The Gamblers Review - Your Guide To Online Casinos and Poker Rooms

Basic poker rules are not as difficult as they may seem. You need to memorize some basic poker hands and rules to get started. Afterward, review the section on poker betting, and then move on to the specific Poker Rules for the game you are interested in. Poker is played from a standard pack of 52 cards (some variant games use multiple packs or add a few cards called jokers). The cards are ranked (from high to low) Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. (Ace can be high or low, but is usually high). There are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs); however, no suit is higher than another suit.

Rank of Poker Hands

Poker hands are ranked as follows (from high to low):

Rank	Hand Name	Description of Poker Hand	Example
1	Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, 10 of same suit	10S, JS, QS, KS, AS
2	Straight Flush	Five cards of same suit in sequence	4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, 8D
3	4 of a kind	Four cards of the same rank	7S, 7C, 7D, 7H
4	Full House	Three of a kind plus a pair	3D, 3S, 3C, KS, KH
5	Flush	Five cards of the same suit	3H, 7H, 10H, QH, AH
6	Straight	Five cards in sequence	5C, 6D, 7C, 8H, 9S
7	3 of a kind	Three cards of the same rank	JH, JS, JD
8	2 Pair	Two pairs of different rank	5H, 5S, 9C, 9S
9	1 Pair	Two cards of the same rank	AS, AD

Straight Flush - The best possible natural poker hand. A straight flush has a straight (5 cards in order, such as 5-6-7-8-9) that are all of the same suit. As in a regular straight, you can have an ace either high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (5-4-3-2-1). However, a straight may not 'wraparound" (such as K-A-2-3-4, which is not a straight). An ace high straight-flush is called a Royal Flush and is the highest natural poker hand.

Four of a Kind - This poker hand contains four cards of the same rank. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the higher ranking four of a kind wins. If, in some bizarre game with many wild cards, there are two four of a kinds with the same rank, then the one with the high card outside the four of the kind wins.

Full House - This poker hand contains three of a kind and a pair, such as K-K-K-5-5. Ties are broken first by the three of a kind, then the pair. So K-K-K-2-2 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A, which beats Q-Q-Q-J-J. (Obviously, the three of a kind can only be similar if wild cards are used.)

Flush - This is a poker hand where all of the cards are the same suit, such as J-8-5-3-2, all of spades. When flushes tie, follow the rules for high card.

Straight - This poker hand is 5 cards in order, such as 4-5-6-7-8. An ace may either be high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (5-4-3-2-1). However, a straight may not 'wraparound" (such as Q-K-A-2-3, which is not a straight). When straights tie, the highest straight wins (e.g., A-K-Q-J-T beats K-Q-J-T-9 down to 5-4-3-2-A). If two straights have the same value (A-K-Q-J-T vs. A-K-Q-J-T) the two hands split the pot.

Three of a Kind - This poker hand consists of three cards of the same rank, matched with two cards that are not a pair (otherwise it would be a full house) - such as K-K-K-5-3. Again, the highest three of a kind hand wins. If both three of a kind hands are the same rank, then they compare high cards.

Two Pair - This poker hand contains two distinct pairs of cards and a 5th card - such as K-K-5-5-3. The highest pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair which is higher wins. If both hands have the same pairs, the remaining high card determines the winner.

Pair - This is a poker hand consisting of one pair with three distinct cards - such as K-K-10-5-3. The remaining high card breaks ties.

High Card - If no player has a poker hand that qualifies as one of the above hands (e.g., K-J-10-5-3) the hand with the highest card wins. So, if no player has a pair or better, then the winning poker hand is simply the one with the highest single card. If multiple players tie for the highest card, the players look at the second highest card, then the third highest card, etc. High card is also used to break ties when the high poker hands both have the same type of hand (pair, flush, straight, etc).

Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is the most popular community card poker game. Each player is dealt two private cards, after which there is a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt face up (in no particular order or pattern), followed by a second betting round. A fourth community card is followed by a third betting round, a fifth community card and the fourth and final betting round. At showdown, each player plays the best five-card poker hand he can make using any five cards among the two in his hand and the five on the board. Texas hold'em poker is generally played with 2 to 10 players, but can be played with more (theoretically 23, but beyond 12 players the size of the table is the limiting factor). It is a very positional game, since betting rounds all begin at the dealer's left.

The descriptions below assume that you are familiar with the general game play of poker and poker hands. They also make no assumptions about what betting structure is used. In casino play, it is common to use a fixed limit and two blinds, one for half of the first-round betting limit and one for a full bet. The limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is generally double that of the first two rounds. It is also not uncommon for the fourth bet to be larger still, and for the big blind to be less than the normal first-round bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum bring-in is treated in stud poker. Antes may be used instead of or in addition to blinds. Texas hold'em poker also plays very well at no limit, and many tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series of Poker championship event) are played that way.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will not be revealed until showdown, making Texas hold'em a closed poker game. A first pre-flop betting round now happens, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the dealer, if no blinds are used). Now the dealer deals three face-up community cards called the flop, followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player the dealer's left. After this round, a single community card called the turn is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally, a single community card called the river is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown if necessary. On showdown, each player plays the best five-card poker hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two and the board (the five community cards).

