'Thecommonest mistake in history is underestimating your opponent;
it happens at the pokertable all the time.'
- David Shoup, U.S. Marine CorpsGeneral

1. Poker Beginners Guide Pdf
2. Poker 101 Poker Beginners Poker Rules
3. Poker Beginners Tutorial
4. Poker Beginners
5. Poker Beginner Mistakes
6. Poker Beginners Rules Printable

However, to get you started, here are a few decent beginners' tips for Hold'em players. Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker in the world. And it's easy to see why: the game is fun, fast and easy to pick up. But even new starters can do with a few pointers. Hold'em is a poker variant played with 2-10 players on a table. Here are the answers and explanations from our beginner poker quiz. Question #1 $2/$5 game with $500 stacks. The player on the Button opens to $15 and the player in the Big Blind calls. Which hand is least likely to be in the Big Blind’s range after this preflop action? A: 9♣ 7♣ B: 6♥.

You bought cards and chips (or betting tokens of some kind),learned the suits, the language, the rules, hand rankings, strategyand how to shuffle (hopefully), so now it's time to play. There areso many poker variants to choose from, but beginners should startout slow with the simplest (and oldest) game of poker. We're goingto apply everything you've been introduced to so far, and once youlearn the easiest poker game, you'll be prepared to move on to morechallenging variations.

5 Card Draw is the original game of poker, andthe easiest to play. With Draw poker, players are dealt a completehand that only they can see and have the option to improve it byreplacing cards. Players ante up, five cards are dealt face downone at a time, there are two rounds of betting and a showdown. It'selegantly simple.

A common phrase in the world of poker states: “Poker is a game that takes minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.” Despite being a complex game, beginners can still learn the game and play it effectively. With this in mind, any beginner poker game player needs to have a poker basic strategy.

So, here's our learning scenario. To make it easy, we'll beplaying with 3 other players. Every poker game has its own 'house'rules and pot limits - card rooms, home games and casinos all setlimits. Here are ours: Antes are $1 and we'll limit betting at$2-$10, with a maximum of 3 raises. We are Player A and thedealer.

All players put $1 in the pot as an ante bet.Pot total: $4

Player A/Dealer deals one card at a time, face down,starting on the dealer's left and moves clockwise to Player B, C, Dand A until all players have 5 cards.

Betting starts with the player to the dealer's left,Player B. They have the option to check or make a wager.If they decide to check (not to bet), each player after (C, D, A)has the option to check as well, as long as no bets come beforethem. If Player B decides to bet, players C, D and A must match (orraise) that bet, or fold their cards. So let's say Player B checks.In our scenario, all players stay in the hand to 'draw' for bettercards later after the first round of betting to, hopefully, make ahand that pays them off when the game ends.

Player B: checks

Player C: bets $2

Player D: calls (matches) $2 bet fromPlayer C

Player A (us): calls $2 bet fromPlayer C

Player B: calls $2 bet from PlayerC

Pot total: now $12

When the last player acts - checks, calls a bet, calls araise, calls a raise and re-raise, or folds - the betting round isfinished.

Starting with the player on the left (B), PlayerA/Dealer moves around the table clockwise asking players how manynew cards they would like to 'draw' (exchange).

A common house rule and in many social games, a player with anAce can receive 4 new cards if they keep the Ace. Generally, noplayer can replace all 5 cards (which avoids depleting the deck)and most casinos don't allow a draw of five consecutive cards.However, if a casino does allow it, the procedure calls for thatplayer to receive 4 cards when it is their turn, the rest of theplayers receive their draws and the dealer returns to that playerto deal their fifth replacement card. If no other players drawcards after the player who wants 5, 4 are dealt, one card is burned(burn cards are set aside face down away from players) and then thefinal card is dealt.

Another common house rule is that the last card in the deck isnever used as a replacement (in case a player saw it during thedeal). If the deck is depleted during the draw, players willrandomly receive cards from the other players' discarded cards. Thedealer deals the last of the cards he is able to give, shuffles upthe deck's bottom card, burn card(s) and other players' cards(minus the discards from the player(s) still drawing), and dealsthe remaining replacement cards to the last player(s).

