What is poker? “A card game” – this will be the majority of the answer to this question. It is fair. However, we dare to say that this is much more than just a game. For many, it is an exciting and profitable hobby, and for some, it is a way of life.
Online Poker in Australia
Adventurism, a fine knowledge of psychology, observation, calculation – this is the shortest list of qualities that a good poker player possesses and which attract more and more people of all ages and social status to the camp of connoisseurs of this game. For them, here is our introductory course, in which we look at the defining rules of how to play online how to play online poker in Australiain Australia for beginners. We will focus on the most widespread and popular form of modern poker – Texas Hold’em.
Poker and the Law
Over the last few years, the landscape of Australian poker has changed dramatically. Online poker has become a hot topic since the Australian Parliament passed the Interactive Games Act in 2001.
These laws prohibit online gambling operators from advertising and offering gambling to Australians. However, offshore operators quickly found loopholes in this obscure law, which allowed them to offer real-time poker games.
In 2017, online poker Australia fans were disappointed. In particular, the Australian Senate imposed heavy fines on operators and individuals when it passed the Interactive Amendments Act.
Major poker online Australia platforms are gradually leaving the Australian market, and new brands have taken the stage to meet customer needs. A number of other poker providers have been very successful in the Australian poker market.
How to Play Online Poker
In Texas Hold’em, as in other variants of poker, players compete for the amount of money accumulated during the distribution, called the bank. Players try to control the amount of money in the pot based on their own hand strength and their opponent’s hand strength. The game is divided into hands, at the end of each hand, the bank is given to the winner. There can be several winners, in this case, the bank is divided among all the winners.
There are two ways to end a hand. In the first case, two or more players went through all the betting rounds and went to a showdown. Showdown is revealing pocket cards of the players remaining in the distribution at the end of all betting rounds. The players compare their combinations, and the player with the strongest combination takes the pot. If there are several such players, the bank is divided between them.
The second way to end a hand is when all the players, except one, have folded their cards. In this case, the pot is awarded to the player who did not fold to the pass, and no pocket cards are revealed.
The goal of the game is not to win every hand, but to win as much money (chips) as possible in the long run.
As a rule, small and big blinds are used in hold’em. These are mandatory bets that are placed by two players before the hand starts. Ante can also be used, which is also a mandatory bet that each player pays into the bank before the start of the distribution. It is most often found in tournaments. Ante is not used in Omaha. The dealer button is used to indicate the dealer’s position, moves clockwise 1 position after each hand. The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually half the big blind. The big blind is posted by the player to the left of the small blind and sets the minimum bet.
In tournaments, the structure of the blinds and antes changes over time. After the betting round is over, the next round begins with the player in the small blind.
In a situation where there are two players in the game, the rules change. In this case, the player with the dealer button posts the small blind, the second player posts the big blind. The player with the dealer button acts first before the flop and second after the flop on all subsequent streets until the end of the hand.
In no-limit hold’em, players can place or raise someone else’s bet on any number of chips in excess of the minimum, up to all the chips that the player has (such a bet is called all-in). In Omaha, the maximum raise size is limited by the size of the pot or fixed in advance. The minimum raise is equal to the size of the previous bet or raise. If a player wants to re-raise, then he must raise the bet by at least the size of the previous raise.
Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are pocket cards. All other cards are dealt face up by the dealer, and they are common for all players.
The distribution begins with a preflop betting round, i.e. before the flop, starting with the player to the left of the big blind, or the player to the left of the dealer. Preflop trading continues until each player has made a choice between folding cards, betting on all of his chips, raising, or equalizing the other players’ bet. The blinds are considered part of the bets of the players who are in their respective positions. If players call, the big blind can check or raise.
After the end of preflop trading, if there are at least two players in the hand, the flop opens. These are the three community cards dealt face up. After the flop opens, a second round of betting occurs. Postflop (all rounds after the flop are opened) trading starts with the player to the left of the dealer and moves clockwise.
After the flop is over, the turn opens. This is one community card dealt face up. The turn is followed by a third round of betting. The last, fifth community card, the river is then dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown.
In hold’em, as in other types of poker, the player has the following actions: pass, check, bet, call or raise. The exact set of options depends on the previous actions of other players. If no bets have been placed yet, the player can check (abandon the bet, keeping the cards in hand) or place a bet. If a bet has been placed, the next players can fold, call or raise.
