Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually (but not always) hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown (in some games, the pot is split between the high and low hands), limits on bets and how many rounds of betting are allowed. In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with some form of forced bet. The action then proceeds to the left. Each player in turn must either match the maximum previous bet or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further interest in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also raise, increasing the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either matched the last bet or folded. If all but one player fold on any round, the remaining player collects the pot and may choose to show or conceal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, the hands are shown and the winning hand takes the pot.^[1]

With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who, at least in theory, rationally believes the bet has positive expected value. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand is determined mostly by chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen based on probability and psychology.

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Gameplay 3 Variations 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] History

The history of poker is the subject of some debate. One of the earliest known games to incorporate betting, hand rankings, and bluffing was the 15th century German game Pochspiel. Poker closely resembles the Persian game of Âs Nas, though there is no specific description of Nas prior to 1890.^[2] In the 1937 edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle, R. F. Foster wrote: "the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of as nas."^[3][4] By the 1990s some gaming historians including David Parlett started to challenge the notion that poker is a direct derivative of As Nas.^[3] There is evidence that a game called poque, a French game similar to poker, was played around the region where poker is said to have originated. The name of the game likely descended from the Irish Poca (Pron. Pokah) ('Pocket') or even the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to brag as a bluff' lit. 'to knock').^[5] Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time).^[4] It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.

Harry Truman's poker chips

A modern school of thought rejects these ancestries,^[6] as they focus on the card play in poker, which is trivial and could have been derived from any number of games or made up on general cardplay principles.^[7] The unique features of poker have to do with the betting, and do not appear in any known older game.^[8] In this view poker originated much earlier, in the early or mid-18th century, and spread throughout the Mississippi River region by 1800. It was played in a variety of forms, with 52 cards, and included both straight poker and stud. 20 card poker was a variant for two players (it is a common English practice to reduce the deck in card games when there are fewer players).^[9] The development of poker is linked to the historical movement that also saw the invention of commercial gambling.^[1][10]

English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, and four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread north along the Mississippi River and to the West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos.

Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used and the flush was introduced. The draw was added prior to 1850 (when it was first mentioned in print in a handbook of games).^[11] During the American Civil War, many additions were made including stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925).

The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.

Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Beginning in 1970 a series of developments led to poker becoming far more popular than it was previously:

• Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970.^[12] Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson.
• Later in the 1970s, the first serious strategy books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0).
• In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread across the United States, most notably to Atlantic City, New Jersey.^[13]
• In 1998, Planet Poker dealt the first real money online poker game.
• In 1999, Late Night Poker debuted on British television, introducing poker for the first time to many Europeans.^[14]

Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and hole-card cameras, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Not only could viewers now follow the action and drama of the game on television, they could also play the game in the comfort of their own home. Broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increased coverage of poker events, poker pros became celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to compete with them. Television coverage also added an important new dimension to the poker professional's game, as any given hand could now be aired later, revealing information not only to the other players at the table, but to anyone who cared to view the broadcast.

Since 2003, major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically, in part because of the growing popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites.^[15] After the passage of the UIGEA in October 2006, attendance at live tournaments as well as participation in live and online cash games initially slowed, however they are still growing and far more popular today than they were prior to 2003. The growth and popularity of poker can be seen in the WSOP which had a record 6,844 entrants to the main event.^[16]

[edit] Gameplay

For more details on betting rules, see Betting (poker).

For more details on rules for the most common poker variants, see List of poker hands and List of poker variants.

In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a dealer button (or buck). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.

One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player on the chair to their right cuts, and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to their left. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.

At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to call (match) the bet and all opponents instead fold, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand comprises five cards; in the variants where a player has more than five cards the best five cards play.

