How to Play Poker - 5 Easy Steps:
1. UNDERSTAND THE CARDS AND THEIR VALUES
2. LEARN THE BASIC RULES OF THE GAME
3. KNOW THE LINGO
4. BET SMART
5. LEARN SOME VARIATIONS OF THE GAME
So you've seen Rounders and the idea of taking Matt Damon for everything he's worth seems
appealing to you. Or maybe you haven't seen the movie and still
find that appealing. Whatever your motivation, you want to learn
how to play poker, a time-tested card game that has the distinction
of being one of the most ancient forms of gambling. Good for you.
But before you strap on the green visor and throw down your life's
savings, you re going to have to know when to hold 'em and know
when to fold 'em.
Poker, at its very essence, is a simple game. Its countless versions
can be quite complex, however, which is why we're going to focus
on 5-Card Draw (a.k.a. "regular" poker), the easiest
one for beginners to learn. Later we'll tell
you about some of the other variations of the game, but for now,
it's gonna be 5-Card Draw, so you're just going to have to deal.
Get it? "Deal?" Sorry.
1. UNDERSTAND THE CARDS AND THEIR VALUES
Poker
is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards (except for Ross
Perot Poker, which is played with less than a full deck). The cards
are ranked from high to low in the following order: Ace, King, Queen,
Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Aces are ALWAYS high. Aces are
worth more than Kings which are worth more than Queens which are
worth more than Jack, and so on. The cards are also separated into
four suits. The suits are:
Clubs:
Spades:
Hearts:
Diamonds:
But
you already knew that from playing Go Fish, right? The suits are
all of equal value, meaning that no suit is more valuable than another.
It's a very democratic game.
Each
player is dealt five cards. The object of the game is to end up
with the highest-valued hand. From best to worst, hands are ranked
in the following order:
Royal
Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two Pair
One Pair
High Card
Royal
Flush
This
is the most valuable hand in all of poker. A Royal Flush is composed
of 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit. It's the
toughest hand to get.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
10 |
J |
Q |
K |
A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
10 |
J |
Q |
K |
A |
Straight
Flush
A Straight
Flush is comprised of five cards in numerical order, all of the
same suit. It's not allowed to "wrap around," such as
Q-K-A-2-3. This is also very rare. If you get two of these in a
row, you are cheating. If there are two Straight Flushes at the
table, then whichever hand's Straight Flush reaches the highest
card value wins. So in the examples below, Hand 2 (which has a King)
would beat Hand 1 (which only goes up to 8).
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
9 |
10
|
J |
Q |
K |
Four of a Kind
Four
cards of the same numerical rank and another random card. If there
are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the highest-ranking
Four of a Kind wins. In the examples below, Hand 2 would beat Hand
1.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
J |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
Q |
Q
|
Q |
Q |
|
3 |
Full House
Of
the five cards in your hand, three have the same numerical rank,
and the two remaining card also have the same numerical rank. Ties
are broken first by the Three of a Kind, then the Pair. So K-K-K-3-3
beats Q-Q-Q-A-A, which beats Q-Q-Q-7-7.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
J |
J |
J |
|
4 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
A |
A |
Flush
A Flush
is comprised of five cards of the same suit, regardless of their
numerical rank. In a tie, whoever has the highest ranking card wins.
In the example below, Hand 1 (with a King) beats Hand 2 (with a
Queen).
Examples:
Straight
Five
cards in numerical order, regardless of their suits. Just like with
the Straight Flush, a Straight cannot "wrap
around." In a tie, whoever's Straight goes to a higher ranking
card wins (so in the examples below, Hand 1 beats Hand 2).
