Because the game of poker is the most popular card game in the world, and so many versions of it exist, there has to be a standardizing format that applies to the basic game itself and encompasses as well all the variations. This standardized format exists in the form of the official poker rules, so that one can play the game anywhere in the world, and the basics of play apply.
There is a lot to learn when you first take up the game of poker, but if you concentrate on the most important factors first, you will find the rest will fall into place easily. The first of those factors is learning how the hands are ranked. A poker deck consists of 52 cards and contains 4 suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. The suits are equal in value, unlike in some other card games like Bridge, and are never used to break ties. Some game variations exist where the jokers are used in play, but these are “wild card” games, and never used in tournament play. To play well, you must learn the hierarchy of hand rankings, and here they are from lowest to highest in rank: no pair, 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind, straight, flush, full house, 4 of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.
Poker may have its many varieties, but there are 3 basic groups that make up the games most often played: they are; Community card games, Draw poker games, and Stud poker games. Community games is the category that includes Texas Hold Em, Omaha, and Pineapple Hold Em. Draw poker involves games where you can discard the cards you are dealt and draw new ones, like in Jacks or Better, and Lowball (the lowest ranked hand wins). And last but by no means least, is the Stud poker group; hands are played with cards face up on the table, some face down, and hands consist of 5 or 7 cards in various combos.
Now, if you are to become a really good poker player, the official poker rules state just how you can bet your hand and what not to do as well. Betting is all important in poker because it is a game where human psychology comes into play, and you are playing “off” your fellow players, as well as “with” them—-and the fun is trying to outwit them as well as play your cards to their maximum. The betting is as follows in most games: it moves clockwise around the table and always in turn—you cannot bet out of turn, it is not allowed. The first person to bet opens up the action, and you either verbalize your bet or move your chips toward the pot. Remember not to toss your chips at the pot—not allowed. That is called splashing the pot, and does not allow the other players to see what you actually put in. The next betting moves are: Raising a bet; increases the amount of the last bet (most games have a cap on this amount): Calling a bet; matching the previous bet so you can stay in the game: Checking a bet; when you decide not to bet but remain in play: Folding; exactly what it sounds like, folding your cards together and moving them toward the dealer, which takes you out of the game.
Poker has a set way of play no matter the variation of the game you are in; the official poker rules have made that a mandate; and the play progresses in an orderly fashion around the table. To be a good player and hold your own at a playing table, you must know the rules, know the rankings of the hands, and know how the play and the betting proceed. The actual play starts with the dealing of the cards, then the opening bid; everyone bets; play action; more betting again; another round of play action and so on until there is only one player left who has not folded and he wins the pot. Occasionally, you have a tie where 2 hands are equal in value at the end of the game—-in that case the 2 players split the pot, or in the case of a showdown, one or the other takes it.
The official poker rules are arranged in such a way that the betting process allows for more leeway than just the basic betting tenets; there are such things as Antes and Blinds. Antes are paid by every player at the beginning of every game (“ante up”), and is actually a method of forced betting to keep the game moving. Also, Blinds are another form of forced betting and are actually antes in and of themselves, but they differ in that they rotate around the table depending on where the position of the player button is on the table. And finally, the piece de resistance in the betting world: Bluffing. What great fun to pull off a good bluff and take the whole pot right out from under the other players noses when you had nothing of value in your hand and shouldn’t have even bet. A good bluffer can literally “steal” a pot, but don’t try it too often or too boldly if you are not a seasoned player: they have a way of coming back and biting you on the rear.
Poker is the king of the card games, and has so many fun ways of being played that it provides a lot of good times for all ages and people of all walks of life. The official poker rules keep everything under control, and one is free to partake of the fun and excitement of playing a fast moving, brain teasing game and possibly win a little money in the process. No wonder it is so loved by so many.
Dean Evert likes to discuss various topics including How To Win At Video Poker. For more information on Official Poker Rules visit our site.