[edit] Variations

WSOP Main Event Table

Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play and generally using the same hand ranking hierarchy. There are three main families of variants, largely grouped by the protocol of card-dealing and betting:

Straight

A complete hand is dealt to each player, and players bet in one round, with raising and re-raising allowed. This is the oldest poker family; the root of the game as currently played was a game known as Primero, which evolved into the game three-card brag, a very popular gentleman's game around the time of the American Revolutionary War and still enjoyed in the U.K. today. Straight hands of five cards are sometimes used as a final showdown, but poker is currently virtually always played in a more complex form to allow for additional strategy.

Stud poker

Cards are dealt in a prearranged combination of face-down and face-up rounds, or streets, with a round of betting following each. This is the next-oldest family; as poker progressed from three to five-card hands, they were often dealt one card at a time, either face-down or face-up, with a betting round between each. The most popular stud variant today, seven-card stud, deals two extra cards to each player (three face-down, four face-up) from which they must make the best possible 5-card hand.

Draw poker

A complete hand is dealt to each player, face-down, and after betting, players are allowed to attempt to change their hand (with the object of improving it) by discarding unwanted cards and being dealt new ones. Five-card draw is the most famous variation in this family.

Community card poker (also known as flop poker)

A variation of Stud, players are dealt an incomplete hand of face-down cards, and then a number of face-up community cards are dealt to the center of the table, each of which can be used by one or more of the players to make a 5-card hand. Texas hold-em and Omaha are two well-known variants of the Community family.

Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to as poker. Video poker is a single-player computer game that functions much like a slot machine; most video poker machines play draw poker, where the player bets, a hand is dealt, and the player can discard and replace cards. Payout is dependent on the hand resulting after the draw and the player's initial bet.

Strip poker is a traditional poker variation where players remove clothing when they lose bets. Since it depends only on the basic mechanic of betting in rounds, strip poker can be played with any form of poker; however, it is usually based on simple variants with few betting rounds, like five card draw.

Another game with the poker name, but with a vastly different mode of play, is called Acey-Deucey or Red Dog poker. This game is more similar to Blackjack in its layout and betting; each player bets against the house, and then is dealt two cards. For the player to win, the third card dealt (after an opportunity to raise the bet) must have a value in between the first two. Payout is based on the odds that this is possible, based on the difference in values of the first two cards. Other poker-like games played at casinos against the house include three card poker and pai gow poker.

Ring games Vs Tournaments

Ring games, also known as cash games, are games of poker in which players exchange real money for chips to play poker for cash. Ring games usually run round the clock. A player can buy in to a cash game whenever there is a free seat at a table, and can cash out whenever he so chooses. The play at a ring game table is continuous, as long as the poker room remains open. Online, the cash game tables are always open.

The rules of cash game play differ slightly from those in tournament poker, and there are a few quintessential rules players must keep in mind. The first rule is the concept of table stakes- players may only bet the amount of money they have bought in for on the table. No player can simply reach into his pocket in the midst of a hand, pull out a stack of money, and bet more. Likewise, players cannot remove their buy-in from the table during a game and still maintain their spot. Removal of chips from the table is considered cash out.

Poker Tournaments have a formal structure with a definite ending point. Tournaments begin at a set time- players wishing to take part must buy in to the tournament before its scheduled beginning. Unlike cash games, tournaments only require players to pay a one-time set fee to play. In return for this entry fee, each player receives a predetermined amount of chips as their starting stack- usually 1500, in online tournaments. The goal of a tournament is for a player to be the last man standing- much like a tennis tournament, or a football playoff series. The last man out wins the biggest share of the prize pool.

Some tournaments have structures that allow players to add-on to their stacks at a set time in the tournament, or to buy more chips when they bust out. These types of tournaments are called rebuy tournaments.

The prize structure in a tournament is usually announced once registration closes. Most tournaments pay about 10-20% of the player pool. Meaning, the final 10 or 20% of players left standing win prizes of some sort- at least the amount of the buy-in, plus a bit more. The deeper a player makes it into a tournament, the bigger the percentage of the prize pool they will win. The 9 or 10 players who make it to the final table of any tournament always get paid the most.

