Play free online poker 

Are you on the hunt for some of the best online poker games available? 

From the top online casinos, the best software providers, and the most strategic tips and tricks to integrate into your gameplays, this comprehensive guide will delve into all that you need to know about this exceptional table game! 

The Origin of Poker 

The roots of the classic table game of poker are highly debated: Some state that it originated from a domino card game played by a Chinese emperor in the 10th century, whilst others believe that poker dates back to the 16th century and finds its origins in ‘As Nas’, a Persian card game. 

In Europe, the closest forerunner to poker was ‘poque’, originating in 17th century France. Both ‘poque’ and its German equivalent, ‘pochen’, were influenced by ‘primero’, a Spanish card game created in the 16th century. 

During the 1800’s, French traders and sailors brought ‘poque’ to New Orleans, after which ‘poque’ evolved into the game of poker that we are familiar with today, featuring a 52-card deck instead of 20, and an additional round of betting. 

The best casinos to play poker 

In this section of the article, our team of experts here at Lucky7Bonus have compiled a list of some of the most highly rated online casinos for poker in Canada. 

Delve into the excellent poker gaming experience curated by these exceptional gaming platforms and benefit from the generous perks that they have on offer! 

Millionz Casino | Discover the best selection of poker games, including First Person Video Poker by Evolution 

Millionz Casino offers its players a wide selection of high-quality online poker games for them to delve into, as well as plenty of generous perks and benefits to take advantage of. 

Amongst these, newly registered users of this gaming platform can benefit from a 100% Welcome Package of up to $1,000 + 50 Free Spins! 

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Playfina Casino |Offering thrilling online poker game Caribbean Poker by Betsoft Gaming 

Playfina Casino is an excellent choice for all your online poker gaming needs. 

From high-quality games to immersive live dealer poker experiences, this online casino can provide it all. 

Registering your player account today enables you to benefit from a 100% 1st deposit bonus up to $295 + 200 Free Spins! 

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N1 Casino | Delve into exceptional poker gaming experiences, offering Casino Stud Poker by Play’n GO 

At N1 Casino, you can take advantage of up to $6,000 + 200 Free Spins when registering your player account! 

This gaming platform’s excellent range of high-quality poker games is quite impressive, as is the wide variety of reputable software providers that it has chosen to partner with. 

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Lucky8 Casino | Wide variety of excellent poker games, including Jackpot Poker by Play’n GO 

Choosing Lucky8 Casino as the landscape for your next poker gaming experience is a decision you won’t regret, enabling you to benefit from a wide variety of high-quality poker games and several highly advantageous bonuses and promotions. 

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Wild Fortune Casino| Offering popular poker game Texas Hold’Em Bonus Poker by Evolution 

Not only does Wild Fortune Casino provide its players with an extensive portfolio of immersive online poker games, but also a wide variety of reputable game suppliers to choose from. 

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The best free online poker games 

Would you like to play some of the best online poker games in the iGaming industry?  

This section will delve into exactly this, enabling you to select the poker game that appeals to you the most and ensuring that your poker gaming experience will be both thrilling and infinitely engaging. 

Video Poker 

Video Poker by gaming giant Evolution is a live dealer version of this classic table game, featuring retro graphics and the chance to play up to 100 hands at once. 

Offering a selection of 5 different paytables, Evolution’s Video Poker features a wide variety of poker variants, including Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus, and Deuces Wild! 

Caribbean Poker 

Caribbean Poker by Betsoft Gaming is a multihand variant of poker, enabling its players to play against the dealer, instead of other players, and to place up to 3 hands at once. 

This casino poker game is an excellent choice for those who wish to play a high-quality gameplay with plenty of innovative features added to the classic alternative. 

Casino Stud Poker 

With an RTP of 94.78%, Casino Stud Poker by Play’n GO grants the player two possible methods that he can utilize to land a win: 

• Placing a wager on the Ante bet 

• Placing a wager on the optional Jackpot side bet 

Between you and the dealer, the best 5-card poker hand in each round of the game wins. 

Triple Edge Poker 

Betsoft Gaming’s Triple Edge Poker is a fast-paced table game in which all the standard rules of classic poker still apply, however with the addition of several innovative features: 

• Only three cards are dealt to each player. 

• Up to 3 hands can be played simultaneously. 

• Players are offered an additional Pair Plus bonus bet, giving them the opportunity to win additional bonuses, each of which featuring very high payouts. 

