Poker: Basic Fundamentals
Poker, also known as Caribbean poker or Texas Hold’em, is one of the most popular games in casinos today. For more than a century, poker has been one of the most popular gambling games. Poker was first invented by an American named Richard Nixon, who believed that it would be a great way to break the ice between two people. Since then, poker has spread all over the world and is now played by millions of people.
Poker basically is a set of forty-two card decks, each having a suit from spades to hearts. The fifty cards have a royal coat of arms on them with the rank of the card beneath the coat of arms. A four of a kind is worth two points, a five of a kind is worth three points, a six of a kind is worth four points, a seven of a kind is worth five points, a ten of a kind is worth ten points, and a jack of a top is worth the equivalent of one whole poker card. Thus, the highest valued card is the royal arm of a ten of a kind. The fifty-two card decks are followed by the fifty-two card stud poker decks.
Poker is played on one table, with two players on each side. Each player receives a pack of cards, called playing cards, and three cards face down. The dealer then deals five cards to each player face down, and asks, “Hangman?” Each player may call, raise, or fold, so that there is a fifty-two card deck. Then each player receives another pack of playing cards and the match is on.
A player wins when his opponents all fold, leaving him with only one card to his name, called his “pot.” The pot is the amount of all the points from the initial two players’ pots. Players can use chips, coins, or real money to place in the pot, up to a specific limit. After a player has won a poker hand, the dealer will declare it, and the pot will be paid out based on the payout table. If no players win for a certain period of time, the game will continue to the next round until someone wins.
One of the most popular games in poker is Omaha, which pits two players against each other in a single, larger playing room. Each player is dealt a hand of cards face down, and may call, raise, or fold. When a player bets, the bet amount is revealed to everyone on both sides of the table. The player with the highest bet then folds, and the person with the second highest bet becomes the winner. Omaha rules allow for betting to continue at any time, even after a player has folded.
Texas Holdem is similar to Omaha in that players may bet, call, or fold. However, Texas Holdem is a “no-limit” game. A player may switch from one no-limit game to another without going from the poker table. No-limit Texas Holdem is played with regular poker chips, and the highest chip wagered during a game is half of the maximum amount that can be bet on a regular poker table.