Poker

Poker is a card game that is relatively simple to learn, but very difficult to master. There are countless possible hands in the game of poker, but the real depth and excitement comes from the challenge of outsmarting your opponents. The goal of poker is to have the best combination of cards in your hand, unless you are playing "low" in which case you win by having the worst hand. If you are playing "high/low" you can win by having either the best or worst hand. Poker is usually played with money, which is converted into chips that are used to bet on each poker hand. Most poker games have multiple rounds of betting.

 

The best hands in the game of poker are as follows, with the best hands listed first:

 

Royal Flush: 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all of the same suit

Straight Flush: 5 cards in a row all of the same suit. Ex:  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, with all cards being hearts. Straight flushes cannot include sequences that go from Ace to 2. Ex: Queen, King, Ace, 2, 3 is not a straight flush.

Four of a Kind: All 4 of the same card are in your hand, all 4 Jacks for example.

Full House: Three of a kind and two of a kind. Ex: 3, 3, 3, 9, 9 or Jack, Jack, 8, 8, 8.

Flush: 5 cards all of the same suit.

Straight: 5 cards in a row. Ex: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Straights cannot include sequences that go from Ace to 2. Ex: Queen, King, Ace, 2, 3 is not a straight.

Three of a Kind: 3 of the same card. Ex: 4, 4, 4.

Two Pair: Two pairs. Ex: 6, 6, 10, 10

Pair: Two of the same card. Ex: Queen, Queen

High Card: If no player has one of the above hands, the player with the highest card wins, with Ace being the highest.

 

Almost all poker games require an ante or "blind", which means that one or multiple players are forced to bet a small amount of chips at the beginning of each hand. If a blind is required, then all other players must bet at least as many chips as the blind in order to stay in the hand. Next, a round of betting takes place. There are a few different actions that players can take during a round of betting. Players may "raise", which means they are betting more chips on their hand. If a player raises all other players must match his bet or forfiet their hand by "folding", which means they give up the chance to win the hand because they don't want to match another player's raise or "blind". Players may also "call", which means they choose to match another player's raise exactly. Finally, when no one has bet and the player does not have to match a blind, he can "check" which means he chooses not to raise. 

 

The person who deals is rotated among the players and is denoted by a chip called the "dealer button". The deck of cards is shuffled between each hand. In casual play, the person to the right of the dealer often cuts the deck. Then the dealer deals out a specified number of cards to each player. The cards are dealt face down, face up, or a combination of the two depending on the game. Once the cards are dealt players are allowed to look at all of their cards and the first round of betting occurs. After the first round of betting, the dealer deals out more cards to each player or into a "community board" that has cards that all players can use, depending on the variant of poker. Then the second round of betting begins. This process continues until all cards have been dealt and the last round of betting is over. The player still in the game with the best hand wins. If all players but one fold that players wins automatically.

 

Texas Hold'em has become the most popular poker variant in the United States and many other countries over the past several years, thanks to frequent televised coverage of casino Texas Hold'em tournaments such as the World Series of Poker. The game has become especially popular among young men and is the most popular poker game in online casinos. The game is easy to learn, but it is deep enough that high-level poker players utilize mathematical analysis and psychological mind games with their opponents.

 

In Texas Hold'em the dealer deals two cards to each player, face down. The player to the left of the dealer must wager a "small blind" and the player to the left of him must wager a "big blind". "Small blind" and "big blind" are also used to refer to the player that had to bet the small or big blind. As you might expect, the amount of chips required for the "small blind" is lower, perhaps half or 2/3rds of the big blind. Next, the player to the left of the big blind has an opportunity to call the big blind, fold, or raise. Each player takes his turn to bet until it gets back to the person who was the "big blind". He has a chance to bet even if every player before him just called the big blind. If at any point in the game there is only one player remaining, he automatically wins all of the chips that have been wagered so far, known as the "pot".

 

Next, the dealer deals out 3 community cards face-up (called the "flop") that all players can use to try to make the best possible 5-card hand. A round of betting then ensues and afterwards the dealer deals out one more community card (called the "turn"). There is another round of betting and then the dealer deals out the last community card (called the "river"). There is one final round of betting after the last card is dealt. Whoever has the best 5-card hand among those still left in the game wins the pot. Since there are 7 total cards, each player must choose 5 of the 7 cards to make a hand. Often all players but one fold at some point during the hand before the end of the last betting round, which gives the entire pot to the last player remaining.

 

There are numerous poker strategies. Players may try to increase the amount of chips they will win when they believe they have the best hand by raising. When a player believes he has a bad hand, he may just check when possible or fold because he doesn't think his hand is good enough to win. However, players with bad hands often "bluff", which means they bet as though they have a good hand to get other players to fold. On the other hand, a player with a good hand may decide to play as though he has a bad hand to lead other players to believe they have the best hand or that they can scare him into folding by raising.

 

Considering poker players can bet strong when they have a weak hand or visa versa, interpreting your opponents' betting patterns and behavior becomes vital to winning in poker. It is just as important to play based on what you believe your opponent has as it is to play based on your own cards. After all, if you correctly guess that an opponent is bluffing or just has a bad hand you can probably scare him into folding by raising regardless of what your hand is. If you accurately guess that a player is not bluffing or has good cards then you can estimate the quality of his hand based on his betting patterns and fold if you don't believe your hand is as good. These are only the most simple betting strategies for new players. To find more advanced strategies visit poker websites or buy a book.

 

I will add more content to this Knol over time. I strongly encourage you to submit explanations of other poker games.