A type of poker tournament that has been growing in popularity over the last few years is known as the Sit-and-Go tournament. Sit-and-Go tournaments are run continuously. They generally consist of smaller fields than normal tournaments, and start whenever they become full, rather than at a set time.

There are several gameplay differences between ring games and tournaments. For example, in a cash game, the blinds and antes remain fixed as time goes on. In Tournaments however, the blinds and antes increase after set time periods- usually every 12 or 15 minutes, in an online tournament.

Another difference is that in ring games, players have some extra betting options- namely, the straddle and the chop. A straddle, or live straddle, is a bet of two big blinds by a player under the gun, who can bet again if the bet is not raised. Think of it as adding an extra blind into the game. This option is not available in most tournaments. A chop is an arrangement between players to take back their blind bets if no one else has bet. Generally two players will chop if they do not necessarily want to play their hands from the blinds.

In tournaments, players do not have the option of changing the type of poker they are playing. A NL Holdem tournament will be NL Holdem until the very end. In ring games however, a casino will often allow players at the table to change the type of game being played at will.

Different Kinds of Poker Variants

There are many kinds of poker games being played around the world, from the really serious gambling ones, to the ones that are being played just simply for fun. Some of these games pattern themselves from the seven card stud poker variation, while some would be a bit similar to the Texas Hold 'em. There are just so many variations available!

One type of poker variation is a game called Three-Five-Seven which involves the players being dealt three cards each, and they must, in turn, decide to either pass or stay in the game. The player located at the left side of the dealer. During the first round of the game, the number three's are considered as wild cards and the 3 of a kind would be the best hand that a player can have. All the players that are in the game should show their cards to each other and whoever wins the game will claim the pot. As for the losers, they need to match the pot thereafter.

If there is only a single player that is in, or in case there should be a tie, that particular player or players would consequently gain a chip, or what they also call a leg. In the last round of the game, two more cards are distributed to each of the players and then the number seven cards are considered as the wild ones. It is the same kind of play, but the highest five-card hand would then win the pot. Evidently, three legs or chips can win the pot too. In this game, the maximum number of players is seven.

Another game variation played nowadays is the poker game variant known as Anaconda. In this game, every player is given seven cards and they should discard and pass around three cards to the player seated on their left side. After which, they would then discard two cards which they pass to the player, again, located on their left side. After that, they would then begin discarding two more cards in the center and not pass it on but just place it at the center of the table. The players would then order the last remaining 5 cards which are compiled in a stack in any order that they would prefer their cards to be shown as follows. Every player then displays his top card, and then places a wager. And then soon after, the next card in the said stack is then shown and another wager is placed. This goes on and on until the last remaining hand is shown to the players. The pot is split by high and low cards.

Poker variants such as these mentioned above are rather new in the poker game and are most likely not as popular as those poker variants played in casinos; however, they are still fun to play.

Aturan Bermain Poker

dalah salah satu jenis permainan kartu paling populer. Mungkin Anda pernah—bahkan sering—mendengar nama permainan kartu populer tersebut, tapi sudahkah  Anda paham aturan lengkap poker? Jika belum, sekarang Anda sedang beruntung. Berikut akan dipaparkan beberapa trik dalam permainan kartu tersebut. Tentunya kami berharap panduan sederhana ini hanya digunakan untuk kesenangan Anda bermain kartu poker di kala senggang bersama teman atau saudara.

Jika sedang tidak ada orang lain yang bisa Anda ajak bermain, Anda tak perlu cemas. Ratusan provider software membuat aplikasi permainan digital bertema jenis permainan itu. Ya, ratusan video game poker telah tercipta dan nyaris tidak ada perbedaan signifikan antara keluaran produksi satu provider dengan provider lainnya! Meski begitu, salah satu jenis permainan digital yang menggunakan sarana kartu bersimbol dan berangka ini tetap laris terjual (baca: download berbayar).

