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Online Poker is the traditional poker card game played over the internet, either against other players in a Live Casino, or against the computer. Our guide to online poker has everything on how to play online poker in Australia.
Online poker is popular for much the same reason that live poker is. It’s a thrilling game which allows you to strategise and use your card skills. Played from the comfort of your own home, you can play for as long and with stake levels you’re happy with. Though, of course, we always recommend you gamble responsibly.
Getting Started
There’s not much that you need to start playing online poker. Needless to say, you need a computer or laptop though it doesn’t have to be a majorly expensive one. You can also play on a mobile device such as a tablet or smart phone – whether that’s Android or iOS.
As for money, you should play within your budget. In fact, you can even play some of the games in demo mode to get the hang of the game. Some games will allow you to play for stakes as low as $0.01. You may not be winning massive amounts but it does make your budget go further.
Picking an online casino
To play online poker, you need an online casino which has a good array of table games. Many of them focus on real money pokies but more and more are offering a greater range of card games such as poker, blackjack and baccarat, including their many variants.
Check out online casino reviews which will tell you how many card games there are and which types. Then you can check out other important factors like bonuses, banking methods and return to player percentage (RTP).
Bonuses
The casino reviews will also let you know whether there are any bonuses you can claim, and whether there are any for poker specifically.
Things to consider with the bonuses are:
- Whether it is a no deposit bonus or percentage match to your deposit
- How much you need to play to clear the whole amount
- Total value of the bonus
Deposits & Withdrawals
Whichever site you choose, you’ll find a range of banking methods available, ranging from credit cards such as Visa to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Ensure the site is secure – all sites recommended by Australia Internet Pokies are verified for this – with 128-bit encryption and SSL certificates. In addition, you need to check the payout terms for fairness.
Increasingly, cryptocurrencies are more common at online betting sites. However, that does not mean there aren’t options such as ewallets, debit and credit cards, and prepaid cards.
How to Play Online Poker in Australia
There may be many variations on the game, but there are some rules which tend to stay the same. The aim is to be the last player standing or to win with the strongest hand of all the players remaining.
Classic poker, upon which the other variations are based, has the following rulers:
- There is a standard deck of cards
- Five cards are dealt to each player
- Bets are placed once players have checked their hands
- Players keep or discard cards
- Players continue to bet on their hands until either all bar one has folded or there is a showdown of hands
Poker Terminology
The following poker terms are key when playing online poker:
| Term | Definition |
| All-in | When a player goes all-in they’re wagering all of their available chips
|
| Ante | The mandatory bet for every player at the start of each round |
| Blind | Forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer when playing poker variants including a flop |
| Call | A player ‘calls’ when they match a bet or raise |
| Check | A player calls check when they want to defer making a bet. The pay moves to the next player, when someone else bets, then the player who checked must fold, raise or call |
| Fold | When a player no longer wants to take part in that round, they fold. This is usually because they cannot match the bet or do not think they can win |
| Paytable | Important for online poker players as it is a table that shows the possible payouts in the game |
| Raise | To raise is to increase the size of an existing bet in that round |
Winning Poker Hands
The most important element of poker is to know the ranking of winning hands. You don’t want to fold on a royal flush by mistake!
In poker, Ace is high which means it goes above the King in order of ranking.
| Royal Flush
|
A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. |
| Straight Flush
|
Five sequential cards of the same suit. |
| Four of a Kind
|
Four cards of the same face value. |
| Full House
|
Three cards of the same value and a pair of another value |
| Flush
|
Five cards of the same suit – cards not sequential |
| Straight
|
Five sequential cards, different suits |
| Three of a Kind
|
Three cards of the same value |
| Two Pair
|
Two cards of the same value, two cards of another value |
| One Pair
|
Two cards of the same value |
| High Card
|
No winning combinations present, so highest card in hand wins |
Poker Variants
When playing online poker you’re likely to come across more variants of the game than you would in a land-based casino.
The main games are:
Texas Hold’em
This game starts with 2 cards dealt to each player, with five community cards (in other words cards which each player can count towards their hand). It starts with three community cards laid down – the flop, followed by another card (the turn). The final card is called the river.
Omaha
Players start with 4 cards dealt to them, however, they can only use 2 of them along with three of the five community cards.
Caribbean Stud
Rather than playing against each other, all players are not focused on betting the dealer. The same ranking as classic poker is used.
Seven-card Stud
Popular with Australians, seven card stud is a completely different take on the game. Seven cards are dealt to each player, four of which are visible to the other players. This makes betting very interesting, as you can imagine!
Pai Gow
Pai Gow adds a joker to the pack, literally. Players are dealt seven cards and from those they need to make one ‘big hand’ and one ‘small hand’ using just two cards. High scoring pairs are best for the small hand.
Video Poker
This is the wild card (excuse the pun).Video poker is played on a machine, with the reels dropping the cards. You can hold cards for the next spin, and if you get a winning hand, your account grows. Simple!
