Did you know that poker in all its wonderful forms, is the most played card game in the world? It’s popularity has grown by leaps and bounds since the days of the casinos and poker rooms in the back of the saloons of the old west in America, and more people today are enjoying the card game that “separates the men from the boys”. Turn on the TV any time of any day, and you will find some kind of a poker tournament in progress under the scrutiny of the cameras, and the MC whispering into the mike of who he thinks holds the best poker hands.
Like any other card game, poker has a very defined set of rules that should be followed by all the players involved to insure that the game runs smoothly and everyone is dealt with fairly. The basic tenets of the game are that individual cards are ranked from Ace (high) to 2 (low); and suits have no value in the tallying of points or standing in rank. Aces can be low in a straight or straight flush (ex: A2345) ; and Ace plays low only in A to 5 and A to 6 lowball games, and plays high only in 2 to 7 lowball. The best poker hands can vary in makeup depending on what kind of poker you are playing; for example, in most poker games, the Ace is high, then the King, then Queen, then Jack, then 10; and the object is to get the highest valued cards or combinations of cards to win the dealt hand. In so-called lowball poker, the object is to get the lowest valued combination or values of cards to win the deal.
If you keep in mind that suits play no part in evaluating a poker hand and are used only to decide if a hand fits into a certain type of description such as a flush or a straight flush. The player holds 5 cards in sequence all in the same suit, that is a straight flush; and his opponent holds 5 cards in sequence in another suit; they would be tied and would have to split the pot-if a straight flush is the winning combo in that dealt round. It doesn’t matter if Joe has 4,5,6,7,8 of spades and Max has 4,5,6,7,8 of diamonds; spades are not higher than the diamonds and the hands are equal in value. Similarly, to decide if you have one of the best poker hands at the table; you must know inside and out, what the hierarchy of card values is. To illustrate: let’s start with the lowest valued card combo and count up to the highest; high cards (no pair), 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, 4 of a kind, and Straight Flush.
Bidding is all important in a poker game, but you also have to be very aware of what determines the best poker hands, and you must correctly bid the cards that are dealt to you, to the best of your ability. The rest of the players around the table are watching your every move, as they are also watching the other players to see if they can “read” what they all have in their dealt hands, and you must maintain your “poker face” even if your heart is pounding with fear, or pounding with joy because you have one of the best poker hands you have ever seen. Poker is a game of psychology as well as a game of cards.
When it comes to playing an effective game of poker, and a winning game; nothing beats experience and learning from each hand you play; whether it is one of the best poker hands you could possibly be dealt, or it is a garbage hand with nothing but mismatched cards of low values. That old country song about a poker-playing gambler is right on the money when the lyrics say “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” That’s how to perform when you are playing poker, in a nutshell. The more you play with all kinds of players, experienced and inexperienced; the more you will learn the ins and outs of the best poker hands, and what you do with good and bad hands during the bidding.
Another very important facet of learning poker and playing well, is to be informed about all the different kinds of poker there are, and how they differ one from the other; and how the rules vary depending upon what type of poker you happen to be playing. Knowing how to play poker well and take advantage of the best poker hands when they come along is tantamount; and you can find any information you need if you look for it. The best source by far for information about poker, how to play, how to win, how to bid, and what the rules are as well as the different types of poker, can all be found on many sites on the Internet that are devoted to poker. Available to you also on the Internet, are sites that allow you to sit in on poker games in progress and test your skills against the other players—no money is needed to play.
There would be a giant void in this old world of ours if there were no poker games going on and millions of people counting those poker games as their most desirable means of entertainment. Poker has become an integral part of our lives and so much so that expressions have come down through the years that originated with poker and stuck as part of our lexicon; expressions such as “when the chips are down” and “poker face”. Whether you are a seasoned player of poker, or a novice just getting used to the ropes and chasing the hope of getting one of those best poker hands that everyone talks about; you will find that poker has a certain mystique about it for the participants, and packs a wallop as far as fun and suspense go. No doubt about it, poker is the king of card games.