Poker Rules

[Sanju1275]

Hi soniasinha,
Dont worry about the poker game I'll explain the rules
Poker ( or hold em specifically) takes minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.
It's all based on odds. The less likely you are to get a collection of up to five cards, the higher it tends to rank.

In Descending order Poker hands can be:

Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards in order of the same suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades)
Four of a kind
Full House ( three of a kind & a pair ex. 444KK in case of a tie, the higher three of a kind wins. ie. 44422 beats 333AA)
Flush (five cards of the same suit)
Straight (five consecutive cards, suit agnostic ie. 12345)
Three of a kind
Two Pairs
A Pair
High card

Key: A = Ace K = King Numbers = Corresponding Number Card
Suits are a subdivision of the cards. They only matter in flushes or flush straights. Any tie no mentioned above goes to the 'kicker' card. Or highest card not used in the combination. ex. If two players have a pair of aces the kicker would decide the winner. Between. AA123 & AA567 the later wins with a '7 kicker'

Few other notes — Poker has many variations, draw, stud, hold em, but most or all hold true to this ranking of hands. The rest is just gameplay and betting. Remember, a flush always beats a straight.
If you want to learn more about poker rules then Visit Pokabunga.com

[Sanju1275]

Hi soniasinha,
Dont worry about the poker game I'll explain the rules
Poker ( or hold em specifically) takes minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.
It's all based on odds. The less likely you are to get a collection of up to five cards, the higher it tends to rank.

In Descending order Poker hands can be:

Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards in order of the same suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades)
Four of a kind
Full House ( three of a kind & a pair ex. 444KK in case of a tie, the higher three of a kind wins. ie. 44422 beats 333AA)
Flush (five cards of the same suit)
Straight (five consecutive cards, suit agnostic ie. 12345)
Three of a kind
Two Pairs
A Pair
High card

Key: A = Ace K = King Numbers = Corresponding Number Card
Suits are a subdivision of the cards. They only matter in flushes or flush straights. Any tie no mentioned above goes to the 'kicker' card. Or highest card not used in the combination. ex. If two players have a pair of aces the kicker would decide the winner. Between. AA123 & AA567 the later wins with a '7 kicker'

Few other notes — Poker has many variations, draw, stud, hold em, but most or all hold true to this ranking of hands. The rest is just gameplay and betting. Remember, a flush always beats a straight.
If you want to learn more about poker rules then Visit Pokabunga.com

[Tedlark]

Sanju1275 shouldn't a royal flush be at the top of your list? Unless you are considering it a straight flush?

[Minn. Fatz]

A Royal Flush is the highest possible straight flush. There are 36 possible straight flushes in a standard deck (counting A-5 as the lowest straight flush); 624 four of a kinds, etc. The rank of the poker hands is based on how likely they are to appear, the least likely being highest.Just in case anyone is interested in starting to read books about table poker here are a couple I've found useful:Harrington on Hold 'Em, Harrington/Robertie (Two Times Two)Small Stakes Hold 'Em, Miller/Sklansky/Malmuth (Two Times Two)And for the math geeks out there:The Math of Hold 'Em, Moshman/Zare (Dimat Enterprises) - the best available one-volume reviewThe Mathematics of Poker, Chen/Ankenman (ConJelCo) - a comprehensive review of math concepts applied to poker; graduate level stuff but the concepts are accessibleKiller Poker by the Numbers, Guererra (Lyle Stuart-Kensington) - applying lessons from analysis away from the tableOf course there's no substitute for actual play. Know thyself, and Good Mathematics.

[Tedlark]

  Fatz have you read Brunson's: Super System 1 or Super System 2? If yes, what did you think of those for a beginner?

[DaBurglar]

A Royal Flush is the highest possible straight flush. There are 36 possible straight flushes in a standard deck (counting A-5 as the lowest straight flush); 624 four of a kinds, etc. The rank of the poker hands is based on how likely they are to appear, the least likely being highest.Just in case anyone is interested in starting to read books about table poker here are a couple I've found useful:Harrington on Hold 'Em, Harrington/Robertie (Two Times Two)Small Stakes Hold 'Em, Miller/Sklansky/Malmuth (Two Times Two)And for the math geeks out there:The Math of Hold 'Em, Moshman/Zare (Dimat Enterprises) - the best available one-volume reviewThe Mathematics of Poker, Chen/Ankenman (ConJelCo) - a comprehensive review of math concepts applied to poker; graduate level stuff but the concepts are accessibleKiller Poker by the Numbers, Guererra (Lyle Stuart-Kensington) - applying lessons from analysis away from the tableOf course there's no substitute for actual play. Know thyself, and Good Mathematics.Harrington's book is one that is well respected and liked by BOTH casual/amateur players,  AND serious PRO / fulltime players.  

[DaBurglar]

  Fatz have you read Brunson's: Super System 1 or Super System 2? If yes, what did you think of those for a beginner?Ted, super system (the original) published by Doyle B.  was a work ahead
of its time, since he wrote it back when Poker was still a backroom,
illegal-in-most-states game that ws looked down upon by almost everyone except the small, elite cadre of "pro players" that included Doyle back in the 1970s....heck, the so-called World Series of Poker back in the 1970s rarely had more than a few tables of players......even Doyle will admit today that, back
when he wrote it, he did not envision ANYTHING close to what has
happened to the game of Poker in the last 15-20 years!   Probably why he
wrote the follow up too.....I never read the second one......But the first one is indeed a great book for beginners......

[Vman96]

The second one, doyle mailed in the NL section and there is little, if any, changes. Other sections are good though. Mainly limit holdem (Jennifer Harman), limit Stud 8 (by his son Todd, focus on the content and not the "I'm better than you" writing-style), and limit Triple Draw Lowball by Daniel Negreanu (not perfect, but good for beginners, and still the largest piece of literature ever written on the game).

[DaBurglar]

The second one, doyle mailed in the NL section and there is little, if any, changes. Other sections are good though. Mainly limit holdem (Jennifer Harman), limit Stud 8 (by his son Todd, focus on the content and not the "I'm better than you" writing-style), and limit Triple Draw Lowball by Daniel Negreanu (not perfect, but good for beginners, and still the largest piece of literature ever written on the game).yeah  the main reason I have not read this tome  is simply  I am just not into playing  "Limit Triple Draw Lowball"  lol   would not even know where to begin with that game....and limit stud 8, I have played but not that much and it just does not interest me.....most of the other games, I have only modest interest in......My main Poker game is NL holdem, with 7 card stud a close second, but its hard to find a decent 7 card stud game these days that is not requiring a starting bankroll of many thousands......they have low level games at some casinos but it gets boring real fast unless at least a couple players have deep bankrolls to inject cash and stimulate betting.

[Vman96]

The 7 card stud section by Reese in SSI might be the best chapter in that original book, tbh. And the chapter still more relevant to modern stud games, unlike Doyle's NL Holdem chapter.