The Objective
In all forms of poker the objective is the same: to win money! The more the better! This can be done in only one of two ways (again – this is the same for all different poker games):
- By having the best hand when the betting rounds are over and the cards are turned face up (called “the showdown”).
- By being the “last man standing” – i.e.: all other players fold to your bet (normally because they don’t believe they can win).
“You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”
- Kenny Rogers, from “The Gambler”, 1978.
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The Best Hand
Regardless of the form of poker being played a qualifying ‘hand’ is made up of exactly five cards; this is just as true in Texas Hold’em in which a total of seven cards are available to each player as it is in 5 Card Draw, in which there are only 5 cards. Remember, it is the best five card hand that counts.
Poker hands are ranked (see: Hand Rankings) in order of probability, with the most improbable hands having the highest value. So a straight flush for example, which will occur only once in every 64,973 hands you are dealt (a probability of 0.001%) is the strongest hand in poker, while a solitary high card (no pair) which is the most common hand, is therefore the weakest.
See the Hand Rankings section for a comprehensive list of all the possible poker hands.
NB: Remember, suits are immaterial in poker. Spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds are of equal value.
The Last Man Standing
This really speaks for itself. To be the last man standing all other players in the hand must have folded to your bet. When this happens you do not have to show your cards (although you may if you choose to do so). This means that you can win pots without having even a good hand, let alone the best hand, but be careful – bluffing is not as easy as you might think!
Betting
The action on a poker table always begins with the player on the left of the dealer and follows a clockwise motion.
There are five possible actions that come into the category of betting. They are: raising, betting, calling, checking and folding.
Now betting and folding need no explanation. Raising is really another type of betting – it just means betting after another player has already bet. Calling is matching a bet made by another player, and checking is passing the action on to the player on your left without making a bet.
Betting options are dictated by the player to your immediate right: if he bets then you must match his bet, raise him, or fold; if he checks you then have the option to check as well, or you can bet. When a player folds the action is passed on to the next player to his left. Once all bets are equal there can be no more betting. If one player bets and all other players fold then he wins the pot by virtue of being the last man standing.
Blinds and the Button
The button: As is mentioned earlier the action in poker always flows in a clockwise motion. Not only does this apply to the action during a hand, it also applies to the dealer.
In most poker games (excepting Seven-Card Stud) each player will take it turns to deal, with the cards moving one player to the left after each hand.
In a casino, however, a house dealer deals every hand (this is mimicked in online poker rooms). But as play always starts with the player on the left of the dealer (see betting) it is important that there is still the notion of the dealer mover round the table.
To that end a small disc is used to represent the position of the dealer. The disc then moves round in a clockwise motion just as the cards would if each player were taking a turn to deal. This disc is known as the dealer button, or simply ‘the button’.
The blinds: the purpose of the blinds is to ensure there is always money in every pot before the cards are dealt, and hence an incentive for players to get involved.
Blinds are bets which are forced upon players before the cards are dealt. There are always two blinds per hand: the small blind and the big blind. The small blind is always put up by the person on the immediate left of the dealer and is usually half the value of the smallest legitimate bet.
The big blind is always put up by the person to the immediate left of the small blind and is usually the double the value of the small blind.
In this way play is forced upon the table, for if the player on the left of the big blind wants to keep playing he must at least match the value of the big blind (see above) and so on and so on.
Ok, well those are the fundamental principles of poker: the elements of the game which are common to all forms of poker. Now let’s take a look at the individual games and see how they work. Naturally we’ll start with Texas Hold’em, as that it game you are most likely to play.