Poker Easy Learning

 

Basics Of Playing Poker

Part 1

Playing 5 Card Draw

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   Learn the basics of poker. Using the standard 4-suit 52-card deck, there are many variations of the game. For example, the ace normally plays high, but can sometimes play low (as the one card). A joker or other wild cards may be agreed upon. At the end of a game at the showdown, those players still remaining compare their hands according to the hand rankings (explained below). Suits are not used to break ties, nor are cards beyond the fifth (don't draw to break the tie); only the best five cards in each hand are used in the comparison. In the case of a tie, the pot is split equally among the tied/winning hands.
   

   • Wild cards introduce an additional hand, "five of a kind," which normally ranks above a "straight flush". When a joker is in play, it usually can only be used as (1) an ace or to (2) complete a straight or flush. It is not used as a true wild card.
   
   
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   Print out a ranking of the poker hands and memorize the hands. Become familiar with the names and meanings of poker hands and their variations. The person who wins is the person with the highest-valued hand. You can't win, if you don't know which hands will take the pot. If two players have hands with the same name (e.g. two "full houses") or no one has an obviously winning hand, then the player with the single highest value card in their hand wins (Ace is normally the highest).
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   Chip in. Place an "ante" (pronounced ant-ee), the minimum or "token bet", "pay to play," into the pot (usually a spot at the center of the table, although you can use a container/pot, if you wish). Every player places an agreed, equal amount of whatever your currency (poker chips, coins, bills, items of agreed value...). Whoever wins takes it all.
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   Deal or be dealt with. After shuffling (showing off), the dealer distributes the cards face down starting with the player to his or her immediate left and continuing clockwise, one card at a time until everyone has five cards. The deck is placed in the middle of the table.
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   Look at your cards. Keep them close (some people like to put them in order), while everyone else looks at theirs. This is the time to evaluate how strong your hand is. Players often show the strength of their hand with a "tell". Some tells include shallow breathing, lack of eye contact or more than usual, facial muscle flexes (to relax or cover-up a smile), neck tension, rapid plush seen in the neck or temple, etc. Trying to deduce these will give you a better chance to know who seems thrilled or disappointed when reacting to cards. Keep your usual "poker face"; don't show a response. Some players wear large sunshades, a hat pulled low, a neck scarf to cover muscle tension, and try to have deadpan facial expressions and to conceal reactionary breathing/gasping.
   
   
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   Take turns shuffling and dealing unless the house furnishes the dealer. The person to get to start the round is usually the player on the dealer's left (or the person who was dealt the first card). That player can decide to:
   

   • Open - Place the first bet. Or, "check" and so pass the chance to open to the next player. If everyone checks, then it is time to draw replacement cards (explained below). But, once the pot is opened, by a bet (e.g. placing a nickel in the pot), then all of the players, including those who already had their turns have three new options, at their next turn:
   • Fold - Quit the game by putting your cards face down on the table to avoid putting more into the pot; whatever you have put in the pot stays in the pot.
   • See/call - Stay in the game by betting/putting the equivalent amount into the pot. After they've made their choices in the first round, everyone who hasn't folded may still have those options.
   • Raise - Instead of merely calling, sweeten the pot by raising, by putting in more than the last person put in the pot (to get the others to pay that much or fold). "After the open, a call or a raise", players must have their turn in order to decide whether to (1) call (pay that same amount into the pot) or (2) fold, then the next person has his or her turn.
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   Draw replacement cards. Once everyone has had a turn (even if everyone checked) get rid of up to three cards (turned face down onto the table), or keep them all. Discard ones you don't think will help, and have them replaced. This is done in turn, in order going clockwise. Be sure no one can see what you had/have.
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   Go through another round of betting after the draw. As before, the first player can either open/bet or check, and the checking can continue until someone opens, after which players can see/call, raise or fold. Players will start folding once they realize their weak hand isn't worth the additional bet.
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   Showdown: Expose your cards only when there is no more reason to bet. Everyone who has not folded turns their cards over to see who has the winning hand. Winner takes all, unless there is an absolute tie, then split the pot.