Poker is one of the most famous games in the world, with iconic movies choosing this game more often than any other. It is not just a game of chance, today it is a sport and a very successful one. It is played by amateurs from all continents, championships are held, and skill is taught by coaches. Poker is several card games, similar in rules. At the same time, the disciplines have strong differences. Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Stud are different games. However, all of them are related to poker. Some of them have worldwide popularity and are available in online rooms.
In this article we will talk about poker, tips, strategies, famous poker players and how they managed to win millions on this game.
Types of poker share the rules of card combinations, among the popular cash game poker games are the following:
- 2-7 Triple Draw;
- 5-Card Draw;
- 7-Card Stud/5-Card Stud;
- Badugi;
- Chinese Poker;
- Community Card;
- Draw;
- Omaha Holdâem;
- H.O.R.S.E;
- Razz;
- Stud;
- Texas Holdâem.
Players need to learn the types of poker and their rules in order to choose one. For beginners, it is best to start with Texas Hold’em. This variety of poker is the easiest to learn.
In fact, we suggest you visit Pokerlistings.com, which has all the tools you need and useful information about poker. PokerListings is the best online poker guide in the world since 2003. It is a great platform with the latest poker news, top players, poker rooms with the best offers. Useful articles, strategies, rules and tips on how to win at poker and tournaments. They have their own YouTube channel and you can also find them on social media and invite your friends. Up to date world poker tour cash game schedule for 2024 and reviews, live streaming is also available through this site. By the way, we can even do it from our mobile devices at any convenient moment.
Poker – Cash Game (Description and Rules of the Game)
What is a cash game in poker? Cash games, or ring games, are poker games in which players bet real money, often with no predetermined end time, players can enter and exit at will. You can’t be completely knocked out of a cash game, you can buy chips at any time and play longer. The main objective in such a game is to break the bank bigger than it was at the beginning of the game. A poker tournament is played with tournament chips with a certain ending time and a certain number of participants.
Rules for both cash games and tournaments
While there are some elements of cash games, some rules overlap with tournament rules:
- Players are responsible for protecting their hands. Any hand that hits the pocket or has the wrong number of cards is a dead hand. No refunds will be made for chips already placed;
- Cards Speak. If a player incorrectly calls his hand during a showdown, these statements are not binding;
- Verbal bets are binding. A player who announces a bet, call, or raise must complete the action;
- Line bets are not allowed. If a player does not announce the amount of the bet, he cannot put chips in the pot and follow with more chips in separate actions. This is not allowed in poker rooms, and in this case it would be considered a call;
- A bet of one chip is a call unless otherwise announced. To avoid making a mistake, it’s always best to verbally announce your intention to raise;
- Dead Button Rule. No player can miss the big blind because another player has left the table.
There are three different types of cash games in casinos: Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit. No-Limit is the most popular variety of Texas Hold’em played in casinos. However, if the room is large enough, you will often find a couple tables with limited players. Pot Limit is extremely rare in Hold’em, but is the most popular variety of Omaha played today.
Differences Between a Cash Game and a Tournament Poker Game
Apart from the variety of poker games and betting options, there are also its different formats and it is very important to understand the difference between them. The two main poker game formats are cash games and tournament play.
Here are the main differences between poker cash game vs tournament poker play:
| – Cash games are played at a single table; – In cash games, players exchange money for chips, and there is usually a minimum and maximum buy-in amount, depending on the wager; – A player has the option to withdraw from a cash game at any time, at which point they can exchange all of their chips for cold, hard cash; – In cash games, blinds remain the same for each hand depending on the bet; – If you lose your chips/money in a cash game, you can deposit again and continue playing. | – Tournaments can be played at a single table, but can also consist of multiple tables; – In tournaments, players deposit the same amount of money and usually receive the same number of tournament chips; – Tournaments end when there is one winner left with all the chips; – In tournaments, the value of the blinds increases (e.g. increases every 15 minutes); – If you lose all your chips in a tournament, you are done playing and out of the game. |
Clearly, there are fundamental differences between cash games and tournament poker.
For the past several years, the biggest tournament in the world has been the World Series of Poker Main Event. The first tournament with a million-dollar prize pool was the 1983 WSOP Main Event. The first prize pool for the 2004 WSOP Main Event exceeded $10,000,000.
Here are the final three seats of the biggest poker cash game ever:
| Event | Prize Pool | Winner |
| 2024 WSOP Main Event | $94,041,600 | Jonathan Tamayo |
| 2023 WSOP Main Event | $93,399,900 | Daniel Weinman |
| 2006 WSOP Main Event | $82,512,162 | Jamie Gold |
Lists of multi-million dollar winners in high stakes games can be found on any poker site, here are a few of them among the biggest online poker cash game winners:
- Patrik âFinddaGrindâ Antonius $17,031,600
- Ben âBttech86/Ben86â Tollerene $11,334,248
- Daniel âJungleman12/w00ki3zâ Cates $11,166,681
- Phil âPolarizingâ/âRaiseOnceâ Ivey $10,441,962
- Sven “ragen70” Heinecker $9,754,791.