Once all players have had a chance to draw new cards andanalyze their hands, Player B starts the new round ofbetting. Again, Player B can check or bet. Remember, ifthey check, Player C has the option to check as well. If Player Bbets, Player C can call, raise or fold. If Player C raises, PlayerD can call, re-raise or fold.

Player B: bets $2

Player C: folds

Player D: calls $2, raises $2

Player A (us): calls $4

Player B: calls $2 raise

Pot total: now $24

Players reveal their hands face up on thetable. The highest ranked hand wins and takes the $24pot.

Easy, right?

Welcome to Poker 101 for dummies – where beginners learn to play poker.

Poker 101 will give you a grounding in the mechanics of the game and get you started with some winning strategies. Read through the following pages to get an understanding of all poker related info plus lots of extra tips and tricks.

If you are unsure of the Rules of Texas Holdem or the Hand Rankings of Poker, make sure you check them out too.

Poker 101: What We Will Cover

1. Terminology (below)

Get the PDF version of the complete Poker 101 guide for offline use (30+ pages of poker goodness). Use one of the buttons below to unlock:

Thank you for the support. Get your Poker 101 Guide here.

If you are new to poker and looking to have all the basics covered on a single printable PDF, check out our cheat sheet web page.

Use the terminology section below as a dictionary – there is no need to read through it now. Refer to back to this page if you come across a word you don't understand.

Poker Beginners Guide Pdf

Check out the next poker 101 page – Basic Preflop Strategy – to find out more.

Poker 101 – Terminology

We will link back to this page throughout Poker 101 for any words you may not understand. Keep an eye out for the hyperlinks!

6-max: A table with a maximum of 6 players allowed to sit down- see 6max vs fullring. This type of game type is more typical to online play. An example of a 6max table shown below:

Ante: An ante is an other forced bet, typically smaller than the blinds which are used late in tournaments to increase the size of the starting pot.

Backdoor: A draw which requires two cards to complete. For example, AK of hearts on a Th6s2d has two backdoor draws – two consecutive hearts for a flush and consecutive Queen and Jack for a straight.

Bankroll management: Bankroll management is a process which all successful poker players undertake. It involves managing the amount of money available for you to play poker to ensure that you have sufficient funds that you do not go broke. See the post on bankroll management which delves into more detail.

Big Blind: The big blind is the forced bet which the player two seats to the left of the dealer has to put in before seeing his cards. The rules fix the big before the game has started. The BB is the minimum bet size for the poker game. For more information see Position is King.

Board: The community cards which everyone shares i.e., the flop turn and river
Blank: A hand which does not change the board or the strength of many of the types of hands players is likely to hold. For example, on a T96 board, a two would be considered a ‘blank.'

Blocker: When you hold a card which your opponent needs to make a strong hand. For example holding the Ace of hearts on a board with a heart flush possibility.

Broadway: The cards from Ten through to Ace are called Broadway cards.

Chase: To call a bet with a drawing hand with the correct pot odds.

Chop: To split the pot between two or more players due them all having similar holdings.

Poker 101 Poker Beginners Poker Rules

Coin flip or flip: When two players end up all in and their hands have roughly the same equity i.e. it is 50:50 for either to win. AK vs. QQ all in preflop is considered a flip despite QQ having slightly more equity.

Combo-draw: A powerful draw with a lot of outs to win. For example a flush draw and a straight draw.

Continuation bet: The act of following up your aggressive action on the next street. For example, raising preflop and then betting on flop. See more on continuation betting here.

Cutoff (CO): The cutoff is the position to the right of the dealer button (acts before the dealer). For more information see Position is King.
Domination: You are said to dominate your opponent when you each share one card of the same rank but your second card is of a higher rank. For example, AK dominates AQ as it will win a large percentage of the time (71%).

