An interactive platform to meet new people and a chance to earn money- if you are looking for a medium where time ticks away leaving you with a sense of contentment, this is the perfect place.
Poker is a game of cards for players in the number two or more, which requires the involvement of money or poker chips. When played with the right spirit and the right rules, it can be fun. It combines gambling, strategy, and different skills with a hint of enjoyment.
The number of live poker tournaments has increased by leaps and bounds, giving the industry a vital boost. Recognizing the emergent talent in the industry, India’s first-ever poker awards were held in Bangalore with top poker players from across the country congregating under one roof.
In most poker games, the first round of betting begins with the players throwing in ‘blind’ implying to a forced bet. The action proceeds clockwise and each player bets according to the rank he believes he has as compared to his fellow players. The betting round ends when all players have either called or folded. After the forced bet, you could either call in the same amount as your previous player, raise the money or fold your cards and declare yourself out for that round. The player with the highest rank wins the round in question.
The ranks are defined prior to commencing the game and they are usually the same for every round in any game. A poker hand comprises five cards usually, however, if more than five cards are distributed to each player, the best combination of five is considered for the pot. The ranks considered in the game from holding the most value to the least are-
- Royal Flush (the face cards including an ace and a ten)
- Straight (sequence of any give numbers)
- Straight Flush (sequence of five numbers of the same color)
- Three of a kind (three cards of the same number)
- Four of a kind (four cards of the same number)
- Two pair (four cards of the two different numbers)
- Full house (three cards of one number and two cards of another number)
- One pair (two cards of the same number)
- Flush (five cards of the same color)
- High card (highest card among all the players)
At the end of each round, the bets are collected in a central pot. At any time during the betting round, when player bets but none of the other players choose to call or rather all players fold, the round ends immediately and the bettor is awarded the pot without the show of cards. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of the game that can make a player with the worst possible cards win.
The top five online poker sites are listed as follows-
- Poker Stars
- Americas Cardroom
- Royal Panda
- betway casino
- SpinPalace casino
Online poker gives people the experience and opportunity to practice the game in ways that could never be done in a room setting.
Whether poker is a game of skill or not, is a question, every poker player has known the answer to, for many years. However, in India, the online poker is rather a confusing one and thus the regulations aren’t clearly known. Nonetheless, with several entities enthusiastically exploring and investing in the online poker space, the true potential of the sector is expected to be seen in the coming times.