POKER BASICS
The HANDS - Highest to Lowest
FIVE OF A KIND 5 cards of one rank (only when using wilds) AAAAA ... 22222
STRAIGHT FLUSH 5 cards of one suit in sequence AKQJT ... 5432A
FOURS(quads,box) 4 cards of one rank (and 1 other card) AAAAx ... 2222x
FULL HOUSE(boat) 3 cards of one rank, 2 of another rank AAAKK ... 22233
FLUSH 5 cards of one suit, not in sequence AKQJ9 ... 75432
STRAIGHT 5 cards in sequence, different suits AKQJT ... 5432A
TRIPletS(set) 3 cards of one rank (and 2 other cards) AAAxy ... 222xy
TWO PAIRS A pair of each of 2 ranks (& 1 other card) AAKKx ... 3322x
PAIR 2 cards of one rank (and 3 other cards) AAxyz ... 22xyz
HIGH CARD All different ranks, more than one suit AKQJ9 ... 75432
The BETTING
ANTE An amount paid by each player before the deal in order to be in the
hand, and to start the pot. From the Latin for "before". Often
replaced by a single 'sweetener' from the dealer.
BLIND Instead of antes there may be 1 or 2 "blind" bets by the players to
the dealer's left. The blinds get the pot started and force the poor
"early position" players to play at least a bit. Blinds are normally
"live", ie they may raise even if this means raising their own bet,
which is not otherwise allowed (see RAISE). The 2nd (or only) blind
usually equals the minimum bet; if there are 2 blinds then the first
("small") blind is usually half the second ("big") blind.
*NB* Sometimes a game may have both antes and blinds
CHECK A bet of nothing, keeping a player in the hand without committing real
money. Obviously you cannot check after someone has bet in any round,
including blind bets. You may not check in the first round at stud.
BET or OPEN The first bet of a betting round.
CALL To match previous bet(s). To stay in a hand you must call all bets,
so that all players who remain active contribute the same money.
RAISE To match the previous bet(s) and add more. Players wishing to stay in
the hand must call the raise. You cannot raise your own bet. Usually
in no-limit games raises must be at least as big as the preceding bet.
FOLD To give up. You lose any money you had bet so far.
A betting round ends when all players have called or folded.
The POT - All that lovely money in the middle.
SIDE POT - If anyone runs out of money, the others start a separate pot.
Only they can win this side pot. Anyone can win the main pot.
SPLIT POT - Some games split the pot between the highest and lowest hands;
OR - If 2 players' hands rank exactly the same, they split the pot.
1ST TO SPEAK - In stud games, the player with the best upcards (except in the
1st round, in Vegas and other casinos, lowest upcards). In draw and flop
games, the player to the dealer's left (or to the left of the blinds in the
1st round), or sometimes the player who opened the previous round or was last
to raise in the previous round.
BETTING LIMITS Poker is often played with fixed size bets, usually doubled
for the last betting rounds (last round in draw, last 2 rounds in 7stud, ie
approx half the betting rounds). There is usually a maximum number of raises
per round (often 3) except in the last round or any time a hand goes 1-on-1.
Any game (most games in the UK) can be played POT LIMIT, ie you can bet or
raise any amount up to the size of the pot (counted after you call).
Some games and many tournaments may be NO LIMIT - bet what you like! - but
usually any raise must be for at least the size of the previous bet.
Anyone may shuffle, dealer has the right to shuffle last; pack must be cut.
Misdeal: same player deals again; 2nd misdeal: deal passes.
POPULAR VERSIONS
Currently popular versions are Hold'Em, 7 card Stud, and Omaha-8s-or-better
Stud games: you get some cards and use 5 to make the best poker hand you can.
Draw games: you get the opportunity to exchange some cards for new ones.
Flop games: some of the cards are common to all players.
There are many hybrid versions, and many versions with "wild" cards.
Any version may played with lowest hand winning (when straights and flushes
are not usually counted, but they are in "Kansas City lowball" (name varies).
Many games are also played hi-lo split: either "declare" (hi, lo, or both),
or "cards speak". If you declare 'both' you MUST win both ways or get nothing.
The pot is divided equally between high and low hands: odd chips to the high.
HOLD 'EM Blinds; Deal 2, Bet;
Deal 3 common up-cards, Bet;
Deal 1 common up-card, Bet;
Deal 1 common up-card, Bet.
Best 5 of player's 2 + 5 common cards is player's hand.
"Average winning hand is straight or flush"
Played in the World Championships, with 2 blind bets and an ante.
IRISH is Hold'Em but you're dealt 4 hole cards and discard 2 of them after
the 2nd betting round (the one after the flop)
PINEAPPLE is Hold'Em with 3 hole cards, 1 of which is discarded before
the flop; in CRAZY PINEAPPLE it's discarded after the flop.
OMAHA is as Hold'Em but with 4 hole cards of which you MUST use EXACTLY 2.
There are 6 ways to choose 2 cards from your 4 hole cards so the
average winning hand is higher than in hold'em. If there are 4 spades
on the board and you have 1, you don't have a flush because of the
"use 2 cards" rule.
OMAHA 8s OR BETTER is Omaha with a hi-lo split but reverts to hi only if there
is no 8high or lower for the lo hand
DENTON has 3 hole cards (which you keep to the end) of which you may use
1 or 2 - ie not all, and not none.
7 CARD STUD Ante; Deal 2 down and 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 down, Bet.
Best 5 of 7 is player's hand.
"The average winning hand is about high 2 pair to low trips"
7stud is often played hi-lo split
CHICAGO LOW-HOLE is 7stud with the rank of your low hole card wild.
"That way madness lies" as somebody like Shakespeare once wrote.
RAZZ is 7 card stud played low-hand-wins. Straights and flushes are
disregarded. 4 out of 5 hands are very boring: the other gives you
a heart attack.
5 CARD STUD Ante; Deal 1 down and 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet;
Deal 1 up, Bet.
"The average winning hand is often as low as a pair"
In most stud games 1st to speak MUST bet or fold, in Vegas, he MUST bet!
Usually, home games "high hand opens", casinos "low man brings it in"
MEXICAN STUD As 5 Card Stud but cards are dealt down, and the player chooses
which to turn up.
DRAW Ante; Deal 5 down, Bet;
Exchange cards; Bet.
"The average hand dealt at a full table is a pair of Jacks"
"The average winning hand is about high 2 pair to low trips"
Also often played with various wild cards, eg all deuces, or just the black
deuces, or one-eyed jacks, or a joker which can be an ace or any card in a
straight or flush, or.....
JACKPOTS As Draw, but you must hold a pair of Jacks or better to open.
If opener folds, discards are kept for checking he did qualify to open.
LOWBALL As Draw, but lowest hand wins. Straights and Flushes are
disregarded (except in Kansas City Lowball)
"The average winning hand is 9 high"