Poker memang sangat terkenal. Dalam sejarah film Hollywood, khususnya genre film action, sering kita temukan beberapa scene menampilkan permainan kartu jenis ini. Entah berupa sang tokoh utama yang sedang menyamar lalu mengajak sindikat mafia alias musuhnya bermain poker, atau hanya sekadar kilasan adegan segerombolan tokoh antogonis bermain poker sebelum sang tokoh utama mengobrak-abrik markas mereka. Tak heran, masyarakat luas mengenal permainan kartu satu ini, meski hanya tahu namanya saja.


Aturan Bermain Poker

Setiap orang pasti ingin menjadi sebagai “sang pemenang”, meski hanya dalam sebuah permainan kartu. Nah, jika Anda ingin beruntung, maka berikut akan dipaparkan berbagai aturan dalam bermain poker sekaligus trik memenangkannya.

Pada dasarnya, setiap permainan kartu ialah adu jumlah nilai kartu. Begitu juga dengan jenis Poker. Seorang pemain Poker hanya bisa menang, jika kelima kartu yang dimiliki bernilai paling besar daripada kartu milik lawan-lawannya.

Dalam aturan konvensional,  nilai kartu 2 akan kalah dengan 3, 3 kalah dengan 4, 4 kalah dengan 5, dan begitulah seterusnya hingga kartu A. Dengan urutan dari yang terkecil sampai yang terbesar: 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-J-Q-K-A. Hanya saja, dalam tipe permainan kartu yang satu ini, ada beberapa peraturan khusus. Inilah yang menjadi daya tarik permainan Poker.

• Dalam permainan Poker, kartu A bisa menjadi bernilai 1 kalau kombinasi kartu yang kita pilih mengarah ke “kartu A sebagai titik nilai terendah”.
• Jumlah nilai kartu tertinggi yang Anda miliki, berapapun juga akan kalah dengan kombinasi kartu "One Pair".
• Urutan kombinasi kartu Poker dari yang terendah sampai yang tertinggi: One Pair - Two Pair - Three of A Kind - Straight - Flush - Full House - Four of a Kind - Straight Flush - Royal Flush.

Ketika bermain Poker, usahakan tidak berbuat curang. Begitupun jangan sampai permainan ini dijadikan sebagai ajang perjudian. Jadikan hobi ini  hanya sebagai ajang hiburan saja. Sebab, Poker hanyalah sebuah permainan. Karenanya, jadilah sang pemenang dari permainan ini!

Casino Poker Games

you are getting tired of  Texas Holdém and Omaha, there is always plenty of exciting casino poker variations to try. The following games are all poker variations which are played against the casino. This means that its almost impossible to beat the games in the long run. All of the games have a house edge except for some rare kind of video poker games. So if you are playing poker to make money in the long run, you have to stick to Holdem and Omaha where you are playing against other players and not the casino. But you can play all the casino poker games for free at Bodog Casino, without any download or registration, so why not check them out and play just for fun.

3 Card Poker
The player and the dealer are each dealt tree cards from a standard deck. If you think you can beat the dealers hand you raise otherwise you fold. You win if you have a higher tree card poker hand then the dealer. The hand ranking are as follows: Straight Flush, 3 of a Kind, Straight, Flush, One Pair and High card.
There is also a bonus for high hands and a separate Pair Plus game. House edge 2.3%-3.4%. Read more…

Pai Gow Poker
This game is played with a standard deck plus a joker. The player and the dealer are each dealt seven cards and have to make two poker hands from the cards, one five card hand and one two card hand. You win if your hands beats the dealers hands. House Edge 2.3%. Read more…