The combination of cards in poker is used to determine the winner in the distribution and play the pot or part of the pot when the hand reaches a showdown. If there is only one player left in the hand before the showdown, the hand ends and there is no showdown. In hold’em, the best 5 out of 2 hole cards and 5 community cards are used to make a combination, you can use 2, 1 or 0 hole cards. In Omaha, 2 hole cards and 3 community cards are always used to make a combination.
Different Types of Poker
Modern poker rooms offer a huge variety of casino online poker games. This applies to both types of poker and game formats. Each room approaches this issue individually.
The most popular poker games are Texas Hold’em (No Limit Holdem, Limit Holdem) and Omaha (Pot Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo). They are offered by almost all modern rooms. But these are not the only types of poker available online.
Types of poker online include:
- Hold’em;
- Omaha;
- Hold’em 6+ (Poker with a short deck);
- Draw poker (Stud);
- Chinese poker (Pineapple);
- H.O.R.S.E (Mixed Games);
- Badugi.
In 2021, most of the traffic is generated by the Hold’em tables. It happened so historically. Even offline, most tournaments are held in Texas Hold’em. This is the most widespread form of poker in the world.
The poker rooms also offer various online poker formats. Many of them were implemented as experimental, but in the end, they remained on a permanent basis. The most popular Australian online poker formats are:
- Cash games;
- MTT tournaments (including knockout tournaments, bounty tournaments and All-In Shootout);
- SNG tournaments;
- Jackpot SNG (Spin & Go);
- Fast poker.
- More recently, online poker can be played virtually. This novelty was introduced in 2019 by PokerStars using VR technology.
How to Win Poker
Now let’s look at some tips on how to play online poker Australia for beginners. First, we recommend memorizing the course of the distribution, learning combinations, existing streets, and then playing several games. But place your bets on the play chips. The fun game will allow you to consolidate the whole theory in practice.
But it is important to understand that you cannot play a successful game without effective strategies and tactics. It is thanks to them that you will not get lost at the table, but will be able to make the right moves and minimize risks. Proven strategies and tactics allow poker players to hit the long run with a profit. A successful game is built on many other aspects:
- The ability to control emotions during a game session;
- The use of poker mathematics, which involves calculating outs, pot odds, and more;
- The ability to read opponents and predict their actions with high accuracy;
- A proper bankroll management;
- Continuous improvement of skills.
Of course, there are many aspects of a successful game. You should not rush to master them all – do it gradually. Start first by consolidating theory in practice and gaining experience, and then master new things step by step.
Best Online Poker Sites in Australia
There are a number of factors you need to consider when choosing the best online poker Australia room:
- The reputation of the poker room (feedback from the players will help you figure it out);
- The presence of a no deposit bonus, a first deposit bonus and other goodies for beginners;
- Guaranteed safety of funds and withdrawal of won money;
- Support for different payment systems and currencies for deposits and withdrawals;
- The quality of the software and the clarity of the interface;
- The presence of high traffic (in other words, the activity of the game in the poker room);
- Working support service;
- Promotions, sweepstakes, VIP-system for regular players;
- Availability and percentage of rakeback.
In turn, we can recommend several proven poker rooms that are suitable for playing online poker real money Australia for both beginners and professionals. These are reliable rooms with active gaming and a proven track record over the years. You’ve probably already heard about them:
- PokerStars. The most famous poker room in the world with the most active game. It offers two types of the first deposit bonus.
- PartyPoker. A prestigious brand supported by professional players from all over the world. It offers free tickets, as well as a match bonus on deposits.
- 888poker. The best no deposit bonus upon registration and a match deposit bonus wait for you here.
Poker in Australia: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the legal age to play poker?
You should be at least 18 to be allowed to play poker.
Are my winnings from poker taxable?
No, your winnings are completely taxes-free.
Do I have to download any software to play online poker?
Not in all rooms. Some rooms offer a browser-based flash version of the client. That is, you can play poker for money without downloading the client, but simply by opening the site in a browser and logging into your account there. As a rule, flash versions are slightly simplified in functionality and some game formats may be missing there.
How can I be sure that poker games are fair?
All reputable and licensed gambling clubs offer fair gambling possibilities and you may not worry about this.
Written by: Nika Goddard
MAIL: [email protected]
You can find me: Facebook and LinkedIn
Publication date: 16.11.2023