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
J |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Three of a Kind
Three
cards of the same numerical rank, and two random cards that are
not a pair.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
10 |
10
|
10 |
|
3
|
Q |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
2 |
2
|
2 |
|
8 |
9 |
Two Pair
Two
sets of pairs, and another random card.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
7 |
7 |
|
J |
J |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
Q |
Q |
|
K |
K |
A |
One Pair
One
pair and three random cards. If more than one person has a One Pair,
then the person with the highest ranking pair wins.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
8 |
8 |
|
5 |
K |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
2 |
2 |
|
3 |
4 |
5 |
High Card
If
none of the players have anything of value, the player holding the
highest-valued card wins, with the 2 as the lowest card, and the
Ace as the highest. In the case of a tie, you move to the next highest
card, and continue.
Examples:
H
A
N
D
1: |
|
2 |
4 |
5 |
10 |
|
Q |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H
A
N
D
2: |
|
2
|
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
J
|
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2. LEARN THE BASIC RULES OF THE GAME
Now that
you know what it takes to win, we can clue you in on how the game
itself is played. Unlike bridge, poker is almost always played for
a lofty goal: cash. Before the game begins, the players should collectively
decide on a betting limit. A betting limit keeps the game friendly,
and prevents people from gambling mortgages, cars, or spouses away.
Now
on to the action! Here are the basic rules, step by step:
First, each player places an ante or "token bet" into the pot before the cards are even dealt. The ante can be
anything from a nickel (if you're a poor college student) to thousands
of dollars (if you're a Vegas high roller). You need an ante because
it guarantees that someone will always win something on each hand.
You also need an ante because without one, your uncle would be
lonely. We'll wait . . .
Once everyone has coughed up his or her ante, the dealer deals
the cards face down around the table, starting at the player to
his left and continuing clockwise. The dealer (if he's playing)
always deals to himself last. The dealer deals everyone their
first card, then goes back around the circle to deal the second,
and so on. As soon as everyone has five cards, the remainder of
the deck is placed in the middle of the table, and play begins.
Each player looks at his or her cards, and then the first player
places a bet. While there are several ways of deciding who bets
first, poker novices are best off letting the player directly
to the left of the dealer make the first bet. Then on the next
hand, the person to his left will bet first, and so on around
the table for each new hand.
Players have several options as far as the first round of betting
goes. If no one has made a bet yet, you have two choices:
Open: If no betting has begun when your
turn comes, you may "open" the pot (an attractive
option for you Grateful Dead fans out there). This simply means
that you make the first bet (any amount up to the betting limit).
Check: The opportunity to "check" only occurs if no one has yet opened the betting
when it comes time for you to decide what to do. When a player
checks, it means that he or she doesn't want to open the betting,
but doesn't want to quit either. It basically means "I'm
not going to open the betting, but I'll stick around and see
what happens."
Now
let's say that someone opens the betting (at some point, it will
occur). You now have three choices:
See: When you "see" another
player, it means that you match their bet. So if someone bets
$1 and you want to stay in the game, you have to "see" their $1 by putting $1 of your own into the pot.
Raise: When you "raise," it requires
you to first "see" the previous bet, and then increase
the bet. For example, if the previous person bet a nickel and
you want to bet more than that, you would say "I see (match)
your nickel, and raise you (increase the bet) another nickel."
Fold: When someone else opens, you can always
jump ship and cut your losses. In other words, you "fold."
The act of folding is to "give up," place your cards
face down on the table, lose whatever you've bet so far, and
grab a beer. In other words, you give up early and lose your
dough. This option is used when you think your hand is too weak
to compete.
At this point, all the players who haven't folded are allowed
to get rid of the cards they don't want and take some new cards.
A player is permitted to get rid of up to 3 unwanted cards and
receive up to 3 new ones from the deck (as long as the player
always has 5 cards total). No one sees what anyone else discarded
(threw away) or drew (got as a new card). It's all done
face down.
After every player draws 0 to 3 new cards, the betting begins
again. You have the option of opening or checking,
and once someone opens, you can see, raise, or fold.
The game ends when there are no more raises (everyone saw everyone
else's bet), or everybody folds (except for the winner, of course).
