Basic Rules of Poker - How to Play Poker
Even if there are different ways of playing poker, basic rules apply. We'll look at these basic rules:
Assuming that poker players are playing for money, they all have to contribute to the "kitty" -- this means the pot that contains poker chips; each chip having an assigned money value. A game starts when cards are distributed to each player. These cards make up the "hand" and most of the time these cards are only visible to the player who receives them.
When the players receive their cards, they bet (also known as making a wager.) Bets depend on how good their hand is. This stage is called the betting round.
A deck has a total of 52 cards. There are exactly four suits and 13 ranks in a deck.
These suits are: hearts, diamonds, spades and club. The 13 ranks are: ace being the highest card while two (also called deuce) is the lowest. Note however that the ace can also be designated as a low card if a player wants to form the sequence 5-4-3-2-ace, or ace-2-3-4-5.
A "hand" is made up of five cards, and can fall within any category; for example, flush, straight or two pair.
More Basic Rules
- A poker game has to be played by at least two players.
- The king, queen and the jack are the picture cards -- also called face cards.
- Making a wager -- or putting a bet -- is imperative after the cards are distributed; this means to continue playing, you have to pay.
- As more cards are given, players have the option of betting more money after a round of cards
- Standard poker rules dictate that a player plays only for himself, he cannot partner up with someone else.
- Needless to say, each player’s goal is to win the money collected in the pot. There are two ways of achieving this: you can either have the highest ranking hand during showdown or be the last player still playing after everyone else has dropped out. If this happens, there is no need for a showdown, you're automatically the winner!
Tips for Playing Poker
Poker experts have some tips for beginners. A good approach, if you're just learning the game the first time -- read as much as you can about poker. This will familiarize you with the why's and how's and when's. Knowledge is power, so the more you know, the better your chances at enjoying -- and winning the game. Second, you must play only with large cards. One poker writer said that you should stick to playing pocket pairs, or card numbers that total 20 -- as if you were playing blackjack, since these cards have a higher percentage of winning pre-flop and will minimize your problems if you're holding weak cards.
Another tip: learn the "poker tells." What's a tell? A tell is any sign -- body language, eye movement, facial expressions, fidgeting -- that provides your opponents more information about what kind of hand you're holding. Did you ever notice how experienced poker players like to wear sunglasses all the time? That's because their eyes give them away.
Types of tells: trembling, face pointing downwards, staring at the chips, peeking hole cards on flop and others. Remember, however, that top poker players deliberately send off a tell to mislead their opponents.