How To Play Poker Online – A Game Of Luck Or Skill?

Home » Online Casino UK | Play Casino Games at Platincasino » How To Play Poker Online – A Game Of Luck Or Skill?

If you’re interested in learning how to play poker online, you’ve landed in
the right place. Poker is a game that’s entertained players for centuries,
and thanks to its large number of variants is probably one of the most
popular table games out there.

The rules of poker remain the same irrespective of whether you’re playing
in person, at a live casino, or on a video poker machine, so if you already
have a basic understanding of how to play that’s always a step in the right
direction.

If you’re interested in learning specifically how to play poker online
however, you’re going to notice a couple of differences when it comes to
gameplay. In most cases, online poker tends to be faster, more accessible,
and comes with less risk as several tables have low buy ins.

Getting started requires minimal preparation, mostly due to the fact that
you’re able to play on any device including mobile phones, tablet devices,
and desktop and laptop computers. With no download or installation
required, all you’ve got to do is sign into your Platincasino UK account
and make use of the search function located on the homepage to filter your
poker games from the rest. No more looking where to play poker online for money, as Platincasino UK has everything you will need in one place!

A Step By Step Guide To Playing Poker Online At Platincasino UK

Once you learn how to play poker, the next natural step would be to sign up for a free account at Platincasino UK. If you’re interested in getting started all you’ve got to do is:

  1. Login or sign up for a free account at Platincasino
  2. Choose whether you’d rather play casino table games (video poker) or live casino
  3. Hit the Search icon to your right and type in ‘poker’
  4. Move your mouse over any poker game you might be interested in to reveal its RTP
  5. Hit the ‘Play Now’ button to check it out

Poker Rules – Hand Rankings

If you’re here to learn how to play online poker, having a good idea of poker hand rankings is always a good idea. Here’s all you need to know:

Hand Ranking

Description

Royal Flush

Poker’s undisputed highest hand that’s made of a 10, J, K,
Q, K and A, with matching suits

Straight Flush

Five cards in numerical consecutive order, with matching
suits

Four of a Kind

Just like you’d imagine, four identical cards of different
suits.

Full House

Another poker classic – this ranking includes three cards
of the same rank along with a pair.

Flush

Five cards with matching suits, in no particular numerical
or consecutive order.

Straight

Five cards in consecutive order bearing different suits.

Three of a Kind

Like the four of a kind hand ranking, but with three
identical cards this time.

Two Pairs

Two pairs of matching rank cards

Pair

A single pair of cards that match in rank.

Play Poker at Platincasino

Playing Poker Online – Tips To Successfully Play Online Poker

Even though you may be already familiar with the card game of poker, getting to play poker online is a whole other ball game. Nevertheless, there are always a couple of pointers and techniques one may choose to employ to increase your chances of winning when playing poker online. Here are a couple of tips to get you started:

  1. Kick off with low stakes
  2. Get familiar with the game
  3. Start with a single table
  4. Get in the zone
  5. Charge up your favourite device

Kick Off with Low Stakes

Poker legends didn’t earn their title by playing their first hands, and
probably neither will you. For this reason, it’s always a great idea to
minimise your risk while you figure it all out. Betting at low stakes not
only extends the lifespan of your game sessions, but could also potentially
lead to learning how to play online poker and actually winning in the long
term.

Generally speaking, if you’ve never played online poker before it’s always
a good idea to start on a virtual table and move along to a live casino table
once you’re completely aware of the game and feel confident enough to sit
at a table with other players.

Get Familiar with the Game

A big part of learning to play online poker comes with overcoming the
differences between real-life and online poker, and then riding that wave
once you get the hang of it. The first thing you’re going to want to check
is whether a game is timed or otherwise. New players who are still learning
how to play poker online may feel overwhelmed when a timer is set in place.

Apart from that, it’s always advisable to make sure you’re entirely
familiar with your next online poker game in terms of betting features,
rake-back offers, bonuses, and so on. Feel free to check out each online
poker game’s stats before jumping right in.

