Basics:
Poker originated in the saloons of the Wild West and has probably the most
game variants. It is played player against players and not just against the
dealer as in Blackjack, and there is a lot of psychology involved during play.
Poker is played from a standard deck of 52 cards. Some variant games use
multiple decks or add Jokers or Wild Cards
The Ranking of Poker Hands:
The ranking of poker hands starting from the highest are as follows:
- 01 - Five of a Kind (with a Wild card or Joker)
- 02 - Royal Flush
- 03 - Straight Flush
- 04 - Four of a Kind
- 05 - Full House
- 06 - Flush
- 07 - Straight
- 08 - Three of a Kind
- 09 - Two Pair
- 10 - Pair
- 11 - High Card
Five of a Kind is only possible when using wild cards and is the highest
possible hand. If more than one hand has five-of-a-kind, the higher rank wins;
e.g. five Aces beat five kings, which beat five queens, and so on.
Straight Flush is the best natural hand. A straight flush consists of five
cards in sequence and of the same suit. An Ace high straight-flush is called a
Royal Straight Flush or Royal Flush and is the highest natural hand.
Four of a Kind is a hand that contains of four cards of the same rank. The
hand with the highest rank of four-of-a-kind beats other four-of-a-kind hands.
If there are many wild cards, as used in some game variants, there could be two
four-of-a-kind hands with the same rank. In this case, the hand with the most
high ranking fifth card wins. This rule applies to hands that tie, such as a pair or
two pairs. Dead heats split the pot.
Full House is a hand consisting of three-of-a-kind and a pair. Again, where
Wild Cards are used, ties are compared first by the three-of-a-kind ranking,
then the pair.
Flush is a hand consisting of cards that are all of the same suit in any
order.
Straight is a hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence, such as 5-6-7-8-9. An
Ace may either be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (A-2-3-4-5).
Three of a Kind is a hand similar to the four-of-a-kind hand, except that if
the remaining two cards are a pair, then it becomes a Full House.
Two Pair is a hand that contains two pairs only.
Pair is a hand that contains one pair only.
High Card is a hand that is none of the above and is a weak hand. If no
player has a pair or better, then the hand that contains the highest ranking
card wins. If multiple players tie with the highest card, then the second
highest card decides, followed by the third and so on.
Playing Poker:
In most games players must 'ante' a nominal amount just to have the cards
dealt. Once the cards are dealt, the betting starts. Players bet into the pot in
the middle of the table and it is done in turn clockwise. The player with the
highest rank showing, is the first to speak and to bet. He can either bet or
check. By saying 'Check', he passes the decision to bet to the next player who
can also check. If all players check, then it is the end of the round. Everyone
look at his cards and the best hand wins.
Only after one player places a bet the real betting starts. Each player in
turn can either 'Call', 'Raise' or 'Fold'. To fold is to pass or drop out of the
round and not play. To call means willing to match the bet, and the same amount
must be placed on the pot. To raise means to match the bet and add an extra bet.
Say you start with a $5 bet. If someone else raises to a total of $10, he puts
a total of $15 in the
place. When your turn comes again you need to add $10 difference to the pot to
stay in the game, and if you want you can also raise or even say 'Pot'. Pot is a
raise to the maximum, which means to bet the same amount as the total money
available in the pot.
If there are no more players that raise and all cards have been dealt, then
it is the end of the hand. Everybody look at his closed cards and the most high hand wins the
pot.
Variations:
Seven card stud poker
game summary:
Of all the poker games most commonly played in public cardrooms, Seven Card
Stud is probably the most popular. In this game, each player is dealt seven
cards of their own: two cards in the hole and one face up, followed by an
opening bet. Then three cards face up, with a betting round after each card
dealt, and a final card in the hole with a final bet. (CC) C bet; C (bet); C
(bet); C (bet); (C) bet. The player makes a hand using any five cards from the
seven dealt. The highest hand wins the pot.
Caribbean Stud Poker
game summary:
A casino table game based on the standard 5-card stud poker game played on a
Blackjack-type table. Some casinos also offer a progressive jackpot paid to high
ranking hands. This table game is played with one deck of cards. Here the player
fight against the dealer's hand. Each player makes the opening bet called
'ante'. Players then have the option to bet $1.00 to participate in the
progressive jackpot. Players win all or part of the progressive jackpot with a
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House or Flush.
