Poker, for all its endless variations, is essentially a simple game. 5-Card Draw is an easy version to explain basic principles of the game.
You use all 52 cards in the playing deck. Aces are always high, followed by King and down to 2. You also use the four card suits:
- Clubs:
- Spades:
- Hearts:
- Diamonds:
Every suite has equal value. Every player gets five cards and the objective is to hold cards of the highest value:
Royal Flush - The top hand (and the toughest to get) is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 of the same suit.
Straight Flush - Again of the same suit, you want a sequence of cards. There is no "wrap around" such as Q-K-A-2-3.
Four of a Kind - The same card in each suit, so four Kings. If more than one player has this, the winner is the holder of the higher-valued cards.
Full House - Same as above, but for three cards, followed by a pair. Higher ranking cards always win.
Flush - This is a collection of five cards of the same suit. Numerical rank does not count.
Straight - This is a numerical sequence of five cards, regardless of suit.
Three of a Kind - Three cards having the same numerical rank.
Two Pair - Two pairs of cards
One Pair - A card pair
High Card - Single highest value card, if nobody has any sets or sequences.
Basic Rules
• Start by placing an ante or "token bet" into the pot before the cards are dealt - this can be a few coins or a thick roll of banknotes.
• The dealer distributes 5 cards to each player, allocating one card every round.
• You evaluate your cards and place your bets. Let somebody else start the betting if you are a novice.
• When you start the betting, you have several options:
Open : Be the first to start the bet by placing an amount in the middle.
Check : You are on 'hold' waiting to see what happens.
See : Match another player's bet so you can stay in the game.
Raise : A step beyond See, this increases your bet amount.
Fold : Your have a weak and decide to quit, losng whatever you have bet so far.
During a game you can exchange up to 3 cards.
• After everyone has drawn 0-3 replacement cards, the betting continues. You will hear See, Raise or Fold many times. When this stops, the game ends.
• Now everyone exposes their cards, with the holder of the highest value claiming the pot. If you have a great hand, it is important to learn to have a poker face (in a real game, we mean) so that nobody knows what you have. On the Internet, of course, you can whoopee as much as you want.
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