Now it's time for everyone to turn their cards over and see how
they fared. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Some
people in this position have been known to laugh maniacally as
they scoop up everyone else's dough. If you do that, you're friends
will hate you. Thus, we highly recommend it. They'll get over
it.
The
only way to stay in the game is to not fold. If you have a bad hand
and want out quick, then you'd seriously consider folding. If you
have what you think could be a good hand (if you could take a few
new cards and get good ones), then you would seriously consider staying
in. If you have an outstanding hand, then you'll definitely want to
stay in. BUT you don't want everyone to know you have a great hand,
or else they'll all fold, letting you win the tiny ante pot. The trick
is to make everyone else bet a lot, and win even more money. It's
all about being a good liar and a good
actor.
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3. KNOW THE LINGO
By
reading this SYW, your poker vocabulary has already increased tremendously.
Still, we don't feel comfortable releasing you to the card sharks
without further stepping up your savvy. To avoid getting taken to
the cleaners - or having your knees broken over a bad bet - be sure
to study up on the following terms:
Bluff
Aggressive Play
Conservative Play
Action
Tell
Bluff
"Bluffing"
- or pretending to have better cards than you actually do - is a
fundamental strategy of the game. A player who bluffs usually bets
higher than his/her cards warrant. The desire of the bluffer is
to scare the other players out of the hand by making them think
he/she is holding phenomenal cards.
Aggressive
play
An
"aggressive" player is one who bets high early and forces
others to abandon their comfort zone. He or she frequently bets
the maximum limit and stays "in" until the end. Depending
on your skill level, aggressive play can be a quick way to cough
up a lot of cash.
Conservative
play
A "conservative"
player usually bets the minimum and is quick to fold if the cards
are not in his or her favor. Conservative play can be a good way
to keep more money in your pocket, but many times will not win you
big pots. Why? Because if people know that you're a conservative
player, they'll bail any time that you bet more than the minimum.
A conservative player is often susceptible to the trickery of the
bluffer.
Action
To
those in the dating game, this word refers to gettin' busy. To poker
players, it denotes the amount of betting going on at a given table.
In a casino, you may hear a professional player say, "I'm leaving,
there's not enough action at this table." That means that not
enough money is being risked.
Tell
A "tell"
is a mannerism that you inadvertently repeat that lets the other
players know how good your hand is. No one EVER wants other people
to know their tell, but everyone has one. When you lie,
you inadvertently give little clues. A player may wipe his brow
when he has a good hand, trying to contain excitement. Another player
may grit her teeth when she has a low hand, a nervous reaction to
the bluff she's about to make. Whatever it is, you should always
try to figure out what the other players' tells are, and you should
always try to hide yours. Try to play as stoically as possible,
eliminating the possibility that someone will discover your tell.
Practice that poker face.
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4. BET SMART
Betting
smart may sound like an oxymoron, but there are some tricks to minimizing
how much you lose and maximizing how much you win at the poker table.
After all, a good poker player will still win even if he has bad
cards, all because he knows how to bet correctly. Here are some
tips:
Don't be scared to fold. One of the more intimidating
aspects of the game of poker is how much or how little one should
bet. Eventually, as you develop a feel for the game, you will
become more knowledgeable about when to bet and when to fold.
As a general rule, if you have nothing in your hand, do not
expect that later cards will remedy that situation. Feel free
to fold frequently. It is better to sacrifice your small early
bets then to rope yourself into a betting war with a seasoned
pro.
Keep a poker face. We also can't emphasize enough the
importance of keeping a poker face while betting, and not giving
any clues about how good (or bad) your hand is. The whole point
of the game is to make sure that they have NO clues, other than
the bets you make.
No alcohol. When it comes to betting, alcohol can be
your enemy. While beer and cigars tend to go hand in hand with
poker night, alcohol is not recommended if you're going to play
in a casino, especially if the stakes are a little higher. Newsflash:
Alcohol makes you lose your inhibitions. If you suddenly find
yourself betting the limit on a pair of twos, you've had too
much to drink. Stick to Fresca.