Downswing: A period of a bad run of luck where a poker player finds it difficult to win. A part of poker which every player must expect. The opposite of an upswing (or hot streak). See an example of a downswing below (after 7500 games).

Double Barrel: To bet two streets in a row, for example, bet the flop and follow up with another bet on the turn.
Draw: A draw is when you are waiting for particular cards to help improve your hand. For example, if you have four cards to a flush you are said to have a flush draw. Similarly, you can have a straight draw when you have four cards to a straight.

Poker Beginners Tutorial

Drawing dead: When a player can no longer win the pot no matter what cards come on the turn and river. AK would be drawing dead vs. 99 on a 962 board as even hitting two Aces or Kings in a row wouldn't make the best hand.
Equity: the percentage chance you or your opponent have of winning the pot. For example, AA has over 80% equity vs. a lower pocket pair such as QQ or TT. See our pot equity tutorial for more details.

Equity realization: Having equity is great but in some cases with difficult to play hands (for example K8o) you will not be able to realize that equity because the hand is difficult to play. See equity realization for more info.

Expected value: expected value is the predicted value of a particular move (such as calling or raising). It is calculated using the value of each outcome multiplied by the probability that each outcome will occur. For more information see Pot Odds, Equity And Expected Value.

Floating: Calling a bet with a speculative hand with the plan to bluff to win the pot on a later street. Typically this strategy is use to exploit weak opponents who will only bluff once before giving up on the pot and folding to a bet. Floating is more successful in position as you have the opportunity to apply more pressure to your opponent plus you will have more information while action in position.

Fold equity: The percentage chance you have of winning the pot due to your opponent folding to a bet or raise. For more information see this detailed article.

Full ring: The classic Texas Hold'em format. A maximum of 9 players may sit as this table type.

Freeroll: A tournament which is free to enter and offers a prize to the winner(s). A freeroll can also be used to describe when two hands of the same rank are all in but one hand has an additional way to win. For example, both players have KQ and are all in on a JsTs5c board. However, one player has a flush draw to complement his straight draw and thus is said to be freerolling – he can only draw or win, not lose.
Gut-shot (inside straight draw): A draw which has four outs to the straight. For example 76 on A53 board – a four will complete a straight.

GTO – GTO or game theory optimal is an unexploitable poker strategy based on mathematics and Nash Equilibrium that has arisen in the last number of years. When playing a GTO strategy you cannot be beaten in the long run, only break even against another GTO strategy. The use of unexploitable strategies have been accelerated by the use of GTO solvers such as PIOSolver. For more on GTO strategies and solvers see PokerNerves article.

Hero: When discussing the hand online, the player whose cards are known is said to be the hero.

Heads Up Poker: Playing poker against one opponent in a 1vs1 situation. For more on heads up poker see heads up poker strategy- adjusting to your opponent.

HUD (Heads up display): A HUD is a display which is used in online poker which provides information on opponents.

Isolate: To raise with the intention of singling out a single player after they have entered the pot. Typically isolation moves are performed vs. weaker players after they have limped into the pot.

Kicker: A kicker is used to break ties between players when they have hands of the same rank. For example, the kicker for the hand AK on an A72 board would be the king. The king kicker means that AK would be a stronger hand than AQ – in this case, AQ hand is out-kicked. See this article for more on kickers.
Limping: Limping is the act of calling a pre-flop bet when the pot is unopened. For example, a player is first to act under the gun (UTG) and calls the big blind. See this article for why limping is a bad strategy.

Middle position (MP): Middle position is the 2nd position to act after the cards are dealt in 6max (after UTG) and the 3rd and 4th position to act in a full ring game (9 players). For more information see Position is King.

Nuts: The nuts is the strongest hand possible. The ultimate nuts is the Royal flush as this can never lose. However, some hands won't always be possible, and therefore the nuts is referred to the strongest possible hand on the current board. For example, the nuts on a KT9 board without a flush possible would be QJ.

Offsuit: Two cards which are not of the same suit. For example AK with Ace of Diamonds and King of spades (often shortened to AKo).
Open-ended straight draw (OESD): A draw which has eight outs to the straight. For example 76 on A54 board – a 3 8 or will complete a straight.

