The Best Poker Casinos
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Best Online Poker Sites
After extensive research, we have created for your convenience a list of the best online poker sites in 2024. If you want to find the most credible and rewarding new casinos in Ireland please have a look at the following list.
200% up to NZ$500
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up to NZ $500
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Poker Rules
Understanding the rules of the game are key to having fun. Thus first the player needs to know how to play poker.
- The player needs to remember that they should either have the strongest five-card hand or convince the other players that they have it.
- When the player has the ‘action’ on them in each round then they get to make a bet, raise or call any existing bet or even choose to fold.
- When it is the player's turn to bet, they can fold the cards and choose not to take part in the hand at any time.
- If more than one player stays in until the final bet, a showdown occurs. Where all the players have to reveal their cards. The player with the strongest hand takes the win.
- If everyone else folds their cars when the player raises the stakes or bets, then even if they have not reached the showdown, the player takes the win. This can very well be a bluff, if the player is a good actor sometimes they do not need great luck.
What is a Poker Rake?
Every fast payout website hosting the poker room takes a commission known as the Poker Rake. It is essentially taken to cover the establishment costs. In the case of online poker tournaments, it is the percentage of the tournament fee which can even be from 15% to 20%.
There are different ways of collecting rakes. For example:
- The Pot Rake can range from 2.5% to 10% up to a maximum amount that has been predetermined. This is popular with most low and medium-stakes poker players, and this method is most widely used at top online poker sites.
- The time collection, where the site charges a fee from all players at specific times of the game, say every 60 min.
- No flop, No rake policy where if the hand does not ‘flop’ the player does not have to pay.
- The Dead drop where every player pays the same fee rather than just the winning players. The fees here are also divided into fixed fees, tournament fees, and no-rake tournament fees. Thus the higher the rake, the lower the players expected value, which can be used to alter the strategy.
How to Make the Right Play Based on Position
In the early position there's no way of knowing what the other eight players will choose. Whereas in the late position it's much easier to know what the payoff is. Let's look at some examples of play in the position.
| Position | Explanation | Best Advised Hand Range |
|---|---|---|
| First to Act (early | This player acts immediately after the player has posted the big blind and is sometimes referred to as the “under the gun” | K – Q / better |
| Dealer (late) | When a player acts just before the ‘blinds’ they are referred to as the player who ‘has the button’ | A – 9s / suited connectors / better |
| Small Blind (late) | When a player acts before the big blind and immediately after everyone else | Any pair / suited ace / better |
| Big Blind (late) | This is the last player to act | Small pair / connecting cards / better |
| Any of the other 5 Seats | The middle position includes everything after the third player has acted | Premium hands |
Popular Online Poker Games
The different types of popular online poker games are as follows.
This is probably the most popular online poker game and even a very popular offline game. Texas Hold’em estimates capture over 80% of all poker played online. Here each player receives 2 hole cards in this game.
Omaha is the 2nd most popular poker game online. Each player receives four hole cards instead of the 2 cards in Texas Hold’em and is an action-packed game that draws many players all over.
The rules and hand ranking are similar to Texas Hold’em. The biggest difference is that players don’t play against other players, but rather the goal is to beat the dealer like most other casino games.
Quite a deviation from Texas Hold’em as there are no community cards and is played with fixed betting limits. Thus though unconventional, it rewards good memory and skill.
Razz is a simple easy game with a slow pace. This is a lowball poker game where the card and hand rankings are the opposite of Texas Hold’em. Here the player should aim at getting the lowest-ranking hand in poker.
It is an easy game and is often appreciated by players of all skill levels. The two ways to play it are:
- Ante Play where the player plays against the dealer;
- Pair Plus where the player places a bet on whether they are dealt a pair or not.
It’s a lowball poker game where the players have to make the best possible five-card low hand to win. This game is known for bluffing and mind games. The players can fake it till they make it even if they do not have the required hands.
It is quite a different game from the usual poker, which requires a lot of mastering and skill. It’s played with four players, where each is dealt 13 cards and the players need to arrange them into three different poker hands.
It is an ideal game to feel the real-life experience of poker from the comfort of home. The ideal live casinos let players join a poker table via live stream so that the player can watch a real-life dealer at a table from their computer or mobile.
When two players remain before the last card has been dealt, one player has to at least split the pot with his opponent no matter what the final cards are.
It’s similar to Texas Hold’em but with some significant differences. It’s also played with a dealer button and blinds, but like Seven Card Stud there are no community cards. Though easy to learn, the player has to keep in mind the strategies.
It is a fast-paced banking game where the player plays against the dealer. Here two cards are dealt face up, and the player gets to bet on whether the third card will rank between the first two cards dealt.
Main Poker Hands
Knowing the basic poker hands is important because these combinations are used in almost every type of poker hand, both land and online.
This is the easiest combination to achieve as the player needs no matching cards. If the player cannot make any other winning set, the hand is ranked by the highest in a standard manner.
This is the hand when the player has a pair of cards of the same rank in different suits. The remainder of the hand is then formed from the three highest-ranked cards available.
When two different sets of two cards of matching rank are formed it is called two pairs. Here the highest-ranked remaining card completes the hand. For example 44 and 88 and so on.
When a poker hand containing three cards of the same rank in three different suits. With the two highest available cards besides the three of a kind complete the hand. For example JJJ and so on.
It is a more difficult hand when a player has five cards of sequential numerical value composed, but those cards can’t be of the same suit. Example: an ace ranking as either high (above a king), or low (below a 2), but not both in the same hand.
