Beginner Poker

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Beginner's Guide

Whether you're new to poker, a beginner Texas Holdem player, or just new to flopturnriver.com, this beginner's section will get you acquainted with all of the above. In each of our sections, always take a look above under Section Articles, these are articles related to this section you are in. You can also click the breadcrumbs to bring you back to a previous category. This is the basic way to easily navigate the site.

My Poker Story

I started my poker career in a way that might be similar to how many of you might have started playing poker online. I used to love online gaming in general (Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike), and have always been a big fan of card games. I can't remember what prompted me, but I think I was bored, maybe a little buzzed from a few cocktails at home, and decided to give online poker a shot - this was before the poker craze really boomed. I was immediately hooked, and found online poker to be even more entertaining than any of my online computer games.

I was a little nervous at first, not really knowing what I was getting into... Are these games rigged? Will I get my money back? Can I trust this online poker room to be here tomorrow? Well, after joining and playing at about 20 different online poker rooms, I can honestly tell you that the games I've played in were not rigged, you can get your money back at any time, and online poker is absolutely flourishing, even in the United States. If you are American, be sure to check our US Friendly Poker Rooms list to see which rooms still allow US citizens and take advantage of some of the exclusive bonuses they offer.

The first online poker room I ever joined was . I read one book by Sklansky and started playing the $.50-$1.00 limit Texas Hold'em poker game. I thought I was ready to take everyone's money. Unfortunately, I lost my bankroll. LOL.

Over the next few months, my hold'em strategies and tactics continued their development. I then made the best move I would ever make for my own poker game - I switched to NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM! I started playing low-stakes, no-limit Texas Hold'em tournaments at . Then I moved to the low-stakes, no-limit Texas Hold'em cash games where I played the $.25-.50 blinds table. Here is where my no-limit Texas Hold'em strategy really started to develop. I then joined several other poker sites, such as , , and , and collected free bonus dollars while developing my no-limit game.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you that online poker is a profitable venture. I and many, many others are making a profit. I am consistently making money at online poker, I have since recovered all the money that I initially invested learning Texas Hold'em, and now, I am just adding to my profits. Every month. Every year. In fact, I've recently quit my job and I am enjoying all the benefits of being a free man - online poker played an important role in that decision.

You can check out some of the successes of people just like you, who joined this site, studied hard, and are now making money playing poker online. Every month, many of our members post their poker graphs, to share their success or look for help when they are struggling. It's pretty clear to see that it is very possible to make great money playing online poker.

What Now?

Now, to get YOU, the beginner, started. There is much to learn about the poker universe, but you can get through the basics quickly and easily. If you are completely new to poker, the first thing to understand is the ranking of winning poker hands. Check out our Poker Hands article with pictures to understand what a "flush" is, and what hands beat what!

The poker world also has its own vernacular. Learning the poker lingo will help you understand the articles and discussions on this site. If you are new to Texas Hold'em or poker forums be sure to review our Texas Holdem Poker Lingo Glossary!

If you'd like to learn about the basic rules to various online poker games such as 7 Card Stud, Omaha, Razz, and of course, Texas Hold'em, review our Poker Rules article. This essay serves as a brief introduction to the rules and game play of these online poker variations. And for a discussion of the rules for just Texas Hold'em poker, along with pictures of the action, check out our Basics of Texas Hold'em.

Texas Hold'em actually has some variations within its own game determined by the betting rules - there is Limit Texas Hold'em, No-Limit Texas Hold'em, and Pot-Limit Texas Hold'em. On top of that, most online poker rooms offer ring/cash games in each of these versions, single-table tournaments (Sit-N-Go's or SNG's) in each of these versions, and multi-table tournaments (MTT's). And guess what, one playing style may succeed in one of these scenarios, but not the other. Don't worry, you'll learn all about the intricacies in strategies as you get better acquainted with these games.

I personally play the no-limit ring game most predominantly, and certainly favor no-limit to the limit variation of hold'em. That's not to say that no-limit Texas Hold'em is better for everyone, it's just that no-limit Hold'em suits me better and I enjoy that version of the poker game much more.

Of course, we have plenty of visitors and members that prefer limit over no-limit and you can read all about the ongoing debates in our Poker Forum, where we have dedicated discussion areas for both these popular variations! Curious which is better for you? We have a great article on the difference between No-Limit and Limit Texas Holdem.

Finally, included in this Beginner's Guide is our own users/members contributions to the influx of newbies! Toasty (long time forum member) has written Toasty's Beginner's Guide for players new to FTR and online poker.

Other members have also contributed their thoughts and experiences about poker, you can check all our articles aimed for the beginner poker above under Beginner Poker Section Articles of this section. Also, some of our more advanced members have actually recorded themselves playing. They explain their thought process as they are playing, all in an effort to help you get better at poker! Check out our Poker Videos section.

And, of course, our Poker Forum has a specific section for all of you, our own Beginner's Circle where you don't have to be intimidated to ask that rookie question. We were all there once. Our more experienced regulars (and myself) are happy to help you out.

Also, did you know that you can test out some of our basic strategies and get some practice playing at the REAL MONEY TABLES, without making a deposit! Check out our list of No Deposit Bonus Poker Rooms. These online poker rooms offer new players a real dollar bonus without ever making an initial deposit! So once you register, get some practice at the real money tables, and hopefully make some money, with no risk to your bankroll!

So welcome to FTR, beginners! Hopefully I'll see you perusing the more advanced strategy articles and our forums soon!

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