effectivepokerplaying

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Poker is currently undergoing a surge in popularity, due in part to its prominence on television and popularity with celebrities. Want to join the fun? It's easy to get started. Here's an approachable overview of how to play 5-card draw, which will help you get the basics down. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily adapt to playing other variations (described below) and improve your poker skills through practice.
Poker is usually played with a standard 4-suit 52-card deck. The ace normally plays high, but can sometimes play low. A joker or other wild cards may be added. Wild cards introduce an additional hand, five of a kind, which normally ranks above a straight flush. When a joker is in play, it usually can only be used as an ace or to complete a straight or flush. It cannot be used as a true wild card. At the showdown, those players still remaining compare their hands according to the hand rankings. Suits are not used to break ties, nor are cards beyond the fifth; only the best five cards in each hand are used in the comparison. In the case of a tie, the pot is split equally among the winning hands.

Steps

1. Become familiar with poker hand rankings. The person who wins is the person with the highest-valued hand. You can't win if you don't know which hands will take the pot. If two players have hands with the same value (e.g. two full houses) or no one has a winning hand, then the player with the highest value card in their hand wins (Ace is highest). Print out a ranking of the poker hands and memorize the hands.
   
2. Chip in. Place an "ante" (pronounced ant-ee) or "token bet" (pronounced token bet) into the pot (usually a spot at the center of the table, although you can use a pot if you wish). Every player places an equal amount of whatever your currency (poker chips, nickels, bills, car keys...). Whoever wins takes it all.
   
3. Deal or be dealt with. After shuffling (showing off) the dealer distributes the cards face down starting with the player to his or her immediate left and continuing clockwise, one card at a time, until everyone has five cards. The deck is placed in the middle of the table.
   
4. Look at your cards while everyone else looks at theirs. This is the time to evaluate how strong your hand is. Beginner players usually end up showing how strong their hand is with what is known as a tell. Some tells include; shallow breathing, lack of or too much eye contact, facial muscle flexes, etc. Trying to reduce these tells will give you a better chance. Keep your "poker face".
   
5. Take turns. The first person to make a call is usually the player on the dealer's left (who was dealt the first card). That player can open (place the first bet) or check (pass the decision onto the next player). Once the pot is opened, meaning that a player bets a certain amount (e.g. places a nickel in the pot), all of the people who already has their turns have two options:
   
   • See or call - Stay in the game by putting the equivalent amount in the pot.
     
   • Fold - Quit the game by putting your cards face down on the table; whatever you put in the pot stays in the pot.
     
   After they've made their choices, everyone who still has a turn will have those options, plus an additional one:
   
   • Raise - Stay in the game by putting more than the last person put in the pot.
     
   If someone raises, then everyone who already had a turn must see or fold again. Then the next person has their turn.
   
6. Draw. Once everyone has had a turn (even if everyone checked) get rid of up to three cards you don't want and have them replaced. This is done in turns, again beginning with the player on the dealer's left and going clockwise. Choose the cards that you don't think will help you gain a winning hand. You might get rid of three cards, or you might keep them all. If you do get rid of cards, put them face down on the table so no one sees what you had.
   
7. Go through another around of betting. As before, the first player can either open or check, and the checking can continue until someone opens, after which players can see, raise or fold. More people will start to fold once they realize their weak hand isn't worth the bet.
   
8. Expose your cards. Everyone turns their cards over to see who has the winning hand. Winner takes all
   

Variations

• 7-card stud - Same as 5-card stud but with 7 cards instead of 5. You make the best 5-card hand possible out of the cards that you have.
  
• Hold'em (or Texas Hold'em) - You're initially dealt two cards (pocket cards) face down, followed by a round of betting. Then the dealer lays out the "flop" which consists of three cards that anyone can use in their hand. There's another round of betting, followed by another card added to the flop, then another round of betting, and then the final card is added to the flop.
  
• Lowball - The goal is to get the hand with the lowest value.
  
• Omaha - Four pocket cards are dealt face down, betting ensues, and then five community cards are dealt face up. A player must make a winning hand using two of the pocket cards combined with the three community cards.
  
