The popular casino table game Poker is available in every casino in the world. Moreover, many people enjoy playing cards as a form of entertainment, and very often poker is the game they play. That is actually how the game was invented.
The poker game was a group activity enjoyed by a small group of men in the early twentieth century, but it became more appealing, and everyone began to play. People later started organizing tournaments with massive million-dollar prize pools for the winners.
Poker exploded on the international stage with the launch of online poker sites in the late twentieth century, thanks to advances in computer technology and the introduction of the internet. A player can now play a virtual gambling game from the comfort of their own home. The player does not need any physical equipment such as playing cards, chips, or a table. With advancements in technology, players are also able to play from anywhere using a mobile device. For the Nigerian players, there is an extensive list of Nigerian online casinos that provide online poker games, as well as live casino poker.
History of Poker
The game we now know as poker is thought to have originated approximately 1,000 years ago. Some historians think poker’s origins may be traced back to a domino-card game played by a 10th-century Chinese emperor. Others, on the other hand, claim it is a descendant of the 16th-century Persian card game “As Nas”. The closest European predecessor to poker was Poque, which had become popular in France in the 17th century. Poque and its German counterpart, Pochen, are both based on the 16th-century Spanish game primero. It had three cards dealt to each player and bluffing (or betting big on bad hands) as a fundamental component of the game.
Poque was brought to North America by French colonists and was named poker by English-speaking settlers in the area. They incorporated some features of the modern game, including the five cards for each player and a 52-card deck.
Different games have appeared among poker players over time, including five-card draw, seven-card stud, and, most recently, Texas Hold’em. Texas Holdem rose to prominence in the 1970s after being the main game in the World Series of Poker, the game’s most prestigious yearly tournament.
Poker has become one of the most popular ways to spend time both online and offline as a result of all of these historical events.
How to Play Poker?
Many poker variants have emerged throughout the years, each with its own twist, an additional feature, or set of rules. The basic game, which is present in all of the varieties, is the same. The goal is to have the best potential winning hand. You don’t need luck, but rather a knowledge of the game and strategy. In a nutshell, the game begins with one person placing a wager, which is then followed by the other participants. The dealer is in charge of dealing the community cards (3+1+1 or 3+2) as well as the players’ cards. Your goal is to combine three of the communal cards with your cards to form the best hand possible.
Online Poker Rules
The most important thing before playing poker is to learn the hand values, meaning which hand is best and which one is worst. That way, you will be able to plan and strategize, knowing when to raise and when to fold. When playing online, you usually play against the computer, so it is actually a one on one game. However, if you choose to play poker in a live casino, then you can play Texas Holdem Poker against other players. In any case, the basic rules are the same, so keep reading to learn how to play poker.
Hand Values in Poker
Royal Flush – The best hand in poker is the Royal Flush, which is always a winner. The hand consists of the same suit’s Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten.
Straight Flush – A straight flush is made up of five cards that are all of the same suit and are arranged in a straight line. The player with the highest card wins if both players have a straight flush.
Four of a Kind – A four-card hand with an “equal” value is known as a Four of a Kind. If two players have four of a kind, the person with the higher value card wins.
Full House – Three cards of the same value plus two more cards of another value equals a Full House (3+2).
Flush – A flush consists of five cards of the same suit in any order, not only consecutively.
Straight – A straight is a sequence of five cards that are not all of the same suit and are dealt in the same order.
Three of a Kind – A set of three cards with the same value.
Two Pairs – Consists of two cards of the same value plus two additional cards of another value, for a total of 2+2.
Pair – A pair consists of two cards with the same value.
High Card – If no one has any of the above-mentioned combinations, the player with the highest card wins. The ace is the highest card in the deck.
Player’s Options in Poker
Another rule that the player must know is the options he has when playing poker. There are four options available at any point and below you can read what each of these options means.
Fold – The player can choose this option when doesn’t want to continue betting on the current hand. This decision can be made at any point during the game. When the player “folds” the cards, loses the bets made so far, if any, and is not required to bet any more on that hand.
Call – The player can choose this option if he decides to continue betting on the current hand. The player can “call” when another player decides to raise the bet which would mean that the one using the call option will have to match the raised amount.
Raise – The player can choose the option to raise when he wants to increase the current bet. This is usually when a player has potentially good cards or already has a good hand. The other players will have to match this amount if they want to keep playing. However, if no one “calls” then the player who raised the bet gets all the money from the bets made so far.
Check – This option means that everything stays as is. Meaning, no player raised the bet and you don’t want to raise so you use “check” and is the next player’s turn.
Important terms to know when playing Poker
The poker terminology is well known among experienced players. However, for those of you just starting, there are some important terms you need to learn. First of all, you should know the types of forced bets you make in a poker game.
Ante Bet is a forced bet for all players. Before the dealing starts, every player must put the same amount of money in the pot. The ante bet is common for poker variants where there are no blinds.
Blinds are the other type of forced bet, where players put money before the cards are dealt. In the variants with blinds, there are two blinds, Small and Big. The player sitting next to the dealer blinds around half of the main bet and this is the Small Blind, while the person next to him blinds the entire bet, i.e Big Blind. The blinds rotate from player to player with each round.
