You see a link to Intertops poker bonus and you decide that you want to play some poker, online … offline, but you know absolutely nothing about the game in sands poker room. Well, don’t fear. Continue reading to learn more about the fun game.
1. What Is Poker?
Poker is a card game that usually involves some type of wager. When people are betting large amounts of money, usually in casinos, it is called “high stakes gambling”. When people are betting very low amounts or even candy (or other low-value items) in place of money, it is called “social gambling”.
There are several varieties of Poker. Some of the major ones are straight poker, draw poker, stud poker, and whiskey poker (social gambling version). Even within these major categories, there are varieties to the game.
2. Draw Poker Or Poker Or Pokie (The Standard Game When Most People Just Say “Poker”)
This is the standard that is used when somebody just says “poker” or “pokie”.
Draw poker is played with the full deck of fifty-two cards. There is no set limit to the number of players, but five make the best game and six should be the maximum. As each player holds five cards at the outset, and the has the right, if he so pleases, to “draw” five more cards. It is obvious that if even six players exercised their right to draw a new full hand, a standard deck of fifty-two cards would not be sufficient to supply their demand. As this rarely happens, with six players there is a sufficient margin. If there were seven players, the margin is inconveniently small.
The stakes are represented by counters, know in American as “chips”. A certain amount, say twelve counters, is fixed upon as the limit of the stake. Such a limit is rather imaginary, applying merely to the successive stages by which the ultimate total is reached.
The dealer having been selected, and the deck shuffled and cut, the dealer proceeds to deal around the table, one at a time, five cards to each player. The first person to be dealt a card is called the elder. The elder starts the pool with a preliminary stake known as the “ante”. This amount must not exceed one-half the limit. Suppose the limit was 12 counters. The elder has the option to bet one to six chips, as the elder pleases. This stake is made without seeing the cards. It is known as a “blind bet”.
The players are called Player A (dealer), Player B (elder), Player C, Player D, and Player E.
Each of the remaining players has to put in one chip to continue to play the game and see their cards. Each player who has put in a chip can now see their own cards.
Player C is the first to declare. If his cards are so bad that he has no hope of winning, he may "fold," (go out of the game for that hand). Player C throws his cards, face downwards, in front of Player B, who will in due course be the next dealer.
If, on the other hand, Player C thinks his cards worth playing on, he "plays," (he puts into the pool double the amount staked by Player B. D, E and A in rotation do the same, either "folding" and throwing in their cards, or & quot;playing" and placing in the pool a like amount to that just contributed by C. When the turn of Player B is reached, he has to make a similar decision, and, if he decides to play, Player B must put in the pool a like amount to that which he first staked, an amount equal to the bets of the other players who played the hand.
There is, however, another possible contingency. B has put up, by way of ante, the minimum, one counter only. If either of the players holds a hand which seems a probable winner, he may desire to put a heavier stake on it. In such case, he must first make good the ante (i.e. hand in two counters), and may then "go better," or offer a higher stake to the extent of the limit.
C, we will suppose, has simply made good the ante. D not only does the same but puts in four more. He thus contributes in all, six counters to the pool, and any subsequent player who desires to "go in," must also hand in six counters. Having done so, such a subsequent player has the option of raising the bet.
We will suppose that E makes good D's "raise," and goes three more, making in all nine counters. A, we will assume, has but a poor hand, and sees a small chance of winning. Such being the case, he folds, and throws in his cards, still, however, retaining his functions as the dealer.
It is now the turn of B who has to consider whether, under these conditions, it is worth his while to go in. Should he elect to do so, he must hand in eight counters, i.e. nine, less the single counter which he staked by way of ante. If C still elects to go in, he must pay seven counters, in addition to the two he has already paid. D, in like manner, three counters.
Having reached this stage, the standing players proceed to draw to "fill their hands," i.e. discard their least valuable cards (throwing them face downwards on the table), and receive a like number from the dealer.
At this point, it may be convenient to state wherein the strength of a poker hand lies, and what, therefore, is the object of the players. A poker hand is valuable in so far as it contains certain cards, or combinations of cards, ranking as under. We begin with the highest.
3. What Are The Different Hands In Poker?
- Straight Flush – a sequence of five cards, all of the same suit.
- Fours – four cards of the same denomination with one different card. If two players both have a set of four, the higher card set of four wins.
- Full house – three cards of the same denomination and a pair of cards of the same
denomination. - Flush – five cards of the same suit, but not in sequential order.
- Straight – five cards in sequence but not of the same suit.
- Three of a Kind – three cards of the same denomination, with two different cards.
- Two pairs – two pairs of cards of the same denomination with one different card.
- One pair – one pair of cards of the same denomination with three different cards.
- Highest card – where no hand has either of the above combinations. The hand containing the highest card wins.
4. Probability Of Receiving By The Deal A Certain Type Of Hand
- Odds of a Straight Flush – 649,999 to 1
- Odds of a Fours – 4,164 to 1
- Odds of a Full house – 693 to 1
- Odds of a Flush – 507 to 1
- Odds of a Straight – 254 to 1
- Odds of a Three of a Kind – 45 to 1
- Odds of Two pairs – 20 to 1
- Odds of One pair – 13 to 1
Those odds are for the original deal. Because a player can discard cards and get new cards, those odds dramatically diminish, but the relative frequency of the hands will remain pretty much the same.
But poker, when played in real life, as opposed to an online version where you cannot see the faces and body language of the other players, is more than just the cards in the hand.
It is also a form of interpersonal communication. It is not just what is being said, but also what is not being said and, of course, how it is being said or not said. That is why playing poker always has and always will go beyond gambling casinos. It is also the social aspect of it that draws many people to the game.
5. Different types of betting
Straddle
There is no raising of bets. Each player simply puts in a double ante. Player A had the privilege of the starting bet.
Jack Pot
In regular draw poker, when the whole table chooses not to go in, player A simply repockets his ante. In the Jack Pot version, each player puts up a single amount (not double of Player A). Poker is continued to be played until somebody gets a pair of jacks or better (as described in the table above). Then somebody gets the whole jackpot.
Table Stakes
Each player puts on the table before him (either in cash or in counters), the whole amount he intends risking and cannot be “raised” to any greater amount. If a player has no money on the table, he must either make good the deficiency before taking up his cards or retire from the game.
6. Different Variants Of Poker
There are different versions of poker. Here is a list of some of the different variants.
- Straight poker
- Stud poker
- Whiskey poker
- Mistigris poker
- High Chicago poker
- Low Chicago poker
- Follow the Queen poker
- Countdown poker
- Billabong poker
- Shanghai poker
- Guts poker
- Five-O poker
- Chinese poker
- Kuhn poker
Whole articles can be written about each of the different variants. Most of all, poker is not just a gambling game, but a social game. When people talk about “hanging out with friends and playing cards”, poker is usually what they are referring to.
