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| Poker Basics |
| Learn how to play poker |
Never Played Poker before? No problem! Poker can be a very simple game to understand yet one can spend a lifetime trying to master it. To perfect your game you will not only need a strong foundation in the basics and oh by the way did I mention luck. Even the best of players are subject to lady luck and wish her on there side. Stick to a 3 square meals of poker a day and you will be a pro in no time.
Poker uses a standard pack(deck) of playing cards, 52 cards (there are some poker games that uses more or less depending on the variations such as adding wild cards like jokers). The card ranking is as follows Ace (the highest), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (the lowest), Ace (this may also be the lowest card depending on the variations you are using, but it is usually the highest). Sometimes at the beginning of a game the players or Casino decide to designate certain cards "wild". A wild card is one that may represent any denomination. Any card or any group of cards may be designated, but the following are popular choices: The joker (or two jokers); All the deuces etc.
The deck is composed of four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs). Each suit is equal in value. The individual suits have 13 ranking cards each (as listed above). Most poker hands contain five or seven cards, usually the highest hand wins unless you are playing a poker game like Omaha 8 or better where the best low hand also wins part of the pot or splits the pot. The best low hand composed of five unrelated cards with the rank of 8 or lower, shares the pot. Example: 7,6,3,2,A will lose to 7,5,3,2,A for low hand.
The number of cards dealt is dependent on what type of game you are playing: Example: Five card draw is the standard poker game where five cards are dealt to each player face down or Omaha: in which each player is dealt four cards face down and players share five face up community cards. Players must use two from their hand and three face up cards to make the best five card hand. Many variations exist for different Poker styles. Refer to the how to play poker section for advance rules. Here we are keeping it to the basics. |
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| Object of the Game |
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| Ultimately the object of the game is to win money by capturing, the pot, which contains all the bets made by various players during the course of play. A Player makes a bet with the hopes they have what it takes to have the best hand or the give the impression that they have a strong enough hand. Hopefully convincing there opponents to give up fold "lay down" there existing hand. If any players remain without folding there is a face off. |
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| Buy-In |
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| If at a home game you might use peanuts, quarters, dimes and nickels to play with but most poker is played with chips made out of plastic, composite or clay. Each chip having a different dollar value and color used to bet with.(Example: White $1, Red $5) Nothing beats the feel of real poker chips. |
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| Dealer |
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| In most poker games, the deal rotates clockwise. At a casino they provide a professional who deals every hand for you or online the computer handles all the dealing. At a home game you simply change dealers after each hand, one player to the next. The dealer will shuffle, deal and keep the beating right. A good dealer helps keep things moving at an even pace and encouraging action from slow players. |
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| The Button |
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Who's deal is it? Often heard in a home game. Not in professional or Casino poker. Because casino games are dealt by a house dealer they use a button (puck or buck) to represent the dealer position. In many poker games, the dealer is the one who has a small white plastic puck called the button in front of them. It is about 2" in diameter and usually has dealer printed on it. All things begin or end with where the button is on the table. Example: If you own the button you have a significant advantage in your play because you act last. Therefore the dealer after each hand passes the button clockwise one spot to the next player after each hand. This does not mean that they actually deal the cards. The button determines who is to act first, the player seated to the left and meaning the player who ownes the button acts last. Each player can enjoy the position of acting in last position. In games like stud there is no button used. |
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| Blinds and Antes |
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| An ante is a small amount of money (bet), contributed by each player into the pot before the cards are dealt. A blind is a forced bet by one or more players before the cards are dealt. Antes are required in games like stud and blinds are manditory in Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em. All blinds and antes are there to stimulate action and create a pot. |
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| Betting |
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Betting is the most fun and most interesting side of the game. Without it poker would just be a game of luck and the best hand would win every time. Betting is the key to poker. Knowing when to and when not to bet. Managing your bankroll from hand to hand, maximizing your bankroll with good hands and minimizing them with poor hands.
Different games require a specific kind of betting:
In a fixed limit game, all bets and raises are predetermined in size. For example: in a Texas hold'em game with a $2-$4 betting structure, the first two rounds of betting are limited to $2. Then in the 3rd and fourth round the betting doubles to the $4 amount. In a game of Stud poker a $20 -$40 game the betting usually doubles on when the fifth card is dealt.
In a pot limit game, bets are limited by the amount of the total pot at any given time. If there is $4 in the pot, the next to player can bet another $4 making the pot $8, then the next players could raise the bet by $8 making it a total of $16 in the pot.
In a spread limit game the bettors can wager any amount within the betting structure. A game with a spread of $4-$20 the players can wager any amount within those limits. Some spread limit games do not require antes.
In a no limit game, a player can bet and raise at will any amount of chips they posses. It must be there turn in order to bet, raise or call.
Dependent upon which game you are playing, most betting is limited by 3-4 raises per betting round. Unless only 2 players remain and then it is unlimited to the amount of chips they posses. |
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| Ties |
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| Hands tie if they contain exactly the same denominations; the suits are irrelevant. Hands that tie as highest in the showdown divide the pot between them. If the pot is not exactly divisible, the amount left over goes to the player who was "called" (i.e. the player who made the highest bet). Though as an example one might think two straight hands tie regardless of ranking but a straight 10,J,Q,K,A beats, a straight 4,5,6,7,8. |
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