Poker

Poker is a difficult game to master. Take heed of these tips and check out the links below to learn the basics.

Poker is a daunting game of skill, strategy and blind luck but for all players, whether novice or pro, there are a few things you can do help put the odds in your favour. Here are seven of the best tips for poker players of all standards.

Don't Play Every Hand - It's OK to fold!

The biggest mistake beginners make is playing far too many hands. You have to remember that playing more doesn't mean winning more! Lean quickly that sometimes it best to get out early.

Don't Play Drunk

This is as simple as it gets. If you're drunk your judgment will deteriorate. Don't be fooled into thinking that a few drinks will relax you; it's just likely to make your game looser. A few drinks with friends are fine but if you want to play seriously then stay off the sauce.

Don't Bluff Just For Bluffing's Sake

Bluffing needs to be learned. It only works sometimes and on some types of players. Never bluff just for the sake of bluffing.

Don't Stay in a Hand Just Because You're Already In It

Once you've realised that a hand is unlikely to be winner don't feel that you should stick it out just because you've already put a lot into it. It's best to jump out with some money then to have to leave with none.

Don't use poker as Escapism

For the same reasons as drinking, this doesn't apply if you're just playing with friends but if you are playing seriously then you should be focused. If you are in a bad mood then you are likely to lose focus and play emotionally rather than rationally. If at any point in the game you feel yourself getting angry or frustrated you should get up and take a break for 10 minutes or so.

Do Pay Attention to the Cards on the Table

For the beginner it's enough just to remember the basics and what you have in your hand. Once this is learned it is very important that you know exactly what is on the table and what it means for you and could potentially mean for others. Lean the game you are playing and study it.

Only play at a level you are comfortable With

Always play within your limits of money and skill. Playing to impress people will only leave you with egg on your face, and most importantly NEVER play with money that you can't afford to lose. When you have been winning consistently at a certain level it's OK to progress but don't be afraid of moving back down if it doesn't work out. It's pretty obvious, as the stakes increase so will the ability of the other players, so be aware of this.

As I said above poker is a mixture of pure luck, skill and strategy but if you can take on board just some of what is written above then you will certainly improve. Remember that practice is the key!

Gambling by its very nature is risky. You should never gamble with money that you cannot afford to lose.

2nd Answer: (I got this answer from Turtlegirl444)

basic rules

Like most games, the objective is to beat the other player(s)

There are many varieties of poker games but they all follow the same basic format:

• Players contribute toward a central 'pot' that contains play chips or chips representing actual money
• Players are dealt cards (a 'hand'), some or all of which are concealed
• Wagers are made on the strength of the cards in rounds of betting
• After the betting rounds are over, the player with the strongest hand - or the last player left standing after the others have folded - wins!

betting rules

In a game of limit poker, the amount you are allowed to bet is limited to a specific size. This limit is in the name of the poker game ($3/6, $20/40, etc.).

So, for example, if you're playing in a '$1/2 limit' game, the minimum sizes of the bets would be:

• Pre-flop (before the flop): $1
• On the flop (when the three first community cards have been dealt): $1
• On the turn (when the fourth community card has been dealt): $2
• On the river (when the fifth and last community card has been dealt): $2

Note that you can't make a smaller bet than the big blind. Furthermore, all raises must be done in increments of the betting amounts.

For example, in a $1/2 limit game, the raises will be as follows, limited to four times the first bet that was made:

• Pre-flop: $1, $2, $3 up to $4
• On the flop: $1, $2, $3 up to $4
• On the turn: $2, $4, $6 up to $8
• On the river: $2, $4, $6 up to $8

One version of poker is 7 hand poker. It is most commenly played OUTSIDE the casino. Here is how you play:

1. Step 1

   Lay out the coins. Set out seven coins on a table lined up in a row.

2. Step 2

   Draw cards. To begin, each player will draw eight cards from the deck. These cards will help you to create poker hands.

3. Step 3

   Choose your hand. The first player up will choose a poker hand from the eight cards; the hand can vary from one to five cards. Poker hands (in value, low to high) are as follows: high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush.

4. Step 4

   Lay down your hand. Once you have chosen your poker hand, lay it face-down on the table. Your opponent will then tell you where to lay the hand (which coin to place it in front of).

5. Step 5

   Draw more cards. Once you have laid your hand, draw three more cards to replenish your stock. You will do this after each hand you lay on the table.

6. Step 6

   Repeat steps 4 and 5 until both you and your opponent have laid one hand in front of each of the 7 coins.

7. Step 7

   Take the coins. Once all hands are laid on the table, flip over each hand one at a time. The winner of each hand will get the coin that the hand is placed in front of. If the hands are the same, each player will get a coin for that particular hand. The winner is the first to get four coins, or the first to win three hands in a row.

The origin of the word Poker is also well debated. Most of the dictionaries and game historians say that it comes from an eighteenth-century French game, poque. However, there are other references to pochspiel, which is a German game. In pochspiel, there is an element of bluffing, where players would indicate whether they wanted to pass or open by rapping on the table and saying, "Ich Poche!" Some say it may even have derived come the Hindu word, pukka.

Yet another possible explanation for the word poker, is that it came from a version of an underworld slang word, "poke," a term used by pickpockets. Cardsharps who used the 20-card cheating game to relieve a sucker from his poke may have used that word among themselves, adding an r to make it "poker." The thought was that if the sharps used the word "poker" in front of their victims, those wise to the underworld slang would not surmise the change.

Why did he call it Poker? Researchers looked into games of other countries to see if there was any game whose name sounded anything like "poker." They came up with an eighteenth-century French game called poque, a German game that involves a certain amount of bluffing called Pochspiel, and there's even a suggestion that the word derived from a Hindu word: pukka.

Well, more realistically, the word "poker" probably finds its origins in the underworld of thieves. Some of the card hustlers may have already been using the expression since "poke" was a slang word used by pickpockets. It is believed that card hustlers, who emerged from that same underworld to cheat unsuspecting opponents, used the word in relation to their card-playing victims. The "r" might have been added to throw off players who were wise to the underworld slang. The reason Poker has such seedy origins has mainly to do with the fact that it is a simple game (sometimes even a quick game, depending on the version you're playing), it involves an element of cheating, and it's played for money.

It depends on the type of poker game being played.

In a game where aces are low (they are equivalent to the number 1). In that case yes, a pair of fives beats a pair of aces.

In a game where aces are high, then no, the pair of aces definitely wins. A pair of aces is the highest single pair you can get in the game of poker, before getting two pair or higher.

Both of these types of games are played in poker.

No. Poker hand rankings are as follows (from best to worst):

1. Straight flush
2. 4 of a kind
3. Full house
4. Flush
5. Straight
6. 3 of a kind
7. 2 pair
8. 1 pair
9. High card

you don't you can't you shouldn't

This form of cheating is very hard for the house to detect, and harder still for individual players.