Poker is one of those games that is summed up perfectly by the saying “it takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master”. The game is very simple to pick up and incredibly fun to play as you learn how to bet, raise and bluff your way to big pot after big pot! There are a few variations of poker that are played on your typical Poker Site however there is one game that rules supreme being played by the overwhelming majority of players and that is No Limit Hold'em!.
The No Limit part of the name comes from the fact that you can bet as large as you want(no limit) and the Hold'em part is the style of poker being played. To begin the game every player at the table will be dealt two facedown cards that only they are able to look at throughout the hand. Here people will be checking to see how strong their hand is and whether or not they want to continue with the hand. If you see yourself with a hand you are happy to play with you can then either call a bet or make a bet of your own to get the action started. At the beginning of each hand two players will be forced to make a small bet (called the big blind and small blind) to get the action started.
Once all the betting for this round has ensued three community cards will be laid out for all to see. These three cards are called the “flop” and in No Limit Hold'em the aim of the game is to make the best possible five card hand using any number of cards from the two you were dealt to the five community cards that end up being laid out. This is the point in the game where you really start to see the strength of your hand as you now have five cards to make a five card No Limit Hold'em hand. Another round of betting will begin again where people can choose to check(no bet), bet, raise, go all in, or fold! The order in which people act is in a clockwise motion starting with the first person to the left of the dealer. After this round of betting you will have the another card dealt out to the community board called the “turn”. Just like on the flop people will now assess the strength of their hand and decide whether they would like to check. bet, or raise.
The fourth option here again is to fold which you can do at anytime when you feel you neither have the best hand or could get your opponent to fold their hand. The final round sees one more card being dealt out which is the “river”. This is the final card dealt out and will be the first time where you see what your final hand looks like. Here there will be one final round of betting before all players left(if more than one) turn their hands turn up with the best hand then taking the money! As hopefully you have seen the game is not too difficult to learn, but the true skill in poker reveals itself as you try and work out who between you and your opponents have the best hand and whether or not you can get them to fold a better hand!
