|
Poker is a card game in which the participants bet on the value of the cards dealt to them, the winner taking the pool of money being either the player whith the highest scoring hand of cards, or the only one left at the end of play having persuaded the other players to concede without showing their hands - this aspect often being accomplished with bluff.
There are numerous variations of poker in which players receive varying numbers of cards and have various numbers of cards hidden and displayed. The highest scoring hand is a 'royal straight flush' consisting of the ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit of cards. The lowest scoring hand is generally a pair of twos or deuces - though it is possible to win with a non-scoring hand, simply by having the highest ranked cards.
Originally poker was played with a reduced deck of twenty-cards, all the cards below the ten being removed from the deck. The origins of the game of poker are uncertain, but some people believe it evolved from the similar French card game of poque.
At the start of the 21st century, No limits Texas Hold 'Em poker became very popular. In this variation of poker, played by between two and a maximum of ten players at each table, though multiple tables are common, each player is dealt two face down cards. The two players to the left of the dealer pay an ante into the pot before receiving their cards, the ante next to the dealer being known as the small blind and the next ante, which is twice the amount of the small blind being known as the big blind.
After the deal, the players commence a round of betting starting with the player to the left of the 'big blind'. This player may call the big blind ante, raise the bet, or fold his cards. Each player may do the same in turn, and the betting continues until all the players except one have folded, or each remaining player has matched the last highest bet. A player who has already bet, may re-raise the bet, call the bet, or fold. This betting round can continue to a maximum of three re-raises by an individual player.
After the initial betting round, the dealer deals the top card face down into a waste head, and deals three communal cards face up into the centre of the table. These three cards are known as the flop. There then proceeds another round of betting, commencing with the player to the left of the dealer - the small blind.
Next the dealer again discards, face down, the top card from the deck and deals the next card face up next to the flop. This card is known as the turn.
After another round of betting, the dealer for a last time discards the top card of the deck, face down, and deals a fifth and final communal card face up into the centre of the table. This card is known as the river.
A final round of betting proceeds, at the end of which any remaining players reveal their private cards, and the highest hand of five cards made from the five communal cards a player's two hole cards, wins the pot. In the case of a draw, each player receives an equal share of the pot.
Often in a round of betting, a player will bet all his remaining chips, in a move known as 'all in'. This bet may result in a side pot if there are other players with chips still to bet. A player moved 'all in' may only win the pot or pots he has bet into. Subsequent bets are placed into another pot to be distributed between the winner or winners of the subsequent bets.
After an agreed time period, perhaps fifteen minutes, the antes known as blinds are doubled. In this way the game is time limited, with the antes becoming so large that players forced to bet by the rules of the game simply run out of chips.
Texas hold em is usually played in a knockout tournament, with each player having a fixed number of chips to begin with, and the winner being the last player left with any chips. It may be allowed for a player to buy more chips, thereby replenishing his supply, during the game - usually only the once during a game. This being known as a 'buy in'.
At the world poker championships, a tournament of Texas Jold Em poker typically involves some 800 or more players across 80 or more tables. As players are lost from a table, other players are moved from their seats to fill up the empty seats, reducing the tables in play until a final table is reached with the last ten players who then continue playing until a final winner is declared.
See Also: How To Win At Poker
 Research Poker
|
Abbreviations
Recreation
