Online Poker in South Africa will not give your game away because of a hit and miss Poker face. We have all heard the term “Poker face” which refers to how well you can guard your Hand with a straight face. The aim of this is to keep your opponents from guessing your position in the game correctly by looking at your facial expression and make a favourable bet against you. With Poker that is offered by internet gambling sites, you can pull whatever face you like as no one will see your face in real time, but you might need to bluff a little when things get a little pressed.
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What is Online Poker
Online Poker is an internet version of the much-loved Poker Game played in land-based casinos in South Africa and around the world.
In the game, each player gets five cards which are referred to as a “Hand.” Every Hand belongs to a category which determines the value of the Hand. The value of each player’s Hand is what will ultimately determine the winner of the round.
There are certain combinations which are more favourable than others. All South African players, avid and novice players alike, need to always keep the meaning of Poker Hands in mind when going into an Online Poker Game for real money.
Poker Cards and Poker Hands
| Categories | Meaning | Credits (for comparative purposes only) | Cards to keep | Cards to drop |
| Royal Flush | A hand of A, K, Q, J & 10 in the same suit | 400 | 5 | 0 |
| Straight Flush | A Hand of cards of the same suit in a sequence | 50 | 5 | 0 |
| Four of a Kind | All cards of the same rank with any another card | 25 | 5 | 0 |
| Full House | Three cards of the same rank and a pair | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Flush | A Hand of cards which are not in a sequence but all of the same suit | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Straight | A Hand of cards in a sequence, but not the same suit | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the Hand with the same ranking | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Two Pairs | A Hand with two differing pairs of the same rank | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| One Pair | A Hand with one pair of the same rank | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| High Card | A Hand with one High Card only | 0 | 1 | 4 |
How Online Poker works
Poker comes in different types of Online Games. So, some rules and processes will depend on which South African Online Casino players opt for. Therefore it is important to always read and understand the rules thoroughly.
As mentioned above, hands are ranked categorically by the value and combination of the cards in Poker. The Poker card hierarchy is as follows: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, but depending on the rules of the Poker game an Ace can rank above a King or below a Two.
Commonly in the game of Poker in South Africa, the player needs to aim to get a two Jacks or better. The computer will randomly generate five cards and the player chooses which cards to keep and which cards to get rid of for the best outcome. Discarded cards will be replaced so that the player always has five cards.
The South African player can drop all five cards dealt out by the computer, but players must always be mindful of how they want to achieve a win based on the cards that are dealt.
Online Poker Rules in South Africa
- Bet – bets by the players are made in a clockwise direction
- Call – players can only “Call” a bet when another player has made the same bet in the same round (also known as “Matching a Bet”)
- Raise – in addition to Matching a Bet, players can also raise the size of the bet
- Check – When no wagers have been made in a round yet, players may check – this is the same as betting zero
Tips for playing Online Poker in South Africa
- You will get five randomly generated cards face up. You are usually in a good position if you have two Jacks or higher (This might differ from one Online Casino to the next), so the higher your hand is, the better.
- Players now have an opportunity to toss any cards they don’t want and if push comes to shove, you can throw away all your cards.
- Never throw away a Royal Flush, a Two Pair, a Three of a Kind, a Four of a kind, a Straight Flush or a Full House because these are the combinations that can take you all the way to the finishing line for a win.
- If you have Three of a kind, you might want to consider getting rid of the other two cards as you might be able to do even better, like a Full House.
The History of Online Poker
The roots of Poker are a bit of a grey area as there are different stories about its origins. But it might be the case that a combination of these stories is where Poker descends from. Here is one version of where Poker comes from and how it has evolved:
- The game dates back to the 19th century in New Orleans, Louisiana
- The spread of Poker to the rest of the USA was traced to pastime gambling on the Mississippi River boats
- As the game gained popularity, the use of the 52 card French deck also became popular and the Flush Hand was introduced
- The “draw” and more additions were made towards the end of the 19th century as well as early on in the 20th century
- In 1970 the World Series of Poker was established
- Later in the 70s Doyle Brunson, Mike Caro and David Sklansky wrote Poker Strategy books
- Poker became a big part of pop culture – it was featured in Star Trek in the 1980s and many more TV shows since then.
- The game of Poker, as well as casino gambling, started to grow rapidly in the USA in the 1990s
- At the beginning of the 21st century, the Poker boom took the world, including South Africa, by storm – this is credited to the introduction of Online Poker
Online Poker FAQs
Glossary
Hand
Set of five cards with a collective rank which the player needs to play Online Poker.
Showdown
This stage does not necessarily happen in every single game of Poker. A Showdown happens when there is more than one player after the last betting round. In the Showdown, all players have to show their cards to determine who has the winning Hand.
Pot
The “Jackpot” that is available on any given Poker Game, with its value depending on the bets made.
Suit
The symbol depicted on the card. These vary according to the deck format. With the most popular format being French, the most popular suits are Hearts, Tiles / Diamonds, Clovers / Clubs and Pikes / Spades.
Fold
This is when a player leaves the round. When Folding, the player’s hand will be discarded the player will not make any more bets and the player also cannot win the round.
Tournament
Poker Tournaments are matches in which players play Poker in competition to one another for the Pot and the winning title.
Wild card
These are usually Jokers, but normal ranking cards may be agreed upon to be treated as a Wild Cards for a Poker Game or may be stipulated in the rules section of Online Poker Games. In some Online Poker Games, Wild Cards may be used as a substitute to supplement a Hand to make it more favourable for the player.
Act
This happens when players are required to play, and they do so at the right time.
Open
This refers to the act of volunteering to start the round with a bet.
Rag
A card with no or low value.