Basics of Poker

 Basics of Poker

Germans began playing a bluffing game called Pochen in the 16th Century. Later it developed into a French version known as "Poque", which was then brought to New Orleans. It was played on the Mississippi riverboats.

Poker was born in 1830s. During the Civil War, the crucial rule of drawing cards to improve one’s hand was introduced. Stud Poker, a variation of Poker, was created around the same period. There are hundreds upon hundreds of variations of Poker. It is also played in private homes and in many Poker rooms at well-known casinos. Poker can be played for pennies or matchsticks socially or professionally for thousands.

Poker has a lot of luck, but it also requires incredible skill. Each player is responsible for his own destiny.

THE PACK

The 52-card pack includes the standard 52 cards, with sometimes one or more jokers. While poker is usually a one-pack sport, there are many games that involve two packs. To speed up the game, you can use two packs with contrasting colors in most cases. The first pack is being dealt and the second is being shuffled in preparation for the next. Two packs are dealt as follows: The previous dealer gathers all the cards from his deal, shuffles them, then places them to their left. When it's time to deal, the shuffled deck goes to the next dealer. When two packs are being used in a game, the dealer cuts the pack instead of his right-hand opponent.

It is common in clubs to swap cards often, and allow any player to call for additional cards whenever they want. Each pack should be opened and inspected by all players when new cards have been introduced.

CARD VALUES/SCORING

While Poker is played in many forms, those who know the value of Poker hands and the principles behind betting can easily play in any form of Poker. A Poker hand contains five cards, with the exception of a few variations. You can choose from different combinations of Poker hand, ranging in rank from 5 of a kind (the most valuable) to none of a pair (the least).

Five of a Kind: This is the highest possible hand. It can only be found in games with at least one wild card such as a joker or two one-eyedjacks or the four deuces. You can see five of a type in the following examples: four 10s and one wild card; or two queens with three wild cards.

Straight Flush is the highest possible hand, provided that the standard pack is used. There are no wild cards. Straight flush includes five cards of the same suits in a sequence of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, of hearts. The A, K, Q and J are the highest-ranking straights flushes. Also, 10 cards from one suit rank higher. This combination has a special name, a royal flush (or royal straight flush). These odds of getting dealt are 1 in 650,000.

Four of a Kind: This hand is just below a straight flush. A good example would be four aces, or four 3,s. It does not matter which fifth, unmatched card it is.

Full House – This colorful hand consists of three cards from one rank and two cards from another rank. It could include three 8s, two 4s, three aces or two 6s.

Flush – Five cards from the same suit are considered a flush. However, they do not have to be in the same order. One example of this is Q, 10, 7, 6, 6 and 2 clubs.

Straight - A straight is five cards in succession, but not all of the same suits. For example, 9-8-7-6 is an example.

Three of one - This combo contains three cards of exactly the same rank and two cards of different ranks, such as three Jacks, sevens, and four.

Two Pairs: This hand has a pair each of one rank and another pair (of a different ranking) plus any fifth cards of a different rank. Q, Q 7, 7, 4.

One Pair – This is the most common combination that contains only one pair of cards, and all three are of different rank. For example, 10, K, 4 and 3.

No Pair – This is a very common hand that contains "nothing." Each of the five cards does not pair up. Neither are the five cards of the identical suit or rank. The hands of players who have more than one pair are rated by their highest card. For example, an ace-high hand will beat a king, or vice versa.

Due to Poker's relative rank system, identical hands are tied. In this case, the players who are tied split the pot. You should note that two hands with the same high pair will win. The ranking of the next card in each hand determines which hand wins. For example: 9, 9, 7, 4, 2 beats 9, 9, 5, 3, 2. Two hands with identical pairs will be determined by the fifth card. For example: Q, Q, 6, 6, J beats Q, Q, 6, 6, 10.

BETTING

Poker is all about betting. It is, in essence, a game that involves chip management.

Each Poker deal will include one or more betting intervals during which players can bet on their hands. Poker requires the fundamental skill of minimizing losses with poor hands and maximising winnings with good hands.

To get started, each player may need to make an initial contribution. This is called an "ante" and it can be one or more of your chips.

