There are a number of different varieties of poker, which can be confusing if you are a beginner.  However there are some basic standard rules to any game of poker including 7-Card Stud and Texas Hold‘em.

1.    The weakest card in the deck is two and then they go up in strength as you would expect to number ten.  The face cards are stronger than ten in the order of jack, king, and queen with ace being the strongest in the deck of cards.
2.    The standard poker hands are as follows: a pair (e.g.  2 four’s); two pairs, such as 2 four’s and 2 ten’s; three of a kind, which would be 3 eight’s for example; straight, which consists of five consecutive cards from any suit or a mixture; flush, five random cards but must be from the same suit; full house, a pair and three of a kind; four of a kind; straight flush which is five consecutive cards from the same suit (e.g.  2,3,4,5,6 of diamonds) and finally a royal flush, which would be a straight flush but must consist of ace, king, queen, jack, and ten.
3.    How to deal the cards in a game of poker depends on which type of poker you are playing.  However the general rule is that you must always deal from the top of the deck and first of all to the person on your left.  You then work your way round the table finishing with yourself.  This process is to be repeated until everyone has all their cards.

Victoria Coren is a well-known writer, broadcaster and presenter of BBC4 quiz show “Only Connect” and Radio 4′s “Heresy.”  She is also a professional poker player.  As these two aspects of Ms Coren are closely linked, she manages to bring the world of poker up-close to a mainstream audience.

Victoria started playing poker when she was a teenager and she is now a member of PokerStars Team Pro.  Her official tournament winnings total more than $1 million.  After winning the London EPT, Victoria was crowned the 2006 European Poker Champion.  She was the first woman ever to win an event on the European Poker Tour.  She has also won the Celebrity Poker Club series on Challenge TV and is therefore perhaps the only person who has won both a celebrity and a professional poker competition. 

In 2010, Victoria Coren had good results at the EPT Monte Carlo as well as the Bahamas PCA.  She plays online under the name Vicky Coren and also plays for cash regularly at London’s Victoria Casino.  Internationally, she can found on the UK and Ireland Poker Tour and the European Poker tour.

When it comes to TV, Victoria has played poker games on Channel 4′s “Premier League Poker,” “Late Night Poker,” and various games that have been televised on Sky Sports.  She commentates on poker series’ and also has a weekly poker column that she writes for the Guardian.

Victoria Coren, and many tweets detailing her poker experiences, can be found on Twitter @VictoriaCoren.

Poker tournaments are often held in pubs as they provide a sociable and convenient place to meet for a game.

However, the Gambling Commission has revealed that only 2% of the British population play poker in pubs or clubs.  Others chose to play it at casinos or online.

The Commission also found that most people who choose to play it in pubs or clubs are happier to invest time rather than money in gambling. 

Poker can be a lengthy game and playing it over a few lazy beers in the pub can be a nice relaxing evening, and it is not necessary to bet with large amounts of money.

The 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, released in February 2011, did show that there has been an increase in people playing poker online – alongside other online games including bingo and casino style slot machine games.  In 2010, they recorded that 5% of the UK population played such games online compared to just 3% in 2007.

Playing poker online means people do not need to rely on other people to play, or worry about having to go to the casino alone as virtual games can be played from the house at any time that is convenient.

Most websites also offer chat rooms where players can exchange tips and talk about their favourite games, enabling them to talk to like-minded people while they have a break from poker.

With the popularity of live poker tournaments and online poker continually soaring, it was inevitable that online poker tournaments would start appearing.  In many ways, these online tournaments are now more preferable to their live counterparts.

The Advantages

While live poker tournaments will always provide that extra buzz and sense of involvement, the ease of sitting at a computer and achieving the same excitement is one that many people find irresistible.  Online poker competition is a great way for less-experienced players to build up their tournament confidence before entering at an actual casino.  Another main advantage of online poker tournaments is that the participant will not have to pay as much to enter, as the cost of setting up an online event is markedly cheaper than that of a live tournament.  Moreover, some computer-based poker tournaments have very low buy-ins (as low as one pound), allowing beginners to cut their teeth at a lower level before moving on to a casino, where buy-ins will be much higher.

Types of Online Poker Tournaments

There are two main types of online tournaments: the sit-and-go and the multi-table.  The sit-and-go is a one-table game where players are eliminated as they fold and the winner will have collected the chips of all participants.  This is a very quick game with pay-outs usually given to the final three players.  Multi-table tournaments are more like casino tournaments in that they have a high number of players, and as such, a higher pot.  Pay-outs here are usually for the top-finishing 10% of players.

Online poker tournaments may be more suited to less-experienced players, but it is still an avenue where money can be made.

The less-popular cousin of the ever-present Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha remains widely played throughout the world of poker, although most big money tournaments will use Texas Hold ‘Em.  The main major difference between the two is that in Omaha players are dealt four hole cards rather than the two in Texas Hold ‘Em.  As a result, Omaha is a little trickier than Texas, which is probably the reason for the latter being the preferred variety for most poker players.

Omaha Hi-Lo is the most popular strand of Omaha, and players can win the pot based on their highest and lowest hands.  Omaha Hi is the same game, only it eliminates the prize for the low hand.  Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha is almost always played with limits; either set limit or pot limit.  Set limit is better for amateurs, as it more effectively limits losses when compared to pot limit, so is a better way to learn the game before moving on to the higher stakes of pot limit.