• Pineapple - Dealt three hole cards, discard one BEFORE the flop, play like Texas Hold'em.
  
• Crazy Pineapple - Dealt three hole cards, discard one AFTER the flop, play like Texas Hold'em.
  
• Cincinnati - Four hole cards and four community cards with four rounds of betting
  

Tips

• You can bluff, or trick the other players into believing you have a powerful hand, by placing high bets. If they fall for it, they'll fold and you'll take the pot with a weak hand.
  
• Aggressive players bet very high early in the game.
  
• Conservative players only stay in the game when their cards are good. They don't lose as much money, but they're easily spotted (and bluffed) by more experienced players.
  

Poker Hands: Reference Sheet

1. Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit) - Most valued because it's most surprising when received. It is a common misconception that this is harder to get than any of the other set of 5 cards.
   
2. Straight Flush (five cards in numerical order, all of the same suit) - Can't contain a King and a Two in the same hand (e.g. Q-K-A-2-3).
   
3. Four of a Kind (four cards of the same number and any other card)
   
4. Full House (three cards with the same number and two cards with the same number) - ties are broken by the highest value card in the three of a kind.
   
5. Flush (all five cards from the same suit) - Numbers don't matter
   
6. Straight - (all five cards in numerical order) - Suit doesn't matter. Can't contain a King and a Two in the same hand (e.g. J-Q-K-A-2).
   
7. Three of a Kind (three cards with same number, two other random cards) - If the other two cards have the same number, it's a full house (see above).
   
