You are ready to learn how to play poker. Well before you get out there and put your money on the table you've got to know what you are doing. Poker is a game of incomplete information and the more you know about the game the sooner you can start playing! First we will start with the basics what does it take to win a hand. The simplest way to win is to showdown the best 5 card hand at the end of all betting rounds. The next way is to pace a bet during one of the betting rounds that causes all other opponents in the hand to fold (this can be with the best hand or otherwise). But what beats what in poker? Lets take a look at the ranking of hands.

Hand Rankings

1. 1 Royal Flush - This is it the holy grail of the poker game a royal flush is A K Q J T all in the same suit, some poker players play for years before seeing a royal flush.
2. 2 Straight Flush - 5 cards in sequence of rank in one suit for example: 9 8 7 6 5 all of hearts (any suit will work)
3. 3 Four of a kind - Four cards of the same ranking your 5th card doesn't matter ie: J J J J Q

this hand is often referred to as quads.

1. 4 Full House - This hand includes 3 cards of the same rank and a pair for example: T T T 9 9

this hand is also called a full boat.

1. 5 Flush - This hand contains 5 cards all of the same suit rank does not matter ie: 2 7 9 J K all spades (again any suit works here).
2. 6 Straight - A straight consists of 5 cards in order of rank for example: 7 8 9 T J (suits do not matter but they are not all the same)
3. 7 Three of a kind - Three cards of the same ranking 4 4 4 X X (x represents any card) this hand is also called trips
4. 8 Two Pair - Two sets of pairs*(see one pair) example: K K J J X
5. 9 One Pair* - Two cards of the same ranking example: A A X X X
6. 10 High Card - If none of the above hands are present the person holding the highest card in their hand wins example: A J T 5 2 (Ace high) would beat K Q J T 3 (King High)

So now that you know the ranking of hands and how to determine who wins lets get into the structure of a real poker game. I will now cover which items you will need to start you own poker game and really learn how to play Texas Hold'em poker. Texas Hold em is the game that has been exploding in popularity across the world.

Poker Game Requirements

1. 1 Deck of cards - 52 standard poker cards will do the trick I prefer a nice set of plastic playing cards. A set of Kem or Copag cards will set you back around $20 but will last you a lifetime of use.
2. 2 Poker Chips - Sets are available in sporting goods, department stores and online. Costs range depending on quality. I do not suggest plastic chips to anyone a cheap set of composite chips should really be decent enough to start with a set of 300 may set you back $40 or so. High rollers often buy clay chips where sets can cost upwards of $2 a chip sometimes. Micro-stakes players often just use real coins for exact value and save themselves from buying chips entirely.
3. 3 Dealer Button - Often included with poker chip sets, can be separately purchased for around $5 this is used to signify whose turn it is to deal and also determines who will be acting first in the betting rounds.
4. 4 Poker Table - This is often an optional item for many beginning poker players, cheap card tables or often the kitchen table are an inexpensive option. However poker tables conventionally cost around $150-350 for an average quality table with high end furniture stores sometimes costing thousands for customizable tables.
5. 5 Poker Players - Call your friends and have them call their friends! Poker games are fun with lots of people. Be sure to tell your friends what type of game you will be playing and set a starting time convenient to everyone.

OK so by now you have got some players and all the accessories you will need to get your poker game started but how do we start. First we need to determine which type of game you will be playing tournaments have a set buy-in where everyone starts with the same number of chips. For example each player pays $20 and receives $1500 worth of chips. Poker tournaments end when one player has all the chips depending upon how many people are playing in the game the money is often distributed to the top 10-33% of the field size. Be sure to set payouts before the game starts.

Cash games operate a little differently than tournament games and often allow players to buy in for exact cash values often with table minimums and maximums set based on the size of the big and small blinds. Often times in a poker room for example in a casino a low limit game has $1/$2 blinds and a minimum buy-in of $50 and a max buy-in of $100 or $200. But while you are learning I recommend that you start with a smaller amount. Play for stakes you feel comfortable with.

How to Play Poker

Game Structure

Once your players have their chips and are ready to play the deck is spread on the table and each player draws one card. The highest card gets the dealer button and blinds are posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button. The small blind starts to the left of the button and the big bind is in the next person. The blinds usually double in size with the big blind being twice the size of the small blind.

Every person is then dealt two cards face down. Play begins with the person to the left of the big blind. They can call, raise or fold. If they choose to call they must place a bet into the middle of the table (called the pot) matching the size of the big bind. If they choose to raise they must put in more chips at least two times as much as the size of the blind. Play continues around the table with every person folding, calling, raising or re-raising. At any time a player may bet all of their chips. If they do so they are considered ALL-IN. After this round of betting has completed and all bets are matched or folded one card is discarded from the deck and then 3 cards are dealt onto the middle of the table. This is called the flop.

On the flop the play begins with the person directly to the left of the button. Another round of betting ensues and continues around the table until all bets hand been matched or cards folded. After flop betting another cards is 'burned' off the top of the deck and one more cards is turned over and added to the community cards on the flop (this is often called the turn). Another round of betting occurs. When all bets have been matched the final card is burned from the top of the deck and the river is dealt (also called 5th street). One final round of betting occurs before the remaining hands are exposed to determine the winner of the hand. At anytime you may muck (discard) your hand and any remaining players will continue to play for the chips or the pot may be awarded to the last player if no one remains.

Texas Hold 'em is a game that can take a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. For more 1 tips and poker strategy visit the How to play poker blog today!