Poker - The Game

Poker is perhaps the most favorite card game in the world. The variations are endless, the tools are simple and the thrill of victory is sweet and maybe even profitable. Poker is thought to have developed from a 16 th century Persian card game known as As Nas. The game was played with 25 cards with five different suits. Play was similar to modern 5 card stud and used similar poker hand rankings, such as three-of-a-kind. Europeans began to play the game and called it poque or pochen.

While the origins may lie in Persia and Europe, poker – the game of today, developed in the United States . Poker was widely played in New Orleans in the 1800's and quickly spread across the Western frontier. The West was comprised of speculators and travelers. Gambling was a popular pastime for both groups.

Professional gambling and poker playing became an occupation as well as a game, and became popular on riverboats. Poker was initially played with only one round of betting. Five cards were dealt face down and there was no draw. Professional gamblers eventually modified the rules to make the game more profitable. Wild cards and bluffing became common practice after 1850, and the draw was added.

Many variations of poker games have developed since then but several rules remain the same for each variation. Poker is played with a deck consisting of 52 cards. The cards are divided into four suits, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. The suits are all of equal value. Each suit has thirteen ranks, Ace (being the highest and in descending order, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three and the lowest-Deuce.

A poker hand consists of five playing cards unless otherwise specified in the rules of the game. Poker hands fall into one of several categories. A Straight Flush is five cards of the same suit in numerical order. A Royal Flush is a Straight Flush with Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10. Four-of a kind is four cards of the same face value. If players have the same four-of-a-kind, the highest 5 th card wins. A full house in poker consists of three-of-a-kind and a pair. A Flush is five cards of the same suit. The flush with the higher top card takes priority. A Straight is five cards in numerical sequence. In three-of-a-kind, the higher set wins. Two pair is two sets of like cards such as 2 Aces and 2 Nines. One pair is a set of two like cards. If a hand does not fit any other category high card wins.

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Texas Hold'em is currently the most popular poker game. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are Hole Cards. Three cards are dealt face up on the table. This is The Flop. A fourth card is dealt to the table, known as The Turn. Finally The River, a fifth card is dealt to the table. The five cards on the table are called community cards. Players form their hands by using any five out of the seven cards from the community cards and their Hole cards. All players have access to the community cards. If playing for money, there is a round of betting after a round of cards is dealt.

Omaha Hold'em is similar to Texas Hold'em except you get to choose nine cards. Each player is dealt four hole cards face down. Three cards (The Flop) are dealt face up on the table; a fourth card (The Turn) is dealt to the table. The fifth card (The River) is dealt to the table. The five cards on the table are community cards. Taking exactly two hole cards and three community cards forms the Player's hands. Betting is placed after each round is dealt.

Seven-card stud has been played since the 1800's. Stud is a variation of poker that is played with 2-8 players, and fixed limit betting. Each player is dealt, one at a time, two cards face down and one card face up, then there is a round of betting. Then the dealer deals 3 rounds of cards face up, each round followed by bets. Now in the game, each active player has two cards face down and four cards face up, and there have been 4 betting intervals. Finally each active player is dealt one more card face down, and there is one final round of betting. Players then turn their 3 hidden cards face up and select from his seven cards any five to make up his final poker hand.

There are many other variations of poker that include Lowball, Draw Poker, Seven-Card High-Low Stud Poker, and Dealer's Choice. A few more colorful variations are Spit In The Ocean, Cincinnati , Speedy High-Low Leg Poker, Pig In The Poke, Wild Widow and Fiery Cross. Five Card Stud, Six Card Stud and Eight Card Stud are also popular. Poker is played in homes and in casinos. It can be played with cards, electronically and online.

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