which means you put them face down in the middle of the table and drop out of the hand. Lub, you can choose to pay the blind, the minimum bet required. If you have strong cards, you can raise the bet to a larger amount, making your opponents pay more to continue. In No-Limit Texas Holdem (NLH), there’s no limit on how much you can raise, stąd “no limit” część.

If someone has already raised, you’ll need to match their raise amount, and the small and big blinds must pay the difference between the blind and the raise. Na przykład, if the big blind is 100, and someone raises to 400, the big blind still owes 300 before seeing the flop. But you can also decide to raise even more if you want. Play will continue around the table until all players have paid the same amount.

Playing Hands (Post-Flop)

After everyone has paid the same amount or folded, three cards are drawn from the deck and placed face up on the table, known as the “flop.” W tym momencie, all remaining players can form a complete five-card hand and have an idea of their hand’s strength.

No one is required to put more money in the pot unless a player decides to bet. There’s another round of betting that starts with the small blind. Możesz “sprawdzać” (stay in the hand without adding money), bet, or fold. If someone bets, możesz “dzwonić” (match the bet), “raise” (put in more money, from the same amount as the bet to all your chips), or fold. Once everyone has matched the bet or folded, play continues.

After this betting round, another card is drawn, called the “zakręt,” and another betting round starts just like after the flop. Then the final card, known as the “river,” is drawn, and a final betting round occurs, followed by the showdown. In the showdown, players reveal their cards, starting with the last person to bet or raise on the river, or beginning with the small blind if everyone checks the river. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Aces can represent either “1” Lub “1 above a King,” depending on what’s more helpful for your hand. There’s a complete ranking list of hands that you can refer to at any time while at the table until you become familiar with them. You can find the full list on the next page, along with the percentage frequency at which these hands occur (assuming all players play every hand to the showdown).

Play Summary Order

1. Each player is dealt two face-down cards.
2. The first round of betting, znany jako “Pre-flop,” starts with the player after the big blind.
3. All players must pay at least the big blind or more before proceeding.
4. The “flop” is dealt, which reveals the first three community cards on the table.
5. The second round of betting starts with the small blind.
6. Betting is optional, but all players must contribute the same amount before moving on.
7. The “zakręt” card is dealt, which is the fourth community card.
8. The third round of betting begins, once again starting with the small blind, following the same rules as the second round.
9. The “river” card is drawn, revealing the fifth and final community card.
10. The fourth and last round of betting commences, once more starting with the small blind, and the rules remain the same as the second round.
11. It’s time for the showdown. Players reveal their hands, starting with the small blind or the last player to make an aggressive move.
12. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Final Hand Strength

• High Card: When no pair can be formed from the 7 karty, the player with the highest-value card wins. (17.4%)
• Pair: A single matched pair with the same card value (ignoring suit). The player with the highest pair wins, with the highest non-paired card breaking ties. (43.8%)
• Two Pair: Two matched pairs can be formed. The player with the highest top pair wins, and if there’s a tie, the highest second pair is considered. (23.5%)
• Trips/Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same value. (4.83%)
• Straight: A consecutive sequence of 5 karty, regardless of suit. (4.62%)
• Flush: 5 cards of the same suit. If multiple players have a flush, the one with the highest non-community card wins. (3.03%)
• Pełny dom: A combination of three of a kind and a pair. (2.60%)
• Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same value in the 5-card hand. (0.17%)
• Straight Flush: A straight with all sequential cards of the same suit (0.03%). The best possible hand is the Royal flush, which is a straight flush running from T-J-Q-K-A.

The next guide will focus on how to play like a “rock” in poker, and more about player types will be covered in Chapter Three.