Caribbean Stud Poker
Player and dealer are dealt a five card hand each. The player now either fold, losing his ante, or raise and bets an additional amount equal to twice the ante. If your hand beats the Dealer's, you win even money on your Ante bet. For your secondary bet, the odds are as follows:
Pair 1:1 Two Pair 2:1 Three-of-a-kind 3:1 Straight 4:1 Flush 5:1 Full House 7:1 Four-of-a-kind 20:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Royal Flush 100:1. House edge 5%. Read more…
Let It Ride
The game starts with the player making three bets of equal size. The dealer then deals the player three cards, and two community cards are dealt face down. After seeing the first three cards the player has the choice to either take the second bet back or "let it ride". One of the community cards is then revealed, and the player now has the option to take back the third bet or 'let it ride'. Finally the second community card is flipped and the player is paid according to a poker hand pay table.
Most casinos will pay out on a pair of tens or better, and players are paid at odds on all bets that they 'let ride'. House edge 3.5%. Read more...

Video Poker
Video Poker is a game of luck and skill. Its one of the games where the casino has the smallest edge. There is lots of different video poker games but the most common is Jacks or Better. You should look for machines that pay out 800-1 for a Royal Flush and 6-1 for a flush. (many only pay 5-1). The house Edge for video poker is between -0,07% and 5%. For the best games played with perfect strategy the odds are in favour of the player.
Read more…

You can play all the casino poker games for free at Bodog Casino, without any download or registration. Just click this go to Bodog Casino link and then click ”Practice now”.

You can also play for free at Rushmore Casino and if you want to play for real money Rushmore Casino offers all new players 100% deposit bonus up to $888.
Go to Rushmore casino.

List of poker hands

For nicknames of pocket cards in Texas hold 'em, see List of playing card nicknames.

Examples of poker hand categories in descending order

In poker, players construct hands of five cards according to predetermined rules, which vary according to which variant of poker is being played. These hands are compared using a hand ranking system that is standard across all variants of poker, the player with the highest-ranking hand winning that particular deal in most variants of poker. In some variants, the lowest-ranking hand can win or tie.

Although used primarily in poker, these hand rankings are also used in some other card games, and in poker dice.

The ranking of a particular hand is increased by including multiple cards of the same card rank, by all five cards being from the same suit, or by all five cards being of consecutive rank. The relative ranking of the various hand categories is based on the probability of being randomly dealt such a hand from a well-shuffled deck.

Contents [hide] 1 General rules 2 Hand categories 2.1 Straight flush 2.2 Four of a kind 2.3 Full house 2.4 Flush 2.5 Straight 2.6 Three of a kind 2.7 Two pair 2.8 One pair 2.9 High card 3 Variations 3.1 Decks using a wild card or bug 3.2 Lowball 3.3 Stripped deck variant 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] General rules

The following rules apply to the ranking of all poker hands. Under typical rules there are 7,462 distinct ranks.

A hand always consists of five cards. In games where more than five cards are available to each player, the best five-card combination of those cards must be played. Any cards not included in the hand do not affect its ranking. For example, if player A holds 3♠ Q♦ and player B holds 3♣ A♣, and five cards 4♣ 5♦ 6♦ 7♠ 10♥ are available to both players, the players hold equally ranking 3-4-5-6-7 straights despite the fact that the player B's ace ranks higher than the player A's queen.

Individual cards are ranked A (highest), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (lowest). Aces can appear low when part of an A-2-3-4-5 straight or straight flush. In the poker variants ace-to-five and ace-to-six lowball, the ace only plays low, and only plays high in deuce-to-seven lowball. Individual card ranks are used to rank hands that are in the same rank category.

The suits of the cards are used to determine whether a hand forms a flush or straight flush. In most variants, suits do not have an associated value, and play no part in determining the ranking of a hand. Sometimes a ranking called high card by suit is used for randomly selecting a player to deal. Low card by suit usually determines the bring-in better in stud games.

Hands are ranked first by category, then by individual card ranks; even the lowest hand that qualifies in a certain category defeats all hands in all lower categories. For example, 2♦ 2♠ 3♦ 3♣ 4♠, the lowest-valued two pair hand, defeats all hands with just one pair or high card (such as A♠ A♦ K♦ Q♥ J♣). Only between two hands in the same category are card ranks used to break ties.

