Play Soko Poker Online for Real Money

Soko is a version of 5 Card Stud Poker where a 4-card straight and a 4-card flush have been added to the hand rankings. These hands beat one pair and are beaten by two pair, meaning the Soko hand rankings in order of low to high are: high card, pair, 4-card straight, 4-card flush, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full-house, quads and finally a straight flush. While it doesn’t come into play often, it’s worth noting that there is no such Soko hand as a 4 card straight flush.

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Other than the two added hands, Soko is played exactly like traditional 5 Card Stud. Additional names for this game include Scandinavian Stud, Canadian Stud and the Finnish spelling: Sökö. An interesting fact is that sökö is a poker term used for checking in Finland (”I check” = “minä sökötän”).

Soko is most commonly played with pot-limit betting stakes, but can also be played in fixed limit and no limit varieties. While tough Soko games are quite boring and frustrating to those who catch a cold-deck, these types of games are rare. Generally Soko is a game that attracts a great deal of gamblers and fish that will chase without proper odds and attempt to make unwise bluffs. It’s amazing how often we see players betting open pairs on the river against 3 exposed to a 4-flush, and making otherwise bad plays.

Where to Play Soko Online

Soko is played online exclusively at NoIQ Poker and other Entraction networked poker rooms such as 24hPoker, Devilfish, Noxwin, i4poker, etc. Here all game traffic takes place at the pot limit tables, with games running around the clock. The most popular stake played is €0.10/€.25 PL, though there are plenty of smaller games, and during peak hours it’s possible to get games going at the higher stakes.

We recommend NoIQ Poker because between their sign up bonus, rakeback program, VIP program and point races, they offer players the best value.

To get started playing Soko poker online, visit the NoIQ Poker website.

Soko Tips and Strategy

Soko is a simple game played mostly by Scandinavian gamblers, so you won’t find a great deal of poker strategy articles dedicated to this game. Some prerequisites to our Soko strategy include a firm understanding of poker fundamentals (hand rankings, odds, etc.), commitment to focusing on just one or two tables, observation/memorization skills, and comfort playing a tight aggressive game.

To emphasize, a tight aggressive style is far more important in Soko than any other poker variance, because rarely will opponents offer proper odds to draw. Also, because the cards mucked are important to your starting hands and are valuable information during later streets, it’s important to play only the number of tables you can comfortably pay attention to.

Here are our Soko Tips:

#1) Starting Hands: Always start with the best hand! The only time this should be deviated from is when you suspect an opponent is on a steal, and even so online games are soft enough that you can stick to only starting with the best hand. When you have a live ace in the hole and a live mid upcard (live = no other same denomination cards yet exposed), you’ll often want to come in for a raise before third street, but be willing to let go if meeting resistance. Also, all pairs, no matter how small, are often playable from any position: Be willing to min raise or call small raises with mid pairs. Your big pairs are worth playing slower before third, but should be played strong on later streets. A big hole card with a big upcard is playable from late position, but in most games where no trickery is required, these hands should be folded when an early position player has raised.

#2) Win pots early with vulnerable hands! When holding a low pair you want to either win or fold this hand before making it to Fourth Street. Another requirement to winning at Soko is to scout and get to know your opponents. There are some you should be willing to go all the way against with any pair. Keep notes on which players are capable of potting without a pair.

#3) Betting Size: Half the pot sized bets are often your friend in PL Soko. This is the type of bet that often entices players to call without the proper odds to do so. The exception is when you put a player on a draw to a 4-card straight or flush; this is where you’ll need to be more aggressive and consider potting it.

#4) Check the river! If your hole card does not make your hand stronger, meaning what players can see is what you have, and your board beats all other boards, 100% of the time check! Players will not call if they can’t beat your board, so a bet on the river under this circumstance is a major -EV mistake.

#5) Always play Soko with the best starting hand. Yes, we covered this in tip #1, but we wanted to remind you. This is a simple game that anyone can master: fish start with the worst hand, you don’t.

Our final piece of advice, scout the tables before taking a seat. Soko is all about finding and taking money from lively fish.

To get started playing Soko poker online, visit the NoIQ Poker website.