Texas holdem is currently the most popular form of poker
played around the world. In the 2000’s it exploded in popularity
and remains wildly popular today.
The most popular form of poker before Texas holdem surpassed
it was seven card stud, but sometime in the 1970’s or 1980’s
Texas holdem became king.
The object of High Card Flush is to make at least a 3-card flush and beat the dealer's hand. The game is played with a standard English deck of 52 cards, and hands are valued as they are in a regular poker game. If you haven't played much poker, this is still an easy game to play. Straight Flush: A straight flush (five consecutive cards all of the same suit) beats four of a kind. Aces can be high or low. Aces can be high or low. An ace-high straight flush is called a royal flush, the best possible hand in poker.
Because it’s so popular many players just assume everyone
knows how to play. It seems like you can turn on the television
and watch a tournament almost any time, but what about all of
the people who want to learn how to play but are afraid to sit
down in a real money game at first or are afraid of making a
mistake?
This page is written for you if you fit either of these
descriptions or simply want to make sure you understand
everything before playing. We’ve written this guide so you can
quickly learn how to play Texas holdem even if you’ve never
played poker before.
The first section includes general poker rules and the next
section has a complete set of Texas holdem rules. Then each of
the main parts of a hand of Texas holdem poker is described in
detail.
General Poker Rules
Before you learn how to play Texas holdem you need to
understand the basic rules of poker. The basic poker rules
include information about the deck of playing cards and the rank
of hands.
Most poker games, including Texas holdem, use a standard 52
card deck of playing cards. Each deck of cards has four suits
with each suit containing 13 cards. The suits are:
Hearts denoted by this symbol
Diamonds denoted by this symbol
The ranks of cards in each suit from highest to lowest are:
- First: Ace
- Second: King
- Third: Queen
- Fourth: Jack
- Fifth: 10
- Sixth: 9
- Seventh: 8
- Eighth: 7
- Nineth: 6
- Tenth: 5
- Eleventh: 4
- Twelveth: 3
- Thirteenth: 2
The ace can also be used as a low card, equal to 1, below a 2
for straight purposes.
Some poker games use one or more jokers, but Texas holdem
doesn’t so they aren’t included in the information on this page.
Here’s a list of possible poker hands from high to low. When
you determine which player has the best hand look at their best
five cards and start from the top of the list and work down. The
hand you get to first that’s held by a player is the winning
hand.
- Royal Flush
A royal flush is five cards, all of the
same suit, which forms a straight starting with an ace high.
The ace of clubs, king of clubs, queen of clubs, jack of
clubs, and ten of clubs is one of the four possible royal
flushes. The ace, king, queen, jack, ten or hearts is
another, and of spades is another, and finally in diamonds
is another. - Straight Flush
A straight flush is five cards, all of
the same suit, which also have five cards in sequential
order. The only difference between a royal flush and a
straight flush is a straight flush is king high or lower.
The king of spades, queen of spades, jack of spades, ten of
spades, and nine of spades is a straight flush. The six of
clubs, five of clubs, four of clubs, three of clubs, and two
of clubs is also a straight flush. - Four of a Kind
When you have four cards, all of the
same rank, you have four of a kind. The eight of spades,
eight of hearts, eight of diamonds, and eight of clubs forms
a four of a kind in eights. - Full House
A full house is three cards of the same
rank and two other cards of the same rank that aren’t the
same rank as the three of a kind. Three kings and two sevens
is a full house. - Flush
When you have a flush you have five cards of the
same suit. It doesn’t matter which five cards you have, as
long as they’re all five hearts, or all spades, or all
diamonds, or all clubs. - Straight
A straight is five cards in sequential order
that aren’t all of the same suit. Remember the ace may be
played as above the king or below the two. So both an ace,
king, queen, jack, ten and a five, four, three, two, ace are
straights. You can’t play what is sometimes called around
the world, though. This means you can’t play a hand like a
king, ace, two, three, four as a straight. - Three of a Kind
Three of a kind is any three cards of
the same rank. The ace of spades, the ace of clubs, and ace
of hearts is three of a kind. The suits don’t matter when
looking at a three of a kind. - Two Pair
Two pair is two cards of the same rank and
two other cards of the same rank that aren’t the same rank
as the first two cars. Two aces and two sixes form two
pairs. - One Pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank. Two
threes is a pair or two kings is a pair. - High Card
When you don’t have any of the other hands
listed above you have a high card hand. The highest card in
your hand is your high card. If you have an ace you have an
ace high hand. If the highest card you have is a nine, you
have a nine high hand.
