Your Poker Buddy

Texas Hold ‘em is considered as one of the most popular poker game offline and online and the best game for beginners. Not unlike other poker games it can be learned in a few minutes by anyone, and you can be playing fairly well with a few hours practice. And in order to learn the game, however, you must play and you must play fairly often.

A Texas Hold'em poker game goes as follows:

1. The betting structure can vary. Sometimes antes are used, but most games start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a predetermined amount of money so there is an initial amount to get things started. This is called posting the blinds. Check out our page on blinds and antes.
2. The dealer shuffles up a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
3. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called your hole or pocket cards.
4. Then there is a round of betting starting with the guy to the left of the two who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term pre-flop.
5. The amount a player can bet depends on what kind of game it is.
6. Much like most games of poker, players can call, raise, or fold.
7. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a burn card. This is done to prevent cheating.
8. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the flop. These are communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.
9. There is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
10. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and flips one more onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players can use this sixth card now to form a five card poker hand.
11. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many types of games, this is where the bet size doubles.
12. Finally, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is called the river. Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card poker hand.
13. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
14. After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. It's called the showdown. Players use a combination of their pocket cards and the community cards to form a poker hand. For more about that, go to our forming a five card hand page.
15. The player who shows the best hand wins! There are cases where players with equal hands share the winnings. Go to our page about split pots for more info about who wins.
    

After knowing the basic structure you can now play Texas holdem and other variants. Texas Hold’em is easy to learn but mastering the game is a different story. And the only way for you to master the game is to play the game either offline or playing it in online poker rooms.

Knowing the rules of the game is not enough to enjoy it. To be a good player special in an online casino game you have to know and understand the rules of etiquettes. Just because a person is gambling online does not mean that they can become lax when it comes to social etiquette. This is a very important aspect of the game and must not be overlooked. There will be some things that are simply unacceptable for example, being rude and acting in a threatening manner. There are also some game-specific no-no’s that should be avoided as well. Below, we will take at some common online casino etiquette rules.

1. Be wise and be nice.
   Being respectful of the other players in the game, courteous, kind and easy to get along with, will make the game much more fun and enjoyable for everyone involved. Starting fights, cursing people out and acting generally un-agreeable, will likely make the game less fun for everyone and certainly won’t endear you to the other players. If you want a largely drama free game then treat others with respect. Now, you don’t have to attempt to be best buds with everyone participating in the game but a little civility tends to go a long way.

1. Know the rules.
   People who does not know and fully understand the game rules can cause delay to the game and frustrating to other players. So don’t be this person and make your game enjoyable.


2. Don’t slow everyone down, keep the ball rolling.
   It is important that you are able to keep within the flow of the game. Knowing the rules, having a good grasp on the game and being able to make decisions quickly, should allow you to keep up with the other players. If you need to spend some time practicing and playing for virtual money then do this before you wager real money and play in games with other people.


3. Report trouble makers.
   It is ok if you will report troublemakers as long as you don’t over do this in a way that you will report every single mistake or offense of other players.


4. Use the chat feature properly.
   The chat feature can be quite beneficial and even a little entertaining. It livens things up a bit to be able to talk with the other players. It gives a more authentic feel to the game similar to what you would experience in a land based casino. However, be sure that you use it properly. Don’t use disparaging language, curse others out or call people names. Essentially, don’t be rude. If you do, you may find yourself being reported.
   

Baccarat is a casino card game that is similar to Farro and to Basset. It is considered as one of the simple card game with only three possible results - 'Player', 'Banker' and 'Tie'. The term 'Player' does not refer to the customer and the term 'Banker' do not refer to the house. They are just options on which the customer can bet.

Online baccarat and the land base game don’t have much difference. When playing baccarat on the internet you'll enjoy pretty much the exact same rules and high limits you'd enjoy if you were to play in a conventional land based casino, only with the convenience of being able to play whenever and where ever you want. The baccarat variations you'll find at typical online casinos will offer anywhere between 1 and 8 decks similarly to what you'd find if you were to play in Vegas. Microgaming for example offers single deck baccarat however they shuffle the deck after each hand making it virtually impossible to count cards while playing online.

Like in any other games, the element of luck is always present but you can’t rely on it when playing baccarat. You need to learn different strategies from basic to advance to outwit other players and win.

The casino edge plays a big role in the kinds of bets you will make. If you bet on a player, then your odds are 1:1. This means that the casino edge is 1.34% in this case.

Betting on the banker allows you to win bigger, but a 5% “brokerage” is paid back to the casino. In other words, if you win $100, you give back $5 and you’re left with $95. This is all paid at the end of the game. The casino edge, however, is 1.17% in this case. With such odds, one would assume that the banker has a good advantage.

All “brokerage” payouts are put in a special box with your table number. This ensures that the game stays fair. Betting on a tie provides very favourable odds because if you win, you are paid out 8:1. However, you should be made aware of the fact that the casino edge in this case is 14.1%. In other words, only bet on the tie if you are feeling lucky!

The casino edge is relatively low, except for the tie bets. Unlike games like blackjack and poker, the players and the banker cannot make decisions regarding card drawing. This is why you do not have to be an experienced baccarat player to do well. As long as you know the basics and you are familiar with the betting procedure, you should do fine. In short, all you need to do is guess who you think the winner will be. Your gut feel is one of the strongest and wisest choices you can make, and baccarat lets you do just this.

All online baccarat rules are usually printed on the table, which means that those who are playing for the first time have the same edge as professional baccarat players. If you play conservatively, you should make a trickle of a profit by the end of the night. The higher you bet and the better you guess, the more profitable you will be.

The best way to get comfortable with any game is to play it. There are many online casinos which offer free online baccarat. You should enjoy the free play and you will be able to become familiar with the game before you head off to your chosen online casino to play for real money.

Every game you play you have to be aware of the basic game etiquette.
Same thing with online poker, you have to know how to beat them and leave them loving you. A little politeness goes a long way and learning to treat other players with the respect you'd like to receive is an important part of making sure everyone's poker game is more fun, even if they don't win every hand.

Keep the following online poker etiquette in mind and enjoy the game:

• Go easy with your language. Online poker game is an adult activity. Acting with class and watching your mouth is the key. You should avoid using abusive language or being too cocky on how good you play in the chat window.
  
• Keep up with the pace. Time passes by so quickly if you are enjoying your game. Unnecessary slowing the game can be frustrating to other player. Use advance actions whenever it makes sense.
• All-In Bet. While making an all-in bet during a game of poker can earn you both chips and a reputation at the Texas Holdem poker table, it's important to note that other players frown upon excessive all-in bets, particularly during the first half of a tournament.

Everybody wins when they respect each other and follow online poker etiquette.
Make your winning sweet and fun for everyone.