Poker: Basic Fundamentals
Poker is one of the most popular card games, and one that can be played by almost anyone. Poker is any of many card games where players place wagers over which hand comes up first according to the rules of the game. Poker was invented by someone probably in the 18th century, and although it has changed a lot over the years, the basic rules have not.
The standard poker decks are a 52-card deck. There are various versions of poker, but the two most common versions are bridge and modem. Each version has its own particular rules, so players should always know what cards they are holding when they are dealt a new hand.
A poker ranking poker hand wins when you get your five card draw poker hands dealt and you have bet enough to pay the pot. If you end up with the highest hand after the showdown, the pot will be your prize. You will then be able to call the deal, raise the amount you bet on top of your initial bet, and then call the pot again if you want to. The only exception to this rule is when a player has already raised the amount they are betting on top of their initial bet, in which case they may only raise the amount of money in the pot they have in play.
A straight flush is defined as having the highest card in your hand (and the highest cards, if you are playing with a straight set, are straight). In older games, a straight flush is called a straight flush when there are no other cards in the deck that could come before your highest card – in other words, all your cards are ranked starting from zero. So, for example, the highest card in a holdem game might be the Ace. If there are no other cards beyond that, then this would be considered a straight flush.
A full house is simply a game where you have to bet or raised so much that you now have more than you can afford to lose – after all, the last thing you want is to end up getting caught in a multi-flush. In a full house game, you are still considered to be “in the money” even though you have spent more than your starting hand. In a four-suit flop, for instance, if you have four cards in the pot and your opponent has five cards, you would still be considered to be “in the money”. However, because you have spent more than your starting hand, your opponents probably would not fold unless they had a very good hand – and in a full house game, there will most likely be a few such occasions.
A four-card draw is defined as having the least cards in your hand (after the two of you started with). In holdem games where you have to get five cards from the pot before you have a chance to act, this is also called a four-card draw. In a five-card draw game, you must have the best five cards, but after this point, it becomes less important whether you have the best five cards, because you will be unable to act until the other players have revealed their hands anyway.