If two or more players tie for the best hand you break ties
using the following rules.
- When two or more players have the exact same five card
hand they tie and split the pot. For example, two players
each have a pair of sevens, a pair of twos, and an ace. - If two or more players have the same best one card, two
cards, three cards, or four cards hand, the winner is the
player with the next highest card not being used for the one
two, three, or four card hand. For example, if two players
each have a pair of aces and the next highest card in one
player’s hand is a jack and in the other player’s hand, it’s
a seven, the player with the jack wins. This is called a
kicker. - When two players have a flush the player with the
highest card in their flush is the winner. If they each have
the same highest card the next highest card is compared,
until one player has a higher card. - If two players have a straight the player with the
highest card in their straight wins. - When two players each have a full house, the player with
the higher three of a kind wins. If the three of a kind is
the same in both hands the player with the best pair wins.
For example, a hand with three queens and two sixes beats a
hand with three tens and two aces.
Texas Holdem Rules
Now that you know how poker works, in general, it’s time to
dive into the specific rules for Texas holdem. In this section,
you’ll learn about the different types of Texas holdem and what
happens in each part of a hand.
Variations
Texas holdem is offered in variations based on betting limits
and also based on the format.
The three betting variations include:
- Limit
- Pot Limit
- No limit
And the format variations include:
- Ring Game
- Multi Table Tournament
- Single Table Tournament
- Heads Up
All of the formats can be offered in any of the betting
variations. You can play limit ring games or tournaments and no
limit heads up games, single table tournaments, multi-table
tournaments, and ring games. Basically, you can attach any of
the betting variations to any of the formats.
In a no limit game players can bet or raise any amount up to
their entire stack. In a pot limit game players may bet or raise
any amount up to and including the size of the current pot. When
you play in a limit game all bets and raises are restricted to a
set amount based on the limits.
A limit game has two amounts. The smaller amount is the
betting limit on the first two betting rounds and the higher
amount is the betting limit on the last two betting rounds.
In a $30 / $60 limit Texas holdem game, the first two betting
rounds use bets and raises of $30 and the last two betting
rounds use bets and raises of $60.
Each Texas holdem game also has a pair of forced bets called
blinds. Blinds are set by the house in no limit and pot limit
games and set based on the limits in a limit game.
The big blind is the same size as the smaller betting limit
in a limit game and the small blind is half the big blind. This
is the most common setup, but you can find a few games with
blinds that are the same or in another strange configuration.
Occasionally a pot limit or no limit game has both blinds post
the same amount.
Pot limit play is the least popular of the three Texas holdem
variants so you may never play but if you do there’s a unique
rule dealing with the size of bets that you need to be aware of.
When you make a bet or raise you can bet as much as is in the
pot. So if the pot has $100 in it, you can bet up to and
including $100. But if an opponent bets first and you decide to
raise the amount you can raise is different than you might
think.
If the pot has $100 in it and an opponent bets $20 and you
want to raise you can place a bet of $160 total. The way it
works is you use $20 to call the bet, making the pot size $140,
and then you can raise up to and including another $140. It’s
important that you understand how this works, though because you
can’t say you call a raise. You have to announce your intention
to raise and move all of your chips for the raise forward at one
time.
A Texas holdem ring game is one where players come and go and
once it’s started it doesn’t have to end as long as players want
to play and a dealer is available. Most poker rooms close or, at
least, have tables close, but some online poker rooms can have
the same table open for months or longer if players keep joining
when others leave.
want.
If you’re playing in a tournament you post a buy in and
receive chips. When you run out of chips you’re eliminated from
the tournament. In some tournaments if you run out of chips
early you can pay an additional fee and buy more chips. These
are called rebuy tournaments. In rebuy tournaments, you can only
buy back in for a limited time.
The only difference between a single table and multi table
tournaments are the size of the field of entrants. A single
table tournament has 10 entrants or less and a multi-table
tournament can have thousands of entrants.
The number of entrants who win prizes and the amount of the
payouts are listed with each tournament and you should make sure
you completely understand them and the other rules before
entering a tournament.
