Poker is a card game you play with other people. You try to win chips. You win in two ways: by showing the best five-card hand, or by making the others fold before the end. Poker is part luck and part skill. Luck decides which cards you get today. Skill is how you use those cards over many hands.
Every hand has a pot in the middle. That is the money or chips you can win. Your goal is to take that pot. You do this by:
A normal 52-card deck (no jokers).
Usually 2–9 players per table.
A small button shows the dealer position and moves one seat to the left each hand.
Chips go in the pot during betting rounds.
On your turn you can choose:
Tip: Good players don’t use every action all the time. They fold often, bet when strong, and raise to put pressure on others.
Tiny example: You hold A♠ K♥. The final board is A♦ 9♣ 4♣ 7♠ 2♥. You have one pair (Aces). If nobody has a better hand, you win.
You get 2 private cards (hole cards). The table shows 5 shared cards in three steps: You make your best five-card hand using any mix of your 2 cards and the 5 on the table. Betting rounds: preflop, flop, turn, river.Texas Hold’em – quick basics
You get 4 hole cards and must use exactly 2 of them with 3 board cards. Stronger hands are more common. You get 5 cards, then you may trade (draw) some once to improve your hand. No shared board. Players get a mix of face-up and face-down cards over several streets.
Omaha
5 Card Draw
7 Card Stud
It’s best to start with Texas Hold’em, then try more games later.
Both are fun, but they feel different. In cash games you manage a bankroll and pick good tables. In tournaments you face more short-stack spots and chase a bigger prize.
Position means where you sit relative to the dealer button. Players who act later have more information, because they see what others do first. This usually leads to better choices and fewer risks.
Simple rule:
Outs are the cards that can improve your hand.
Example: If you have four cards to a Flush, you have 9 outs (the nine cards of that suit left in the deck).
Odds tell how often you will hit an out. With 9 outs on the turn, you will make your Flush by the river about 35% of the time.
You don’t need hard math to start. Just learn the common outs and a few easy rules. See Odds & Outs.
Poker is more fun when everyone follows simple rules:
Poker should be fun, not stressful.
Legal age: In Uganda, casinos and most betting are 25+. The national lottery may be 18+. Rules can change—always check the latest guidance.
Information only. We do not run games or take bets.