Maintain control. The best piece of advice we can give
you about betting is to bet with your head, not over it. This
is the slogan for Gamblers
Anonymous, and it couldn't be more true. Betting within
your means will allow the game to remain fun. Remember, very
few people make their fortunes playing poker. A lot more lose
theirs. We don't mean to get preachy here, but we don't want
you to pawn your high school ring to pay the phone bill. We've
seen it happen, and it ain't pretty.
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5. LEARN SOME VARIATIONS OF THE GAME
Once you've
mastered 5-Card Draw, consider trying your hand (ahem) at one of the
other countless poker games that are out there. Here are four popular
poker offshoots to get you started:
5-card
stud & 7-card stud
Hold-em
Lowball
Video Slot Machine Games
5-card
stud & 7-card stud
Despite
the name, stud is not played with singer Tom Jones. Instead, it
is played without the option of trading your cards in for new ones.
5-card stud is played with each player receiving 5 cards,
and betting based on the hand in front of them. 7-card stud
is played in much the same way except, as the name would indicate,
each player receives 7 cards and must make the best 5-card hand
possible out of the cards available. These games are usually played
with some cards dealt face up so that players can base their bets
based on what they perceive to be the strength of other players.
More specifically, usually the first two cards will be dealt face
down (so only you can see them), then the rest of the cards will
be dealt face up, except for the last card. Each time a card is
dealt, there's another round of betting. Stud is a popular game
because betting is done between every round of the deal, meaning
there is the possibility that the pot can get big very quickly.
Hold-em
In
Hold-em (also known as Texas Hold-em), each player is dealt
two cards face down. At this point betting opens based on the two
"pocket cards" that each player holds. After betting is
complete, the dealer lays out the flop. The flop consists of several
cards dealt face up in the middle of the table, used as community
cards. The dealer first lays three cards into the flop, so your
initial poker hand will consist of the three flop cards plus your
two personal cards. There is a betting round, then another card
is added to the flop. More betting, and finally a fifth card is
added. The goal is for each player to make the best 5-card hand
possible based on his/her two pocket cards and any three cards in
the flop. This game can be expensive in a casino, and because of
its complexity, should only be played by skilled players.
Lowball
Lowball
is a game for the perpetual loser. In this game, the goal is to
have the hand of the lowest possible value. In other words, the
hand with the high card becomes more valuable than the hand with
a royal flush. The perfect hand in a game of 5-Card lowball becomes
a 2-3-4-5-7 of varied suits (you would not want 2-3-4-5-6 because
that is a Straight. Lowball is a fun game
to play around the kitchen table with some buddies. If you like
that sort of thing.
Video
Slot Machine Games
The
above versions are all table games, played at either a green felt
table in a casino, or at home with your loser friends while the
rest of the world is out partying. Thanks to modern technology,
however, you can now play poker all by your little ol' self. Casinos
offer video poker slot machines, where every hand is assigned a
certain payout. It's just like the real game except that instead
of all your money going to a live opponent, it goes into a coin
slot (and eventually reaches Donald Trump). Of course, there's one
crucial difference: there's no betting involved at all. You put
in your money, get your 5 cards, throw out the ones you want and
draw some new ones, and your payout depends on what you have in
your hand. Video poker is usually an inexpensive, non-threatening
way to learn your way around the poker table, just to get a sense
of the different hand combinations. Or you can just rent Rounders
over and over again. Look out, Matt Damon.
One
last word: before you hit it rich, keep in mind that while poker
is great fun, many people get completely out of control while playing.
Many people bet way more than they can afford. So if you feel that
you are developing a gambling problem, then contact Gamblers
Anonymous. If not, MVP Poker is your choice in a complete and fully
featured online poker site. You no longer have to search for a trustworthy
poker site, it’s all right there: the tournaments, the poker games,
the cream of the crop, what more can you ask for? Just start off by
downloading and trying out their software, it’s for free and if you want
to test it now go ahead and play for fun.
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