Occasionally you may be forced to place ante best later in
tournaments. These are bets placed be each player at the table
before each hand. In many ways, these are like blinds. If a
Texas holdem tournament has antes in the later rounds it’ll be
listed in the tournament information when you sign up.
The last thing you should know before learning more is that
most Texas holdem games have a minimum betting limit. This is
usually equal to the big blind. You also have to raise at least
the size of the last bet when you raise. So the minimum bet will
be equal to the big blind unless it’s posted differently in an
un-raised pot, and in a situation where you’re making a raise
you have to raise at least as much as the last bet.
So if the bet was $50 and you want to raise, you have to
raise at least $50 more. A minimum raise in this situation would
be $50, making a total bet of $100. This is $50 for the call and
another $50 for the raise.
Blinds
We’ve already mentioned blinds briefly, but here’s a little
more information about how they’re assigned at the beginning of
each ring game or tournament.
Usually, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals one card
face up to each player at the table. The highest card is awarded
the dealer position or dealer button. This player acts last on
each round of play for the hand except the first round. The
small blind is posted by the person to the immediate left of the
dealer button and the big blind is to the immediate left of the
small blind.
The person who deals the cards and the person with the dealer
button aren’t the same in poker rooms and casinos. They can be
the same person in private or home games that don’t have a
designated dealer.
For the rest of the parts of a Texas holdem hand, the play is
the same whether you’re playing in a tournament or in a ring
game.
Before Each Hand
At the end of each hand or at the beginning of each hand the
dealer button is passed one place to the left and both blinds
move one place to the left. The players in the blinds place
their blind bets and the dealer starts dealing one card at a
time face down to the first player to the left of the dealer
button and continues dealing to the left until each player has
two face down cards.
These hole cards are used in combination with the community
cards, discussed in the next section, to form the player’s best
five card hand. The community cards consist of five cards, so
players can use both of their hole cards and three community
cards, one of their hole cards and four community cards, or none
of their hole cards and all five of the community cards to form
a five card hand.
Once each player has two hole cards the player to the
immediate left of the big blind folds, calls the big blind, or
raises. To call the big blind simply say that you call and slide
chips forward in the same amount as the big blind. If the big
blind is $20 slide $20 worth of chips forward.
If you want to raise state that you raise and the amount
you’re raising. The maximum amount of the raise is based on the
variation of Texas holdem you’re currently playing. This was
discussed earlier in the variations section.
After each player acts the next player to the left must fold,
call the current bet, or raise.
When play comes around to the small blind she can fold, call
the difference between the current bet and her blind, or raise.
If the small blind is $10 and the current bet is $40 she only
has to place another $30 into the pot to call.
If the pot hasn’t been raised the big blind can check or
raise when it’s her turn. By checking you get to see the flop
for free in an un-raised pot.
Play continues until every player has folded or called the
last bet or raise. If you fold simply slide your cards to the
dealer face own. Until you fold protect your cards at all times.
Many players place a chip or other small item on top of their
hole cards. This shows that they want to remain in the hand and
the dealer shouldn’t attempt to get their cards.
The Flop
Once the before the hand parts are completed the dealer
places the flop in the center of the table. The dealer burns the
top card in the deck by placing it in a discard pile, and then
deals the next three cards face up in the center of the table.
These are the first three of the five cards that will make up
the community or board cards at the end of the hand. As
mentioned above, the community cards are used by each player in
combination with their hole cards to form the best possible
five-card poker hand.
After the flop cards have been dealt the first remaining
player to the left of the dealer button is the first player to
act. She may check or bet. Play continues to the left with each
player remaining in the hand checking if no one has made a bet,
calling the current bet, raising, or folding. Play continues
until each player has folded or called the last bet or raise.
In limit Texas holdem the bets before the flop and on the
flop round are at the lower betting limit. The next two rounds,
the turn, and river, are completed using the higher betting
limit.
The Turn
Once the flop betting round is completed the dealer burns the
top card of the deck again and then deals one card face up in
the center of the table beside the flop cards. This is the
fourth of five total community cards.
The first remaining player to the left of the dealer button
acts first, by checking or betting. Play continues to the left.
Each player may check if no one has made a bet, call a current
bet, and fold if a bet has been made, or raise a current bet.
