Playing poker online is a completely unique experience at LeoVegas Live Casino with the numerous tables available offering different poker variations.

Casino poker was created in the United States early in the 19th century. And right from the get go, this game gained a following and has increased in popularity around the world ever since. The main goal of this game is to win the ‘pot’, which consists of all the bets made by players on the table. The pot can be won by either having the best hand in the game, or by making a bet that no other player will call (match).

There are several types of casino poker games to play. Texas Hold’em Poker is the most popular variation, by far. Plus, it has the same hand hierarchy and rules as traditional poker.

Playing poker at an online casino has many differences from a bricks and mortar casino game, including:

• Online poker is traditionally faster.

• You can easily find any stakes, often starting much lower in online casinos.

• You don’t have to go out to play (but with mobile casino, you can play from anywhere).

• You can choose many variations and learn new ones at the click of a button.

There are rules in poker that need to be followed. Mostly, hand rankings. There’s no swaying from these as they determine the winner! Players and Dealers need to know these ranks in order to know which beats which.

You’ll need to know this hand hierarchy before you start playing, and that’s highly important. This is a common system that ranks from the highest to the weakest, but in some variations it doesn’t happen like that. Here is the list.

• Royal Flush - 10 through Ace, same suit.

• Straight Flush - Five cards of the same suit, in sequential order.

• Four of a Kind - The same card in all four suits, also known as Quads.

• Full House - Three of a kind plus a pair.

• Flush - Any five cards of the same suit.

• Straight - Any five cards in sequential order.

• Three of a Kind - Also known as trips or a set, three cards of the same value.

• Two Pairs - Two pairs of cards.

• Pair - A pair of cards in the same rank.

• High card - The lowest-ranked hand of them all.

The process of the game for Texas Hold’em is simple once you get into it! To start, blinds are made or posted as you’ll often hear. These are the first bets that get the pot started and the game going. If you’re seated in a certain chair or position at the table, these are a must for you - don’t worry, everyone gets their turn at posting a blind. Then the action begins.

The dealer gives two cards to each player, face down. Consider the cards you hold at this point and decide if it’s a good starting hand (does it have any potential?), or not. From here, you can decide to stay in the game and make a bet; call (match the blinds), raise, or fold.

All players have this same option. In the next round, the dealer places three cards face up for all to see - this is the ‘flop’. These serve as ‘community cards’ meaning everyone at the table can use them in combination with their own two cards, to create a five card poker hand. The betting rounds continue, with a fourth card, then a fifth community card.

Now, you’ve reached the pinnacle of the game when the best poker hand wins, of those still in on the action. Winner takes the pot!

The stakes are easily calculated since upon joining a poker table, minimum and maximum stakes will be clearly listed. Obviously, the payout - the pot - will derive from the action and bets players at your table have made. The payout can always be a surprise, especially if you’re playing no limit poker and a confident player decides to make a big shove in!

The main terms which players must know in poker are:

Fold - To fold is to call it quits on your hand. Likely you don’t feel it's good enough to win, so you fold out of the hand and lose any bets made thus far.

Check - To check is basically to pass on your turn, moving the action to the next player. This can only be done if other players before you haven’t made a bet.

Bet - Raises and calls are both types of bets. You’ll need to place a bet, wager money, to be part of the action at the poker table.

Raise - To make a higher bet or increase the current bet.

Call - To call is to match a bet or a raise at the table.

All in - To go all-in means you’re pushing all the money you have into the pot.

Pot - The sum of all the money wagered in the poker game. It’s what you’re going to win, should you have the highest ranking hand.

Pre flop - Occurs after the blinds have been placed, the second stage of the game.

Flop - The dealer places three face up cards in the middle of the table - these are the flop, and are community cards available for players to use to create their best five card poker hand.

Turn - The third betting round in poker, when a fourth card is added to the flop.

River - The final betting round in poker, when a fifth card is added to the flop.

Showdown - When all the players remaining at the table show their cards in order to compare them and declare a winner.

In poker there are some variations. It’s good to know the most common ones as those are the most likely to be found at casinos, online or offline. So, let’s get into them.

In this variation, the most common is Texas Hold’em. Players try to get the highest-ranking five card poker hand. To get there, they have the option to use any combination of their two cards and the community cards - these are the five shared, face up cards in the middle of the table.

There’s a few variations of Omaha, including Omaha and Omaha Hi Lo. For each of these games, community cards are also in play; however, players are restricted to using two of their four hole cards and three community cards to create a five card poker hand.

Once you start playing, there’s no going back. You’ll be able to fold but that’s it. Casino poker is usually a quicker variation of the game, often with three or five hand based plays, set up as a dealer versus player casino table game. This type of poker is pretty simple and easy to pick up. There are some rules to follow, such as wait your turn and don’t be rude of course!

Video poker is played on a video screen, siding more with slots than a table poker game. The goal is not to beat the machine, but create a poker hand that ranks high enough for a prize, according to the paytable. A five hand card is dealt across the screen and it’s your call to keep or discard any of them. There’s usually one redeal whereby what you’ve kept remains, and new cards replace those you discarded. Easy and fun!

Live poker has become more and more popular over the years. People don’t have to leave their homes in order to have an incredible experience with a live dealer in real time. And of course, the rules will depend totally on the variation you choose - of which there are many!

This engaging game is played against the house, in a player versus dealer table game dynamic. At the start of a hand, an ‘ante’ is placed - this simply declares you’re in the game. After that, the dealer gives every player five cards face down. The Dealer also gets five cards, but one is facing up to give you a little intel. After that, it’s just making a decision – to fold or play. Once everyone has chosen, the dealer will show their own cards and pay the winner(s).

These are the simplest variations in poker, each using different methods pre-flop. Players either pay an ante before receiving their own cards, or two players post blinds. Once pre-flop is finished, players receive five (or seven) cards face down. Then, there’s a round of bets. If more than one player stays at the table after this first round, a round of drawing occurs. Players have an opportunity to discard and therefore, replace unwanted cards in an effort to create their best poker hand.

At LeoVegas you’ll find many variants of poker available:

Texas Hold’em - You need to create a hand with five cards that have the highest rank at the table, using a combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards. Betting rounds ensure, and the player with the highest ranking poker hands wins.

Three Card Poker - To start, an ante is placed to kick things off. The dealer gives each player three cards, face down. After a look at the cards, it’s decision time. If a player wishes to continue on, they’ll need to double up that ante. Cards are shown and a winner is declared!

Online Poker FAQ

You can play a lot of games for free using the LeoVegas demo mode including poker games like Caribbean Stud. Our free modes present players with the perfect opportunity to give games a trial run, learn the betting rounds, and rules before jumping in with any monetary risk. Note that demo modes are not available on any Live Dealer games however, as of course, these are being played live!

All games from LeoVegas can be played on mobile devices - we’re the King of Mobile afterall and dedicated to the cause. Casino poker games are no exception. You can have fun with your own poker games wherever you are.

The main thing to do before playing casino poker is to familiarize yourself with the rules. The more you know, the more information you will have at hand to know whether you are in a good position to win that round. Playing as often as you can will help increase your knowledge and remember, this is where playing for free in demo modes is extremely helpful. Whatever you do, though, keep it fun.