The cards dealt to the player are called hole cards and are always face down. The number of hole cards varies, depending on the variant played.
One of the important terms to understand is community cards. These are the cards that are dealt in the middle and are visible to all players. They don’t belong to just one player, but every player can use them in order to create the best five-card hand. There are five community cards in the game of poker. Depending on the poker variant you are playing, these cards can be revealed in different ways. The most common is 3 + 2, which means three cards are revealed at once, and then the other two cards. This is slightly different if you are playing Texas Holdem Poker. In this variant, the dealer reveals the cards differently, 3 + 1 + 1.
The three cards that the dealer reveals first are called FLOP. After the Flop, the player can fold, raise or check. After that, the fourth community card revealed is called TURN. Again, there is a round of betting, and then the dealer reveals the fifth and final card which is named RIVER.
Types of Poker Games
During the evolution of the game, many different types appeared, and many of them still exist today. The three basic types of poker are listed below:
Community card poker – This is the most played type of poker game nowadays. As the name suggests, this type of poker game includes community cards that are dealt in the middle and are visible to everyone. In the variants that belong to the community card poker games, players receive their own cards that they need to combine with the community cards in order to get the best 5 card combination.
Stud Poker – In this type of poker there are no community cards. Each player has his own cards, between 5-7 cards depending on the variant, and these cards are only visible to the player. If you are playing stud poker online, you play only against the dealer. Your cards are always face down, and the dealer has one card face up, to help the player make a decision.
Draw Poker – The third popular type of poker allows players to draw new cards and ditch the ones they don’t need. Before the first betting round, each player is dealt a complete hand of 5 cards. During the game, the players can discard the cards they do not want and draw new ones. The other option is to keep the cards originally dealt to the player if there is already a potentially winning hand.
Most Popular Online Poker Games
Over the years many poker games were created, and it is actually impossible to find all of them to play in a traditional casino. But, the chances are bigger finding the variant you want in an online casino. The online casino industry has grown a lot in the past decade, with many players choosing online betting and casino over brick and mortar casinos. This is also the case in Nigeria, where many players started registering at online casinos and taking advantage of the casino welcome bonus offered.
As per our research of Nigerian online casinos, there are a few poker variants that are much more played than any other. We believe that you might find these variants interesting to play, so before betting any money, we recommend you read a bit more about each of them.
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em Poker is a poker variant that is not only popular among Nigerian players but is the most popular poker game in the world. It is the most common poker game in traditional casinos, and the most played in online casinos.
Texas Hold’em is a community card poker game, played with 2 -10 players. The dealer deals two cards to each player, face down, and 5 community cards face up. However, as explained above, the community cards are not revealed all at once. First, the flop is revealed (the first three cards), then is the turn (the fourth card) and finally the river (the fifth card). Between each card dealt, there is a round of betting and the player decide whether to fold, raise or call.
There is no online casino in the world that doesn’t have Texas Holdem poker, so we prepared a whole page on how to play it. Follow the LINK to learn.
Casino Hold’em
Casino Hold’em is a variant similar to Texas Holdem, with one main difference. In Casino Holdem, you play against the dealer, not against other players. It is a community card poker game that can be played in online casinos, one on one with the dealer. The game starts with two cards dealt to the player and two to the dealer. Then, the dealer reveals the Flop, then the Turn and the River. As in Texas Holdem, in between the revealing of the cards, the player decides whether to raise or check.
Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is another variant that is similar to Texas Holdem, with the difference being the number of hole cards dealt. Instead of two cards dealt to the players, in Omaha Poker the players receive four cards each. When the dealer reveals the five community cards, each player has actually nine cards available to create the best 5 card combination. However, even though the player has four hole cards, only two can be used to create a winning combination. The other three are used from the community cards.
Video Poker
Video poker is a game that combines the elements of poker with slot machines. Instead of playing on a table like the other varieties, you play on a machine that looks like a slot machine. Another difference is that you don’t play against people or a dealer. You play by yourself, just to create a winning combination. Because the payouts are predetermined, each video poker machine will display a table listing the winning hands and their payouts.
Interesting Facts
What is the longest poker game ever played?
You may have had a few games that seemed to take an eternity but just lasted a few hours in the evening. The Bird Cage Theatre in Arizona claims to have hosted the world’s longest poker game. The poker game began in 1881 and lasted for an amazing 8 years, 5 months, and 3 days. It was played by well-known wild west characters, with a minimum buy-in of $1000. Over the course of the eight years, it is said that over $10 million was changed, with 10% of that going to the Bird Cage.
What is the largest poker win ever?
Several famous poker wins have boosted poker’s global popularity. Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari takes home the top prize. Antonio won a record-breaking $18.3 million in the 2012 WSOP Big One for One Drop, which had a $1 million buy-in.
When was the first online poker game held?
As advanced as online poker has become, it is still a relatively new game. On January 1st, 1998, online poker was launched. Before these authorized poker websites, there were various venues to play poker, but January 1 marked the start of a new era. Money could be changed, and the first online poker hands were said to be $3/$6 Limit Hold ’em games.