Poker is a game of chance. However, when you
introduce the concept of betting, poker gains quite a bit of skill and
psychology. (This isn't to say that there isn't skill at poker when nothing
is at risk, there just isn't nearly as much). This is meant as a very basic
primer into the rules of poker, for more information, get a book on the game
(or start playing with a group of people who know how. It's more expensive than
reading a book, but the group won't mind. *Snicker*).
This list is currently broken into several
parts:
1. The Very Basics
2. How the Hands
are Ranked
3. Descriptions of
Hand Ranks
4. Betting
5. An Example 5-Card Draw Hand
The Very Basics
Poker is played from a standard pack of 52
cards. (Some variant games use multiple packs or add a few cards called
jokers.) The cards are ranked (from high to low) Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9,
8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. (Ace can be high or low, but is usually high). There
are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs); however, no suit is higher
than another. All poker hands contain five cards, the highest hand wins.
Some games have Wild Cards, which can
take on whatever suit and rank their possessor desires. Sometimes jokers will
be used as wild cards, other times, the game will specify which cards are wild
(dueces, one-eyed jacks, or whatever).
How the hands are ranked
Hands are ranked as follows (from high to low):
·
Flush
·
Straight
·
Two Pair
·
Pair
Descriptions of Hand Ranks
A five of a kind (which is only possible when
using wild cards) is the highest possible hand. If more than one hand has five
of a kind, the higher card wins (Five Aces beats five kings, which beat five
queens, and so on).
A straight flush is the best natural hand. A
straight flush is a straight (5 cards in order, such as 5-6-7-8-9) that are all
of the same suit. As in a regular straight, you can have an ace either high
(A-K-Q-J-T) or low (5-4-3-2-1). However, a straight may not 'wraparound'. (Such
as K-A-2-3-4, which is not a straight). An Ace high straight-flush is called a Royal
Flush and is the highest natural hand.
Four of a kind is simply four cards of the same
rank. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the
higher-rank four of a kind wins. If, in some bizarre game with many wild cards,
there are two four of a kinds with the same rank, then the one with the high
card outside the four of the kind wins. General Rule: When hands tie on the
rank of a pair, three of a kind, etc, the cards outside break ties following
the High Card rules.
A full house is a three of a kind and a pair,
such as K-K-K-5-5. Ties are broken first by the three of a kind, then pair. So
K-K-K-2-2 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A, which beats Q-Q-Q-J-J. (Obviously, the three of a
kind can only be similiar if wild cards are used.)
A flush is a hand where all of the cards are the
same suit, such as J-8-5-3-2, all of spades. When flushes ties, follow the
rules for High Card.
A straight is 5 cards in order, such as
4-5-6-7-8. An ace may either be high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (5-4-3-2-1). However, a
straight may not 'wraparound'. (Such as Q-K-A-2-3, which is not a straight).
When straights tie, the highest straight wins. (AKQJT beats KQJT9 down to
5432A). If two straights have the same value (AKQJT vs AKQJT) they split the
pot.
Three cards of any rank, matched with two cards
that are not a pair (otherwise it would be a Full House . Again, highest three of a kind wins. If both
are the same rank, then the compare High Cards.
This is two distinct pairs of card and a 5th
card. The highest pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high pair, the
second pair wins. If both hands have the same pairs, the high card wins.
One pair with three distinct cards. High card
breaks ties.
This is any hand which doesn't qualify as any
one of the above hands. If nobody has a pair or better, then the highest card
wins. If multiple people tie for the highest card, they look at the second
highest, then the third highest etc. High card is also used to break ties when
the high hands both have the same type of hand (pair, flush, straight, etc).
Betting
So, how do you bet? Poker is, after all, a
gambling game. In most games, you must 'ante' something (amount varies by game,
our games are typically a nickel), just to get dealt cards. After that players
bet into the pot in the middle. At the end of the hand, the highest hand (that
hasn't folded) wins the pot. Basically, when betting gets around to you
(betting is typically done in clockwise order), you have one of three choices:
Call
When you call, you bet enough to match what has
been bet since the last time you bet (for instance, if you bet a dime last
time, and someone else bet a quarter, you would owe fifteen cents).
