Select Poker

Cardrooms and Internet poker consist of mostly stud, draw and flop games. Among the most popular are Texas Hold 'Em, Seven & Five Card Stud, Omaha High, Omaha High/Low and Razz. Home games however, have what seems hundreds of different poker varieties, some of which if you saw played you may struggle to call poker! In recent times Texas Hold 'Em has become the most popular poker game wherever cards are dealt. TV coverage has highlighted the beautiful simplicity of the game which only takes a minute to learn but (to quote one famous poker commentator) a lifetime to master.

With no embarrassment for bad calls, no smoky atmosphere and the comfort of your own home, online poker has become the place to find poker action 24 hours a day. You can join in real money cash games with stakes as little as 4 cents or play for free whilst you learn your chosen game.

Cardrooms are becoming more and more novice friendly, most offering at least one beginners night per week. The play here is slower then the internet as a real person has to shuffle and deal the cards. Many cardrooms have different rules and you should always check what is expected of you before you take your seat, for example, in low stake tournaments or beginners nights, you may be asked to deal for the table and yourself (self deal).

The number of players can range from two (known as heads-up) up to ten for single table tournaments and cash games. Multi-table tournament numbers are not limited unless specified by the tournament organiser and can often have fields of over 1000 players. Typically for a ten player tournament the first three players share the prize money, usually 50% for 1st, 30% for 2nd and 20% for 3rd.

Poker uses a standard pack of playing cards, 52 cards (there are some poker games that use more or less depending on the variations such as adding wild cards like jokers). All poker hands contain five cards, the highest hand wins.

The use of Wild Cards depends on the variations, wild cards take on whatever rank or suit you want it to take. A wild card can either be a separate card added like a joker or you may specify a certain card in the standard deck to be wild like deuces, or whatever else.

The number of cards dealt is dependent on what type of game you are playing: 5 card stud, you are dealt five cards and 7 card stud, you are dealt seven. I know this is obvious, but I don't want anyone to get confused. Five card draw is the standard poker game where 5 cards are dealt to each player face down.

If two hands are tied in rank, the following rules apply:

• If two players both have straight flushes, flushes, or straights, the highest card that is part of the hand determines the winning hand. If the highest card still results in a tie, then the next highest card will determine the winner.


• If both players have a full house, then the highest three of a kind will determine the winner.


• If both players have three of a kind, the highest ranking three of a kind will be determined the winner.


• The highest ranking pair in the hand will decide two hands with two pair. If this still results in a tie, then the remaining pairs will be compared and the highest ranking pair will then determine the winner.


• If both players have a single pair then the highest ranking pair will win. If this is also a tie, then the next highest ranking single card will determine the winner. If this still results in a tie, then the next highest single ranking card will determine the winner.


• Two hands with no pairs, flushes, or straights are compared and the card with the highest-ranking single card will be determined the winner. If this still yields no winner, then the next highest card will be determined the winner.

The objective of poker is to win the pot, which is the money that accumulates as players who remain in the game keep raising their bets. Unless a game of high/low poker is being played, the player with the highest hand at the end of the game wins the pot. There are two ways to win, by holding the highest hand in the game, or by making your opponents think you've got the highest hand-in which everyone else folds leaving you to win the pot.

Poker games start with a shuffle and cut of the deck and then the players ante before the dealer deals a card. To ante, each player is required to put a small amount of money, usually a percentage of the minimum bet, into the pot. Games are played with colored poker chips that correspond to different denominations of money. The dealer is responsible for dealing each round.

During each round, betting moves clockwise around the table and players can either check, call, raise, or fold. When you check that means you want to stay in the game, but don't want to bet. When you check, you forfeit the right to raise in the current round unless "check and raise" is allowed in your game. After someone makes the first bet, all other players can only call, raise or fold.

Betting is always dependent on the people you are playing with and the rules that they prescribe. Games between friends should always have low limits set on the ante, the amount you could raise, and the top amount the pot could grow to. These rules are best because winning a big pot is never worth losing a friend over. So set the ante at a nickel, the raises at a quarter, and don't let the pot go over a few dollars. This is the best way to handle a friendly game.