Once each player has called the last bet the dealer starts
the river round.
The River
Just like the turn, at the beginning of the river, the dealer
burns the top card of the deck and places a single card face up
in the center of the table. This is the fifth and final
community card.
At this time, the first player remaining in the hand to the
left of the dealer button starts the action. She may check or
bet. Play continues to the left just like it did on the turn
with each player checking if able, calling, raising, or folding.
Once each remaining player has called the latest bet it’s
time for the showdown.
If all of the players check on the flop, turn, or river play
moves on to the next round. No one has to make a wager on a
betting round.
The Showdown
After all of the betting rounds have been completed each of
the remaining players show their cards so the pot can be awarded
to the player with the best hand. If no one made a bet on the
river the first player to the left of the dealer button is the
first to show her cards. Each remaining player to the left then
either shows her hand if it beats the current high hand or
folds.
You don’t have to show your cards if you fold, but if you
make a mistake you can’t be awarded the pot unless you show your
cards.
If a bet was made on the river the player who called the bet
can wait for the original bettor to show their cards first
before revealing her cards.
Never take your hands off your cards if you think
you have the winning hand until the dealer gives you the chips
from the pot. Also, never take another player’s word for the
strength of his hand. Look at the hand yourself before throwing
your cards away.
Poker Rules Flush Texas Holdem
After the best hand has been determined by the dealer she
gives the chips to the winning player, collects all of the
cards, makes sure the dealer button has been moved and the
blinds have been placed, shuffles the cards and gets ready to
start the next hand.
Summary
Now that you have a complete guide on how to play Texas
holdem the next step is learning more about how to be a good
Texas holdem player. We have a complete strategy section to help
you become a winning player.
Make sure you read the starting hands page and the low limits
page to get started. Once you master those two areas continue to
the pot odds page and then add the rest of the poker strategy
section.
Before you finish with the strategy section you should be
able to play at a breakeven level or better. With a little
practice and time, you should be able to start winning on a
regular basis
Today, Poker is truly an international game, enjoyed in virtually every country where card games are played.
- Game Type: Casino
- Age: 18+
- Players: 2, 3, 4, 5+
- Tag: PochenPoqueStud
As early as the sixteenth century, Germans played a bluffing game called 'Pochen.' It later developed into a French version, called 'Poque,' which was eventually brought over to New Orleans and played on the riverboats that plied the Mississippi.
In the 1830s, the game was refined further and became known as Poker. During the Civil War, the key rule about drawing cards to improve one's hand was added. A variation - Stud Poker - appeared at about the same time. There are hundreds of versions of Poker, and the game is played not only in private homes, but also in countless Poker rooms at famous casinos. Poker can be played socially for pennies or matchsticks, or professionally for thousands of dollars.
There is plenty of luck in Poker, but the game requires incredibly great skill as well, and each player is the master of his own fate.
The Pack
The standard 52-card pack, sometimes with the addition of one or two jokers, is used. Poker is a one-pack game, but today, in virtually all games played in clubs and among the best players, two packs of contrasting colors are utilized in order to speed up the game. While one pack is being dealt, the other is being shuffled and prepared for the next deal. The procedure for two packs is as follows: While the deal is in progress, the previous dealer assembles all the cards from the pack he dealt, shuffles them, and places them to the left. When it is time for the next deal, the shuffled deck is passed to the next dealer. In many games in which two packs are used, the dealer's left-hand opponent, instead of the right-hand opponent, cuts the pack.
In clubs, it is customary to change cards often and to permit any player to call for new cards whenever they wish. When new cards are introduced, both packs are replaced, and the seal and cellophane wrapping on the new decks should be broken in full view of all the players.
Card Values/Scoring
While Poker is played in innumerable forms, a player who understands the values of the Poker hands and the principles of betting can play without difficulty in any type of Poker game. Except in a few versions of the game, a Poker hand consists of five cards. The various combinations of Poker hands rank from five of a kind (the highest) to no pair or nothing (the lowest):
Five of a Kind – This is the highest possible hand and can occur only in games where at least one card is wild, such as a joker, the two one-eyed jacks, or the four deuces. Examples of five of a kind would be four 10s and a wild card or two queens and three wild cards.
