Basic Poker Rules
Poker games are generally played with a standard deck of 52 cards. A standard
deck consists of of thirteen different ranks of cards, and they are: Ace,
King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Each of these cards comes
in four different suits: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts,
Spades. Poker games involve
rounds of betting into a common fund, or "pot", and rounds of
replacing/receiving cards. The number of betting rounds and card draws
depends on the particular variation of the game you are playing. Action
proceeds to the next player in a clockwise direction.
Generally betting begins with players making an "Ante" or a
"Blind Bet" (called so because the player bets without having
seen their cards). During the remaining betting rounds, players will take
one of the following actions:
Check - if there is no bet already on the table, the player may
bet nothing, and pass the action on to the next player, by saying check.
Call - if there is a bet on the table, the player may choose to
match the bet.
Bet or Raise - if there were no bets on the table, the player places
one by betting. If there was a bet on the table, the player may increase
the bet by raising.
Fold - If the player does not choose to match the bet on the table,
and they can forfeit their cards and any chance at winning the pot.
Poker Hand Rank
At the end of the game, the highest hand wins. The hands are ranked as
follows:
Royal Flush - which is a series of cards, all of the same suit
ranking Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. (10
J Q
K A)
Straight Flush - a five card sequence where all the cards are of
the same suit. For instance, A,2,3,4,5 of hearts is a Straight Flush.
(A 2
3 4
5). The Ace would
be consider a low card here. If two straights should tie, the one containing
the highest card wins. Should both hands contain the same high card, the
pot is split.
Four-of-a-Kind - Four cards of the same rank with one other card
of varying rank. The highest ranking Four-of-a-Kind would win in case
of a tie. (8 8 8 8)
Full House - is a hand comprised of both a three-of-a-kind (three
cards with the same rank) and a pair (two cards with the same rank). An
example would be K-K-K-A-A. If two full house hands should tie, the hand
containing the higher three-of-a-kind wins. (K-K-K-A-A beats Q-Q-Q-A-A)
Flush - consists of 5 cards of the same suit. In the case of a
tie, the hand with the highest card wins. Should the high cards be the
same rank, the next highest cards are compared (and so on). Sample flush
would be A J
2 6
9.
Straight - five cards in sequence, of mixed suits. Should straights
tie, the hand with the highest card wins. Should the hands be identical
in rank, the pot is split. "Around the corner" (K-A-2-3-4)
straights are NOT allowed. Ace is either the high card (10,J,Q,K,A)
or the low card (A,2,3,4,5), but never both at once in a straight.
Three-of-a-Kind is three cards of the same rank with two other
cards of varying rank (not a pair). The highest ranking three-of-a-kind
would win in the event of a tie. Sample 3 of a kind would be 9 9 9.
Two Pairs - A hand that contains two cards of one rank, two cards
of another rank, and a dissimilar fifth card. Ties are awarded to the
higher of the "high" pair, followed by the higher of the "low"
pairs, and finally by the remaining card. Sample two pair with ace kicker
is 6 6
9 9
A
One Pair - A hand that contains one set of cards with the same
rank. Highest pair wins ties. If both pairs are the same, highest card
wins. Followed by next highest card and so on. Sample 1 pair is 6
9 9
K A
High Card - the weakest of poker hands. The highest ranking card
wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the next highest card wins, and so
on. This is an example where the high card is the Ace. A
J 7
6 9
Be sure to check out our other poker
articles. Talk about this poker article at our friendly poker
discussion forum. Write a poker related article, and get it read by
thousands of poker players. Get credit for it. Click
here for more details on submitting an article to us.
ProPokerGuide's
Basic Poker Rules
,
Spades
. Poker games involve
rounds of betting into a common fund, or "pot", and rounds of
replacing/receiving cards. The number of betting rounds and card draws
depends on the particular variation of the game you are playing. Action
proceeds to the next player in a clockwise direction.