These are regular poker fans from the past who started out at low stakes tables. Their goal was to increase their playing experience and win their first thousand and then a million. Therefore, it is very important to take online cash game poker tips from professional bettors and study poker books to achieve such success in the future.
Game Theory Optimal Poker Theory
Ever since the game of poker was first invented, people have been trying to figure out the best way to play the game. Today, a new approach called optimal game theory offers an âidealâ way to play poker that is not exploited for selfish purposes and guarantees profits.
- Term poker cash game theory âGTOâ comes from âgame theory optimalâ, which is a strategy that strives for complete balance in the game by making your draws 100% unexploitable by your opponents.
When playing GTO, you will bluff and make valuable bets on every street of every hand with different hold’ems, and you won’t care what your opponent is doing.
Optimality Theory states that a player always makes the decision that yields the most profit in the long run. For example, when a player makes the decision to check/call, bet, or fold at the beginning of each hand, there are different combinations of hands, each with a corresponding cash game win rate. But GTO doesn’t mean you should always follow the statistics. In a heads-up game where there are only two players, it is most often necessary to win by strictly following the statistics, but in reality this is rarely the case.
Meaning of the Term Buy-in in Poker
There are many poker cash game buy-in rules and terms. Without it, you simply won’t be able to join other players and take full advantage of the gameplay. In poker and games, âbuy-inâ is the process of entering a tournament that requires an upfront payment . The amount of the payment, also known as the buy-in, determines the total prize pool to be won and also contains a fee, also known as the rake, which is paid to the establishment. When players register for a tournament or join a table with a certain buy-in, their money is added to the table’s prize pool or cash pool.
It happens that the buy-in is the chips paid by a player at a cash table. Here the number of chips will strictly be the same in value as the amount of your buy-in. There are free cash game poker chip calculator sites that will help you determine the optimal chip allocation for the initial buy-in. Simply enter the number of players, how many chips of each color you have, the value of each chip, and how many chips each player will receive.
Types of poker buy-in
- Maximum and minimum buy-ins are strictly for cash tables;
- Tournament: consists of two components in the form of 10%, which is taken by the room as a profit, and the main, it goes into the prize pool;
- Buy-in additional: it is also called rebuy. It allows you to buy the starting amount of chips additionally, if you are unlucky at some point in the game. This amount also increases the prize pool of the game.
If you are playing at a cash table with a fixed Buy-in in poker, the minimum contribution is 10 big bets. If there is no limit or there is a pot-limit, the minimum buy-in is most often 40 big bets.
For beginners or those who play micro-betting games, it is generally recommended to have a bankroll requirement of at least 20-30 buy-ins for your chosen game.
What is a Poker Bankroll
To avoid risking the entire bankroll at once, a good player usually has a set of rules for managing the bankroll, called bankroll management. Poker cash game bankroll is the amount of money that is set aside directly for playing at poker tables. In cash games, the bankroll varies in stacks and in tournaments in buy-ins. Bankroll management in poker is the art of balancing between risk and possible profit. It involves the intelligent allocation of cash to the game to minimize losses and ensure the stable functioning of poker capital in the long term.
Poker bankroll management is a crucial aspect of online poker cash game strategy for several reasons:
- Risk minimization. A player who doesn’t keep track of his financial situation and plays at stakes beyond his means can quickly lose all of his funds;
- Sustainability in the long term. A disciplined approach to management allows you to avoid situations when you have to stop playing due to exhaustion of funds;
- Psychological comfort. There is no need to be stressed about every lost hand or bad day, knowing that there are enough funds to continue playing;
- Opportunity to develop skills. If you keep track of your bankroll and play according to your abilities, it’s easy to learn from mistakes and improve your game gradually;
- Defense against emotional decisions. Proper money management helps prevent these situations, as the player is playing on bets that do not greatly affect their overall bankroll.
Effective bankroll management gives a player the ability to control his gambling activities and make informed decisions, which helps in a more successful and profitable poker career.
Rules of Classic Poker (Texas Hold’em)
When we talk about classic poker, we mean Texas Holdem. Today it is the most popular type of poker. A huge number of live poker tournaments are held on No Limit Texas Holdem. About 90% of all online poker games and tournaments are also played on this poker variation of the card game. To start playing classic poker, all you need to do is memorize the Texas Holdem poker cash game rules and learn the basic poker combinations.
