These are the basics of the game of poker and I mean the basics.
Don't think you are a gambler just because you know the difference
between a pair and a royal flush. I would suggest that you take
this knowledge and play with family and friends (that won't
take too much of your money).
The Rules of Poker
Poker uses a standard pack of playing
cards, 52 cards (there are some poker games that uses more or
less depending on the variations such as adding wild cards like
jokers). The card ranking is as follows Ace (the highest), King,
Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (the lowest), Ace (this
may also be the lowest card depending on the variations you
are using, but it is usually the highest).
There are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs).
No suit is higher than another. All poker hands contain five
cards, the highest hand wins.
The use of Wild Cards depends on the variations, wild cards
take on whatever rank or suit you want it to take. A wild card
can either be a seperate card added like a joker or you may
specifiy a certain card in the standard deck to be wild like
dueces, or whatever else.
The number of cards dealt is dependant on what type of game
you are playing: 5 card stud, you are dealt five cards and 7
card stud, you are dealt seven. I know this is obvious, but
I don't want anyone to get confused. Five card draw is the standard
poker game where 5 cards are dealt to each player face down.
Ranking of the hands -it wouldn't be a bad idea to print a copy
of this for use during your first poker game, but I would recommend
memorizing it to prevent uncontrolled laughter from your opponents.
1. Five of a Kind -A five of a kind, only possible when
using wild cards, is the highest possible hand. If more
than one hand has five of a kind, the higher cards wins,
five Aces will beat five kings, which beats five queens,
and continues on by the ranking of the cards.
2. Straight Flush -A straight flush is the best natural
hand. A straight flush is a straight (5 cards in order,
such as 7-8-9-10-J) 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 (A-2-3-4-5). You can not use the Ace
in a wraparound and example would be 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.
3. Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank like four
Aces or Four Kings. If there are two or more hands that
qualify, the hand with the higher-rank four of a kind
wins. Very rarely, I mean really rarely, if you are playing
a game with alot of wild cards, you may have two four
of a kinds with the same rank. In this case you use the
High Card rule (number 10 on this list).
4. Full House -A full house is a three of a kind and a
pair, such as K-K-K-2-2. When there are two full houses
the tie is broken by the three of a kind. An example would
be J-J-J-5-5 would beat 9-9-9-A-A. If for some reason
the three of a kind cannot determine the victor then you
go to the pair to decide (this would only happen in a
game with wild cards). An example of this would be K-K-K-A-A
would beat K-K-K-J-J.
5. Flush -A flush is a hand where all of the cards are
the same suit, such as A-J-9-7-5, all of Diamonds. When
flushes ties, follow the rules for High Card.
6. Straight -Five cards in rank order, but not of the
same suit (it can be any combination of the four suits).
An example of a straight is 2-3-4-5-6. The Ace can either
be high or low card, either A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A. Wraparounds
are not allowed (an example being K-A-2-3-4). When two
straights tie, the highest straight wins, K-Q-J-10-9 would
beat 5-4-3-2-A. If two straights have the same value,
AKQJT vs AKQJT, the pot is split.
7. Three of a Kind- Three cards of any rank with the remaining
cards not being a pair (that would be a full house if
it were). Once again the highest ranking three of a kind
would win. K-K-K-2-4 would beat Q-Q-Q-2-3. If both are
the same rank (only in a wild card game), then the High
Card rule come into effect with the remaining two.
8. Two Pair -Two distinct pairs of card and a 5th card.
The highest ranking 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.
9. Pair- One pair with three distinct cards. Highest ranking
pair wins. High card breaks ties.
10. High Card - When a hand has none of the above qualications
of any of the ones listed above, nobody hads even a pair
or better, then it comes down to who is holding the highest
ranking card. If there is a tie for the high card then
the next high card determines the pot, if that card is
a tie than it continues down till the third, fourth, and
fifth card. The High card is also used to break ties when
the high hands both have the same type of hand (pair,
flush, straight, etc).
Those are the types and rankings of the
different hands. Now lets get down to betting. Betting -In most
poker games you start the betting with an ante just to get the
cards dealt.
The ante is dependent upon who you are
playing with, a friendly game would usually have an ante of
a penny, nickle, or dime, I personally like a nickle ante when
playing with friends. The money is put in the center of the
table and is called the pot. At the end of a hand the highest
hand, of the players that remain (some may have folded), wins
the pot.
You have three choices when the betting gets to you (betting
is handled in a clockwise order) and here they are:
1. Call -betting enough to match what has been bet since
the lasttime you bet. An example would be if you bet 25 cents
and somebody than bid 35 cents when to you you would owe 10
cents . If you Call than you would put the amount that you
owed into the pot and you would stay in the hand.
2. Raise -when you raise you first put enough in the pot to
match what has already been bet and then you would raise the
pot by putting an additional amount in (a friendly game would
usually have a limit to how much money you could raise). So
lets say the initial bet was 25 cents, you would have to put
in 25 cents and than say I'll raise you another 25 cents.
Now the other players will either Call, Raise, or fold.
3. Fold -dropping out of the current hand and losing the possibility
of winning the pot. You don't have to put money in and you
would only lose the ante, if its on the first turn, or whatever
you put in the pot later. As the Kenny Rodgers song says,
"you gotta know when to fold them." Sometimes it
is just better to get out then waste good money on bad cards.
Betting is always dependent on the people you are playing
with and the rules that they prescribe. Games beween friends
should always have low limits set on the ante, the amount
you could raise, and the top amount the pot could grow to.
These rules are best because winning a big pot is never worth
losing a friend over. So set the ante at a nickle, the raises
at a quater, and don't let the pot go over a few dollars.
This is the best way to handle a friendly game.
