The different rules of poker

Poker follows a base of rules that players must know before starting the sport.

Considered a mind sport in 2010, poker is a game involving luck, skill and mathematical calculations and is believed to have first appeared around 1000 years ago. Over the centuries, this modality has undergone great evolution, until it reaches today, where it can be found in several versions.

Nowadays, poker has become an international and wide-ranging game, enjoyed in almost every country where card games are played.

From the 1970s onwards, poker became very famous in Las Vegas rooms and began to be broadcast on TV. From then on, more and more spectators and players joined the World Series of Poker tournaments, and the game's great players began to emerge.

Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson or Puggy Pearson were among the greatest players of the time, who began publishing books to teach the strategies and tips of the sport to players who aspired to become as famous as them.

However, at the end of the 90s, the history of poker entered a new era, with the emergence of online casino platforms and the possibility of playing poker without time or location limitations. These platforms like 888, in addition to total transparency and a focus on security, also allow players to learn more easily and in detail about the poker rules.

Furthermore, fans of the sport were now able to follow tournaments live, via streaming, in championships held on the other side of the world.

A Christiansen Capital Advisors indicates that online poker revenues rose from US$82,7 million in 2001 to US$2,4 billion in 2005. Furthermore, according to a study by DrKW and Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, online poker revenues in 2004 reached $1,4 billion.

It was in this decade that poker became even more famous, when Chris Moneymaker, from a $40 buy-in, beat 829 players and collected a very large prize, which totaled 2,5 million dollars. After this, there was an explosion of new poker players, attracted by the emotions and gains that the game can provide.

All of these factors have transformed the way players access poker, changing the gaming industry on a global scale. Additionally, online poker rooms allow beginning players to participate in tournaments with very low stakes, attracting those who want to play but have less resources or experience.

Another influence on the emergence of online poker was its influence on the demand for games in the physical casino, due to the increase in the general popularity of the game. Many physical casinos organize poker tournaments linked to the online world, thus helping to boost the sport in both formats.

Despite being a simple game to learn and play, poker contains several rules, which are important to know, so that the player can master the sport and have fun in tournaments. The main rule to know is the order of poker hands: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Poker/Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.

There are, nowadays, countless versions of poker, with Texas Hold'em being the most played around the world. Each of these variants has specific rules, but the basic principles of poker are common to all of them.

Before determining a strategy for your poker games, it is important for players to know some of the main variants, to choose the one that best suits their preferences. Thus, the main poker versions are:

• Texas Hold'em - This is the most famous version of poker, in its physical format, but also on online casino platforms. In Texas Hold'em, all participants initially receive two hole cards and then a betting round takes place. After that, three community cards are shown, and there is another round of betting. Then, the dealer shows the fourth card and there is another betting phase. When the dealer then shows the fifth card, the players bet again and, in the end, if there is more than one player, the one with the highest hand wins the value of the pot;
• 5-card draw - In this version, all participants receive five hole cards and there are no community cards. There is a betting round and players have the opportunity to exchange whatever cards they want, just once. After that, there are bets again and the players who still remain show their hands, to determine which is the highest and who is the winner of the amount in the pot;
• crazy pinneaple - This version of Texas Hold'em appeared in the 2015 BSOP Millions tournament. The game is similar to Texas Hold'em, but participants are dealt three hole cards instead of two. They can then discard one of their cards and the game continues from there;
• Omaha - Omaha is the version that is gaining the most popularity around the world today. It is normally played in the pot-limit variation, which is widely used online. The dynamics of Omaha are similar to those of Texas Hold'em in terms of the cards shared by everyone and the betting phases. Here, the big difference is that each player receives four cards and not two. Furthermore, to form your hand you must use two of your cards and three of the community cards;
• Courchevel - In the Courcheve version, each participant receives five hole cards from the dealer. Before the first round of betting, a card is opened on the gaming table. Then, two cards are shown, with a betting round, and two more moments of card turning and betting, as happens in Omaha and Texas Hold'em. After the fifth card is shown, the last betting phase takes place and the players who are still active show their hands. To win, the player must make his hand using any two cards from his hand with any three cards from the game table;
• Seven Card Stud - In this type of poker there are no community cards. Each of the players receives seven cards from the dealer, three of which are dealt face down and four face up. Whoever has the best possible five-card hand, in a combination of those seven cards, wins the pot;
• Razz - Here, the dynamics of card distribution among players and the table and betting phases are identical to those of Stud. The difference is that here the winner is the one who has the worst game possible. As in Stud, straights and flushes are sequences that do not count towards the hand and the ace is considered the lowest card of all. This leads to the best hand in this type of poker being A2345.
• There are other versions that are also known and played all over the world, such as 2-7 Lowball, Badugi, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Omaha Hi/Lo.

Due to the skill it requires, combined with luck, and the possibilities of winning high monetary values, poker has more and more fans worldwide, as well as spectators of the sport. Benefiting from new technologies, such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and 5G Internet, it promises to increasingly evolve in the emotions it gives its players and spectators.

Knowing the rules of the game, as well as its basic principles, the player who dedicates himself to playing and training can be very successful in this sport of the mind, which has become increasingly popular over the years, especially after its appearance in the world. online, through the best casino platforms.