Real Money Poker: How to Play and Win

It would be impossible to compile a guide of this length to give you every factor you must consider before you play poker for real prizes. However, we can give you the lowdown on some tips that cover all the game variants.

Know which version of poker you are playing

There are plenty of them to check out, so find out more about them (Texas Hold 'Em is a great point to start at, as we'll see later). Choose one to learn the rules for and go with that before thinking about swapping over to another game to see what that's all about. Remember that you won't be able to use the same tactics for all the games, since the rules change. This is another way to maximize your winning chances because you can adopt the best tactics for each poker variant.

Even if you feel ready to bet for real, try the demos first

You cannot do this if you head for a live casino poker table, but you can usually find demo versions of the standard poker games. Look in the table game area of a casino to see what's there. Play a few sessions of the demo game to be sure you know what's happening. You can also test run a guide or strategy by doing this, with no risk to your budget.

Start with Texas Hold 'Em

This is the one most poker fans love, so it makes the ideal game to begin with. You'll get two 'hole cards' to start with, dealt face down to keep their identities secret. You can then pick up three out of five community cards to put together the most promising hand.

Of course, this is poker, so you could bluff and get your opponents to quit the game (fold) even though you suspect they're holding a better hand than you are. That's where you'll be glad you are playing online because the poker face beloved of many players isn't as important!

Our final tip is always to check in-depth rules for the poker game you wish to play. You can then practice for a while and play demos to be sure of having the best chance to win.