Outs: The number of cards which could potentially improve your hand strength. For example, with QJ on a T92 board, we have eight outs to a straight (4 Kings and 4 Eights) and we have six outs to top pair (3 queens and 3 jacks).

Outdraw: When your opponent had a worse hand than you, but his hand improved to one better than yours on future streets. For example, a flush draw would ‘outdraw' a one pair hand if the turn or river completed the five card flush.
Overcard: this is when you have a card which is greater than the highest card on the flop or turn. For example, AQ has one overcard on a K52 flop and has two overcards on a T52 flop. Overcards are important as they give us an opportunity to make good a hand on later streets.
Overpair: When you have a pocket pair which is larger than the highest ranking card on the board. For example, KK is an overpair on a Q52 flop.

PFR (pre-flop raise): A HUD stat which shows how often a player raises when entering the pot. Typically range from 12-22% for winning players depending on the game type.
Postflop: The later rounds of betting which occur after the flop is dealt. See Texas Holdem strategy for more on playing postflop poker.

Pot Equity: This is the percentage chance that you will win the pot at any given point in the hand. It is how much of the pot ‘belongs' to you. For example with KK pre-flop, you will have approximately 80% chance of winning (equity) vs. QQ. For more information see Pot Odds, Equity And Expected Value.

PLO: PLO or Pot Limit Omaha is a poker game type similar in structure to Texas holdem although you are dealt 4 cards instead of two and are limited in bet size to the pot. Check out PLOQuickPro for pot limit omaha strategy.

Pot Odds: This is the odds that are being offered to you to call when facing a bet or raise. If you are confronted with a half pot bet, you are offered odds of 2:1 (you have to call 1 to win 2). See our poker books page our review of Essential Poker Math by Alton Hardin for all the basics of poker math, including pot odds.
Preflop: The round of betting which occurs straight after the card have been dealt. See Texas Holdem strategy for more on playing preflop poker.

Rainbow: When there is no possibility of a flush draw on the flop or turn due to all cards being different suits.

Rake: Rake is a percentage of the pot that a poker room or casino will take to play for the dealer, services, etc. Rake is how the poker room or casino generates profits from poker games. See this page for how rake works in poker.

Rakeback: This is the refund a poker play may get from a poker room or casino when a certain amount of play has been completed (hours or hands played). Rakeback is similar ‘tax-back' which is returned to good customers of the poker site.

Range: A group of holdings you think your opponent may hold. See poker hand ranges for beginners.

Shorthanded: When the number of players falls below five on a table, it is considered to be a shorthanded table.

Set: A set is three of a kind with a pocket pair in the hole. For example, a set of sixes would be 66 on a KT6 board. Sets are stronger than a standard three of a kind because you cannot be outkicked.

Sit ngo: A tournament which begins when enough players sit down on the table (rather than starting at a specific time of day).

Small blind: The small blind is the forced bet which the player one seat to the left of the dealer has to place before seeing his cards. The value of the small blind is typically half that of the big blind. For more information see Position is King.

Poker Beginners

Suited: Two cards which are of the same suit. For example AK of hearts (often shortened to AKs)

Tell: Unconsciously giving away a piece of information to your opponent. For example, a shaking hand may mean a good holding.
Trap: To play in a manner which disguises the strength of your hand. For example calling preflop with AA instead of raising. See examples of traps here.
UTG: The first player to act after the cards are dealt. For more information see Position is King.

Villain: Often used to denote out an opponent in an online discussion. For example, the villain makes a big call with a weak hand.

VPIP (Voluntarily put in the pot): A HUD stat which shows how often a player puts money into the pot by raising or calling voluntarily. VPIP is a measure of how many hands a player plays. Typically range from 15-25% for winning players depending on the game type.

Poker Beginner Mistakes

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Poker Beginners Rules Printable

That's it for poker 101 terminology. Check out the next poker 101 page – Basic Preflop Strategy – to find out more.