Poker is an online family of casino card games where players place their bets and winnings are decided by the ‘house’, i.e. the dealer. Poker is similar to a bridge in that it also includes an optional betting (pit) divisions, but differs because in bridge the house prevails. Poker is considered a game of chance with a house advantage. Therefore any poker player should be in complete agreement with his or her outcomes prior to placing their bets. In fact, if you’re a beginner poker player, the house always wins – you just have to understand that and keep playing.
A four-suit hold’em abbreviated form of poker is played between two players seated around a table, with the dealer sitting in the middle. Each player has seven cards, the six on each side of the table, representing the four suits on the flop. There is another card in the pot, called the ‘queen,’ which represents the first card that comes out of the pot. After the first round of betting, this card is revealed and the other players are either required to raise the bet or fold, based on the card revealed. The pot becomes larger until there is one last card to be dealt and all players have had their turn, at which point the pot is reduced and the deal begins again. The dealer announces the last card before the final card is dealt.
In seven-card stud poker the players are dealt a seven-card hand, also known as the starting hand. This hand can be used for a bluff, or for a continuation bet after the flop. The starting hand in seven card stud poker is called the ‘low card.’ In regular seven card stud poker the starting hand can be any card, but it must either (a) be a club, (b) a two-of-a-kind, or (c) a single of a kind. If the starting hand in seven card stud poker is a two-of-a-kind, that hand is considered the ‘high card’ in that case and may not be Raised or Flopashed.
After the last round of betting, if a player has a high card, that player is required to either (a) call it, or (b) fold and place a card face up in the pot to represent that they have lost the pot; if this card is not in the player’s hand they must leave it in the pot. If a player has a low card in their hand and that card is not in the pot when the final round of betting is held, then that player is declared the loser of the match. This is referred to as the ‘wild card.’ In Texas Hold’em, each player has two Wild Cards; in seven-card stud, each player has five Wild Cards; and in craps, each player has four Wild Cards.
A player may call, raise or fold, depending on whether they have the best hand, and on their chips. The chips are usually referred to as “action” money, because it can be used in the same way as an action in slot machines, or in video poker. Each player’s chips in poker are classified into four groups, namely, chips you own, chips you control, and “action” chips. As your chips build up in the bank, you become rich by winning and then spending them and then by spending them again, and so on. The more “action” chips you have, the better your poker game will be. When the time comes to fold, you can do that by simply discarding any “action” chips that you have in your hand.
There are different rules applicable for Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud and Craps. In Hold’em, after a player has won the first hand, if he has not yet folded, then he must either (a) set out, or (b) wait until his next turn, and then either (a) fold if he has been dealt a wild card, or (d) stay in the game and take his third card, in order to make the highest hand. In Seven Card Stud, after a player has won the first two hands, if he has not yet folded, then he must either (a) call and raise, or (b) call and fold, with the second hand being “castling”. If he has not yet folded, then he may either (a) call and fold, with the second hand being “castling” or (b) stay in the game and take his fourth card, in order to make the best high hand. In Craps, after all the players have rolled a number of times equal to the face value of their pot, if there is still no player left with a higher hand, then the pot is called “full”.