Jackpot Poker 

Jackpot Poker by Play’n GO is an exceptional online poker game featuring a progressive jackpot.  

With an RTP of 97.99%, this poker game is played using one deck of cards and includes an additional Gamble Bonus round in which the player will have the chance to multiply a win. 

The best online Poker Providers 

Despite there being a wide variety of software providers who have developed online poker games for you to choose from, it is important to make a distinction between those software developers who can supply you with a deeply engaging gaming experience and those who often fail to do so. 

In this section, our knowledgeable team of experts have provided you with a list of some of the most exceptional game suppliers of poker in the entire iGaming industry. 

Evolution Gaming 

Having consistently released some of the most engaging, innovative, and high-quality game designs ever played, Evolution is widely considered to be a giant in the iGaming world. 

Rest assured that choosing this software provider for your next online poker games will ensure that your gaming experience will be both excellent and exceptionally enjoyable. 

Betsoft Gaming 

Betsoft Gaming is a highly reputable software provider in the iGaming world, with a wide variety of highly engaging online poker games in its extensive gaming portfolio. 

Featuring high-quality graphics, exceptional visual elements, and innovative game designs, the online poker games developed by Betsoft Gaming will leave you immediately yearning for more. 

Play’n GO 

Our team of experts here at Luck7Bonus highly recommend Play’n GO for your next online poker games. 

As one of the leading software providers in the iGaming industry, Play’n GO is an excellent choice for all your poker gaming needs, able to deliver a gaming experience like no other before.  

How to play online poker? 

The many different poker variants in existence each come with their own unique rules and quirks, however basic poker gameplays tend to remain the same: 

The aim of poker is to obtain a stronger hand than that of your opponents. 

After the poker cards have been dealt, the participating players are called upon to act, taking turns around the betting table in a clockwise direction.  

The actions that each player can take are the following: 

• Check: Before any bets are made, decline opening the betting at all. 

• Bet: If no other players have placed a bet in the current round yet, place a bet. To remain in the hand, other players must ‘call’, therefore match the bet. Otherwise, they must ‘fold’. 

• Fold: Forfeit your cards. This action means that you can no longer act again during this round. 

• Call: If other players have placed a bet, you can choose to ‘call’, therefore match the bet made. 

• Raise: If other players have placed their bet, you can place a higher bet than that made. 

In the next section, we will delve into these rules in more detail, enabling you to familiarize yourself further with poker hand rankings, blinds and antes, and the differences between Limit and No Limit poker. 

Poker Hand Rankings 

Blinds and Antes 

Antes 

In poker, Antes are bets that all the participating players in a game are forced to make. At the beginning of each round, prior to the dealing of the cards, the ante must be paid. 

Compared to the blinds, the Ante is much smaller in size, and is usually around 10% of the big blind. 

Blinds 

Similarly to Antes, Blinds are bets that one or two players are forced to make, therefore forcing the action in the game. 

In most popular variants of poker, Blinds come in two sizes: Small Blinds and Big Blinds. 

The Small Blind is paid for by the player who is seated to the left of the dealer, whilst the Big Blind, which is twice the size of the smaller version, is paid for by the player seated to the left of the Small Blind. 

Fixed Limit vs No Limit Poker 

Table Stakes 

Table Stakes is a term referring to a rule in poker where participating players may only invest the amount of money that is in front of them into the current pot. 

It is important to note that these differ according to the type of poker game that is being played: Cash Games or Tournaments. 

Stakes in Cash Games 

When choosing to play cash poker games, it is important to choose the right table stakes for your skill level.  

You will find that with higher stakes, the higher the skill level of your opponents will be, therefore, if you’re just starting out, it would be wise to start playing with micro stakes, then increase your stakes as your skill level also increases. 

The approximate sizes of each stake are as follows: 

• Micro: $15 and under 

• Low: $15 to $50 

• Medium: $50 to $400 

• High: $400 and above 

Stakes in Tournaments 

When playing poker game Tournaments, you will find that the stakes available differ slightly from Cash Games. 

The approximate sizes of each stake are as follows: 

• Freeroll: No fee 

• Micro: Fees under $5 

• Low: $5 to $19 

• Medium: $20 to $99 

• High: $100 and above 

As with Cash Games, the higher the stakes, the tougher the competition will be. However, it is also true that you should expect to find players of varying skill levels at every stake that you choose. 

