Poker Rules

There are many different ways to play poker, each one slightly different from the other. The following are the basic rules of the game shared by most of the variants in the casinos:

The Cards: A 52 card deck is usually used, but some variants use more than one deck and add one or more jokers (wild cards). The cards are ranked by their index, and the ace is usually counted as high (just above the king).

The object of the game: Generally, each player receives a 5 card hand, bets on it into a shared pot and improves it by getting a few cards instead of the original ones. A player can also surrender and quit before the game is over. After all the betting and card exchanges are done, the players reveal their hands and the best hand wins the pot!

Betting: In many games each player bets a minimum sum (ante) before getting his cards. There is also a betting limit in every table, ask the dealer if you don't know these limits.

The Game: After everyone 'ante's, each player receives five cards, and a betting round proceeds. Every betting round offers four actions for the players:

1. check - no raise or need to call, possible if no one raised before.
2. call - a bet that matches a preceding bet.
3. raise - a bet that matches a preceding bet and raises the bet amount even more.
4. Fold - when a player chooses to surrender, stop betting and drop out of the round he folds his cards. This leads to the loss of his cards and all bets in this game.

After a betting round is over, each player can usually discard up to 3 of his cards and get the same number of fresh cards from the deck. Betting goes until all players either call or fold and there are no raises heard. After one or more rounds of betting and replacing (this can vary in different games), the cards are revealed and the winner is determined by the ranking of hands.

Ranking of hands:

The fixed ranking order for winning hands is given below from the best hand down. When two hands have the same rank (two flushes for example) the highest hand is determined by the index number of the cards (if they are all one index) or the top card (in case it is a sequence), the higher is always the winner. If the hands tie on their rank and their index (such as 3-3-k-5-4 versus 3-3-9-8-2) the winning hand is determined by the other cards in the hand, the outside cards. The highest outside card in each hand is compared and the highest of both hands wins. If there is a tie on the highest outside card as well, the next highest is compared and so on until the winner is determined. In the rare event of equal hands the pot is split among the winning players.

Straight flush - five ordered cards of the same suit (such as 2-3-4-5-6). This is the highest rank in a game with no wild cards (in which five of a kind is possible). As mentioned, when two or more hands have a flush the highest is determined by the top card, therefore A-K-Q-J-T the "Royal flush" is the best flush.

Four of a kind - four cards with same index (such as 7-7-7-7-9).

Full house - three of a kind and a pair (such as 6-6-6-4-4). Two hands with full houses are ranked by the index of the three cards (so, 5-5-5-6-6 beats 4-4-4-K-K).

Flush - all five cards are from the same suit with no specific order (2-5-7-8-J of hearts for example). When more than one flush appears, the hands are compared by the top card. If they tie they are compared by the next card and so on. All suits have the same rank, hearts are exactly equal to spades etc.

Straight - five cards from different suits in sequence (such as 2h-3s-4d-5d-6h).

Three of a kind - three cards of the same index with two different cards that are not a pair (as 9-9-9-2-A). Two hands are ranked by the index of the three, and on a tie by the outside cards as mentioned above.

Two pair - two cards of one index, two cards of another index and a fifth card of a different index (such as 3-3-5-5-8). The highest pair determines a winning hand on a tie. If both hands tie on highest pair, the second pair determines. If that one ties as well, the outside card determines.

One pair - Two cards of the same index with three different cards (such as 9-9-3-6-A). Tie is determined by the pair, or the highest outside card if that is needed, and so on.

High card - When no hand qualifies as any of the hands specified above, the hands are compared by the top card. If needed, the following card is compared, and the following, and the following...

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