Deck of cards for playing Texas Hold’em
Keep in mind that Texas Hold’em is played with a standard deck, which consists of 52 cards ranging in value from deuce to ace. In poker, the lowest card is a deuce, and the highest card is an ace. Note: Ace can also play as the lowest card in such a combination as a Junior straight – A-2-3-4-5. But this is the only exception. In all other cases, the Ace is the strongest card in the deck.
Types of poker tables
Texas Hold’em can be played by two to ten people, and depending on the number of maximum participants, the game tables can be:
- Long (9-10 players);
- Short (6 players);
- Ultra-short (4 players);
- Heads-Up Table (2 players – HU).
Sometimes there are other tables, particularly 3-max tables. For example, special mini-tournaments with Spin&Go jackpot have just such a format, as they are designed for three players.
How to play cash game poker?
Every hand of poker starts with a mandatory bet. Before the cards are dealt, two players (sitting to the left of the Button) place mandatory bets – the Small and Big blinds. The small blind is half the size of the big blind. These bets are necessary for the participants of the hand to have something to fight for. In cash games, the size of the blinds is determined by the limit that is being played at the table.
Players are dealt two cards face up, and five total cards are dealt on the table. Players may make a five-card combination of their one or two cards along with the community cards, or not use their cards at all. The game consists of four rounds of dealing, which moves clockwise around the table and begins with a position near the dealer’s poker chips for cash game, which moves one step to the left after each game.
All of these actions are taken by Hold’em players in each of the four rounds of betting:
- Preflop;
- Flop;
- Turn;
- River.
In each round, the betting continues to the person sitting to the right of the last player to bet or raise. When the turn comes back to him, the next round begins or the hand is completed if all players before him have chosen to fold. There’s a lot of repetitive math in poker, so to save yourself time, use a special poker cash game spreadsheet from experts to do your calculations.
Showdown according to the rules of Texas Hold’em
According to the rules of poker players who equalized all bets on the previous streets, take part in the last round of the game – showdown. This is where the winner is determined and takes the pot. All players show their combinations.
The winner is the strongest five-card combination (hand), which the player makes of all the cards available to him. In other words, you can use all five common cards to make your combination, or you can use one of your own cards and four common cards, or you can use two pocket cards and three table cards.
Important! The winning combination is always determined by five cards.
What to choose: Live or Online Poker?
Whether you’re playing live vs online cash game poker, the rules are the same: same four-max deck of cards, same combinations, same betting order. Both online and offline, a flush beats a straight in the same way. And regardless of the type of game, your goal is to take all of your opponent’s chips. But that’s where the similarities between online and offline poker end.
To play live cash game poker you must be a level higher than a beginner otherwise you risk losing all your money at the start. Stress in live casino is always high, you need to be able to control your emotions and at the same time analyze the game at the moment. Yes, if you have never had such an experience and you want to feel the full range of emotions with live people at the table, it is worth doing at least once to enjoy the game for yourself.
- With online poker, you can easily find games to play with lower stakes, which means you can minimize the amount of money you risk losing.
- The online variant of the game is more dynamic. The time it takes to deal in online poker is much shorter than in live poker.
More often than not, cash game poker online is more serious than most private or casino games. This is because online poker does not have the same social experience as offline poker. With fewer distractions and a higher priority on winning, you will find that players are generally more serious about their game.
Must-read poker books
Poker has become famous thanks to the media. The poker boom isn’t just about glitzy tournaments in Las Vegas or high-stakes games in Monte Carlo. Every hand, every bluff, every calculated risk adds to the story of this game. But like any complex endeavor, skill requires more than just enthusiasm. It requires understanding, strategy, and constant learning. And while many turn to online tutorials or apps, there is something that is always valuable, a book. Here’s our list poker cash game books in learning:
- âThe Theory of Pokerâ by David Sklansky
- âHarrington on Hold âemâ by Dan Harrington
- âSuper Systemâ by Doyle Brunson
The world of poker literature is vast and beckons with open arms thanks to resources like these that offer additional insights and reading recommendations. There is always a new technique to learn, a different psychology to understand, or a new perspective to consider. Let these books be your faithful companions and guides so that you become not just a player, but the new famous poker players.
If you’re passionate about poker or just starting to explore the game, PokerListings.com is a must-visit website. Renowned for its in-depth poker guides and expert strategies, it caters to players of all skill levels. Whether you’re looking for tips to improve your game, honest reviews of the best online poker sites, or the latest poker news, this platform has it all.
Their free tools, like the poker odds calculator, make it easy to sharpen your skills and gain a competitive edge. Plus, with their involvement in major events like the Battle of Malta, PokerListings goes beyond just a website – itâs a hub for the global poker community. Established in 2003, it combines decades of expertise with a user-friendly interface to deliver everything a poker player might need. If you’re serious about poker or simply curious, PokerListings.com is the resource you can trust!