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By the end of this poker primer you will have a good
basic understanding of the game and be ready to join in
the fun. Although the varieties of poker may seem a little
complex, it is really a lot easier than it may first
appear. All the different poker games (Hold’em, 7 card
Stud, etc) share some basic elements in common:
The goal of poker is to win money from the other
players by placing bets on the strength of the cards that
have been dealt to you.
Poker follows this basic format:
- Players are dealt cards (a
“hand”), some or all of which are concealed.
- Bets are made on the strength of the
cards in rounds of betting.
- The hands develop as more cards are
dealt.
- Finally the strongest hand wins a
showdown or all players but one have folded.
Whichever kind of poker you play, it is essential to know
the ranking of the hands. The rankings are the same in all
poker games.
Hold’em and Omaha have 2 to 10 players, while 7 card
Stud games have 2 to 8 players.
A standard pack of 52 cards is used, with no jokers. The
ace is the high card, however in hi/lo games it can be
ranked as either high or low, at either end of a sequence.
A new pack of cards is randomly generated before each
game, using an (Random Number Generator) to shuffle the
deck.
The game moves around the table clockwise, including the
placing of bets and the dealing of cards. Each player must
act in turn. There is a theoretical “dealer”
(represented by a “button” or small disc) which also
rotates around the table clockwise with each hand. When
you are in the dealer position (or “on the button” as
it is sometimes called), you do not actually deal the
cards yourself, rather you are the last player to receive
your cards, and the two players to your left post the
blind bets that get the pot going. In this way each
player’s relative position rotates with each hand.
Position is important in poker, and especially important
in Hold’em. The later you act on your hand, the more
information you can collect about the relative strengths
of other players’ hands. Since it is preferable to be in
“late position”, the dealer button rotates around the
table with each hand. This ensures that each player has
equal opportunities to be in late position…and to post
the blind bets.
With each turn to act, you have the option to fold, or
depending on what has happened before you, to check bet
call or raise. (There is a lot of specialized lingo in
poker; make sure to spend some time studying our full
poker glossary or simply refer to it as you learn.)
Blind bets start the pot. This gets everyone interested in
how the hand turns out; the two that posted the blind bets
have their own money at stake even before the first cards
are dealt, and everyone else is faced with a small (but
potentially growing) pot that someone is going to
win.
Betting rounds take place to equalize the amount of money
that each active player has in the pot…those that fold
along the way relinquish their claim to the pot.
Additional cards are dealt at each round of betting as
well, which add further intrigue to the betting, and will
inevitably force the weak-handed (or those not interested
in bluffing!) to fold. As active players raise the bets,
the other players who wish to remain in the hand must call
to equalize each players stake in the pot…or they can
choose to re-raise. There are a set number of raises
allowed in each round of betting (except in no-limit poker
which is just like it sounds…no limit on either the
number or the amount of raises, as long as you’re not
raising yourself. Start learning with limit games…you
can graduate to no-limit games once you master limit).
Players are only allowed to use the chips in play at the
beginning of a hand. You are not allowed to get extra
funds in the middle of a hand. You are however free to get
more chips between hands.
The specifics of what happens at each betting round are
detailed in the individual poker game rules. With
different numbers of “hole” cards (the secret cards
you hold) and community cards (those cards shared by
everyone at the table), each poker game requires different
strategies and different strengths. This is what makes
poker fun for everyone…and challenging to fully master!
Remember though, you don’t have to be a poker whiz to
win; you only have to be better than those against whom
you are playing. Start in the low limits to ensure that
you are fairly matched. Then, as your skills improve, you
can go to higher and higher stakes, and win the big bucks.
Bluffing is misleading your opponents into thinking that
you have a hand different and usually stronger than the
one you actually hold. This is a vital part of poker. If
the best hand always won, then poker would be a simple
game of chance. The keys to being a winning poker player
are strategy and bluffing …knowing when to play hands to
begin with, and using your judgment to gauge when to push
ahead with a less than ideal hand to bluff the other
players out of the pot.
Once you understand the basics of this primer, check out
the complete rules of poker to get all the details on how
each game is played. We suggest you start with holdem the
most popular form of poker. Other games are variations on
the basics of Hold’em, so it’s a great place to start.
Good luck and happy playing! |
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