What Rules Should I Follow While Playing Poker Online?

It has been observed that the rules of poker games tend to be whatever the players agree the rules are going to be. In other words, poker is a uniquely flexible game that allows for all kinds of variations including how hands are made, how the betting is conducted, and how the winner is determined. That being said, there are a number of basic rules for online poker games that more or less have to be followed no matter the variant of the game.

These are the rules every novice player must get acquainted with before start playing online poker games.

1. Poker Hand Rankings and the Order of Play

Anyone who has played poker online in India is going to be familiar with things like hand rankings and the order of play. Hand ranking must be learned and committed to memory early on, as these influence all aspects of your overall poker strategy.

For most online poker games where the highest five-card hand wins, high card hands containing no pair, rank the lowest, then in ascending order proceed to one pair hands, two pair hands, three of a kind, a straight flush, a full house, four of a kind, and finally the royal flush.

2. Rules About Betting

Poker game rules about betting also differ depending on the game. Although once there are certain guidelines set regarding betting that cut across all sorts of different online poker games.

In most poker games, including when you play poker online or live in a cardroom, the rule is table stakes only. That means during a hand, players are only allowed to use the money already on the table at the beginning of the hand and no additional cash can be brought in to bet before the hand is over.

3. Fixed-Limit, Pot-Limit, and No-Limit Games

Meanwhile, in addition to the table stakes rule and forced bets, different online poker games have different rules dictating how the bets are placed.

? In Fixed-limit games, players are restricted to bet a certain amount. Raises can only be the same amount too.

? In Pot-limit games, players are also restricted but can bet up to the amount already inside the pot at the time of their turn.

? In No-limit games, especially no-limit Texas Hold'em, players are allowed to bet everything they have at any time the action is on them, with no restrictions on betting amounts.

Still More Rules

Hand ranking, the order of play, rules about betting cover the most basic rules of poker games. Then comes more rules that might not be appreciated by the novice players, but they eventually become second nature to most.

Some of these include:

? Not acting out of turn.

? Not showing your hand or revealing what it is while the hand is still going on.

? Not talking about the cards you folded when others are still playing the hand.

If you are a novice player or if you play online poker games a lot but haven't tried to play live yet, you may have a good handle on the basic rules of poker games governing gameplay but there are many other rules you may need to know. Indeed, for even the most experienced and professional poker players, the learning never stops. So, learn these basic rules of poker games and enjoy playing online poker.