But how is poker so different from casino games and why does it need to be separated from them? It’s the fact that in this game luck plays a very small role, in the long run even an insignificant role, while skill and experience are rewarded most of the time. On top of that this is a game where you don’t play against a casino that has a house edge of around 1-5%, but against players just like you. Ultimately the better players win and this is why it’s great to play poker and to get better and better.
Online Poker Games – Rules and Variations
Even though there are many Poker games online that enjoy great popularity among players and are present in the best online poker rooms, surely there are some poker variations that are way more played than others. On the top of the list, of course, is Texas Hold’em, the undisputed king of online poker games. Other great variations that you will often encounter in online poker rooms are definitely Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Stud and 5 Card draw, but if we have to be completely honest the majority of the online poker sites offer only Hold’em and Omaha, which is of course a great shame since each and every game offers a different, but still equally exciting experience. If you are new to this world, however, but you want to play online poker, our suggestion would be to start with Texas Hold’em.
How to play Texas Hold’em – hand ranking
Texas Hold’em is the best known poker game in the world and the one that attracts the most players in the online poker rooms. It belongs to the so called community-cards poker games, since except for the two ‘poket’ cards that each player gets, there are five more that are face up and can be used to complete any player’s hand. The ultimate goal is to have the best 5-card hand. Here are all the possible combinations, ranked from the strongest to the weakest:
- Royal Flush - same-suit consecutive cards from 10 to Ace.
- Straight Flush - five consecutive same-suit cards.
- Four of a Kind - four cards of the same value.
- Full House - three of a kind and a pair.
- Flush - five cards of the same suit.
- Straight - five consecutive cards.
- Three of a Kind - three cards of the same value.
- Two Pair - a combination of two separate pairs.
- Pair - two cards of the same rank.
- High Card - if none of the above is present, a hand is valued by the highest card.
If two or more players have the same winning hand, then there’s a split and all the accumulated bets, called the ‘pot’, are equally distributed among them.
How to play Omaha – basic rules
Omaha is another community card poker game that is extremely popular among the majority of people that like to play poker online. In Omaha the hand ranking is the same as in Texas Hold’em, but instead of two pocket cards, each player gets four. Another difference between Hold’em and Omaha is that in Hold’em you can use one both or none of your pocket cards for your best combination, while in Omaha you always use two pocket cards and three community cards. Furthermore, there is also a variation of Omaha called Omaha Hi/Lo where not only the best card combination wins, but also the lowest, if none of the cards in the hand are higher than 8.
There are so many Online Poker Rooms nowadays that finding the best place to play in often becomes quite a difficult task, especially for the beginners that haven't learned yet what to look for. Usually, they can't decide between the different advantages that the various poker rooms offer, since some operators try to attract them with lucrative bonus offers, while others put the emphasis on the many poker games and tournaments they organise for their players.
Winner is another one of those world-wide famous poker operators that has proved itself to be one of the best over the years. You can easily verity this yourself, taking advantage of the free bonus that the operator gives all its new users, so that they could give its online poker room a try for free. If you, on the other hand, decide to make a deposit, you will get the incredible 250% Winner Welcome Bonus that could reach an amount as high as £1200. On top of that you will be able to enjoy all your favourite casino games anytime and anywhere with Winner’s state-of-the-art mobile platform.
William Hill is another poker room that offers a rich welcome promotion to those of us who are in a search for a great place to play online poker in. In fact, each and every new player in this poker room will be able to take advantage of the quite generous offer that William Hill has prepared. All newcomers will, in fact, get a 200% bonus with their first deposit. Not to mention the many other great poffers that the operator has in store for the players that have already signed up.