Poker-Texas Hold'em

Of all the variants of poker, by far the most popular is Texas Hold'em, the game of choice for most casinos.
Rules
(It is best to limit it to 9 or 10 people a table, but up to 23 can play on a single deck)

1. Each player dealt two cards.
2. There is a round of betting.
3. Three cards are places in the centre and turned over for the "Flop". These are "Community cards"- all the players still in the game can use them.
4. There is another round of betting.
5. A fourth "Community Card" is turned over in the centre of the table for "The Turn".
6. There is another round of betting.
7. A fifth and final "Community Card" is turned over in the centre of the table for the "River"
8. There is another round of betting.
9. The player who can form the best five card hand (See the previous post on Poker basics) from their two individual cards and the five community cards wins and gains all the money in the pot.

Tactics

1. At the start of the game, players are at an advantage if they are dealt two face cards (Jack and Higher), two cards of the same suit (e.g a 6 and an 8 of hearts), two cards in sequence (e.g a 4 of hearts and a 5 of diamonds), or two cards of the same value (e.g two sixes). The best combination of two cards are "Pocket Aces"-A pair of Aces. 
2. If you have any of the above, you are advised to bet. If you don't, you are advised to fold.
3. The difference between the players are the initial cards. As the community cards are visible to all, the key to the game is whether you or your opponents can complete a winning hand using their initial cards. All strategy and gamesmanship is based on those cards.
4. However, the initial two cards are misleading. The game hinges on the five community cards. A player with pocket aces may lose their advantage, and a player with a poor initial hand may benefit from the flop,turn and river.
5. The final five-card hand must include at least one of your starting cards. So observe the community cards carefully, and see which combinations you can make with your cards.
6. Think in the long-term.
7. If you are one card away from a winning hand  (e.g A straight or higher) after the flop, don't be too confident about completing it over the next two rounds, but try anyway. Just don't place too much money on it.
8. As with basic poker, bluffing is a powerful tactic in smaller games.

Have fun and remember not to lose your money!

Poker-The Basics

Out of all the card games in the world, the best known is probably poker. As we stated earlier, we do not encourage gambling, and, whilst poker is synonymous with gambling, this blog would prefer to focus on its status as a card game requiring chance and skill. So don't play it for money, especially not if you are a weak and inexperienced player, and, if playing with friends or family, try and use alternatives to cash such as poker chips (which are fairly expensive but last a lifetime) or counters.

But the bottom line is that poker is a great game, and enjoyable whether you are playing for thousands of pounds, or merely for personal pride. So here are the basic rules for anyone who has never played before or just wants a recap. These describe "Straight Poker", the most simple variant. Other, more complex variants, will be described in later posts.

1. The Game is for two to ten players.
2. Each player is dealt five cards.
3. After the players have been dealt their cards, there is a round of betting . A player makes a starting bet, putting a fixed amount of money (real or fake) in the centre, and the rest can either raise the bet (Putting in more money then the previous player) , meet the initial or raised bet (By putting in the same amount of money), or "fold" and drop out of the round. 
4. Betting continues until all players have either matched a bet or folded.
5. The player with the best hand wins and gains all the money in the centre.

But what is the best hand?

There are 9 different types of poker hand. Below, they are ranked in order, from weakest to strongest. 

• NO PAIR/HIGH CARD- All the cards have different values and different suits. In the event of tie where all the players have a hand of this type, the one with the highest-ranking top card (e.g An Ace against a King) wins. The likelihood of a player getting a hand with a High Card only is over 50 per cent. 
• ONE PAIR- Two cards in the hand have identical values (e.g two 2's or two Aces) and the other three are unrelated  (Idle). In the event of a tie, the player with the highest value pair wins (Two aces beat two 2's). If the pairs are of equal value, the player with the highest individual card wins. Chances of getting this type of hand are over 40 per cent.
• TWO PAIRS- Here,a player gets two pairs of cards with identical numbers, and a fifth idle card. Chances of getting this hand are under 5 per cent. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest value pair wins. If there is still a tie, the results are based on the other pair, then the value of the idle card.
• THREE OF A KIND- Three cards in the hand have the same value and the other two are idle. The player whose three of a kind has the highest value wins. The chances of getting a Three of a Kind are just over 2 per cent. 

(For all of the next five possible types, the chances of getting them are less then 0.5 per cent)

• STRAIGHT- The five cards are in sequence (e.g 2,3,4,5,6) but of different suits. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest top card wins. An Ace can be either high or low,depending on the other 4 cards. If they are a 10, a Jack, a Queen and a King, it can complete a high straight, but if the other cards are a 2, a 3, a 4 and a 5, it can can count as a low card and complete a low straight.
• FLUSH-The five cards are all of the same suit, but not in sequence (They may be all Spades, or all hearts, for example). In the event of a tie, the player with the highest value card wins.
• FULL HOUSE- In this hand,  the player has one set of three and One pair. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest value set of three wins.
• FOUR OF A KIND-Four cards in the hand have the same value (The fifth is idle). In the event of a tie, the player with the highest-value set of four wins. 
• STRAIGHT FLUSH- The cards all in sequence and of the same suit. The highest possible Straight Flush is a "Royal Flush" of a 10, a Jack, a Queen, a King and an Ace, all of the same suit. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest value card wins. Out of all the possible 5 cards hands (There are almost 2.6 million ), there are only 40 possible Straight Flushes

 My Tips

• Sometimes, a player with a weak hand can "Bluff" and make a high bet in order to get opponents to fold, but this strategy is not encouraged in larger games, although it can prove effective in smaller ones.
• In a larger game, a player should fold unless they have two pairs or more. In a smaller game, they have a better chance of winning with a weaker hand, and can bet as they wish.
• Even if you have a brilliant hand (Three of a kind or more), you should try not to go All-In (Betting all your money) immediately, as it will scare off opponents and reduce the amount you could possibly win.
• Keep calm and don't become overconfident or pessimistic.
• Think every move through 

So, to conclude, these are the basic rules of poker. From these rules, you can create thousands of games, many of which will be seen on this blog, and play for hours of fun. Again, we recommend not playing for money, as losing it will spoil your enjoyment of the game.The one thing that matters is having fun. So get yourself some chips or counters and begin playing!

Welcome To The Card Table

What is the Card Table?

The Card Table is a blog dedicated to the numerous card games played today, from Bridge to Blackjack, from Hearts to Stud poker, with a few obscure games thrown in, as well as some invented by me.

You can play these games as often as you like with friends, family and even strangers, but this blog does not condone gambling, so try and keep your money to yourself.

You can enjoy the games on this blog as often as you like. You can buy a deck of cards  for little more then a couple of pounds at any corner shop, and the games we will show you will be fun forever.

So get the cards out and begin playing!