Knowing The Basic Rules of Poker is Essential
August 3, 2008
In order to learn how to play poker, the first thing an Italian player has to learn is the hierarchy of hands and which ones are winners over the others. These are the basic rules of poker, in all poker games. The deck of cards used in poker is standard the world over, so there is no difference in the cards you use when play in Italy or when you are playing in Las Vegas. There are 52 cards in this deck and each are ranked in order from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and then the numbers from 10 to 1 in four suits - Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades.
The object of the game is to form a hand with five cards. The hierarchy of hands is:
- Royal Flush: This is one of the hardest hands to get when playing poker. You need to have Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten in the same suit.
- Straight Flush: This hand refers to five cards that are in numerical order, but they all have to be of the same suit. Examples would be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of clubs or 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen of hearts.
- Four of a kind: this is the same numbered or picture card from the four suits, such as four Aces or four 2’s.
- Full House. This hand consists of three of the same number or picture cards and two of another, such as three Jacks and two 5’s.
- Flush: This hand consists of five cards in numerical order but they don’t all have to be of the same suit. This is sometimes called a straight.
- Three of a Kind: This hand has three cards of the same number of picture.
- Two Pair: As the name suggests, this hand has two pairs.
- One pair: This is the lowest hand in poker and is a pair of the same number or picture cards.
If none of the players has either one of these hands, then the winner is the one with the highest ranking card in his/her hand.
Now that you know what hands beat the others, you have to learn the rules of poker. There are many variations of the game, but the one most often played in online poker and at casinos is Texas Hold’Em. In some games there is a limit on the amount of money each player can bet and in others there are no limits on the betting. These are called limit and no-limit poker. The two players to the left of the dealer have to place a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any players receive their cards. These amounts are called the big blind and the small blind. Then the dealer deals two cards to each player, face down on the table.
The players look at the cards and decide whether they want to bet on what they hold in their hands or if they will fold. If they figure that they do not have winning cards, they simply throw their cards in the middle of the table when their turn comes and are not part of the round of play. The players who do stay in the round can place a bet, raise the bet of another player or call, in their turn.
The dealer discards the top card from the deck, just in case one of the players may have seen it. He/She then turns over three cards on the table and the players decide whether they can make a hand with these cards and what they hold in their hands. Another round of betting takes place and then the dealer turns up one more card. Betting resumes and a fifth card is turned over. The player with the highest hand at the end of this play is the winner of the amount of money in the pot.
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