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Card games are an enduring component of college life in the US, despite the dramatic changes that the online world has brought to our lives. In fact, far from rendering card games obsolete, the internet has provided access to a wider variety of them than ever, along with plenty of rule guides and strategy tips.
Poker remains the most famous card game of all. In years gone by, novices approached it with trepidation, and poker was seen as a game for serious gamblers. What’s more, it was also almost exclusively played by men. That’s something else that has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Pros like Vanessa Selbst, Muskan Sethi, Liv Boeree and Maria Ho have shown that girls can take on the guys on level terms.
The first step is the hardest for a novice player as there are so many variations of poker. Here are some that you should consider if you want to join the ranks and make your mark at the poker table.
Five card draw
This traditional form of poker is a great starting point, as there are no community cards to worry about. Each player is dealt five cards, places an opening bet and then can discard any number of cards to be redealt. The player with the best hand wins. Video poker is based on 5 card draw, so install an app on your phone to get familiar with the different hands and what to hold or discard under different circumstances before taking on other players.
Casino Holdem
Once you are comfortable with the gameplay and basic strategy of 5-card draw, you’ll be impatient to enter the world of flops, rivers and bluffs with a game like Texas Holdem. Before you go there, try out this online casino version against the dealer. Casino Holdem introduces the concept of community cards, which opens up a whole new dimension to gameplay. However, as you are only up against the dealer, you can make a few mistakes and find your feet without facing serious punishment from opposing players.
Texas Holdem
This is the most common variation of poker that you see the pros play in the WSOP. It’s also the variation that James Bond played against Le Chiffre in the most famous poker scene in movie history. Yes, there is more complexity and we will not go through every detail of the rules here. Texas Holdem poker rule guides are available elsewhere and cover everything you need to know about the game that really took the US poker scene by storm since the turn of the millennium. Suffice it to say that if you work your way up to Texas Holdem by first mastering simpler forms of the game, you will find the transition natural, intuitive and tremendous fun.
Other variations
There are literally dozens of other poker variations. If you play with friends, 7-card stud or pot limit Omaha are worth a look. If you want a game to play solo, try out other beat-the-dealer variations like Caribbean stud and 3 card poker. Good luck!
