Poker Strategy

Page Updated: 20th August 2014

Big B Casinos Online Poker Strategy & Basics

On this page we will focus mainly on the poker strategy of the 5 most popular Poker games:

  • Texas Hold’em
  • Omaha
  • Seven Card Stud
  • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
  • Five Card Stud.

As a poker player you need to know at least the very basic guidelines of the games, and the odds of drawing the card you want at the right time. Below are some brief basics of the games and some strategies that will help guide you through your journey.

For more detailed explanations of poker strategy and the various poker games please visit out sister website: lucky-horseshoe-poker-room

Texas Hold’em

As we all know Texas Hold’em is one of the fastest growing and most popular games in any poker room around. The object of this game is to get the best five card poker hand, beating all the other players and win the pot. The games is basically played as follows: two cards are dealt to each players, the pocket cards, and then five community cards are dealt to each player with betting rounds in between each. Out of the total of seven available cards on the table the player needs to make their best five card hand.

Basic Strategy

To help improve your chances of winning and your overall skill of playing use the following strategies in play. Keep in mind that five out the seven cards that will be used can be seen by the second round of betting, this gives you a great idea of how good your hand will end up being, take this chance to decide whether your hand is good enough to continue playing; if you don’t have anything by this point in the game it is a good idea to get out before you lose more money. The best strategy to be told in this game is don’t play with a hand you know you can’t lose with, especially when playing online because bluffing won’t work.

Omaha

This game is very similar to Texas Hold’em in that it also is a community card game. The object of this game is to make the best five card poker hand with a total of nine cards. The nine cards are made up of four pocket cards and five community cards; this gives you the chance at much stronger hands. The player hand must be made with only two pocket cards and three community cards.

Basic Strategy

It is smart to keep an eye on the community cards, since there are only a certain number of cards allowed to be used from your hand and the community cards it is much easier for other players to have a strong hand. Keeping that in mind, if you know that you will not be able to come up with a strong hand, get out of the game before you lose your shirt. However, if you think that your hand will go all the way, bet modestly as to not scare the other players at the table away because online, bluffing is not as effective as it is in your living room.

Seven Card Stud

Each player in this game is dealt three cards, two that are pocket cards and one card that is face up. The player with the lowest up card must bring in the betting, which means to start the round of betting. There is a round of betting that follows each of the three further face up cards and the one more down cards to be followed by one final round of betting. The player with the best five card hand out of their seven cards wins the game. Five rounds of betting has the possibility to make for some large pots.

Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo

This card game is based on Seven Card Stud Poker, with one exception; players are playing for two pots. The two pots are split by the best low hand and the best high hand. If a player wins both hands they win both pots. This game also has five rounds of betting. To qualify to win the low hand the hand must be 8,7,6,5,4 or lower, and the high hand needs to be 9 or higher. There is always a high hand winner, but not always a low hand winner, the main thing to remember is that in split pot games there is a big profit difference between winning half the pot and winning the whole thing.

Five Card Stud

This is the original ‘poker’ game. In this game each player is dealt two cards one face up and one face down, the lowest face up card bets first. In the second round another face up card is dealt to all players at the table followed by a round of betting. This process continues until each player has one pocket card and four visible cards, the best hand wins the game. This is a game for the brave of heart, it has been around for the longest time and millions of people have played.

Poker Hand Rankings

One of the most important things (of course) is to be so familiar with the rankings of poker hands, that your decisions are made takings them into account immediately. Knowing that your hand can be beaten in a number of ways is certainly one way to tame an irrational play!

Poker Hands Ranking Chart

  • Royal Flush

  • Royal Flush
  • This is the supreme hand – Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all of identical suit.
  • Straight Flush

  • Straight Flush
  • Any five card sequence in the same suit, ranked by the highest card.
  • Four of a Kind

  • Four of a Kind
  • Four cards of the same index.
  • Full House

  • Full House
  • Three of a kind and a pair. Ties are broken by the three of a kind first, then by a pair.
  • Flush

  • Flush
  • Five cards of the same suit. When flushes tie, follow the High Card rule.
  • Straight

  • Straight
  • Five sequence cards of different suits, ranked by the highest card. In a case of a tie, the pot is split.
  • Three of a Kind

  • Three of a Kind
  • Three cards of the same index. If there is a tie, follow the High Card rule.
  • Two Pair

  • Two Pair
  • Two seperate pairs. The pair with the highest value is used to determine the winner. If the high pairs are the same, use the second pair, followed by the High Card rule to break the tie.
  • One Pair

  • One Pair
  • A pair of cards. High Card breaks the tie.
  • High Card

  • High Card
  • If no-one has a pair or better, then the highest card wins. In the case of a tie, look at the second highest, then the third and so on. The High Card rule is also used to break the tie when two or more players have the same hand.