Poker variations you might like 

There are a number of variations of online poker games available on the iGaming market, each wildly different from the other. 

In this section of the guide, our team of experts have compiled a list of some of the best poker variants you can choose from, as well as a detailed explanation of each. 

Omaha 

Omaha is a variant of poker in which each participating player is dealt 4 cards, or ‘hole cards’, that remain private. 

Following this, 5 cards, known as ‘community cards’, are dealt face-up. 

Players must then utilize 3 cards from the community cards and 2 cards from their hole cards to make a 5-card poker hand. 

Seven-card stud 

When playing the poker variant Seven-Card Stud, 2 downcards and 1 upcard are dealt before the betting round is opened.  

Following this, 3 more upcards, as well as 1 more downcard, are dealt, with each upcard followed by a betting round. 

When the last downcard has been dealt, the final round of betting takes place, and the player with the best hand wins. 

Texas Hold’em 

When playing Texas Hold’em, each participating player is dealt 2 ‘hole cards’, which remain private.  

Following this, 5 community cards are dealt face-up, thus forming the ‘board’. 

Players must then take a combination of these 7 cards to make the best 5-card hand possible. From their private hole cards, players can choose anywhere between all, some, or none of them. 

Five-card draw 

The Five-Card Draw is fast paced and is the simplest variation of poker you can play.  

It follows the same basic rules of standard poker, with each active player specifying how many cards he wishes to discard and replace with new ones from the deck. 

When each player is satisfied with their hands, he ‘stands pat’, an action followed by multiple rounds of betting. The player with the best hand wins. 

Hi-Lo games 

A Hi-Lo poker game variant consists of a gameplay in which the pot, or part of the pot, can be won by the highest and lowest poker hand that is obtained. 

It is often the case that, during these games, the pot is split, therefore the highest and lowest hands are able to share the pot between them. 

Tips and Strategies for winning at online Poker 

Would you like to implement an effective poker strategy that will provide a significant boost to your potential winnings? 

Here, we have compiled some of the best tips and tricks for playing online poker, enabling you to enhance your gaming experience exponentially! 

Semi bluff 

Semi bluff is a strategy that is used when the poker player does not have a high-ranking hand, but can still land a win in one of the two following ways: 

• They raise their bet, thus bluffing that they have a high-ranking hand and, in reaction to this, forcing their opponents to fold. 

• The strength of their hand can be improved as the cards are revealed, thus landing a win regardless. 

There are two instances in which a semi bluff would be the ideal course of action: 

• When your hand has no showdown value. 

• When there is potential for your hand to become a strong one. 

Defend your Big Blind 

A highly important strategy to integrate into your poker gameplays is that of defending your big blind. 

Doing so successfully and at the right ranges is vital: 

• Defend the blind too wide, and you’ll end up encountering too many tricky spots with a weak hand. 

• Defend your blind too tight, and you’ll end up blinding down too much. 

The optimal range that you should defend your big blind, and how much of it you should raise, is entirely dependent on the opening range of the opener, not on the position of the opener. 

Fold when you’re unsure 

Another vital strategy to integrate into your poker gameplays is that of folding when you’re unsure of your hand’s success. 

Knowing when to fold your hand is an important skill to master, potentially saving you from several huge losses. 

There are several decisions that players must take during a game, the most important of which is knowing when, where, and if a hand should be folded. 

This is a concept that many poker players struggle with, even when it is apparent that their opponent has a better hand. 

Can we play on mobile? 

It is entirely possible to play online poker games on your mobile device. 

Simply install the online casino app of your choosing or copy and paste the URL link of the gaming platform you wish to play at. 

Keep in mind, however, the following key points to ensure that the online casino that you have settled on can provide you with a satisfactory mobile-friendly experience: 

• The speed of the online games accessed on your mobile device must be equally as fast as those accessed on desktop. 

• The quality of the games must not be diminished. 

• The gaming platform must be perfectly adapted to the screen of your mobile device. 

• The same perks and benefits available on desktop must also be available on your device. 

Ensuring that these criteria are being met will guarantee that your mobile gaming experience will not be marred by any potentially negative effects that can be incurred from unsatisfactory online casino features. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, our team of experts here at Lucky7Bonus highly recommend the excellent online poker games that we have suggested in this in-depth guide to online poker. 

Make sure to integrate the strategic tips and tricks that we have compiled in this article during your next poker gameplays and enjoy the thrilling virtual journey that only the best online casinos can provide!