Start with a Single Table

One of the major benefits of playing poker online is your ability to play
several tables at once. While this multi-table approach may appear
tempting, it’s always a better idea to start off by playing at a single
table.

This will help you understand better the technical aspects of learning how
to play online poker, while allowing you to adjust to your desired gameplay
level.

Get in the Zone

Learning how to play online poker requires a certain level of
concentration, for this reason by eliminating other distractions, you’ll be
able to focus on your next hand and potentially play poker online better.

Even though playing poker online should be all about entertainment, paying
close attention to your next hand could be the determining factor whether
you get to win or lose.

Charge Up Your Favourite Device

As mentioned earlier on, thanks to some spot-on game technology, you’re now
able to learn how to play online poker on any device as long as its
connected online. Whether you’re more comfortable using your phone, a
tablet, or a regular computer makes no difference, simply sign in to
Platincasino and choose a table.

Online Poker Tips

While poker may not be for the faint of heart, learning to play online
poker properly is definitely for the strong of mind. This is a game that
comes with some serious highs and lows and being in control of your
emotions is definitely key.

Tip #1: Keep Your Mental Game Strong

Of course, like anything else there are aspects of online poker that are
completely out of your control, and the only thing you’re able to make sure
of is playing your best. Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Control your emotions
– anything can happen in a game irrespective of whether you’re a pro or
still learning how to play online poker, yet it’s always advisable not to
give too much away.

2. Keep calm
– tying in with the point made above, learning to play online poker is all
about feeling the pressure and riding the wave. Keeping calm and rising to
the occasion is always best.

3. Keep it real
– there’s nothing more important when learning how to play poker online
than self-awareness. Good and bad beats are definitely part of the game and
it’s up to you to keep your reactions down to a minimum.

4. Focus, focus, focus
– in an age of technology it’s never been easier to get distracted. In
order to successfully learn how to play poker online you really need to
focus, otherwise there’s a good chance that your opponents will identify
your distractions and use them against you.

5. Discipline is key
– what separates the novices from the pros when it comes to online poker is
definitely being disciplined – especially when playing poker online for money. This includes keeping your emotions in check,
limiting exposure and risk, as well as practice sound bankroll management.

Tip #2: Know When To Bluff

Even though online poker takes a step back in the bluffing scenario when
compared to real-life poker, there are still a couple of techniques you are
able to apply to the online world. The art of bluffing involves convincing
your online opponents that you’re actually in a better place than you
actually are, and this can come in handy when playing

live poker

games for instance.

It’s important to keep in mind however that the online world is very
different to the real one, in the sense that since you can’t actually see
your opponents, physical tells are completely out of the question.

Nevertheless, there are still a couple of tells you can use to keep your
game in check, they’re just different and that’s what learning how to play
online poker is all about – using strengths learnt in the offline world and
combining them with new skills to play online. Here’s what you might want
to keep in mind:

1. False tells
– reading tells is one of the fundamental aspects of learning how to play
poker online, which implies that falls tells are also able to throw other
players off at a live poker table. Falls tells could possibly include
running down the clock, struggling with making decisions, as well as using
the messaging function to ask questions.

2. Know your table
– if you’re considering a risky bluff, then there are two things you’re
going to want to think about: how many players are there at the table? And
what type of players are they? Before pulling your bluff, it’s always a
good idea to assess the current situation over a couple of hands. As you
might imagine, it’s considerably easier to bluff against table of players
who generally fold against an aggressive raise, rather than a table of
players who appreciate the effort but are always pleased to raise again.

3. Own your bluff
– when it comes to bluffing online, it’s all about blowing up your own hand
while figuring out what your opponents are holding. Should your bluff come
off, don’t be scared of showing your hand during the final round. This will
earn you some bragging rights for bluffing your way to the pot, while
setting an indicator for your game style at the table.