A player may use both of his own two down cards, only one, or none at all to form his final five-card hand. If the best five-card poker hand he can make is to play the five community cards, then he is said to be playing the board, and is entitled to split the pot with others playing the board if no one can play a better hand. It is common for players to have closely-valued hands. In particular, kickers often are needed to break ties, straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur (where the ranks of the cards in each flush must be counted carefully to determine a winner).

Omaha Hold'em Poker

Omaha hold'em poker is a variant of Texas hold'em poker. It is a popular and complex poker game. Briefly, each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical. At showdown, each player's poker hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. Unlike Texas hold'em, a player cannot play only one of his cards with four of the board, nor can he play the board, nor play three from his hand and two from the board, or any other combination. Each player must play exactly two of his own cards with exactly three of the community cards.

Omaha hold'em poker was originally created as a high-hand only game, but the high-low split variant called Omaha/8 or better has become so popular that the unadorned term Omaha usually now refers to that, while the original poker game is more commonly known by the phrase Omaha High. It plays best with 5 to 10 players. In Omaha/8 or better, or just Omaha/8, each player makes a separate five-card high poker hand and five-card ace-to-five low hand, and the pot is split between the high and low (which may be the same player) hands. To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 hand or lower. A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is rare. This poker game is generally played at a fixed limit. When high poker hands only are used, the game is generally called Omaha high to avoid ambiguity. This game plays particularly well at pot limit.

Another variant is to deal each player five cards instead of four. The same rules apply for showdown: each player must use two of his cards with three of the community cards. Before undertaking to learn Omaha poker, be sure that you are familiar with Texas hold'em as well as with general poker game play and poker hands, and particularly ace-to-five low poker hands. In casino play, Omaha is generally played with the same betting structure as Texas hold'em. Omaha high is particularly well-suited to pot limit play. The basic differences between Omaha and Texas hold'em are these: first, each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical. At showdown, each player's poker hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. Unlike Texas hold'em, a player cannot play only one of his cards with four of the board, nor can he play the board, nor play three from his hand and two from the board, or any other combination. Each player must play exactly two of his own cards with exactly three of the community cards.

In high-low split, each player, using these rules, makes a separate five-card poker high hand and five-card ace-to-five low hand (eight-high or lower to qualify), and the pot is split between the high and low hands (which may be the same player). To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower hand (this is why it is called 8 or better, or simply Omaha 8). A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is rare. Each player can play any two of his four hole cards to make his high poker hand, and any two of his four hole cards to make his low hand. This brief explanation belies the complexity of this poker game, so a number of examples will be useful here to clarify. The table below shows a five-card board of community cards at the end of play, and then lists for each player the initial private four-card poker hand dealt to him or her, and the best five-card high hand and low hand each player can play on showdown:
Board: 2S 5C 10H 7D 8C

In the deal above, Chuck wins the high-hand half of the pot with his J-high straight, and Brenda and Emily split the low half (getting a quarter of the pot each) with 7-5-3-2-A. Some specific things to notice about Omaha poker hands are:
In order for anyone to qualify low, there must be at least three cards of differing ranks 8 or below on the board. For example, a board of K-8-J-7-5 makes low possible (the best low poker hand would be A-2, followed by A-3, 2-3, etc.). A board of K-8-J-8-5, however, cannot make any qualifying low poker hand (the best low hand possible would be J-8-5-2-A, which doesn't qualify). As in Texas hold'em, three or more suited cards on the board makes a flush possible, but unlike that poker game, a player still needs two of that suit in his hand to play a flush. For example, with a board of KS 9S QS QH 5S, a player with AS 2H 4H 5C cannot play a flush using his ace; he must play two cards from his hand and only three from the board. A player with 2S 3S KD QH can play the spade flush.

Likewise, two pair or trips on the board does not make a full house for anyone with a single matching card as it does in Texas hold'em. For example, with a board of JS JD 9D 5H 9C, a hand of AS 2S JH KD cannot play a full house; he can only use his A-J to play JS JH JD AS 9C, since he must play only three of the board cards. A player with 2C 5C 9S 10S can use his 9-5 to play the full house 9S 9C 9D 5H 5C. With trips on the board, the player with the fourth card of that rank can play quads because any other card in his hand can act as a kicker. Low poker hands often tie, and high straights occasionally tie as well. It is possible to win as little as a 14th of a pot (though this is extraordinarily rare). Winning a quarter of the pot is quite common, and is called getting quartered, a term referring to the ancient torture of being "drawn and quartered."

When four or five low cards appear on the board, it can become very difficult to read the low poker hands properly. For example with a board of 2D 6H AC 5C 8S, the hand 2H 4S 5S KD is playing a 6-5-4-2-A (either his 2-4 with the board's A-5-6, or his 4-5 with the board's A-2-6 - either way makes the same hand). In this situation, he is often said to be playing his "live" 4, that is, his 4, plus some other low card that matches the board but still makes a low hand because the one on the board isn't needed. A player with 3S 5S 10H JD is playing a "live" 3, for a low poker hand of 6-5-3-2-A, which makes a better low. However, a player with 3C 7D QD QS can only play 7-5-3-2-A low; even though he has a "live" 3, he must play two low cards from his hand, and so he must play his 7-3, and cannot make a 6-high low hand.

