Poker is a game where the player needs to keep his eyes on the opponent and not just the cards. Like most other deck games, you have to gather cards of the highest value and ranking. But simultaneously, you also need to use your skills to study the gaming environment.
That’s what makes Online Poker all the more interesting!
Most often than not, you are playing with opponents who are complete strangers to you! How do you study their emotions, how to deal with random cards, which is the best poker variant for you?
There might be several such burning questions confusing you. No worries! If you are a new player, this article will give you all the information you need about playing Online Poker.
Begin reading Now!
According to popular belief, The first ones to introduce poker to the world were the Chinese, Middle Easterns and the Europeans. The first few to play the game were the Chinese and Persians. But they did not play with the 52 card deck that we use now. There were only 20 cards in their deck and the game had different rules.
The Chinese emperors and their mistresses used to play Poker games all the time. But they called it the ‘Leaf game’ because they used leaves instead of cards. This was in the year 900. Way back in the past, right?
Then the Persians had a version named ‘Ganjifa’. They introduced a few variations into this version and renamed it as ‘As Nas’. It became popular among the masses and they carried it to the French territories. It is believed that the game must have reached the French through the Mississippi waters.
The famous version of Poker in France was ‘Poque’. It was people’s favorite in New Orleans and every gathering and drinking place had it. Then there is ‘Brag’ - another version of Poker that was famous amongst the Europeans.
The British and the French brought Poker to the Americans. But this was not before the 20 card deck was changed to 52 card deck in the 1850s. The game became extremely popular among the Americans and the ‘Three card version’ was the first one to catch their eye.
Now let us see the timeline of Online Poker and how it has transformed over the years to become the best version ever.
Year | Event |
1994 | Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Poker is the first protocol through which players communicated and played poker online. |
1998 | People played online poker using real money through Planet Poker |
Till 2001 | Some of the earliest Online Poker sites started operating. |
2006 | The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was set forth and many online poker operations stopped in the USA. |
2009 | The biggest pot size (large cash amount) ever was used to play an online poker game, for the first time. |
2011 | The black Friday events conducted by certain Online Poker sites seized by the FBI |
2012 | The Government monitored Online Poker sites were introduced in Nevada and Delaware |
2013-2017 | There was slow progress with newer poker sites coming up. But not all of them were able to secure authentic licenses |
2018 - 2023 | The online casinos started offering more options like sports betting, slot games and introduced mobile applications. |
It was after 2010 that the world of Online Poker slowly started gaining momentum. Then the graph was quite unpredictable. But all’s well that ends well, right? Poker has become a cult favorite and the state governments also started allowing the operations of licensed online sites.
During the end of the 18th century, Poker became famous in the British colonies and everyone seemed to have a hang of the game. The popularity was gradual but it was liked majorly by the elite.
Then the East India Company (British) colonized India. They started leaving their influence in the Asian country and they made it a point to not leave Poker behind. While interacting with Britishers, the elite and upper administrative wings of the British-India started learning how poker works. It became quite popular among the upperclassmen.
After independence in 1947, India did not leave the Poker culture behind. They have only scaled it up. Poker became a frequent game in most of the bars, drinking and party places in the country. Not just the elites, even the common men started to enjoy poker games.
To play poker was a pastime that Indians loved. The land-based casinos started cashing it. With the introduction of the Internet, it became easy to play poker games from the comfort of our houses.
Online Poker was available as a single player game without the use of real money. But in 2023, it is available as a multiplayer game with diverse tables. You can bet with real money and also interact with the hosts. There are several Indian poker variant (s) that came to life after Indians added their own modifications to the conventional game.
The Poker games can be categorized based on how the players are going to deal with their cards. They mainly fall under three roofs -
We will discuss the different famous Poker Variant (s) in India based on these three categories -
Texas Hold’em is the poker variant that involves using shared community cards. So, it is one of the community poker games. Each player will receive two face down cards - The Hole Cards. There will be five cards available face up on the table. These are called the community cards. The players are supposed to make the best five card combination using the hole and community cards.
There is no restriction as to how many hole or community cards you can use. For instance, you can end up with these combinations -
This is another type of community online poker that is very similar to Texas holdem. You will receive two face down cards called the hole cards. Five community cards will be placed on the table for all players to use. However, you have to make the best five card combination using two hole cards and three community cards only.
This is the online poker game that risk-taking players love to play! That doesn’t mean it is not available for others. The central pot is divided into two halves - the Hi pot and the Low pot. You will receive the face down cards and community cards just like Omaha. However, you are supposed to make two five card combinations.
One - the highest ranking five card combination
Two - the lowest ranking five card combination
Once the final showdown arrives, the player having the highest hand ranking will win his half of the pot. The lowest hand ranking will sweep away the money in the other half of the central pot.
Five card draw poker is a type of draw poker. In the draw poker games, the player is going to receive all face down cards and the other players/dealer won’t be able to see them.