Each betting period, or round, starts when a player makes a bet using one or more of their chips. Each player must, at their turn, "call" the bet by putting in the same number of chips. Or "raise," which indicates that the player has more chips than they can call. Or "drop" ("fold") means that the player does not put any chips in the pot. They are out of the betting until the next deal.

If a player loses, all chips they have placed into that pot will be lost. A player must not be willing to place at least one chip into the pot as the previous player.

A betting interval ends when all the bets have been placed equal. This means that each player has either lost or put in exactly the same amount of chips. For each Poker deal, there are typically two or more betting periods. Each player who remains with a hand will face the table after the last interval. The pot goes to the player with the best Poker hand.

The pot is won by a player who calls a raise or a wager that no other player calls. Poker is full of bluffing elements. The best combination of cards doesn't always win the pot. Bluffing is the main reason Poker is so well-known.

The player who wants to stay in the game and not bet can "check". This is a "bet for nothing" that the player makes. A player can check if no one else in that betting period has made a wager. They cannot check if another player has made a wager, but they can call or drop the bet. A player may check if another player has raised a wager. Sandbagging is a practice known as "sandbagging", which is allowed, provided it is not prohibited. If all players have checked during a round, the betting interval is finished and all players in the pot are still in the game.

One player is the first to bet in each round. This is according to the game rules. Players can always move their turn to bet to the left. No one may check, place or drop a wager, except for when they are on the line.

KNOWING WHEN YOU PLAY

Mathematical principles are used to rank Poker hands. The higher a hand ranks, the more likely it will win the pot. One example is that a player shouldn't expect a straight flush more times than 65,000 hands. But they can expect two pairs approximately once in 21 hands.

A player shouldn't place a wager unless they intend to bluff. If they don't know the difference between a good and fair hand, no poker player can place a bet. This table shows all the possible Poker hands, as well the combination of each within a pack.

THE KITTY

The players may agree to create a special fund, called a "kitty", by unanimous or majority consent. The players may create a special fund called a "kitty" by "cutting", or taking one low-denomination chips from each pot with more than one raise. The kitty is shared equally by all players and can be used for buying new cards or food and drinks. The kitty is divided equally between all players. A player who leaves a Poker game prior to its end is not allowed to claim their part of any remaining chips in the kitty.

CHIPS

Poker chips are almost always used in poker. There should be at least 200 poker chips available to play in a game with seven or more people. The white chip (or the one with the best color) is the unit or lowest-valued. It is worth no matter what the minimum ante or wager is. A red chip (or any other colored chip), is worth five whites. While a blue or other dark-colored card is worth 10, 20 or 25 whites, or two, four or five of each red, a blue or other chip is worth either 10 or 20, or 25 or 25, or ten, twenty or more whites. Each player "buys into" the game by buying a certain amount of chips at the start. Each player usually purchases the same amount.

BANKER

One player should be designated the banker. This person keeps track of the chip stock and records who has purchased chips. The banker will not allow players to make private transactions. Players with surplus chips may give them back to the banker, who will then credit or cash them. Any player wanting more chips should only get them from the banker.

BETTING LIMITS

There are several ways to set a betting limit. There must be a limit. A player with much more money would have or be perceived to have an unfair advantage. Unless the players unanimously agree, the limit should remain the same throughout the game. Some popular limit systems follow:

FIXED LIMIT

A limit on how many chips a player can bet and raise is that it cannot exceed a certain number, such as two, five, 10, or 10. This limit usually changes depending on the stage of a game. In Draw Poker for example, if the limit was five before the draw it may be ten after. Stud Poker's limit is five for the first four betting intervals. The final betting interval is 10, and ten when a player has two or more showings.

POT LIMIT

Limitations on any raise or bet are only the chips that remain in the pot at the time. The raise of a player can count towards the pot as the required number of chips for him to call. If six chips are in the pot and a four-way bet is made, it is 10 chips. It takes four chips for the next player, who will then call. That makes 14 chips. After that, the player may raise by 14 chip. Even though the pot limit has been reached, it is important that there be a maximum limit of 50 chips.

TABLE STAKES

Each player can only have as many chips as they have. If a player only has 10 chips they can bet no more than 10, and he may call other players' bets up to that amount. Players cannot withdraw chips or give chips back to the banker if they are playing table stakes. An individual may add to his stack only between the close of the last deal and the beginning the next.

