Poker is a very popular game played by both professional gamblers and fun-seekers alike. The reason it’s so well loved and so widespread, we think, is because it’s just so easy to play. All you need is a deck of cards, a bag of chips (whether plastic or potato, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s something you want to play for), and of course, a flat surface. Like any other great game, the rules may seem a little complicated at first, but once you get the hang of them, you’ll realize that it’s all really quite simple (of course, mastering the game is another thing altogether).
The Basic Rules
Here are some basic poker rules that you need to know to start playing:
- The right to deal a hand normally passes from one player to another in succession, and is symbolized by passing a special token called a “dealer button” or a “buck” (does this bring to mind the old saying “the buck stops here?”), although in a casino, it is the house dealer who always handles the deck. The button is still rotated among the players, but this time, it simply indicates the order of betting.
- Forced bets are normally imposed upon one or more players every game.
- Cards may be dealt face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played.
- There are several betting rounds in every game. Players may choose to pass, call, or raise. Between each round, the dealer puts more cards out onto the table, affecting the value of the cards in each player’s hand.BR>
- If there is more than one player at the end of the last betting round (the others have folded) then there will be a showdown (think Wild West movie style). The remaining players do this by revealing their hand to everyone. The player with the highest hand (in combination with the flop, turn and river cards put down by the dealer) wins the pot.
Variations of Poker
There are actually several versions of poker, and here are some of them:
- Straight Poker: Each player receives a complete hand of five cards. There is no flop, turn or river, which makes the game so straightforward and hence the name. All betting is done in one round, and raising and re-raising is allowed. This is probably the oldest version of poker, and is not so popular today because it doesn't allow for the same level of strategy that more complex forms allow.
- Stud Poker: Cards are dealt in “streets,” which are a prearranged combination of rounds where the cards are faced-up or faced-down. A round of betting follows each round. The most popular variant today as seven-card stud.
- Draw Poker: Each player receives a complete hand, and after betting, players are then allowed to discard cards in favor of new ones (in the hopes of getting a better hand). Five-card draw is a popular form of draw poker.
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