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Poker Rules - The Deck
A deck consists of 52 cards. These cards are divided into 4 suits,
with each suit having 13 ranks.
The suits are all of equal value. That is to say, no suit is higher than
any other suit.
Spades
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Hearts
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Diamonds
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Clubs
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In poker, the Ace is the highest card and the 2 (Deuce) is the lowest.
However, the Ace can be used as a low card to form the straight 5432A.
Ace
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King
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Queen
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Jack
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Ten
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Nine
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Eight
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Seven
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Six
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Five
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Four
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Three
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Deuce
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Poker Rules - Hand Rankings (Poker Hands)
A poker hand consists of 5 playing cards.
Poker hands fall into one of several categories, such as flush, straight, or
two pair. The player whose hand is in the higher category wins. If two
players have hands in the same category, the tie is broken usually by who
has higher cards. Below is a table of the hand categories, highest to
lowest.
| Category |
Tiebreaker |
| Straight Flush |
A Straight Flush consists of 5 cards in numerical sequence, all of
the same suit. The higher straight flush wins. AKQJT is the highest
straight flush, and is also called the royal flush. 5432A is the
lowest straight flush. |
| 4-of-a-kind |
The higher 4-of-a-kind wins. If two players have the same
4-of-a-kind, then the highest 5th card wins. 4-of-a-kind is also known
as quads. |
| Full House |
A full house consists of a 3-of-a-kind and a pair. The higher
3-of-a-kind wins. If two players have the same 3-of-a-kind, then the
highest pair wins. The Full House is also known as a boat. |
| Flush |
A Flush consists of 5 cards of the same suit. The flush with the
higher top card wins. If two flushes have the same top card, then the
flush with the higher 2nd-to-top card wins, and so on. |
| Straight |
A Straight consists of 5 cards in numerical sequence. The straight
with the higher top card wins. AKQJT is the highest straight; 5432A is
the lowest straight (5432A is also called a wheel). |
| 3-of-a-kind |
The higher 3-of-a-kind wins. If two hands have the same 3-of-a-kind,
then the 2 kickers (unpaired cards) are used to break the tie.
3-of-a-kind is also known as trips. If you have a pocket pair in
Texas Hold'em, and you form trips by the third card coming onto the
board, this is known as a set. |
| Two pair |
The hand with the higher top pair wins. If the top pairs are equal,
then the bottom pairs are used to break the tie. If those are also
equal, then the kicker (unpaired card) is used to break the tie. |
| One pair |
The hand with the higher pair wins. If the pairs are equal, then the
kickers are used to break the tie, first by comparing the highest
kicker, then the 2nd highest kicker, and finally the lowest kicker. |
| High card |
If a hand does not fit in any other category, it is judged by high
cards. Two hands are compared by taking the highest cards and comparing
them. If those are equal, then the 2nd highests are compared, and so on. |
Poker Rules - Texas Hold'em Rules
Texas Hold'em is arguably the most popular form of poker. It is widely
considered to have the most strategy of all poker games, yet the rules are
quite simple. Here is how a hand of Texas is played:
- Hole Cards. Each player is dealt two cards face down.
- The Flop. Three cards are dealt face up on the table.
- The Turn. A fourth card is dealt to the table.
- The River. Finally, a fifth card is dealt to the table.
The five cards on the table are community cards. Your hand is
formed by taking the best poker hand
you can by using any five out of the seven cards (5 community + 2 hole
cards). But remember, all the players have access to the community cards.
When played for money, there is a round of betting after a round of cards is
dealt (so four rounds of betting in total).
Poker Rules - Omaha Hold'em Rules
Omaha Hold'em is similar to Texas Hold'em. The difference is that the
hands in Omaha are usually much better, since you get to choose from 9 cards
total.
- Hole Cards. Each player is dealt four cards face down.
- The Flop. Three cards are dealt face up on the table.
- The Turn. A fourth card is dealt to the table.
- The River. Finally, a fifth card is dealt to the table.
The five cards on the table are community cards. Your hand is
formed by taking exactly two hole cards and exactly three
community cards, and forming the best poker hand
possible. But remember, all the players have access to the community cards.
When played for money, there is a round of betting after a round of cards is
dealt (so four rounds of betting in total).
Poker Rules - 7-Card Stud Rules
Traditional seven card stud is still widely
played today. Stud is played with 2-8 players. It is generally played with
fixed-limit betting, though sometimes people play it as a spread-limit game . After everyone antes up, five betting
rounds take place.
Ante: Seven card stud is generally played with an ante. Different
stakes games have different antes. For example, a $1 ante is common in a
$10-$20 game (10% of the small blind), but a $.25 ante is also common in a
$1-$2 game (25% of the small blind). Some places do not even play with an
ante at all.
3rd street: After everyone antes, all players are dealt two cards
face down (hole cards) and one exposed card. The person with the lowest card
must 'bring in' and is forced to bet half the small bet (if it is played
fixed-limit). Players can then, raise, call, or fold.
4th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a
round of betting. For fourth street onward, the person with the best exposed
hand begins the betting (i.e. if someone has AK exposed, another has 66
exposed, and someone else has 23 exposed, the person with 66 goes first
because he has a pair of sixes.)
5th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a
round of betting. If the game is played in a fixed-limit format, this is
where the big bet would kick in.
6th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a
round of betting.
7th street: Each player is dealt a final hole card, followed by
the final round of betting.
If the game has 8 players and there aren't enough cards left in the deck
to deal each player a final hole card, a card is placed on the board and it
is considered 'shared' by all the players (similar to a community card in
Hold'em).
Best poker hand wins (best 5-card hand out of the 7 cards the player
has).
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