4. Recognise the C-Bet
– in cash games and low stakes games, there’s a good chance that the C-bet
or Continuation Bet can prove itself extremely useful when wielded
correctly. Essentially, the continuation bet is an opening bet on the flop,
available right after the pre-flop, irrespective of what your current hand
is.

In small stakes cash games, knowing this can be useful as it could help you
identify players who miss the flop, which could indicate that they’re
probably happy to fold at some point. While these wins may be very small,
continuation bets are potentially able to accumulate over time.

5. Be consistent
– there’s nothing worse than starting one way and ending up in the other.
Experienced players will sniff you out right away if your game style isn’t
focused and consistent. Nevertheless, never get too attached to your bluff
– if things aren’t going your way, and other players have already started
to call you out, there’s absolutely nothing wrong in calling it a day and
folding.

Tip #3: Online Poker Single Table Vs Multi Table Gameplay

While in a real-life casino, sitting at multiple tables isn’t physically
possible, online casino has completely revolutionised the way we play
poker, with multi-tabling increasing in popularity amongst the more avid of
players.

While certain players may believe that single table is always the way to
go, allowing you to give your full concentration to a single hand, others
may contest that whereas they may in fact be sacrificing some of their
focus, it is in fact the volume of hands that could potentially lead to
profitability. Here are a couple of pointers to keep in mind:

1. Play one game well before attempting many
– if you’ve just started to learn how to play poker online, multi-tabling
is definitely not recommended at this stage. Before hitting more than one
table, you need to make sure that you’re totally confident with one.

Watching several hands at the same time means that you’ll be forced to
think harder, make multiple decisions, and engage in various strategies,
which may feel totally overwhelming if you’re a new player. Get your A game
straight before venturing to additional tables.

2. Toughest decisions first
– at some point it won’t make a difference whether you’re playing at six
tables or sixteen, at some point decisions will start piling up and it’s up
to you to know how to prioritise.

This would include identifying which decisions can be made easily, and
which others will require additional thought. Here’s when you’ll need to
identify your tough spot and focus on that first, once that decision has
been taken you’ll be able to follow up with a series of easier to make
decisions after that.

3. Know your limits
– while the concept of multi-tabling may sound alluring, it’s always really
important to keep things real, especially when you’re still learning how to
play online poker. Don’t ever play on more tables than you’re comfortable
with irrespective of the potential statistics.

Find your comfortable spot and stick with it – at the end of the day it’s
all about enjoying the game.

Learn How To Play Poker Online – FAQ

What are the most popular variants of online poker?

If you’re just getting started with learning how to play poker online, having a good idea of the options available out there is always a good place to start. Online poker is known for offering a large number of variations, where the rankings remain the same for most part, while the rules differ slightly from one game to the other. Popular choices in this regard include video poker, live poker, Texas Hold’em, Casino Stud Poker, and Three Card Poker amongst others.

How important is bluffing when playing online poker?

In RNG games such as video poker, bluffing is absolutely irrelevant as you’re playing against a computerised system. In live poker however, where you’re sat a table with other poker players, having a certain level of bluff in your poker arsenal could prove to be useful in its own time.

Low stakes vs high stakes poker – which one’s for me?

If you’re just learning how to play online poker, sticking to low stakes games is always a good idea. If you’re more experienced and seeking to up the game a little, then perhaps a high stakes game may be more suitable. In both cases however it’s imperative to know your budget and gaming limits, and always play within it.

How much money do I need to start playing poker online?

Once again, this is completely up to you. Platincasino UK offers a number of online poker games, some of which require cents to play. Others, of course, have higher buy ins, which is why it’s always advisable to check a table’s stats before taking a seat and starting to play.

Do I need any software to play online poker at Platincasino UK?

Absolutely not. All of our online poker games are available for play across all devices, with no downloads or installations required. Simply log in to your Platincasino UK account on your tablet device, mobile phone, or computer, load up your favourite game and get started.

Create an Account