FAQs

Kenny Rogers was on to something. In poker, you do need to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Knowing when to walk away is always a plus, as is knowing when to run. We could go on, but you get the point. Still, "The Gambler" was not entirely comprehensive. There are lots of other facts to consider when playing online poker. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding the game.

The first question is probably the most basic:

What is Online Poker?

To help us understand what we mean by online poker, it's good to first understand what it's not. To begin with, online poker is not "video poker." Video poker looks a lot like a slot machine, and you play it all by yourself while at a casino. That's not what we're talking about here.

Online poker, on the other hand, is something that you play with a group of people. Yes, you may be home alone when you are actually playing the game, but you are connected to others through the Internet. (Hence, the "online" aspect of the game.) Every online poker game will have at least two real people playing, and some games can have up to eight or ten players. Some of the larger online tournaments can have thousands of people playing all at once.

Another idea to keep in mind is that you don't make bets against the poker site when you're playing online poker. Many people are initially confused by that fact because they think an online poker site is the same as an online casino. That's not true. With an online casino, you may be playing against the site on certain games. But on a poker site, the site acts as a third party, and you place your bets with the other people playing. The "house" (or poker site) in this case simply collects a small fraction of each pot before awarding it to the winner as a way to make its money; it never gambles at all.

Now that you know what online poker is, let me ask your next question for you:

How Does an Online Poker Site Work?

Although they may seem incredibly complicated and confusing, the majority of online poker sites are comprised of four parts:

The poker web site - this is where you'll go first when you decide to play online poker. It's where you can find information about the games on the website, the rules, and, most importantly, the place from which you download the all-important poker client.

The poker client - this is the program you install on your own computer. It has a display of the poker game showing the players and cards and has buttons you use to bet and fold. When you run it, it connects to the poker game server.

The poker game server - this is the central computer that hosts the poker games. The game server runs a program that acts as a dealer (shuffling and dealing cards and awarding pots), floor man (helping you find a seat) and cashier (handling chips and money). The game server makes sure that all rules are followed correctly. The game server is the hub for all communication between the players. Think of the poker game server as the host.

The players - this is where you come in. The players are you and all the people who are playing poker. But instead of sitting at a green felt table in Oscar and Felix's apartment, each person is sitting at his or her own computer, running a copy of the poker client, connected to the poker game server by the Internet.

That's really all there is to it. Those four components are all that's needed to play online poker. And in terms of what you have to do, simply start by finding a poker website and go from there.

Okay, so you've made the decision to go to an online poker site. Your next question is:

What Types of Games Can I Play?

That's a great question, for there are many different types of poker games available; but before you begin, you should decide whether you want to play for real money or play money. If you want to play for fun and without a lot of pressure, you probably want to start with a "play money" game. The chips are worthless, and you're really only playing for experience of it all.

A real money game is different, of course. A money game is played for exactly that: money. Some poker sites keep their games small, and you're only asked to bet a penny or two, and other sites gear their games to high rollers, and if you play, you may be required to bet of several hundred dollars. If you're interested in playing a money game, make sure you decided before you start how much money you're comfortable betting, and then search for a site that fits your needs. One won't be hard to find.

If you've decided to play at a site where real money is involved, here's the obvious question you must ask:

Is the Site Trustworthy?

Before you can play real money games, you have to deposit money with the site. For some, that's the biggest risk of all. Make sure you do some research and play at a site that has a good reputation. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding one. Many online poker sites have been around for years and have serviced thousands of players. Just make sure you're comfortable with the site you've chosen. It is your money after all.

And, because I know you're about to ask, let me take care of this question for you:

Is Online Poker Legal?

While this question has been debated for many years, it is important to know that as of right now, no one has ever been arrested in the United States for playing poker online. So once you've decided to play the game for real money the web, you needn't worry about the legality of it. You'll be covered.

Okay, here we go. You know what online poker is, you know how the online poker sites work, you've decided to play for real money, you know that the site you've chosen is trustworthy, and you know that it's all perfectly legal. You're set. But wait:

How Do I Play Poker?

Wow! That's kind of a tough question to answer. Not because poker is a tough game (it's not), but because there are many variations of poker. Still, if you understand this concept, you should be able to handle any game you decide to join. First, let's get the basics out of the way:

Poker (including online poker) is a card game where the players place bets into a shared pot during a round. All forms of poker (even online) are played with a standard four-suit, 52-card deck, but sometimes a joker or other wild cards are added into the mix. At the end of the betting in any given round, the player holding the best hand wins the pot.

That's it! Poker is really not complicated at all. Granted, there are many different types of poker games (Five-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold ‘Em, Oklahoma Hold ‘Em), and it can take a lifetime to master all of them, but if you understand the basics mentioned above, you understand - in principle - how all the games work.

Okay, you now know what poker is at its most basic level. However, if you've never played before, you're probably wondering:

How is a Hand Played?

So there you are, sitting at your computer, ready to go. You're comfortable with the basics of online poker, and you know you'll be placing bets and hoping to win hands (and, in turn, money), but you're still unclear as to the exact action of a hand. Let's try to make that idea as clear as possible.

First, once you're dealt in, your own cards will be displayed in front of your seat and other players' cards will be displayed face-down in front of theirs. This way you can see who is dealt in, but you can't see their cards (and don't worry, no other player can see your cards, only you can). If a player doesn't like the cards he has, he'll Fold (or take himself out of the game), and his cards will disappear. Once it's determined who is in or out, you'll next start betting.

