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!