It’s the opposite variation of the Straight. A player has a hand of cards of the same suit not necessarily in numerical order, but all cards must be diamonds, hearts, clubs, or spades.
This sits on top of the poker-hand rankings as the best hand possible. It has five consecutive cards of the same suit in order of value from 10 to ace.
Explanation of Pot Limit, No Limit, Fixed Limit
It is important for a player to know the difference between Pot Limit, No Limit, and Fixed Limit. Some basic terms are differences in the wagering structures in different poker game variations, tournaments, and tables as follows:
In poker games that have a Pot Limit the player's bets are limited to the amount of money in the pot.
In the Fixed Limit game, the player can raise the stakes to a predetermined amount that is set for the table or tournament the player participates at.
In a No Limit game of poker on the contrary the player can bet at any stage of the game on part of or even on all the chips they possess.
Live Poker VS Online Poker
Let's go deeper into understanding the difference between live poker and online poker.
Live Poker
- Live poker, involves real croupiers and players. It is, therefore, a much slower pace game that can only show 30 to 40 hands per hour.
- Live players may not get a chance to choose to play multi-tables.
- The players in live games very much like real life can read their opponents and try to guess their tells which can give them an advantage.
- No tracking software and other valuable tools can be used in a live game.
Online Poker
- Online poker players on the other hand have an opportunity to see 60 to even 100 hands per hour.
- Online players get to choose to play at multi-tables.
- Which is not possible in the online game version.
- In the online game, the player can use tracking software and other valuable tools to help them gain an edge when playing at a poker website.
Advanced Moves You Should Master
It is essential to learn a few tricks in order to fare well at a poker table. These advanced moves can help the player control the course of action at the table.
In order to survive at a poker table with a tough lineup, you’d better have a few tricks up your sleeves. Some of them are as follows:
- Bluff. An often-used trick in poker is when even if the player does not have a strong hand they can pretend to do so and thus encourage the other player to fold or make someone lay down the stronger hand by betting at them.
- Three bets. This can become essentially a re-raise before the flop is dealt with. And can thus change the fortune of the player.
- Float. The player can use this method to call a post-flop bet nothing with the intent of bluffing later.
- Follow bet. The player can bet both pre-flop and on the flop regardless of what the board looks like thus confusing the opponent.
- Blocker bet. The player can use this method to discourage the aggressor from raising. This can also be called a protective bet.
- Straddle. It is an extra voluntary blind posted by players who may want to get more active.
These tricks used at the right time can turn the tables in the player's favour even if the cards are not.
Online Poker Tournaments
Such online poker tournaments are quite popular in Ireland because of the opportunity to test oneself against fellow players in a wide range of formats. In exchange for a small fee, the poker sites bring players together to battle it out for glory.
Some of the online poker tournaments are even free-to-enter events offering modest prizes where players can play in multi-table tournaments, or even in quicker Sit & Go events which end in an hour.
It is mainly the variety of players and games that increases the excitement. Players are free to choose from freezeout tournaments that only permit a single entry or even rebuy tournaments that allow the player to get back into the action if they lose out once.
There is something for everybody starting from the players that enjoy a measured pace along with hyper-turbo games for players that prefer the action. Along with bounty hunter games and progressive KO tournaments, where players are awarded for eliminating rival players, along with shootout tournaments, and so much more.
High-Stakes VS Low-Stakes Poker
Every online poker site has both high-stakes and low-stakes games to cater to the needs of all players. Ranging from €2 buy-ins to high stake games with €500-€1,000 tables.
It is better if players do not join a table with less than 100 big blinds in their stack. It is also safe to have 200 big blinds in their bankroll in case of a re-buy.
Pot-limit or no-limit poker? In our opinion, Pot Limit Poker is better suited for novice players that desire a predictable game, since the highest bet is capped at the pot limit. No Limit Poker on the other hand is ideal for high stake players who could afford any size of the bet.
Tips for Irish Poker Player
Poker is more of a game of skills and strategy rather than luck. Thus the rules, hands, and tricks become more important in online poker. Simple tips can help the player reduce the house edge and improve their odds increasing their winning probability.
- Players need to be aware of the basic rules of poker and the differences between the variation before choosing the version to play.
- The better the players understand the rules and position the less they will lose out on real money. Thus each player needs to read and understand the policy and rules of the poker site they are visiting.
- Learning the winning combination in poker. This will allow the player to retain important cards and discard the others.
- Most Irish online casinos available to players will allow the player to play poker for free or offer a deposit bonus. The players should definitely take advantage of these features and practice before delving into the real game.
- A player should always be cautious while playing with real money. While playing free players can be more liberal and take the opportunity to experiment and devise strategies for the real game.
- Players should aim at holding cards that can make Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Three of a Kind, or Two Pairs that could be used to make strong hands.
- Players should not break a Straight Flush, in hopes of getting a Royal Flush. If players have a 9, 10, J, Q, or K it is not a good idea to get rid of the 9 in hopes of getting an Ace. It can be a huge risk.
- Players would benefit from holding onto a low pair of cards rather than chasing a single high card.
- Players should always choose a poker version suiting their skill and not make higher stakes than their bankroll.
Based on our experience outlined in this guide, I would like to draw some conclusions, the availability of online poker casinos in Ireland along with the popular gambling culture and convenient gambling modes have contributed to the popularity of this type of casino among Irish people. The Betting Act of 2015 has made gambling even safer for Irish players, who may decide to try these casinos for fun or to play for real money with the help of the guide provided here. Hopefully, the list and features here will be helpful to players wanting to learn more about online poker in Ireland, and they will find this list helpful.