The basic rules of Omaha are very similar to Texas Hold ‘Em, but in Omaha, players must use only two of their four hold cards, combined with three of the community cards.  For example, a player may not use three of their hole cards with one community card on the board, and similarly may not use only one hole card with four community cards.  Thus, hands can be misleading.  For instance, having four 3s as your hole cards may look impressive, but remember you can only use two of them in your final hand.

A massive part of the increase in popularity of poker worldwide is the advent of online games.  Winning money while sitting at your computer is always appealing and online poker offers the chance to interact with other people all around the world–much like the recent advances in video gaming.  Extra card games on computers such as Solitaire and Hearts have always been popular ways to pass the time, but with the incentive of winning money, playing online poker is much more than a time-waster.

The premise of online poker is very similar to that of being in a casino or playing with friends:  another reason why this type of gaming is so popular.  In the ‘lobby’, all of the different rooms will be listed by the type of poker being played, such as Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud, etc.  The rooms will also be separated depending on table limits, which stretch from pennies to much more.  You will choose a room to enter and if there is a seat available, you will be able to join.  From there you have the same options available to you as in real life, but you will just need to click on the corresponding button instead of speaking aloud. 

Of course, you aren’t obligated to play for money.  There are also many websites that offer free poker if you just want to practise.  If you are planning to play for money though, it is important to make sure you are joining a reputable website, so check for user reviews to ensure this before relinquishing your money.

With the emergence of online poker, televised poker tournaments and casino events, more and more people are learning to play poker.  Online tutorials, guides and even private tutors are all being employed to ensure that players learn the rules quickly and easily, and it seems that the popularity of the traditional card game is set to continue to rise.

Some of the most popular poker games are Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Draw.  The basic rules of each game are simple and allow players to employ techniques such as bluffing and the analysis of body language, which are both important aspects of game-play.  Most tutors state that learning to play poker is easy once the basic rules are established.  The basic principles of game-play are employed in most versions of poker and so tutorials often focus on the four main categories of the game.

These categories are Draw Poker, where players are dealt a hand of cards and are allowed to exchange them in order to obtain a better hand; Stud Poker, which sees the player with the best hand wining; Community Card Poker, which is faster-paced and requires the use of a combination of dealt ‘hole’ cards and community cards, and Wild Card Poker.  Wild Card Poker games see a number of extra cards making an appearance into ordinary games in order to increase the value of hands.  Wild Card Poker games are rarely seen online.

 There are a number of poker games within each category and so once the basic rules for a category are learnt, most constituent games should come naturally to players.

A popular game around the world, Texas Hold’em is broken down into three distinct sections.  Whilst the setup and betting are crucial to a game, it is the showdown which finally reveals the cards that players hold.  And with this being the round where you can see whether your nerves of steel actually paid off, it is often the most thrilling part of the poker game.

The showdown comes once the river betting round has finished and all players left in the game have made their bets.  There are several important rules for the showdown which you must be aware of to ensure that the game is played out smoothly.  The first player to show their hand is the player who made the first bet in the river round.  If however no bets were made, cards should be shown by the first remaining player to the left of the button.  Meanwhile, if you hold a losing hand there is no need to reveal it, with the rules allowing you to simply concede the winnings without showing your cards to others.  This is particularly useful if you don’t want to reveal your game face, with opponents possibly seeing your losing hand and making mental adjustments of your ability or behaviour.

Taking part in the final showdown is the most thrilling aspect of Texas Hold’em, with the prospect of winning within your grasp.  And with the high stakes of all the chips on the table going to the winner, it is the time to see if your poker strategy has paid off.

As poker is one of the most popular casino games, there are a wide variety of poker websites to choose from.  Online poker gives you the chance to enjoy your favourite games from home.  The amount of poker websites available means that you can now access a wide variety of free poker games.

Free poker games are the perfect choice for those wishing to practise their poker skills.  Many websites offer instant access to free poker games, and you can choose to play alone or with other online players.  Playing free poker games not only enables you to practise your skills, but also allows you to dip into your favourite games whenever you wish.  Free poker games are the perfect choice for those wishing to relax and play their favourite game from home.

There are a number of websites that enable you to view the best free online casinos available. The fact that the games are free means that beginners do not have to worry about losing money and are free to practise their poker skills whenever they wish.  Some websites offer flash poker games, which enable players to play poker instantly without having to download any software.

Another advantage of free online poker is that you do not have to be a member of the website where you are playing the game; you can easily play games on free poker websites without giving any of your details.

One of the most popular versions of poker and the most commonly used at online poker sites is Texas Hold’em.  It is a game that can be learned quicker than other variants of poker such as Seven Card Stud or Omaha and as a result is usually favoured by novices of the game.

While the game varies when playing it in real life, the online version of Texas Hold’em is usually played as follows.  A  Big and Small Blind are posted by the two players to the left of the dealer.  The dealer then deals two cards to each player; these are known as the hole cards.  A round of betting then commences where players have the option to call, raise, or fold.  Once betting is complete the dealer places three cards face up on the table.  These are known as the flop.  All cards placed face up in this way can be used by players as part of their hand.

After this is another round of betting, where options are now check, bet, raise, call or fold.  The dealer then places a fourth card face up (the turn) and the process is repeated.  The dealer then places a fifth card on the table.  This card, known as the river, signals the final round of betting.  Once the betting is completed, any players remaining in the game show their hands and the player with the best hand, comprised of any five cards, wins the pot.  If all players but one fold before the betting ends then this player is not required to show their hand.