A poker hand has the same hand ranking regardless of the order in which it is arranged by the deal, by a description, or by a picture. So a hand arranged as 10♠ 8♦ 10♦ 6♣ 10♣ is ranked the same as 10♣ 10♦ 10♠ 8♦ 6♣ even though in the first hand the three of a kind is not immediately obvious.

If there are multiple hands of the same rank at the showdown, the pot is divided equally between the winning players. If the divided number creates fractions (odd chip), the first hand clockwise from the button gets the chip.

There are 311 875 200 ways (5-permutations) of being dealt five cards from a 52 card deck,^{[Note 1]} but since the order of cards does not matter, there are 5! = 120 5-permutations giving any one hand, so there are only possible distinct hands.

[edit] Hand categories

[edit] Straight flush

"Straight Flush" redirects here. For The World War II bomber, see Straight Flush (B-29).

Defeats

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Ties with

Straight flush examples

A straight flush is a hand that contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit, such as Q♣ J♣ 10♣ 9♣ 8♣. Two such hands are compared by their card that is ranked highest. Because suits have no relative value, two otherwise identical straight flushes tie (so 10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ ties with 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥). Aces can play low in straights and straight flushes: 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦ A♦ is a 5-high straight flush, also known as a "steel wheel".^[1][2] An ace-high straight flush such as A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦ is known as a royal flush, and is the highest ranking standard poker hand.

There are 40 possible straight flushes, including the four royal flushes. The probability of being dealt one in a five-card deal^{[Note 2]} is .

[edit] Four of a kind

Defeats

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Defeats

Four of a kind examples

Four of a kind, also known as quads, is a poker hand such as 9♣ 9♠ 9♦ 9♥ J♥, which contains four cards of one rank, and an unmatched card of another rank. Quads with higher ranking cards defeat lower ranking ones. In community-card games (such as Texas Hold 'em) or games with wildcards it is possible for two or more players to obtain the same quad; in this instance, the unmatched card acts as a kicker, so 7♣ 7♠ 7♦ 7♥ J♥ defeats 7♣ 7♠ 7♦ 7♥ 10♣. If two hands have the same kicker, they tie and the pot is split.

There are 624 possible hands including four of a kind; the probability of being dealt one in a five-card deal is .

[edit] Full house

Defeats

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Defeats

Full house examples

A full house, also known as a full boat, is a hand such as 3♣ 3♠ 3♦ 6♣ 6♥, which contains three matching cards of one rank, and two matching cards of another rank. Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking three cards wins, so 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 4♠ 4♣ defeats 6♠ 6♥ 6♦ A♠ A♣. If two hands have the same three cards (possible in wild card and community card games), the hand with the higher pair wins, so 5♥ 5♦ 5♠ Q♥ Q♣ defeats 5♣ 5♦ 5♠ J♠ J♦. Full houses are described as "Three full of Pair" or occasionally "Three over Pair"; Q♣ Q♦ Q♠ 9♥ 9♣ could be described as "Queens over nines", "Queens full of nines", or simply "Queens full".

There are 3,744 possible full houses; the probability of being dealt one in a five-card hand is .

[edit] Flush

Defeats

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Defeats

Flush examples

A flush is a poker hand such as Q♣ 10♣ 7♣ 6♣ 4♣, where all five cards are of the same suit. If the hand also has all the cards in sequential order, it would be a straight flush. Two flushes are compared as if they were high card hands; the highest ranking card of each is compared to determine the winner. If both hands have the same highest card, then the second-highest ranking card is compared, and so on until a difference is found. If the two flushes contain the same five ranks of cards, they are tied and split the pot, that is, suits are not used to rank them.

