Your pulse quickens as you go all in on your big slick, patiently awaiting
your opponent to call or fold. Dreading what is in store, your opponent calls,
flipping over his pair of ladies. Your heart sinks as the river is turned. An
ace saves your very existence as your big slick overtakes your opponents pocket
pair of ladies.
Sound like a bunch of gibberish? It's actually a scenario of a very popular
poker game played in the world today called "Texas Hold 'Em." For now though,
let's start with the basics:
Poker is played with a regular ol' deck of playing cards. The object of poker
is to survive the rounds of betting and have the best hand out of all players.
Let's go over the wining hands of poker:
Royal Flush – Did you remember to put the lid down? Actually, this is
the rarest of all poker hands to be dealt. A royal flush consists of an ace,
king, queen, jack, and ten, all of the same suit.
Straight Flush – Another rare hand to be dealt in the game of poker.
A straight flush is five cards all in numerical order of the same suit. Example:
two, three, four, five, and six of clubs.
Four of A Kind – Four of a kind is exactly that: four of the same
cards, plus any other card. If another player also has four of a kind, the
player with the highest value of their four of a kind wins. Example: you're
holding four kings and an ace and your opponent is holding four queens and an
ace. Your kings beat your opponents four queens since kings are a higher value
than queens–you win, rake that pot in!
Full House – No, this does not mean that because your house is full
of your buddies that you automatically win. A full house consists of a set of
three of the same numbered cards, plus a set of two numbered cards. Example:
you're holding three kings and two queens—that's a full house!
Flush – Still forgetting to put that lid down? A flush is any
numerical sequence of cards that are all the same suit. The cards don't have to
be in numerical order, they just have to be the same suit, whether it's five
hearts, five clubs, five spades, or five diamonds.
Straight – A straight is a five card sequence in numerical order. The
five cards do not have to be the same suit.
Three of a Kind – Three of a kind consists of three cards that are
the same number, plus two other random cards. When facing an opponent who is
also holding three of a kind, the higher of the two three of a kind hands wins.
Example: three fives would beat three fours.
Two Pair – Two pair is a five card hand that consists of two sets of
pairs plus another random card. Example: you're holding two sixes, two fives,
and a king. The two fives and two sixes are your "two of a kind." If another
opponent is holding two pairs, then your fifth card determines who wins the
hand–the higher of the two random cards decides which hand wins.
One Pair – One pair consists of two of your cards in your hand being
the same, plus three other random cards. In the game of poker, this is a fairly
common hand to be dealt, though not an easy hand to win the pot with.
High Card – In a high card hand, the only thing that can win the pot
for you is if your high card beats the other players high card. If you've stayed
in the game for awhile and are holding five cards, all of different suits and
different numbers, it might be best to fold. However, if you're feeling bold,
you may decide to stay in the game and see if your opponents are bluffing, you'd
be surprised at how many times a high card hand has won the pot.
Got that memorized? It may take you a few hands to get into the swing of
playing poker, however, the knowledge of what hand beats what will soon stick
with you. Now on to the game play!
When playing a game of poker, before the cards are dealt, each player needs
to put in what is called an "ante." This bet can be anything from a nickel to
hundreds of dollars. Poker players usually set limits as to what the ante is,
and how high the bets can go. The ante is pretty much an act of good faith,
saying "yes, I want to play this round of poker."
The dealer then deals the cards out to each player, making sure each player
has five cards. Each player looks at their own cards without showing them to
anyone else at the table. The first player to the left of the dealer has the
option to "open the pot," or make the first bet, or they can "check," which
means they don't want to make the first bet, but they don't want to fold their
cards and drop out of the game just yet. In the case of checking, the option of
betting would go to the next player.
After the pot is opened, continuous bets are then placed. When your turn
comes around, you can "see" another players bet (match the bet, or bet the same
as the last player that made a bet), "raise" the bet (you see the last player's
bet and raise the bet a little higher), or you can "fold" (throw all your cards
in).
Once the first round of bets are done, players have the option of getting
rid of up to three of their "crappy cards" (cards they don't want, or do nothing
for their hand to help them win) and be dealt new ones. Another round of betting
follows with the same rules as above. The hand of poker is done when no one any
longer wants to raise the bets or everyone but one player has folded. The cards
in each players hand is turned over for everyone to see, and the highest hand
wins all that money in the pot.
There you have it! With a little practice, poker will come firsthand to you.
The most important thing to remember is to enjoy yourself!