Do not mix pleasure with work, some say. We do agree with them but we also know that rules are made to be broken. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make a compromise and have the kind of activity that is both enjoyable and profitable?
Take poker for example: it is easy to learn the game; it is really fun and also easy to find friends who play and enjoy the game. Imagine now that you use all your knowledge and experience in playing poker at top casinos who also feature many other games from Microgaming to increase your incomes. It is not that hard to mix pleasure with work, is it?
This article provides some general information for those who feel they can make a hobby out of poker and who are interested in using their hobby to gain money.
The first step in playing poker is to learn the game’s basics and then adapt to different versions of the game and they really are a lot. Poker is played with a 52 cards deck and you must know how every card is valued so you can evaluate the cards you have in your hand and you are able to decide on your next move. The lowest card is 2 while the most valuable is the ace and the cards’ symbol (spade, club, heart or diamond) also has its importance. Two and sometimes up to 14 players can be involved in playing.
The winner is decided after all the betting is done and all hands are evaluated. The winner will have had the highest hand in rank.
The true challenge in poker is to know how to place a bet and when exactly to decide upon one type of bet or the other. A less fortunate hand might determine the player ‘to fold’, meaning to step out of the game and to watch how the game continues without being allowed to get involved until the end of the round. Another alternative would be ‘to check’ if no bet has yet been made; in this case, the player that checks is allowed to stay in the without placing a bet during the first betting round. A more satisfactory hand allows the player to hope for a victory and so the options are: ‘to open’ the pot, which means to bet a certain amount on the cards he has, an amount that is bigger than the lower betting limit; ‘to call’, that is to match the bet if there are already money in the pot; ‘to raise’, which obviously means the player places a bet that is bigger than the previous one.
Experienced players will know how to use each hand to their own advantage. A less promising hand can also bring the pot to the skillful player because poker players make decisions according to the other players’ behavior as well. For example, it is in your own advantage that you make the others’ believe you have a weak hand (when in fact you have a highly ranked combination) so they over-evaluate their hand and raise the bet. This is called ‘bluffing’ and it requires that you know your competitors very well and you can control your emotions just as well. However we suggest that basically you rely on your cards and you leave bluffing for when you will have gained some experience.
Exercise these few basic things about poker so you get familiar with the game and then try to assimilate new information through your own experience, maybe watching others, reading new materials and play online free games. Enjoy your way in becoming a pro!
