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When it comes to popular online gambling, Poker is definitely king. Its meteoric rise to popularity is primarily due to online Poker and televised tournaments. While many people choose to play on the Internet, it’s also frequently played amongst friends in private homes. To start, you need standard playing cards, Poker chips, lammers and a table. Traditionally the Poker table is circular but this doesn’t accommodate variations such as Texas Hold’em. There are beautifully crafted tables that have padded, felt covers which help when you pick up cards and there are special holders for drinks. Ensure that you have the highest quality playing cards and buy new ones if you notice wear and tear. Chips range in colour according to their money value and should be stored in a chip rack. Lammers are plastic tokens with text on them. The Dealer lamer is used to keep track of the dealer, although in professional games dealers don’t participate.

Betting is the most important feature in Poker and because different versions of the game have different types of bets it’s important to know your gambling terms. ‘Antes’ are generally small bets that are paid every hand and ‘blinds’ are usually paid by the two players to the left of the dealer. When you bet you have the option to check, call, raise or fold. Checking is the same as placing a zero bet, calling is when you match the bet, raising is matching and adding to the bet and folding is when you drop out of the betting.

Poker is typically played with two to ten players and one of the biggest aspects of the game is reading your opposition. In live Poker you can watch body language and reaction times but in online poker you have to study betting patterns and use the chat box facility.