WHANGDOODLES OR ROODS

A fixed-limit game will allow for one deal per player. This is where everyone antes doubles and the limit is doubled.

POVERTY Poker

The maximum number of chips a player can lose is limited to one stack. Each player starts with one stack. If they lose that stack, the banker issues another stack without charging. In many cases, a player can also get a third stack for free before dropping out. A limit should be placed on how many stacks are given away so that players have an incentive to play responsibly.

NO LIMIT

You can play these games in your own time, but they are very rare.

LIMITS ON RAISES

Nearly all current games have a limit on how many raises you can make at each betting period. The limit is always three raises.

DRAW AND STUD POKER

First, players must decide on the type of Poker they wish to play.

Draw Poker is the most popular form of Poker. Stud Poker is another option. Draw Poker deals all of the cards face down to the players. Stud Poker sees some cards face-up as the betting progresses. This allows everyone to see a small portion of each other's hands.

The host of the game or the rule of the club should not decide the form of Poker that the players will be playing. Their decision should be influenced by two factors: the number and experience of the players in the group, as well as whether they have any new players. Here are some suggestions:

Stud Poker can be played by 2, 3, or 4. Draw Poker is usually played by only the most experienced players. This means that they often use a stripped deck. It's a deck of cards with the cards removed such as all the deuces and treys.

5--8 players: Any poker form, draw or stu.

9 or 10 players in Five-card Stud Poker

Multiple players: Any game that involves more than five cards, such as Three-Card Monte (or Spit-in-the-Ocean). The following chapter will describe all of the Poker variations. With so many players, another option is to form two tables and hold two separate games.

DEALER'S CHOICE

Dealer's Choice allows each dealer to name the Poker game to be played, as well as the ante and wild cards, and the maximum number of chips that can ever be wagered in each round. Although the dealer may require that one player ante more than another, it is not required. If a jackpots game is selected, and no one opens the betting on it, the same dealer will deal again and everyone antes again.

WILD CARDS

Most Poker purists will choose not to play with wild cards. However, some cards, particularly Dealer's choice, may be marked as wild. A wild card can be any card of any rank, suit or card, including a fifth queen or card that must be combined with the four other cards in a hand to create a straight or flush. The possibilities of winning a rare combination, such as a full-house or straight flush, are greatly increased by wild cards in Poker games. Here are some options for wild cards:

THE JOKER

Most packs of cards contain two jokers that can be used in games like Canasta. Poker players are increasingly using one or both jokers for wild cards.

THE BUG

This is also the joker. But its wildness is restricted: It can count as an Ace, or as a suit card for making flushes; or as any rank or suit card for making straights or flushes.

DEUCES

Draw Poker is known for its popular form, "Deuces Wild". Every two cards is wild. Sometimes the joker can be included as a fifth wildcard. It is important to note that wild cards do not reduce a hand's value. For example, deuces wild will make five hands of 10, 2, 2, 2, 2 (five 10) instead of eight, 8, 8, 2, 2 (five 8) as a wild card.

CARDS WITH ONE EYE

The kings of diamonds, the jacks-of-spades and hearts only have one eye, while all other face cards have two eyes. Although one-eyed Jacks can be called wild cards, the king of Diamonds is seldom considered wild.

LOW HOLE Card

Stud Poker is a game where the lowest "hole card" (that is, the card that is dealt face-down but not seen by any other players) is wild. In Draw Poker, the wildcard would be any card that is lower than the other cards in a player’s hand. If such a card has been designated, it signifies that all cards of that rank are wild. However the wild card does not mean that any card of that rank is wild in another player's hand.

LAWS AND ETHICS

As the final arbiter in all matters, a written set of Poker laws should be used for every game. Poker laws do not have to be followed in every case. There are many local customs that may differ from the official rules. The Poker laws here are designed to reflect the best practices of the most experienced games. Poker is known for its tradition of allowing players to create their own rules (called "house rules") according to their individual preferences. These house rules should, of course, be recorded.

TIME LIMIT

Players should agree on a time limit prior to play. Infringing this principle can make pleasant sessions unpleasant. The host will often tell players when it's time to quit. Where to Start in Poker