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How to Play Poker Online

Poker has been played for centuries and has grown from a traditional card game into one of the most recognizable games worldwide. Today, the game has a thriving online presence, making it more accessible than ever.

At first glance, the rules can feel a little overwhelming, but the structure is straightforward once you understand the logic behind them.

This guide will give you the essentials before playing your first hand, helping you see how the game works online and what to expect when you join a table.

What to Know Before Playing Your First Hand

Before playing your first online game, it's helpful to understand how poker works in this format and how it differs from live play. Knowing these basics makes everything clearer and reduces the chance of early mistakes at the table.

How Does Online Poker Work?

When you log in to a site offering poker games, including LeoVegas, you’ll usually find two main options: live games and digital games.

In live games, a dealer runs the action on camera, and the play is streamed in real time, often with chat features to interact with the dealer and other players.

Digital games are entirely software-driven. The program handles two main factors, the cards and the chips, as well as the dealing. This makes them faster and more flexible. They run around the clock, offer a wider range of formats, and allow features like multi-tabling, where you can join several tables at once.

The Highlights of Online Poker

One of the biggest advantages of online poker is convenience.

Games are available at any time, from any location, without the need to travel to a casino.

The range of formats far exceeds what most live venues offer, with options spanning from low-stake tables to high-limit play, along with tournaments that would be impractical to organize in person.

Online play also runs at a faster pace, which means more hands are dealt per hour and learning opportunities come quicker.

The digital format also eliminates social pressures inherent in face-to-face games, such as reading physical cues or dealing with intimidating opponents. Features built into the software, including hand history reviews, note-taking, table statistics, and player filters, make it easier to track progress and refine decisions.

Additionally, sites often offer loyalty rewards and special tournaments that enhance the overall experience.

Learning the Game

This section introduces the core rules of poker through Texas Hold’em, the most widely played version. By understanding the structure of the game and how a hand unfolds, the path to effective play becomes much clearer.

Goal of Poker

The goal of poker is to win pots, which are the chips collected from bets during each hand.

This can happen in two main ways: by showing the strongest five-card hand at the end, or by betting in a way that forces opponents to fold before the showdown.

This means the best cards aren’t always necessary. Well-timed bets can be enough to take a hand. Over time, those who look after their chips and mix patience with the right bursts of aggression usually see the best results.

The Hand Rankings

Poker hands follow a set ranking that determines which cards win at showdown.

Below is the order from strongest to weakest:

Royal Flush: The strongest hand in poker, made up of A, K, Q, J, and 10 all in the same suit. It is extremely rare and cannot be beaten
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards in the same suit, for example, 5 through 9 of hearts
Four of a Kind: Four cards of identical value, for example, four 9s
Full House: Three of a kind plus a pair (like three 7s and two Kings)
Flush: Any five cards sharing a suit without being in consecutive order, for example, A, J, 9, 6, 3 of spades
Straight: Five cards in consecutive order but from different suits, for example, 7, 8, 9, 10, J in a mix of suits
Three of a Kind: Three cards of identical value, along with two unrelated cards
Two Pair: A hand with two cards of one value, two of another, and a fifth card that is unrelated
One Pair: Two cards of identical value with three unrelated cards
High Card: When you don’t have any of the above, your strongest single card plays. For example, Ace-high beats King-high

Step-by-Step Guide for Playing Poker Online

This section walks through how to play online poker step by step, so it’s clear from the very first hand.

Pick a reputable site that offers poker games, like LeoVegas, and create an account to get started
Choose a game and stakes, with Texas Hold’em at lower limits often being the best starting point
Take a seat at a table and join with the number of chips you want in play
The blinds are placed, and two private cards (hole cards) are dealt to you and the other participants
In the first betting round, you can fold (give up your hand), check (pass if no bet is made), call (match the current bet), raise (increase the bet), or go all-in (commit all your chips)
The dealer places three community cards on the board (the flop), followed by another betting round with the same possible actions
A fourth community card is dealt (the turn), followed by another betting round
A fifth community card is dealt (the river), and the final betting round takes place
If more than one participant remains after the river, the remaining hands are revealed at the showdown
The best five-card hand, made from your hole cards and the community cards, wins the pot

Crucial Terms to Understand

Poker comes with its own set of terms, and knowing the key ones makes it much easier to follow the action.

