Poker is the best-known card game of them all. Yet for beginners, it is also the most feared. From the famous scene in Casino Royale where Bond and Le Chiffre play for a $120 million pot to the spectacle of pros like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey at the WSOP, you could be forgiven for thinking that a poker table is a dangerous place for a rookie who is just learning the ropes.
In reality, that’s a little like saying you shouldn’t play football because you are not as good as Tom Brady. The important thing when it comes to poker is choosing the right variation of the game and the right stakes. Do that, and you can still play to win – even if you’re a complete novice.
First Steps and Video Poker
An invention of the early video gaming era of the 1970s, video poker is a staple of both physical and online casinos across the USA. If you click here, you can explore some independently approved casino sites that include video poker in their suite of games.
Video poker makes a perfect starting point if you are new to poker for two reasons. Most important, it’s quite simple and by playing hand after hand, you will soon be familiar with the different hands such as a full house or a straight flush. Secondly, the fact that it is just you and the machine means you can make all the mistakes you like while you are learning, and nobody will be watching.
Moving on up to Casino Holdem
There are other good single player poker games you can play in the casino where you take on the dealer’s hand in the same way as blackjack. These include three card poker and Caribbean stud. But if you are eager to progress your game so that you are ready to go up against other players and stand a chance of winning, give Casino Holdem a try.
It takes things a step further than video poker as there is more to it than just choosing which cards to hold or discard. Ante up and you and the dealer each get two cards. Five community cards are also dealt in the middle of the table. The winner is whoever can score the better five-card hand from their two cards plus community cards. If, having seen your cards plus the community cards, you feel confident, place a play bet and two additional community cards are dealt before the winner is decided. Alternatively, you can cut your losses, fold, and only lose the ante.
Texas Holdem and Tournament Play
Casino Holdem was originally created as a training tool for Texas Holdem, so if tournament play is your ultimate objective, it’s the ideal game to play. The important thing is not to hurry to the next step until you feel you have truly mastered the one before. That way, you stand a genuine chance of playing to win every time.
