Many who have become familiar with poker know the rules and how the game works, but very few have the right set-up to make the right poker atmosphere. You can easily raise the mood level in a game of poker when you have the right equipment. It does not come as a surprise that a poker game at least needs playing cards and a kind of bidding-chips – e.g. poker chips. Those alone can be enough for a game but not the right atmosphere when you play poker. Therefore, you will need a poker table or a kind of poker tablecloth and buttons too.

The playing cards for poker should preferably be made of plastic, because it is the kind of playing cards which is best for the purpose of creating a professional atmosphere. There are a large number of card providers who offer this – also the once that are used in casinos. You have to be at least two players and a dealer. The dealer can, if you wish, have a cardholder. It is important to invest in good quality poker chips for the game. If you have difficulty keeping a poker face while bluffing, many wear sunglasses. However, your opponents can be cunning, so it's wise to take off the glasses when checking your cards so they can't see the cards in the “mirror” of your sunglasses.

There are several kinds of poker games, but the poker game that is popular to everyone is Texas Hold'em poker. Below, the rules of Texas Hold’em poker will be explained. After the explanation of the rules, the best poker hands will be ranked from 1 to 10.

When your poker equipment is in place, you can really feel the poker atmosphere, where you have the opportunity to play between 2 and 20 players plus one dealer. However, it is recommended that there are no more than 10.

Poker rules in Texas Hold'em poker

Unlike some other poker games, jokers are not used in Texas Hold'em poker. There are 52 cards in a deck with four different suits and everything from Aces to Kings. The Aces is the best card in a poker game. The game is divided into several rounds, where the poker players have the opportunity to meet the bid, raise the bid, check or fold. In Texas Hold'em poker, the poker game consists of a preflop, the flop, flop two and flop three – if at least two players bid there way through the flops. The aim of the game is that a player gets the best combination of 5 out of 7 cards.

The preflop

Before the game starts, you have to decide what the small blind and big blind will be trough the game. It is called blind because the players without seeing the flop are forced to bid an amount (poker chips) into the pot. In this way, the player cannot hold on to their poker chips though out the game. The big blind button and small blind button rotate to the player next to them, so that every player has to make a bid.

When the dealer have dealt the players their two cards, they have the following options that will continue in all rounds:

1. Fold – If a player is not satisfied with his/her hand, or otherwise does not feel that the hand can win the round – the option will be folding. In that way the player can withdraw from the round. If this player has deposited an amount into the pot, it will be lost – e.g. by small blind, big blind or raised the bid before the flop but others raised it more than the player is willing to afterwards.

2. Call – At the start of the poker round there is a big blind bet that all players must match if they want to continue and see the flop. The players also have the option of increasing the amount – the raise, so that other players must match the amount if they do not fold.

3. Check – If a player has already matched the highest bid on the table and he/she does not wish to raise the bid further than this, the player can say check. This means that you skip the turn.

4. Raise – If a player wants to raise the bid so that it becomes the highest bid, other players must at least match the players bid. If no rules have been set from the beginning of the poker game, the players are able to go all in before the flop. If players think that it is bluffing, because it is in the start of the game. They can match the bid. Otherwise they will have to fold, and the player will win the round without seeing the flop.

The flop

At least two players have to continue to see the flop. Once all the players in the game have taken their actions, the dealer will reveal three cards – in that way the player can make the best combination of 5 of 7 cards. Based on this flop, the players again decide which play action they would like to make from 1 to 4 in the above mentioned player opportunities.

The turn

After the players have made their playing action for the first flop, the dealer will open for the turn card – the fourth card. After this, the players must again assess whether they want to play along by matching the highest bid, raising the bid further, check if the player has the highest bid or fold. Many players use this part of the game to bluff before seeing the last card, because they can make the other players think, that they have a good poker hand based on a combination of 5. If you want to bluff your way to win the pot you should appear confident with your hand and bring on your poker face, so that your opponents doubt their own chances of winning the pot.

The river

The last flop which reveals the fifth card on the table is called the river. If there are at least players left after the turn card has been revealed, the dealer will reveal the last card. In that way the remaining players can choose their last playing action. Remember that the players aim is to get the best combination of 5 cards out of 7 cards and the winner will be the one with the best poker hand.

The best poker hands in a poker game

The players' poker hands can be combined in 2,598,960 combinations, which is a lot, but among these there are 10 playing hands, which are highlighted below from the best where number 1 is the best combination of 5 cards.

1. Royal Flush – The chances to get the best poker hand is really small as there are only 4 possibilities. Royal Flush comes from having the five highest cards of the same suit and therefore in order. If a player have the 10 of diamonds and the queen of diamonds, then the flop must contain the jack of diamonds, the king of diamonds and the ace of diamonds.

2. Straight Flush – This winning hand is similar to the above mentioned, but the difference is that it is not the five highest cards in the deck, but still the same suit. Therefore, you can have 3 of spades and 5 spades, but the flop must then have the 2 of spades, 4 of spades and 6 of spades or 4 of spades, 6 of spades and 7 of spades. There is a chance that two players will get a Straight Flush in the same round, and the player with the highest number in the sequence will win.

3. Four of a kind – When the player has two of the same cards – for example, the 9 of hearts and the 9 of spades, and the flop contains the 9 of diamonds and the 9 of clubs. Again, there may be another player who also has four of a kind. The player with the highest kind of four of a kind card wins the round.

4. Full House – To get a full house in Hold’em poker, the player must have three of a kind and a pair – e.g. three 4s and two 9s. If multiple players have full house, the player with the highest three will win the round.

5. Flush – With a flush, a player will have five cards of the same suit, but where they do not come in order – e.g. 4 of spades, 8 of spades, 9 of spades, king of spades and queen of spades. The chances of several players getting a flush is there, so the player with the highest card in the flush wins the round.

6. Straight – A player can have a straight when he has five cards in a row, but where they are not of the same suit – e.g. 3 of spades, 4 of hearts, 5 of diamonds, 6 of spades, 7 of hearts.

7. Three of a kind – When a player has three of the same card – e.g. 9 of diamonds, 9 of spades, 9 of hearts. If several poker players have three of a kind, the player with the highest cards wins the round.

8. Two pairs – The player must have two identical cards twice – for example two kings and two 10s.

9. One pair – A pair consists of two identical cards – e.g. two Aces. In the event that two players have a pair, the one with the highest stake will win the round. If both players have the same suit, the winner will be the player with the highest card.

10. Highest Card – If neither player has one of above mentioned poker hands, the player with the highest card will win the round.