Below are some of the most important to get familiar with before playing:

Pot: The collection of chips in the middle of the table. Each bet adds to the pot, and at the end of the hand, it goes to the strongest hand or the last participant remaining
Call: To match the current bet in order to stay in the hand. For example, if someone bets 10 chips and it’s your turn, you call by putting in 10 chips as well
Raise: To increase the size of the current bet, which adds pressure and can force weaker hands to fold
Fold: Folding means giving up your hand. You push your cards away and wait for the next deal
Showdown: The final reveal when remaining participants turn over their cards to determine the winner. This occurs only if more than one remains after the last round of betting
Blinds: At the start of each hand, two participants put chips into the pot before any cards are dealt. These are the small blind and the big blind, which rotate around the table so everyone posts them in turn. This guarantees there is always something to contest
Hole Cards: Each player gets two private cards face down, called the hole cards. Only you can see them, and they’re the starting point for every decision you’ll make

Getting Started with Online Poker

Once you know the basics of how to play poker online, the next step is choosing a game and understanding how the lobby works before playing.

Picking Your Poker Game

One of the main appeals of online poker is the range of formats available.

While a home game or casino may only offer a couple of options, online poker rooms run dozens around the clock, making it easy to find a table that fits your approach.

Texas Hold’em: The most widely played version worldwide, and the one featured the most in this article. Each participant receives two private cards, and five community cards are dealt on the table. The aim is to form the strongest five-card hand
Omaha: Similar to Hold’em, but each participant receives four hole cards and must use exactly two along with three community cards. This structure often produces stronger hands and larger pots
Seven Card Stud: Once the most popular form of poker before Hold’em became dominant. Each participant receives seven cards, a mix of face-up and face-down, and the best five-card hand wins. No community cards are involved
Tournament Poker: Not a separate game but a widely played format. Participants buy in with an entry fee and play with tournament chips until one player holds them all

How Do Online Poker Lobbies Work?

The poker lobby serves as the hub where games are listed. Filters make it possible to sort by format or table size, helping you find the type of game you want to join.

After selecting a table, the virtual room displays your seat and chip count along with the cards as they’re dealt. Betting options appear as clickable buttons, and the size of each wager can be set with a slider or by typing it in.

Many sites also include a chat box, though it can be disabled to cut down on distractions. Details like blinds, pot size, betting history, and current action are always shown clearly on screen.

Beginners often fall into predictable traps without noticing. Recognizing these errors early makes it easier to protect your chips and improve your decisions at the table.

Playing Too Many Hands

A common mistake is playing nearly every hand that’s dealt. Folding can feel dull, and the urge to see a flop is strong, but most starting hands are weak and won’t hold up over time. It’s better to focus on stronger options like pocket pairs (two cards of the same rank), Ace-King, Ace-Queen, or King-Queen.

Calling Too Often

When a bet comes your way, avoid calling automatically just to see more cards or out of curiosity. Calling makes sense only with a strong hand or a drawing hand backed by proper odds. Many beginners call too frequently with weak holdings, hoping to get lucky, which leads to steady losses over time.

If a hand isn’t strong enough to bet or raise, it’s usually not strong enough to call. Before matching a bet, consider whether you have a plan for the next rounds. If you’re calling only because you’ve already committed chips or are simply hoping to improve, folding is often the better option.

Not Paying Attention to Position

Position is one of the key concepts in poker, and ignoring it can be costly. Position refers to where you sit at the table in relation to the dealer. Acting later in a hand provides the advantage of seeing what others do before making your own decision.

From early position (acting first), it’s safer to stick with stronger hands since you don’t yet know how others will respond. From late position, you can open up your range because more information is available. Beginners who overlook this often play weak cards too early and end up at a disadvantage against those acting after them.

Playing Stakes That Are Too High

Avoid joining games at levels that feel overwhelming or uncomfortable. Many newcomers jump into higher stakes because lower ones seem unimportant, but this usually backfires.

If the thought of losing chips makes you hesitant or forces cautious play, the stakes are too high. Staying within limits you’re comfortable with keeps decisions grounded in strategy instead of fear.

Emotional Play (Tilt)

Tilt happens when frustration or anger influences decisions at the table.

It might start after losing with a strong hand or during a rough stretch of cards. Once tilt sets in, it often shows up as chasing weak holdings or placing oversized bets without clear reasoning. These patterns typically result in heavier losses and even greater frustration.

The best response is to step away as soon as you notice it happening. Take a short break and return only when you feel calm and focused again.

Play Poker Online