Starting poker hands with three or four cards of one rank are very bad. In fact, the worst possible hand in the game is 2S 2C 2H 2D. Since the only possible combination of two cards from this hand is 2-2, it is impossible to make low; since no deuce remains to appear on the board, it will be impossible to make three deuces or deuces full, and anyone with any matching card to the board will make a higher pair. Likewise, starting with four cards of one suit makes it less likely that you will be able to make a flush.

Standard Five-Card Draw Poker

Draw poker is very popular in home poker games but is now quite rare in casino and tournament play. When played skillfully, it can become monotonous. The lowball variations, are more interesting poker games. Two to eight players can play. Play begins with each player being dealt five cards, one at a time, all face down. The remaining deck is placed aside, often protected by placing a chip or other marker on it. Players pick up the cards and hold them in their hands, being careful to keep them concealed from the other players. The first betting round occurs at this point, starting with the player to the dealer's left. If more than one player remains after this round, the draw phase begins.

Each player specifies how many of his cards he wishes to replace, and discards that many from his poker hand. The remaining deck is retrieved and, after a burn card (a card dealt from the top of a deck, and placed aside unused) is dealt, each player in turn is dealt the same number of cards he discarded, so that each player again has five cards. It is important that each player discards the cards he wishes to replace before he takes any replacements, and that he take the same number of replacements as he discarded. A second betting round occurs after the draw phase, followed by a showdown if more than one player remains.

A common house rule in some places is that a player may not replace more than three cards, unless he draws four cards while keeping an ace (or wild card). This rule is only needed for low-limit social poker games where many players will stay for the draw, and helps to avoid depletion of the remaining deck. In more serious poker games such as those played in casinos, it is unnecessary and generally not used.

A rule that is used by many casinos is that a player is not allowed to draw five consecutive cards from the deck. If a player wishes to replace all five of his cards, he is given four of them in turn, the other players are given their draws, and then the dealer returns to that player to give him his fifth replacement card (if no later player drew, it is necessary to deal a burn card first).

Another common house rule is that the bottom card of the deck is never given as a replacement card. This avoids the possibility of someone who might have seen the bottom card using that information. If the deck stub is depleted during the draw before all poker players have received their replacement cards, the last players can receive cards chosen randomly from among those discarded by the previous players.

For example, if the last poker player to draw wants three replacements, but there are only two cards remaining in the deck stub, the dealer gives the player the one top card he can give, then shuffles together the bottom card of the deck, the burn card if any, and the earlier players' discards (but not the three discards of the last player!), and finally deals two more replacement cards to the last player.

Example: Alice deals five cards to each player and places the deck stub aside. Bob opens the betting round by betting $1. Carol folds, David calls, and Alice calls, closing the betting round. Bob now declares that he wishes to replace three of his cards, so he removes those three cards from his hand and discards them. Alice retrieves the deck stub, deals a burn card, then deals three cards directly to Bob, who puts them in his hand. David discards one card, and Alice deals one card to him from the deck stub. Alice now discards three of her own cards, and replaces them with three from the top of the deck stub. Now a second betting round begins. Bob checks, David bets $3, Alice calls, and Bob folds, ending the second betting round. David shows a flush, and Alice shows two pair, so David takes the pot.

Stud Poker Games

Stud poker refers to any of a number of poker game variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud poker games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first in each betting round may change from round to round (it is usually the player whose face-up cards make the best hand for the poker game being played).

Five-card stud poker first appeared during the American Civil War, and became very popular. In recent years, seven-card stud poker has become the more common stud poker game, both in casinos and in home games. These two games form the basis of most modern stud poker game variations.

The number of betting rounds in a poker game influences how well the game plays with different betting structures. Poker games with four or fewer betting rounds, such as five-card stud poker and Mississippi stud poker play well with any structure, and are especially well suited to no limit and pot limit play. Poker games with more betting rounds are more suited to fixed limit or spread limit. It is common (and recommended) for later betting rounds to have higher limits than earlier ones. For example, a "$5/$10 seven-card stud" game in a Nevada poker casino allows $5 bets for the first two rounds and $10 bets for subsequent rounds. Also common is to make the final round even higher - a "$5/$10/$20" game would allow $20 bets on the last round only. Another common rule is to allow the larger bet on the second round if there is an open pair (that is, at least one player's up cards make a pair). Some casinos (typically in California) use the smaller limit on the first three rounds rather than just the first two.

It is a common convention in stud poker games to name the betting rounds after the number of cards each player holds when that betting round begins. So the bet that occurs when each player has three cards is called third card or third street, while the bet that occurs when each player has five cards is fifth street. The final round, regardless of the number of betting rounds, is commonly called the river or simply the end.