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1. Basic rules of poker
The local task in poker is to win the hand.
This can be done in two ways:
- Present the best five-card combination at the autopsy (showdown).
- Make opponents believe that you have the best combination, demonstrating this with your active actions (bets) so that the opponent fold his cards.
We introduce you to the most popular version of poker — unlimited Texas Hold 'em. This is what most poker players around the world play, raffling millions of dollars online and offline.
Preflop - the very beginning of the distribution
Each play begins with the setting of mandatory bet — small and large blinds. They are not made at random. The players are indicated by the dealer button (button). The poker player directly to the left of it puts a small blind (MB), and the next one is a big blind (BB). To ensure that all оpponents are in equal conditions, after each hand the button moves one place clockwise. For one round of hands, all participants once find themselves in each of the positions, including blinds. Only after the blinds are delivered, the dealer deals cards. Each participant receives two cards in private. The first round of betting begins — preflop. It is opened by the player sitting to the left of the big blind position.
He has several options:
- Fold (fold) — muck cards
You turn into a spectator who watches the further course of the hand. You will not be able to win the pot, but you will not lose any more chips. - Call — to equalize bet (at the very beginning, the call size is one big blind)
This is a passive line that newcomers often resort to in order to see as many flops as possible with a small investment. However, at a distance, such a strategy is unprofitable, since you play too many unnecessary combinations with initially weak hands. - Raise — bet raise
In no-limit Texas Hold 'em, the maximum raise size is unlimited. You can put at least all the chips that are on the stack in the center of the table. The minimum allowable amount of raise is equal to the previous increase. At the very beginning of the hand, these are two big blinds, since the first raise was 1 BB.
Hand moves to the next stage if one or more poker players have equalized the current bet. The choice of the starting combination is the key moment for a successful game at the the long run. If you don't understand the difference between a offsuited hand 
and 
a Broadway hand, you won't be able to play plus yet.
Discipline is important in professional poker. It manifests itself in different aspects of the game itself and management. In terms of strategy, it is important to match the optimal choice of starting hands for the game from each position.
You can get a basic table of starting hands for beginners for free in the charts section on our website. Also, be sure to get a self-education file, it comes to the mail immediately after registration on our website. It contains many useful materials in a convenient structured format.
Microlimit Chart (Full Version)
This is a ready-made strategy for playing starting hands on the preflop. Following it, you will be able to immediately avoid many mistakes of novice players, and it will be much easier for you to start your career as a poker player. To receive the LEVEL 1 charts OF the full version together with the video course explaining them, register in one of any poker room from Poker University. If you need help, write to our manager.
Flop
If it was not possible to identify the winner on the pre-flop, the dealer opens the first three common cards — the flop. They can change the balance of power. Now the trade is opened by the player in the position of the small blind. If he has already left the game, the trade is opened by the first active participant of the draw clockwise from him. You can not be the first to say “call”, because there were no bet before you. Instead of this action, it becomes possible to transfer the move to the next player by announcing a “check”.
Thorne
If there were no bets on the flop or they were equalized, the dealer opens the fourth common card — the turn. This is followed by another round of betting, which takes place according to the rules of the previous street: the first word is left for the player in the small blind position (or the first active player clockwise from it if MB fold). The balance of power on the turn becomes almost complete, since the dealer has only one more common card to open.
River
The dealer opens the final common card in case there were no bet on the turn or they were equalized. The last trades are held according to the rules of the flop. Raise of bet here is either an attempt to knock out a stronger combination, or an attempt to pick up chips from the opponent.
Showdown (autopsy)
If the river failed to determine the winner, the dealer gives a showdown command. All the remaining players in the game take turns opening their closed cards. The dealer determines the winner by the seniority of the five-card combination. In Hold 'em, any number of community cards and pocket cards may be used to make a match.
There are three options here:
- 2 pocket and 3 shared. The best unreadable option is when you can get the maximum chips from opponents extract value.
- 1 pocket and 4 shared. Not such a happy situation, as оpponents can guess about the strength of your combination.
- Only 5 total. The worst option for you, since you can not win the pot. At best, it will be possible to divide with one or more opponents.
2. Possible combinations in poker
A poker hand always consists of 5 cards. Even if you only need 3 cards for your match. In this case, the 2 most senior cards from the closed and common ones are still involved in the compilation of the combination over time. They are called kickers.
Kicker is used to determine the winner when several players have the same combinations. Whoever has the older kicker wins.
We talk about poker combinations in order of increasing strength. At the beginning of the list are the weakest combinations, the chances of compiling which are maximum, and at the end are poker “monsters”, which are collected very rarely.
High card
If neither you nor your opponent have collected any ready-made combinations, then the winner is determined by the maximum value of five senior cards, including common ones.
- For example:
– this is a combination of “High card — ace” or ace-high.
Pair
Two cards of the same value. But the combination always consists of 5 cards, so three more kickers are added to the pair. If two players have the same pair, kicker is compared, starting with the highest card.
- For example:
beats 
because the ace is older than the Queens. If the players have the same kicker, the pot is divided. It does not matter whether these kicker are in hand or shared.
Two pair (dopper)
Two matches of two different cards. If several players have two pair in their hands, the older pair is compared first, then the younger pair. If they are the same, the winner is determined by the kicker.
Set (thrips, triplets, triplets) (trips, triplets)
Three cards of the same value. If several players managed to collect the same set, the winner is determined by the kicker. If the first kicker is the same, the second kicker is compared.
Straight (straight)
Five cards with consecutive values without reference to suit. When comparing two strips, the winner is determined by the highest card in the combination.
