In the 1973 movie The Sting, one gangster beats another at a game of poker by cheating better than his opponent and wins $15,000 in the process. In 2005, when Daniel Craig made his debut as James Bond, he took on Le Chiffre for a $120 million prize pot. And in the real world, just a few months after Casino Royale was released, Jamie Gold won $12 million in the World Series of Poker Main event.
Against this sort of backdrop, it is unsurprising that people can approach the idea of playing poker for the first time with trepidation. There is really no need, though. Poker is a fabulously fun game, it’s one everyone ought to know, and the great thing is that in the online age, you can quietly hone your skills playing only against a computer or dealer till you are ready to pull up a chair and take on other players.
Video poker
Video poker is a simple version of five card draw. It’s available at most online casinos, many of which will let you play just for fun while you learn the basics (see https://www.gambleonline.co/en-ca/poker/games/video/ for more details). Alternatively there are decent video poker apps you can install on your smartphone that are absolutely free, as long as you can live with the ads.
With video poker, you are dealt five cards. You can choose to hold zero to all five of them, and whichever you do not hold are redealt to give your final hand. Video poker is the perfect training ground for getting to grips with the different poker hands, like a flush or a full house, and how they rank against one another.
3-card poker
Here’s a variation you can play in the real or online casino. It’s just your hand against the dealer’s – like blackjack, others at the table will have their cards too, but they have no bearing on whether you win or lose.
In three card poker, you pay your ante to be dealt your three cards, which you can look at, but all three of the dealer’s are face down. As there is no dealer upcard, you must make the decision on whether to double the ante and see the dealer or to cut your losses and throw in your cards on the basis of your hand alone.
Casino Hold ’em
This game was invented 20 years ago as a kind of training exercise for poker pros. It has become one of the most popular forms of casino poker in our times. Again, it’s you versus the dealer, but this time, you each are dealt two cards, plus five community cards are dealt. The object is to form the best possible five-card hand from your two cards and the five community cards. Initially, three of the community cards are revealed, and at this point you decide whether to fold or to double the ante and play.
These three games are all enjoyable in their own right. If you decide you want to take the next step and play other forms of poker, they provide the perfect foundation for you to do so with confidence.