Players place the opening bet 'ante'. Then the dealer deals in turn giving
five cards each face down, including himself except for the dealer's fifth card,
which is face up. After examining the cards, the player must decide on one of
two options:
Either place a bet on the 'play' mark equal to the 'ante' amount and continue
the game, or Fold and withdraw from that round and forfeit the 'ante' wager.
Once that all players made their choice, the dealer will look at his or her
cards. The dealer's hand must contain an Ace-King or better to qualify and
challenge the players hands, otherwise the dealer folds and only the 'ante'
wagers are paid, at 1:1 irrespective of ranking. The 'play' bet is returned to
the player.
If the dealer's hand qualifies with an Ace-King or better, then the players
cards are opened and compared against the dealer's. If the dealer's hand is
better than the player's hand, then the player loses both, the 'ante' and 'play'
wager.
If the player's hand is better than the dealer's, then the dealer pays the
player for both wagers; the 'ante' and the 'play'. For the 'ante' the payoff is
fixed at 1:1 irrespective of the hand ranking. For the 'play' wager the payoffs
vary according to the ranking of each player's hand.
The payoffs may differ between casinos but basically they are as follows:
- A Pair - Even Money
- Two Pairs - 2 to 1
- Three of A Kind - 3 to 1
- Straight - 4 to 1
- Flush - 5 to 1
- Full House - 7 to 1
- Four of A Kind - 20 to 1
- Straight Flush - 50 to 1
- Royal Flush - 100 to 1
Irrespective of the dealer's hand, if a player has a hand that qualifies for
the progressive jackpot, the player wins according to the ranking of his hand.
If two or more players win, the winnings are shared. The jackpot payoffs are as
follows:
- Royal Flush - 100% of the Jackpot
- Straight Flush - 10% of the Jackpot
- Four of a Kind - $100
- Full House - $75
- Flush - $50
House advantage 5.22%
Let it ride poker
game summary:
Let it ride is a poker variation. The object of the game is to get a pair of
10s or better using three cards dealt to the player and two "community" cards
given to the dealer. At this game everybody plays against the casino. To start
with, each player makes three bets of equal amount. Then the dealer gives each
player three cards and takes two community cards placed face down. After looking
at their first three cards every player has the chance to take back one of their three
bets or to leave it out 'let it ride'.
Then the dealer turns over one of the two community cards, which apply to all
hands on the table, and each player has the option to take out another bet or to
'let it ride'. The player may leave their bet in or take it out the second time
irrespective of their first decision.
The dealer then shows the second community card. Winners are paid based on
hands which have a pair of 10s or better with a pair of 10s paying even money,
as follows:
- Tens or better 1 to 1
- Two pair: pays 2 to 1
- Three of a kind: pays 3 to 1
- Straight: pays 5 to 1
- Flush: pays 8 to 1
- Full house: pays 11 to 1
- Four of a kind: pays 50 to 1
- Straight flush: pays 200 to 1
- Royal flush: pays 1,000 to 1
House advantage 3.5%
Pai gow poker
game summary:
Pai Gow Poker is a mixture of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow with
classic American poker. It's played with a standard 53 card deck, including a
Joker. The Joker can only be used as an Ace, or to complete a Straight or a
Flush. The game is one-to-one, the player (or players) plays against the banker,
each competing to make the best possible hand. Due to a rather slow pace and a
lot of ties pai gow poker is less intense than most casino games and a modest
bankroll can usually last a long time.
Each player is dealt seven cards. The cards are arranged into two hands: a
2-card hand and a 5-card hand. Rankings are like the classic poker. The highest
2-card hand is Aces and the highest 5-card hand is a royal flush.
The 5-card hand have to be biggest than the 2-card hand. For example, if the
2-card hand is a pair of fours, the 5-card hand must contain a pair of fives or
better.
The game's object is for the player to have both hands to have a most high
rank
than those of the banker. If the player wins on one hand but loses on the other,
it's a push and no money changes hands. If one hand ranks the same as the
banker's hand, it's a tie but in this case the banker wins. Winning hands are
paid even money, less a 5% commission. Losing hands lose the amount wagered.
House advantage 2.5%
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