Poker 101

If you have ever watched the World Poker Tour (WPT) on TV, you would have heard Mike Sexton say the words “It takes five minutes to learn but a lifetime to master”. Nothing can be truer than that in poker.


The basics of poker are just that, basics. Understanding the rules and common phrases are always the first step when learning a new game. Each format of poker has its own rules and lingo, so it’s extremely important to understand the differences.


Texas Holdem is the most popular format of poker played in the modern poker world. Since Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 2003, amateur poker players around the world started to believe they could also play with the best and win.


When starting to play Texas Holdem for the first time, it can be intimidating because a lot of players already know the fundamentals of the game. This is why you cannot rush yourself into playing against players you will not be able to beat. The popularity of Texas Holdem means that you can find games as low as 2 cent big blinds, or even free games to use as practice.


Instead, you should read through this section of the website, and make sure you have mastered the very basics of the game. It will help you plug obvious knowledge holes, and make sure you don’t embarrass yourself at the poker table.


Once you are confident that you have the basics of poker down pat, you can move on to our Beginner’s Guides section which will look into some basic strategies to help improve your game.

What will you find in the poker basics section?

-Rules of various poker games
-Key terms and phrases used in poker
-The must-knows of poker