8. Two Pair (two sets with the same numbers plus a random card) -
   
9. One Pair (two cards with the same number, the rest of the cards are random)
   

Poker Hands: In Depth

Royal Flush
The highest poker hand an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a 10, all of the same suit.
Straight Flush
A straight flush is a poker hand such as Q♣ J♣ 10♣ 9♣ 8♣, which contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. As such it is both a straight and a flush. Two such hands are compared by their highest card; since suits have no relative value, two otherwise identical straight flushes tie (so 10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ ties with 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥). Aces can play low in straights and straight flushes: 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦ A♦ is a 5–high straight flush, also known as a "steel wheel”. An ace-high straight flush such as A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ is known as a royal flush, and is the highest ranking standard poker hand.
Four of a kind
Four of a kind, also known as quads, is a poker hand such as 9♣ 9♠ 9♦ 9♥ J♥, which contains four cards of one rank, and an unmatched card of another rank. It ranks above a full house and below a straight flush. Higher ranking quads defeat lower ranking ones. In community-card games (such as Texas Hold 'em) or games with wildcards it is possible for two or more players to obtain the same quad; in this instance, the unmatched card acts as a kicker, so 7♣ 7♠ 7♦ 7♥ J♥ defeats 7♣ 7♠ 7♦ 7♥ 10♣.
Full House
A full house, also known as a full boat, is a hand such as 3♣ 3♠ 3♦ 6♣ 6♥, which contains three matching cards of one rank, and two matching cards of another rank. It ranks below a four of a kind and above a flush. Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking set of three wins, so 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 4♠ 4♣ defeats 4♠ 4♥ 4♦ 7♠ 7♣. If two hands have the same set of three (possible in wild card and community card games), the hand with the higher pair wins, so 5♣ 5♦ 5♠ J♠ J♦ loses to 5♥ 5♦ 5♠ Q♥ Q♣. Full houses are described as "Three full of Pair" or occasionally "Three over Pair"; Q♣ Q♦ Q♠ 9♥ 9♣ could be described as "Queens over nines", "Queens full of nines", or simply "Queens full". However, "Queens over nines" is more commonly used to describe the hand containing two pairs, one pair of queens and one pair of nines, as in Q♠ Q♥ 9♣ 9♠ J♦.
Flush
A flush is a poker hand such as Q♣ 10♣ 7♣ 6♣ 4♣, which contains five cards of the same suit, not in rank sequence. It ranks above a straight and below a full house. Two flushes are compared as if they were high card hands; the highest ranking card of each is compared to determine the winner. If both hands have the same highest card, then the second-highest ranking card is compared, and so on until a difference is found. If the two flushes contain the same five ranks of cards, they are tied – suits are not used to differentiate them. Flushes are described by their highest card, as in "queen-high flush" to describe Q♦ 9♦ 7♦ 4♦ 3♦. If the rank of the second card is important, it can also be included: K♠ 10♠ 5♠ 3♠ 2♠ is a "king-ten-high flush" or just a "king-ten flush", while K♥ Q♥ 9♥ 5♥ 4♥ is a "king-queen-high flush". If there is two or more players with exactly same hand, the flush is the only one that can help you to win.
Straight
A straight is a poker hand such as Q♣ J♠ 10♠ 9♥ 8♥, which contains five cards of sequential rank but in more than one suit. It ranks above three of a kind and below a flush. Two straights are ranked by comparing the highest card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, suits are not used to separate them. Straights are described by their highest card, as in "ten-high straight" or "straight to the ten" for 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♣ 6♠.
A hand such as A♣ K♣ Q♦ J♠ 10♠ is an ace-high straight, and ranks above a king-high straight such as K♥ Q♠ J♥ 10♥ 9♣. The ace may also be played as a low card in a five-high straight such as 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 2♠ A♥, which is colloquially known as a wheel. The ace may not "wrap around", or play both high and low: 3♣ 2♦ A♥ K♠ Q♣ is not a straight, but just ace-high no pair.
Three of a Kind
Three of a kind, also called trips, set or a prile (the latter from its use in three card poker[4]), is a poker hand such as 2♦ 2♠ 2♣ K♠ 6♥, which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. It ranks above two pair and below a straight. In Texas hold 'em and other flop games, a "set" refers specifically to a three of a kind composed of a pocket pair and one card of matching rank on the board.[5] Higher-valued three of a kind defeat lower-valued three of a kind, so Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 7♠ 4♣ defeats J♠ J♣ J♦ A♦ K♣. If two hands contain threes of a kind of the same value, possible in games with wild cards or community cards, the kickers are compared to break the tie, so 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 8♦ 6♣ defeats 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 6♣ 5♦.
Two Pairs
A poker hand such as J♥ J♣ 4♣ 4♠ 9♥, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another rank (that match each other but not the first pair), plus one unmatched card, is called two pair. It ranks above one pair and below three of a kind. To rank two hands both containing two pair, the higher ranking pair of each is first compared, and the higher pair wins (so 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ defeats 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ 4♣ 10♠). If both hands have the same "top pair", then the second pair of each is compared, such that 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ defeats 10♠ 10♣ 4♠ 4♥ 8♥). Finally, if both hands have the same two pairs, the kicker determines the winner: 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ loses to 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ A♦. Two pair are described by the higher pair first, followed by the lower pair if necessary; K♣ K♦ 9♠ 9♥ 5♥ could be described as "Kings over nines", "Kings and nines" or simply "Kings up" if the nines are not important.
Pair
One pair is a poker hand such as 4♥ 4♠ K♠ 10♥ 5♠, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus three other unmatched cards. It ranks above any high card hand, but below all other poker hands. Higher ranking pairs defeat lower ranking pairs; if two hands have the same pair, the non-paired cards (the kickers) are compared in descending order to determine the winner.
High Card
A high-card or no-pair hand is a poker hand such as K♥ J♣ 8♣ 7♦ 3♠, in which no two cards have the same rank, the five cards are not in sequence, and the five cards are not all the same suit. It is also referred to as "no pair", as well as "nothing", "garbage," and various other derogatory terms. High card ranks below all other poker hands; two such hands are ranked by comparing the highest ranking card. If those are equal, then the next highest ranking card from each hand is compared, and so on until a difference is found. High card hands are described by the one or two highest cards in the hand, such as "king high", "ace-queen high", or by as many cards as are necessary to break a tie.
The lowest possible high card is seven-high (such as 7♠ 5♣ 4♦ 3♦ 2♣), because a hand such as 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ 3♦ 2♥ would be a straight.