In a five card draw, each player will receive five face down cards. They will place the initial blinds and the game continues. The ones who feel they have the best cards will ‘stand’ while the others have the option to discard their card. After putting down the card they receive, they can pick up another card from the deck.
The best five card combination will win the pot money at the end of the online poker game.
Badugi is another online poker variant (s) of the draw poker category. Each player will receive four cards from the deck, all face down. The aim is to make the least ranking four card combination before the game comes to the final showdown.
The best card combination will be the one with lowest values, different suits and no pairs. So, the most favorable four cards you can receive are 4-3-2-A, each from a different suit.
There is a saying in the world of Poker that this version of the popular game is the best for those players who seem to receive the least ranking cards more frequently. But then, unpredictable randomness can switch sides any time.
Seven card stud is a type of stud poker variant (s) that has a combination of face up and face down cards. In this particular online poker game, there are a total of seven rounds.
In the first round, each player will receive two face up cards. They will also place the initial blinds in the central pot. The second round is dedicated to dealing with these cards in whichever way the player deems fit. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds - players will receive one card each face up. The seventh round is when they will receive the final face down card. It is also the time when the winner will be declared.
Though they have dealt with seven cards, only the best five card combination will be considered for announcing the pot winner.
Razz is another stud poker variant that is very similar to seven card stud, but with a small twist. The players will receive seven cards during the course of the game. The main agenda is to make the best five card combination with the least ranking cards. There are instances when the players get confused and end up making the high ranking combination. This will send you down a losing tunnel!!
The five cards that you present during the final round should have the least value. The ideal cards will be from the low Ace to five. Players make efforts to settle with these low cards before the game ends.
You can play poker successfully, only when you know the rules and regulations of the poker variants. That is why we keep stressing that players must know the ins and outs of the poker games before choosing them on online casinos.
You will find the above mentioned variants in most of the online poker casinos. They are popular and also rewarding if you know when to make your move!
Let’s go ahead and see which are the best online casinos to explore these poker versions.
Most of the Online poker casinos offer free money versions of popular games. These are very similar to real money games. That is why, players prefer to practice before they fetch out their real money to put at stake. Any licensed and authentic casino is going to provide you the free trial versions. However, they might be single player versions only. You won’t get the chance to interact with other players or there is no international exposure.
On the other hand, there are online poker casinos that allow players to interact with international players/ dealers without paying a single penny.
There are two types of games on any online casino - Ring Games and Torunaments.
Ring games - These are the normal games that gamblers register to play. They can join the table whenever they want and leave whenever they want to. If they wish to stay longer, they can buy more chips to continue. There is no restriction on how long you can play poker.
Tournaments - These are scheduled competitions in which players will enter with a set of chips. If you exhaust the chips, you are out of the tournament. There is no way you can buy more chips and continue playing. Also, you are not allowed to come ot go anytime. You enter in the beginning and only leave at th end,
The online casinos also offer the ring and tournament games for free. They give you the free roll chips that gamblers use to practice. These have the same ambience of real money games.
You will find the free game buttons like ‘Play for Free’, ‘Play without real money’, ‘Get free roll chips’ on online sites. You can click on them to play games for free.
However, before you choose a website for playing online poker, see if they fulfill these important criteria -
Once the punters familiarize themselves with the online poker rules, how the software works and the kind of the games the providers give, it becomes easier to shape out your win.
Poker is rather an uncomplicated game. You need to rely on your skills more than luck. If you know simple tricks, you can know what is the course of the game! On that note, start playing now and rule the world of Online Poker!
We share objective information about online casinos but do not encourage you to gamble. Gambling involves the risk of losing money and may cause addiction.
If you still decide to play - do it responsibly: set limits, control your budget and remember it's entertainment, not an income source.
Our website is for informational purposes only - the final decision is always yours.
There are a few steps to follow while playing online poker Select the most favorable online casino (Licensed). Choose the poker game you want to play and learn its rules and hand rankings. Read the terms and conditions of the casino you are playing on. This is important to understand the wagering requirements and withdrawal limits (if you are playing with real money). Deposit money to start playing online poker. Ensure that you meet the basic requirement. Use the deposited money to buy chips. Open the online poker game from the Gaming Library and choose to play for free or with money. Choose a table according to your betting size and start playing!
Yes, it is possible to play online poker with friends. For this, many online poker casinos provide you with the option to make your own private poker room. You can set your table size, invite your friends through links (can share through social media) and start playing whenever you want. The rules, conditions, wagering requirements, everything remain the same.
It is only legal to play land-based poker in a few authorized states in the country. However, there are no such restrictions for online poker. As long as the casino hosting the games is headquartered in a different country, they can run their operations through the internet. However, they should be licensed and should be associated with safe payment routes.
Yes, it is absolutely possible. But this doesn’t happen overnight. The experts who have turned the online game into a full-time career have spent years mastering the skills and understanding the ins and outs of the game. Now, they are earning high profits using their knowledge. With proper practice and responsible gambling, you can reach that place as well.