- For example: the ace has more options here. It is allowed to take two values: the traditional maximum
and minimal, closing the straight for the combination 
. However, the combination is not a straight, but a set of cards with a senior ace.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit. If the flush is collected by two players, the winner is determined by the seniority of the card.
Full house
This is a hand consisting of two cards of one value and three more cards of the other.
- For example:
on the board 
— full-house on jacks and aces. If two poker players have assembled a full-house, the strength of the set is compared first, then the strength of the pair.
Quads
Four cards of the same value. It is possible that two poker players will be able to collect a quads. Then the winner is determined by the kicker.
Straight flush
The second strongest hand in poker is five consecutive cards of the same suit. If two players have a straight flush, the winner is determined by the value of the highest card combined.
Royal flush (royal flush, royal flush)
The strongest combination in no-limit Texas Hold 'em is five cards of the same suit from a dozen to an ace.
3. Poker table positions
In poker textbooks, which were actively published in the early 2000s, it was told that the most important role in choosing the starting hand for the draw is played by the position at the table. Today, a little less attention is paid to this point, but understanding the positions still remains the basic criterion for a successful player. We talk about positions at a table designed for 9 people.
Early positions (Early Position, EP, UTG)
The first three positions of the 9-max (that is, with 9 players) table immediately after the blinds. If the table is 8-max, then the first 2 positions. These are difficult places to play, because on the preflop you open a trade, and on the postflop you say the word one of the first. Traditionally, only the top of the opening range is played out from the EP — the strongest hands.
Middle Position (MP)
The next two seats are at the table. MP2 and Hijack. Of these, more starters are already being played out.
Late positions: Cut-Off and Button (dealer, dealer)
The two most advantageous positions for the draw are at the table. From here, players open as wide as possible, since on the post-flop you complete the trade. And on the preflop, you are more likely to pick up blinds and ante without a fight if the few remaining players after you decide not to equalize your bet.
Small and big blinds (Small Blind and Big Blind, SB and BB, SB and BB)
The most difficult and important places for the final winrate are at the table, since players have already invested chips in the pot and are forced to protect them more widely than they would like. At the same time, they open a trade on the post-flop, that is, they play without a position. You have to make decisions when there is a strong lack of information about the strength of the opponents' hands.
4. Types of poker
Poker is loved by many people around the world because its rules are simple and clear. And the second reason is the variety of formats. You will have the opportunity to choose one of the varieties of poker that suits you specifically: according to your character or mood.
Texas holdem
This is the most popular type of poker with a large margin. It is difficult to imagine that in the near future there will be another format that will displace holdem from the top of the poker Olympus. The vast majority of games are played in the unlimited version. There are no restrictions on the maximum size of the raise. You can immediately put all the chips in the center of the table by announcing all-in (all-in bet). Our site is completely dedicated to the game of this type of poker.
Omaha
The second most popular type of poker. Omaha rules are much stricter than Hold 'em. Here, strictly three cards from the general and two from the pocket cards are allowed to be used to make a combination. At the same time, there are several options for Omaha, where 4, 5 or even 6 cards are dealt. With more pocket cards, Omaha is a more dispersive form of poker. Downstrikes are more common here. There is practically no game in the unlimited Omaha. The tables are assembled in a pot-limit Omaha, as well as in an unusual format — Hi/Lo Omaha.
Draw Poker (five card poker with exchange)
An old version of poker, which has two modifications: with one and three exchanges. Each participant is dealt five cards by the dealer at once. The task is to collect the best combination in one or three exchanges. Change is allowed from zero to five cards at a time.
Stud
A kind of poker in which the handing process is not similar to the rules of hold 'em. There are several variations of the herd: 4-, 5- and 7-card, as well as high-low herds. Poker players are interested in the classic 7-card stud. At the beginning of the dealer's hand, the dealer hands each of them one card closed and two cards open. Then, in turn, the participants are dealt three more cards in the open, and the final one is dealt in the closed. The winner is determined by the strength of the 5-card combination.
Razz
This is a kind of herd. The distribution scheme does not change, and the winner is determined by the opposite rules — the owner of the weakest combination takes the pot.
Lowball
This is the opposite format of poker with an exchange. The task is to collect the worst hand in poker, taking into account flushes and straights. Thus, nuts in this game is a offsuit hand 2-3-4-5-7.
H.O.R.S.E.
This is a mixed version of poker that alternates between holdem, omaha, razz, stud, and hi-low stud.
Badugi
An interesting format, reminiscent of poker with an exchange. The task of each player is to collect a combination of badugas — four offsuited cards of minimal value.
- For example: n ats here are offsuited
Chinese Poker (Pineapple)
Another format, the course of distribution in which does not resemble holdem in any way. Pineapple is more like playing solitaire. The game was popular in the 2010s. Today, you can play Chinese poker online only in the Poker House.
5. How to master the rules of poker and learn how to win
Learning the rules is not enough to turn online poker into a source of income.
It was in the 2000s that money was easily earned in the poker industry. Today you will have to work a lot and hard. Poker University will help you from the very beginning of your career to professional development at high stakes, as it is organized by the most experienced poker coach in the Russian-speaking space. Below you will find basic tips on how to start winning from the first hand.
Explore free tutorial content
The site contains many videos and articles that will help you understand this interesting game. Every week, new training videos are released, in which students and coaches analyze certain moments of the game.
Since the slogan of our site is “higher education in the world of poker”, we provide you not only with the best educational content, but also tell you the sequence of its study, methods of remembering and processing information. We structure all relevant materials for you in a special self-education file. There is also a loyalty program on the portal, through which you can receive closed professional video courses and preflop game charts.
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