Flushes are described by their highest card, as in "queen-high flush" to describe Q♦ 9♦ 7♦ 4♦ 3♦. If the rank of the second card is important, it can also be included: K♠ 10♠ 5♠ 3♠ 2♠ is a "king-ten-high flush" or just a "king-ten flush", while K♥ Q♥ 9♥ 5♥ 4♥ is a "king-queen-high flush". However an alternate method of describing a flush can be utilized specifically in community card games, like Texas Hold 'em, where the highest ranking card in the flush sometimes will be a community card, and as such becomes irrelevant for its rank. In such situations, a person's flush might be described as being as high as his hold cards. For example, consider that the community cards show A♣ 10♣ 6♣ 2♣, and Player A has hold cards of Q♣ J♦ while Player B has hold cards of K♣ 10♠. The A♣ is playable by both and becomes irrelevant in determining which player holds the higher flush so Player A's hand can be described as a queen high flush while Player B holds a king high flush. In this case, both players have a flush of the same suit, and because it is a community card game they have equal rights to the high ace, which consequently counteracts the ace being a meaningful high card any longer. Because in games like five card draw, two players cannot have an ace high flush of the same suit and the former method is always used.

There are 5,148 possible flushes, of which 40 are also straight flushes; the probability of being dealt a flush, which is not also a straight flush, in a five-card hand is .

[edit] Straight

Defeats

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Ties

Straight examples

A straight is a poker hand such as Q♣ J♠ 10♠ 9♥ 8♥, which contains five cards of sequential rank. If the cards were also all of the same suit, the hand would be a straight flush. Two straights are ranked by comparing the highest card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, suits are not used to separate them.

Straights are described by their highest card, as in "ten-high straight" or "straight to the ten" for 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♣ 6♠.

A hand such as A♣ K♣ Q♦ J♠ 10♠ is an ace-high straight (also known as Broadway), and ranks above a king-high straight such as K♥ Q♠ J♥ 10♥ 9♣. The ace may also be played as a low card in a five-high straight such as 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 2♠ A♥, which is colloquially known as a wheel. The ace may not "wrap around", or play both high and low: 3♣ 2♦ A♥ K♠ Q♣ is not a straight.

There are 10,240 possible straights, of which 40 are also straight flushes; the probability of being dealt a straight, which is not also a straight flush, in a five-card deal is .

It is impossible to have a straight hand without either a five card or a ten card.

[edit] Three of a kind

Defeats

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Defeats

Three of a kind examples

Three of a kind, also called trips or a set, is a poker hand such as 2♦ 2♠ 2♣ K♠ 6♥, which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. In Texas hold 'em and other flop games, three of a kind is called a "set" only when it is composed of a pocket pair and one card of matching rank on the board (as opposed to two matching cards on the board and a third in the player's hand).^[3]

Higher-valued three of a kind defeat lower-valued three of a kind, so Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 7♠ 4♣ defeats J♠ J♣ J♦ A♦ K♣. If two hands contain three of a kind of the same value, which is possible in games with wild cards or community cards, the kickers are compared to break the tie, so 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 9♦ 2♣ defeats 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 8♣ 7♦.

There are 54,912 possible three of a kind hands in a five-card deal which are not also full houses; the probability of being dealt one in a five-card hand is .

[edit] Two pair

Defeats

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Defeats

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Defeats

Two pairs examples

A poker hand such as J♥ J♣ 4♣ 4♠ 9♥, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another rank (that match each other but not the first pair), plus one unmatched card, is called two pair. To rank two hands both containing two pair, the higher ranking pair of each is first compared, and the higher pair wins (so 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ defeats 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ 4♣ 10♠). If both hands have the same top pair, then the second pair of each is compared, such that 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ defeats 10♠ 10♣ 4♠ 4♥ 8♥. If both hands have the same two pairs, the kicker determines the winner, so 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ A♦ beats 10♠ 10♣ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠. Finally, if both hands have the same two pair and same kicker, the pot is split.

