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 Poker Rules - The Basics
The objective of Poker is to win the pot - the collection of money, chips or other bets made by the players during a hand of poker. Basically, there are two ways you can win:
1) Have the highest ranking hand
2) Bluff the other players into folding by making them believe you have the winning hand. It is from this strategy that made the "poker face" famous.
As in other casino games, there are strict rules to abide by. But in poker, it is very important to know the specific order of hierarchy and how they are ranked. The lower the probability of getting the hand, the higher the rank and the stronger the hand, the better chance you have at winning the pot.
The game starts with the dealer handing out the cards clockwise from his or her left. As soon as the cards are dealt, the players are left with four options. You may check the bet (bet nothing but still remain in the game), call the previous bet (bet the same amount as the previous bet), raise the previous bet (increase the amount of the previous bet), or fold (giving up a chance to win the pot by not matching a bet). You can only check when no other players have made any bets and it's your turn in that round.
There are commonly only three rounds of betting allowed in casino poker. When a player makes his or her bet, the next player can call, raise, or fold. To stay in the game you must at least match the previous player's bet. However, you can always forfeit you chips or money by folding. As in all organized games, there is a betting structure in casino poker. For example, if you're playing at a £2-£5 table, you can only bet at increments of £2 until a player has a pair showing or until the bet has gone around the table once or twice (depending on which casino).
Only at that point can the betting increments be raised to £5. Since all the players are trying to win the pot, they are virtually all playing against one another (unlike Blackjack). The casino makes money by charging 10 percent of the pot for each hand of poker. The maximum house take on the pot is usually set at £3, although that maximum can vary by casino and by table, depending on the betting increments.
Order of Hierarchy
Listed in order from the lowest hand to the highest hand:
- A hand without a pair, straight, or flush, valued only by its highest card
- One Pair - Two cards of the same rank
- Two Pair - Two cards of one rank and another two cards of another rank
- Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank
- Straight - Five cards in a sequence, but not in a single suit
- Flush - All five cards are in the same suit, but not in a sequence
- Full House - Three cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank
- Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank
- Straight Flush - All five cards in sequence and in the same suit
- Royal Flush - A, K, Q, J, and 10 all of the same suit
If two or more players hold hands of the same ranking then the winner is decided by virtue of their highest card. No suit is higher than any other and suits are never used to decide who has the best hand.
Probability Of Getting The Hand
Probabilities of Five-Card Poker Hands
Hand |
Number |
Approx Odds (to 1) |
Royal Flush |
4 |
649,740 |
Straight flush |
36 |
72,192 |
Four of a kind |
624 |
4,164 |
Full House |
3,744 |
693 |
Flush |
5,108 |
508 |
Straight |
10,200 |
254 |
Three of a kind |
54,912 |
46 |
Two pairs |
123,552 |
20 |
One pair |
1,098,240 |
1.37 |
No hand |
1,302,540 |
1 |
Odds Against Improving a Hand
| Cards Held |
Drawn |
Improved hand |
Odds against (to 1) |
One Pair |
3 |
Two pair
Three of a kind
Full House
Four of a kind
Any improvement |
5.3
7.8
97
360
2.5 |
One Pair plus kicker |
2 |
Two Pairs
Three of a kind
Full house
Four of a kind
Any improvement |
4.8
12
120
1080
2.8 |
Three of a kind |
2 |
Full house
Four of a kind
Any improvement |
15.3
22.5
8.7 |
Four straight cards
(open both ways) |
1 |
Straight |
5 |
Inside straight |
1 |
Straight |
10.8 |
Four card flush |
1 |
Flush |
4.2 |
Four card flush
(open ended) |
1 |
Straight Flush
Straight or better |
22.5
2 |
Four card straight flush
(inside) |
1 |
Straight Flush
Straight or better |
46
3 |
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