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Play
Poker at Absolute Poker: Poker Rules
(*) "Poker,
in the vast majority of it's forms, is played with a standard
deck of 52 cards. Occasionally the game may call for more
of less cards -- the most common variation being the addition
of wild cards, such as jokers.
Basic
Poker Rules
A deck is composed of 4 suits -- clubs, diamonds, hearts,
and spades. Each suit contains 13 cards, ranked from highest
to lowest as: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,
3, 2. In some games, the ace may be the lowest ranked card
instead of the highest. In others, it may be both the lowest
and highest ranked card.
Wild cards, which you probably won't see outside your home
game, may take on whatever suits and ranks you want them to.
Often
the game is begun by some sort of forced bet, such as an ante.
Each player is then dealt his starting cards; the number of
which varies with each game. Whether they are dealt down,
so no other player may see them, or up, so they are visible
to everyone, also varies depending on the game. Players then
place bets into a communal pot. When all bets are placed,
more cards are dealt, either replacing or adding to those
already dealt. Another betting round occurs, followed by more
cards dealt, and so on, until all betting rounds are complete.
The remaining players (assuming everyone hasn't folded) show
their cards and the best hand wins the pot.
Objective
The objective, ultimately, is of course, to win more money
than you lose. To do this, you first must take down individual
pots. There are two ways to accomplish this. You may either
bet more than your opponents are willing to call, thus winning
the pot uncontested, without even needing to show your cards,
or you may win by having the best hand (see poker hands) after
all the betting rounds are completed.
Forced
Bets
Most hands of poker begin by some form of forced betting.
This is to insure that there is action with every hand hand.
The two most common types of forced bets are the ante, and
blinds.
Ante
An ante requires every player to place a specified amount
in the pot prior to the beginning of each hand. The ante does
not count toward any future bets.
Blinds
Games with blinds normally have two blinds -- the big blind,
and the small blind. These are often in replacement of ante,
although sometimes accompany it. The small blind is equal
to 1/2 of the low limit bet size, and the big blind is equal
to the low limit bet size. Before the hand begins, the player
to the immediate left of the dealer button is forced to post
the small blind, and the player to the left of that person
is forced to post the big blind. These bets count towards
that player's first round bet, and are considered live, meaning
the player may choose to raise even if nobody else has.
The
number of betting rounds differ depending on the game being
played. The bet sizes, whether they are fixed limit (you're
only allowed to be specific amounts - no higher, and no lower),
spread limit (you may bet any amount between a specified low
amount and a specified high amount), or no limit (you may
be any amount between a specified low amount all the way up
to everything you have in front of you), also differ depending
on the game being played. In almost all poker games, the play
proceeds in a clockwise motion, starting with the player on
the dealer's left.
Betting
Rounds
On each betting round, when it is your turn, you have up to
five options:
Fold - You may lay down your
hand and give up any chance of winning the pot.
Check - If nobody has bet, you
may choose to check, which means to neither bet nor fold.
It then becomes up to the player on your left to bet, check,
or fold.
Bet - If nobody has bet, you
may choose to do so by placing money in the pot.
Call - If there is already a
bet in the pot, you may choose to call by matching that bet.
Raise - If there is already
a bet in the pot, you may choose to increase the bet by raising.
Showdown
- Anyone who has not folded after the last round of betting
will now have the option of showing their hand and possibly
winning the pot. The person who bet last is the first to show
their hand, and then it proceeds clockwise from there, with
each remaining player either choosing to show their hand,
or muck it. Often times a player will muck their hand if they
aren't going to win the pot, and don't want their opponents
to see what they played.
Poker
Hands:
The following hand rankings are used in virtually all games
of poker. From highest to lowest:
5 of a Kind
5 cards of identical rank (only possible in games with wild
cards)
Royal Flush
A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit
Straight Flush
Any five sequential cards of the same suit
4 of a Kind
4 cards of identical rank
Full House
3 cards of one rank, paired with 2 of another rank
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit
Straight
Any five cards in sequence
3 of a Kind
3 cards of identical rank
Two Pair
2 cards of identical rank, paired with 2 of another rank
Pair
2 cards of identical rank
or High Card"
(*)
Source: http://www.thepokerproject.com/rules/basic.php
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