Two pair are described by the higher pair first, followed by the lower pair if necessary; K♣ K♦ 9♠ 9♥ 5♥ is described as "Kings over nines", "Kings and nines", or simply "Kings up" if the nines are not important.

There are 123,552 possible two pair hands that are not also full houses; the probability of being dealt one in a five-card deal is .

[edit] One pair

Defeats

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Defeats

One pair examples

One pair is a poker hand such as 4♥ 4♠ K♠ 10♦ 5♠, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus three other unmatched cards. Higher ranking pairs defeat lower ranking pairs; if two hands have the same pair, the non-paired cards (the kickers) are compared in descending order to determine the winner.

There are 1,098,240 possible one pair hands; the probability of being dealt one in a five-card deal is .

[edit] High card

Defeats

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Defeats

High card examples

A high-card or no-pair hand is a poker hand such as K♥ J♣ 8♣ 7♦ 3♠, in which no two cards have the same rank, the five cards are not in sequence, and the five cards are not all the same suit. Essentially, no hand is made, and the only thing of any potential meaning in the player's hand is their highest card. Nevertheless, they sometimes win a pot if the other players fold or even at a showdown. Two high-card hands are ranked by comparing the highest ranking card. If those are equal, then the next highest ranking card from each hand is compared, and so on until a difference is found.

High card hands are described by the one or two highest cards in the hand, such as "king high", "ace-queen high", or by as many cards as are necessary to break a tie. They are also referred to as "nothing", "garbage", and other derogatory terms.

The lowest possible high card is seven-high (such as 7♠ 5♣ 4♦ 3♦ 2♣), because a hand such as 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ 3♦ 2♥ would be a straight, and in 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ 3♦ A♥ the ace would serve as the high card.

Of the 2,598,960 possible hands, 1,302,540 do not contain any pairs and are neither straights nor flushes. As such, the probability of being dealt "no pair" in a five-card deal is .

[edit] Variations

[edit] Decks using a wild card or bug

The use of a joker as a bug creates a variation to game play. When a joker is introduced, it most commonly functions as a fifth ace, unless it can be used to complete a flush or straight. Some casino draw poker variants use a joker, and thus the best possible hand is five of a kind aces, or A♥ A♦ A♣ A♠ J with the joker representing the fifth ace. In lowball, the joker plays as the lowest card not already in the hand. In non-casino settings the joker is sometimes a full wild card.

[edit] Lowball

Main article: Lowball (poker)

Some variants of poker called lowball or low poker are played with the standard hand rankings described here, but with the objective reversed: players strive not for the highest ranking of the above hands but for the lowest ranking hand. There are several methods of ranking low hands, including ace-to-five low, deuce-to-seven low, ace-to-six low and deuce-to-six low. The ace-to-five (known as California lowball) is used in razz, in some draw poker varieties, and in deuce-to-seven (known as Kansas City lowball).

[edit] Stripped deck variant

Five-card draw poker is sometimes played with a stripped deck. This variant is commonly known as "seven-to-ace" or "ace-to-seven" (abbreviated as A-7 or 7-A). It can be played by up to five players. When four or fewer players play, a normal 32-card deck without jokers, with ranks ranging from ace to seven, is used. With five players, the sixes are added to make a 36-card deck. The deck thus contains only eight or nine different card ranks, compared to 13 in a standard deck. This affects the probabilities of making specific hands, so a flush ranks above a full house and below four of a kind in the seven-to-ace five-card draw. Many smaller online poker rooms, such as Boss Media spread the variant, although it is unheard of in land casinos.

[edit] See also

Sports and games portal

• Glossary of poker terms
• List of poker hand nicknames
• Non standard poker hands
• Poker probability – various probability calculations on poker hands

[edit] Notes

1. ^ In general, the number of k-permutations taken from a set of n is
   

   ,

   which in this case gives




2. ^ Note that the probabilities will vary slightly in games where the player can select from more than five cards (such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha), as the player is able to select the best possible hand from the cards available.