Poker Games

Find out about the most popular poker games including Texas Hold'em, 7-Card Stud and Omaha.


Texas Holdem

7-Card Stud

Omaha

Poker Strategy

This section provides a wealth of information to help you improve your poker strategy and become a better poker player.


Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

Probabilities

Poker Tournaments

Find out about how to enter and succeed in poker tournaments, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).


World Series of Poker (WSOP)

Poker News Archive

The archive of poker news and articles. New ones coming soon though!



Welcome toPokerTips.org

PLAY ONLINE POKER AND LEARN POKER STRATEGY

Welcome to PokerTips.org! Discover lots of content and articles about online poker and how to become a better poker player.


We have poker rules for a variety of poker games, with a focus on rules for Texas Hold'em, the most popular form of poker. Texas Hold'em is played in the main event of the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.

If you have never played cards before, start with taking a look at Poker Hand Rankings.

If you have played some poker before, try Texas Hold'em.

If you want to play for money, read the betting rules. For beginners I recommend the Limit betting structure.

If you are looking for fun variations to the normal poker rules, try our Poker Variants page. These games are good for variety when you are playing at home; however, you will probably not find these games at casinos (online or live).

Another good way to learn poker rules for free is through play-money online poker games.


Books



Quick Guide To Start Playing Poker

Step 1: Sign up at a poker room and deposit your money. We have reviewed many poker rooms at this site (Click here for all reviews). The best site to consider is 888 Poker which is a soft online poker room with great software.

Step 2: Review the poker strategy at this site. You may know a lot of what is written already, but you will probably pick up a tip or two after scanning over all the articles. Write down the important tips so you will use them when you play.

Step 3: Decide on the best deposit and withdrawal option for yourself. The best option generally relates to where you live. It's generally a plus if you can deposit and withdraw in the same manner since it makes things easier.

Step 4: Start playing! Be patient; don't play at a level too high. Play at a comfortable level where you can handle the swings.

This is a guide that will enable a new player to quickly work his way into the internet poker scene. Please note: internet poker is illegal in some jurisdictions. It should be okay to play for fake money (play money). Read our Terms of Use before signing up at an online poker site.




Frequently Asked Questions About Poker

1. Are all poker games the same?
No. Poker is a reference to a five-card hand, consisting of ranks from high card to straight flush (some games allow for a five of a kind). In reality, there are many different types of poker. Some games involve more skill than others. For example, the most popular poker game is currently Texas Hold'em, which requires a lot of skill but still has a decent amount of luck (at least in the short run). Games that involve a lot of wild cards tend to have a much stronger luck element (such as baseball). More information can be found in our Poker Variants section.

2. Is poker gambling?
Generally, poker is considered gambling. Many people, who play with their friends, do not always play for real money. Also, many people play on the internet for fake money, which would not be considered gambling because they are not risking anything of real value. However, most people play poker and wager real money, though generally at low stakes. One can win in the long run at poker because there is a lot of skill at poker. Because of this, poker is generally considered a different type of gambling because you can win at it in the long run. Nevertheless, no one is ever guaranteed to win, and each session can produce a variety of outcomes.

3. What is the difference between casino poker and multi-player poker?
Casino poker includes video poker machines, let it ride, and caribbean stud. These games have set house advantages, and it is impossible for the player to win in the long run. These games are much more similar to other high stakes casino games like craps and slot machines than they are to multi-player poker. The type of poker strategy covered on this site is about multi-player poker, where people play against each other and not the house. Multi-player poker has much more skill, and it is possible to win at this type of poker in the long run.

Questions about Online Poker

1. Is online poker legal?
It depends where you live. In some areas, gambling of all kinds is forbidden (such as the American states of Utah and Hawaii). In other areas, such as in the United Kingdom, online poker is considered legal. This site is not a legal authority of any kind, so please consult the laws of your area before playing. If you are not sure about the legality in your jurisdiction, just don't play online poker.

2. Is online poker safe?
It should be as long as you follow several precautions:

A. Play at a reputable site. The one's reviewed here with higher scores have a very clean history and you shouldn't have trouble with them. Make sure the site is licensed and many other people play there.

B. Cash out often. Why risk losing a lot of money if something bad happens? It is always good to cash out often. Not only is it insurance against having your money stolen, it prevents you from losing a lot of money if you ever go on tilt.

3. What is 'on tilt'?
Being 'on tilt' means playing poorly due to your emotions.

4. Do people cheat at online poker?
There is something known as collusion, where people gang up on their opposition by telling their friends at the table what cards they have. They do this on the phone or through an instant messaging program. This is cheating. Poker rooms do their best to find and ban colluders, and many have been banned from poker rooms. It is very easy for a poker room to detect collusion because they have the ability to review every hand for suspicious play.

Also, people who resort to cheating are usually bad anyway, so it's not a big problem. Furthermore, collusion only works well at the longer tables where it is harder to spot it. People trying to collude at a game with 5 people in it may in fact hurt their play rather than give them an edge.

If you are ever suspicious of collusion, leave the table and notify the poker room.

5. How much money should I deposit?
The answer is: it's up to you. Never deposit more money than you can afford to lose. Not only do you not want gambling to have a negative affect on your financial health, you should never play scared. If you care too much about the money at the table, it will adversely affect your play. When deciding what limit to play, you should generally aim for a limit where you can afford at least 100 big bets (i.e. have $200 for a 1-2 game).

6. Where should I play?
Read our Reviews. Currently, Pacific Poker and Empire Poker hold the top two spots. This is because Pacific has very easy competition (good for beginners) and Empire Poker is a good all around poker room (many games, many players, good about cashouts, etc.)

7. How long will it take the poker room to process my cashout?
Each place is different- the average is about two business days. Some places take longer though- like Pacific Poker.

8. Are my winnings taxed?
Not by the poker rooms, but you generally need to report your winnings to your government on your income tax return (assuming you live in a country with income tax). This is the type of question that really depends on where you live because some countries treat gambling winnings differently from income. For example, in the United Kingdom gambling winnings are not generally taxed because a tax on gambling winnings is considered to be a double tax.