Raise
When you raise, you first bet enough to match
what has been bet since the last time you bet (as in calling), then you 'raise'
the bet another amount (up to you, but there is typically a limit.) Continuing
the above example, if you had bet a dime, the other person raised you fifteen
cents (up to a quarter), you might raise a quarter (up to fifty cents). Since
you owed the pot 15 cents for calling and 25 for your raise, you would put 40
cents into the pot.
Fold
When you fold, you drop out of the current hand
(losing any possibility of winning the pot), but you don't have to put any
money into the pot.
Betting continues until everyone calls or folds
after a raise or initial bet.
Some Standard Betting Rules
In the group I play in, we ante a nickel. The
maximum first bet is fifty cents, and the maximum raise is fifty cents.
However, during one round of betting, raises may total no more than one dollar.
An Example Five Card Draw Hand.
Five card draw is one of the most common types
of poker hands. Each player is dealt five cards, then a round of betting
follows. Then each player may discard up to 3 cards (4 if your last card is an
ace or wild card, in some circles) and get back (from the deck) as many cards
as he/she discarded. Then there is another round of betting, and then hands are
revealed (the showdown) and the highest hand wins the pot. So you are the
dealer at a five card draw game (against four other players, Alex, Brad,
Charley and Dennis (seated in that order to your left). Everyone puts a nickel
into the pot (Ante) and you deal out 5 cards to each player.
You deal yourself a fairly good hand
Ks-Kd-Jd-5c-3d. A pair of kings isn't bad off the deal (not great, but not
bad). Then the betting starts...
- Alex 'Checks' (checking is basically calling when you don't owe anything to the pot).
- Brad bets a dime.
- Charley calls (and puts a dime into the pot).
- Dennis raises a dime (and puts twenty cents into the pot).
- Well, it's your turn. Twenty cents to you. You can fold, call or raise. Like I said before, pair of kings isn't bad, not good but not bad. You call and put twenty cents into the pot.
- Back to Alex, who grumbles and tosses his cards into the center of the table, folding. (Note, when folding, never show your cards to anyone).
- Brad calls. The total bet is twenty cents, but he had already bet a dime, so he owes a dime, which he tosses into the pot.
- Charley is in the same position as brad, and tosses a dime into the pot.
The round of betting is over. After Dennis's
raise, everyone else folded or called (there weren't any raises) so, everyone
is all square with the pot. Now everyone can discard up to 3 cards. Brad
discards 3 cards, Charley discards one card, Dennis discards two cards. (You
deal replacements to everyone) and now it's your turn. You have a pair of
kings, three spades, and no chance for a straight. It's best to just keep the
two kings and hope to get a 3rd or fourth king. You discard three cards, and
your new hand is: Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h. Three Kings! A nice little hand.
What do you suppose the others were trying for?
Well, Brad kept two cards, so he probably had a pair (just like you) but it
probably wasn't aces, so even if brad got a three of a kind, you probably beat
him. Charley kept four cards, so he was probably trying for a straight or
flush. (If Charley had four of a kind, he might have bet much harder). The big
problem is Dennis. He raised earlier, and only drew two cards. He might be
bluffing, but he could have had three of a kind off the deal... In any case,
the second round of betting starts (with dealers left).
- Brad bets a nickel.
- Charley folds (I guess he didn't get his straight or flush).
- Dennis raises twenty cents (to a quarter total).
- You call.
- Brad looks at his cards, then calls (betting twenty cents).
- Again, everyone called Dennis's raise, so the round of betting is over.
Well, the betting is over, everyone reveals his
hand:
- You had Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h.
- Brad had Jh-Jd-3c-3s-Ah.
- Dennis had Qh-Qs-Qd-As-7s.
Well, the highest hand is three of a kind, and
the highest three of a kind is your three kings. You win!