When it's your turn to bet, most sites will show buttons marked Fold, Check, Bet, Raise, and Call, and you have to decide which button to push. Fold means you've decided to take yourself out of the game and you're forfeiting any money you've already put in to the pot. If you Check, it means you're adding no money to the pot, but you're telling the house and the other players you're interested in being in the game (Check occurs during the first go-round, when players make their initial intentions known, and you're essentially tells everyone whether you want to play or not). If you chose to Bet or to Raise, you're adding a certain amount of money to the pot. Once a player Raises, the rest of the players must match this raise or add to it if they want to continue to be in the game. Finally, if you think it's time to Call, you'll match the bet of the preceding player, but you're not adding to it. This tells the other players you still want to play, but you're not going to add any more money to the pot. Once you've made your choice, all the rest of the players have to decide whether they want to Fold, Bet or Raise, or Call. Once everyone has a chance to make a choice, the action moves to the Showdown.

At the end of the hand, the dealer (remember, the online poker site is the dealer, it manages the showdown and monitors all the other action of the game) starts out by showing the cards of the person required to show his hand first. Each player then is given the option to show their hand or muck their cards without showing (Muck means you're admitting defeat: you know the hand shown is better than the one you've got, so you don't have to show them). To speed up the Showdown, most sites automatically show winning hands immediately. None of the sites allow a player to muck a winning hand, so you don't have to worry about making that mistake. When all the cards have been shown, the dealer awards the pot according to the rules of the game.

All right, do you see how we're building this? You're learning all about online poker sites and what the game is and how a hand is played, but you're probably still wondering:

What is a Winning Hand?

Here's where knowing the basics really pays off. Although there are different types of poker games, these "winning hands" are universal and are ranked from the highest winning hand to the lowest:

The Straight Flush: five cards of the same suit in order. For example, the 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 of Hearts. If the Ace is playing high, the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of any suit is considered the Royal Flush, the highest straight flush any player can have.
Four-of-a-Kind: four cards of the same value. For example, four Nines (plus some other card of a different value). The higher the four cards, the stronger of the Four-of-a-Kind. With that in mind, four Nines beat four Eights.
Full House: not to be confused with the Olsen twins' sitcom, a Full House is three cards of the same value paired with two cards of the same value. For example, three Sevens and two Tens. Like Four-of-a-Kinds, the higher the value of the matching cards, the stronger the Full House. That way, three Sixes and two Twos beats three Fives and two Eights.
Flush: five cards of the same suit, regardless of order. The strength of the Flush depends on the highest card of the hand. A straight of Ace, Nine, Five, Three, and Two beats a Flush of Ten, Nine, Six, Four, and Two because an Ace has a higher value than a Ten.
Straight: five cards in order, regardless of suit. If you have a Six, Five, Four, Three, and a Two of all different suits, you have a Straight. Again, the strength of the Straight is dependant on the highest card of the straight.
Three-of-a-kind: three cards of the same value. Remember, a Three-of-a-Kind has to have two other cards that don't match in value; otherwise you have a full house. For example, three Queens, a Two, and a Five is a Three-of-a-Kind.
Two pair: two pairs of cards of the same value. For example, two Jacks and two Sevens (with an extra, non-matching card thrown in).
One pair: two cards of the same value, along with three cards that don't match at all. For example, two Queens along with a Seven, a Five, and a Three.
High card: five mismatched cards with the highest card on top. For example, an Ace, Ten, Eight, Seven, and Four. If no player has any of the above hands, then the player with the highest card wins the round. It's very rare that a round will come down to a high card, but if it does, the highest card wins.

The Joker, as mentioned in the opening explanation of poker, can be in play as a "wild card." If there are any wild cards in any game, round, or hand, those wild cards become any card the player who is holding them wants them to be. For example, if Jokers are wild and a player is holding three Tens, a Joker, and a Two, the player can "make" the Joker a Ten, and then the player has a Four-of-a-Kind. In cases where wild cards are in play, hands using a wild card do not beat out a natural hand. So, four "real" Tens beat out three Tens and a Joker.

Okay, some of this may seem a little overwhelming and a bit daunting. But don't be intimidated. Online poker tends to follow the simplest rules possible in order to maximize the amount of players who can participate and enjoy the game. If you are looking for a fun, friendly way to break into the poker scene, visiting an online poker site is probably your best option.

And once you're at an actual online poker site, it's perfectly natural for you to wonder:

What is the Etiquette I Should Follow Now That I'm Here?

Look, I'm not Ms. Manners or anything, but there are some simple rules you should follow whenever you're playing online poker. You see, sometimes people think because no one can seem them they can behave any way they want. So they're obnoxious or rude or simply a jerk. When someone behaves that way, no one has fun. With that in mind, here are some guidelines to follow in order to make sure you're not the person sucking all of the fun out of the game.

First, watch the language. While online poker is an adult activity, nobody appreciates a foul-mouthed slob. Please.

Second, don't be a jerk. It's rude to trash talk too much. Just remember the words of my old baseball coach: "When you lose, say little. When you win, say less."

Third, keep up with the pace. If the game is moving too fast for you, simply take yourself out of it and go to another table or site. No one will think less of you, and everyone will have a better time.

Last, don't comment on a hand in progress or give advice during a hand. The old poker rule is "one player to a hand". That means each player must play his or her own hand without help from anybody.

Online poker may seem complicated. It may seem like there's no way someone can learn it. But it's really not that hard. And if you understand the answers to these frequently asked questions regarding online poker, you're well on your way to enjoying the thrill of playing poker online. Good luck with whatever type of poker game you decide to play (at whichever online poker site best fits your needs), and - most importantly - have fun!

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