Straight Flush – This is the highest possible hand when only the standard pack is used, and there are no wild cards. A straight flush consists of five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of hearts. The highest-ranking straight flush is the A, K, Q, J, and 10 of one suit, and this combination has a special name: a royal flush or a royal straight flush. The odds on being dealt this hand are 1 in almost 650,000.
Four of a Kind – This is the next highest hand, and it ranks just below a straight flush. An example is four aces or four 3s. It does not matter what the fifth, unmatched card is.
Full House – This colorful hand is made up of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, such as three 8s and two 4s, or three aces and two 6s.
Flush – Five cards, all of the same suit, but not all in sequence, is a flush. An example is Q, 10, 7, 6, and 2 of clubs.
Straight – Five cards in sequence, but not all of the same suit is a straight. An example is 9♥, 8♣, 7♠, 6♦, 5♥.
Three of a Kind – This combination contains three cards of the same rank, and the other two cards each of a different rank, such as three jacks, a seven, and a four.
Two Pairs – This hand contains a pair of one rank and another pair of a different rank, plus any fifth card of a different rank, such as Q, Q, 7, 7, 4.
One Pair – This frequent combination contains just one pair with the other three cards being of different rank. An example is 10, 10, K, 4, 3.
No Pair – This very common hand contains 'nothing.' None of the five cards pair up, nor are all five cards of the same suit or consecutive in rank. When more than one player has no pair, the hands are rated by the highest card each hand contains, so that an ace-high hand beats a king-high hand, and so on.
Two hands that are identical, card for card, are tied since the suits have no relative rank in Poker. In such a case, the tied players split the pot. Note that if two hands contain the same high pair, then the ranking of the next card in the hands determines which one wins. For example: 9, 9, 7, 4, 2 beats 9, 9, 5, 3, 2. Likewise, two hands that have identical pairs would be decided by the fifth card. For example: Q, Q, 6, 6, J beats Q, Q, 6, 6, 10.
Betting
Betting is the key to Poker, for the game, in essence, is a game of chip management.
In the course of each Poker deal, there will be one or more betting intervals in which the players have an opportunity to bet on their hands. Minimizing losses with poor hands and maximizing winnings with good hands is the underlying skill that Poker requires.
Before the cards are even dealt, the rules of the Poker game being played may require that each player put an initial contribution, called an 'ante,' of one or more chips into the pot, to start it off.
Each betting interval, or round, begins when a player, in turn, makes a bet of one or more chips. Each player to the left, in turn, must either 'call' that bet by putting into the pot the same number of chips; or 'raise,' which means that the player puts in more than enough chips to call; or 'drop' ('fold'), which means that the player puts no chips in the pot, discards their hand, and is out of the betting until the next deal.
When a player drops, they lose any chips that have put into that pot. Unless a player is willing to put into the pot at least as many chips as any preceding player, they must drop out.
A betting interval ends when the bets have been equalized - that is, when each player has either put in exactly as many chips as their predecessors or has dropped. There are usually two or more betting intervals for each Poker deal. After the final interval there is a 'showdown,' which means that each player who remains shows their hand face up on the table. The best Poker hand then takes the pot.
If a player makes a bet or a raise that no other player calls, they win the pot without showing their hand. Thus, in Poker, there is a bluffing element, and the best combination of cards does not always win the pot! Bluffing is one of the key reasons why Poker is so popular.
If a player wishes to remain in the game without betting, they 'check.' This means, in effect, that the player is making a 'bet of nothing.' A player may check provided no one before them in that betting interval has made a bet. If another player has bet, they cannot check but must at least call the bet or drop. A player who checks may raise a bet that has been raised by another player. This is called 'sandbagging,' which is allowed, unless it has been decided beforehand that this practice is forbidden. If all players check during a round of play, the betting interval is over, and all the players still in the pot remain in the game.
In each betting round, one player is designated as the first bettor, according to the rules of the game. The turn to bet always moves to the left, from player to player, and no one may check, bet, or even drop, except when it is their turn.
Knowing When to Bet
The ranking of Poker hands is based on mathematics. The less likely a player is to get a certain hand, the higher it ranks and the more likely it is to win the pot. For example, a player should not expect to be dealt a straight flush more than once in 65,000 hands, but they can expect to be dealt two pair about once in every 21 hands.
Unless a player is planning to bluff, they should not make a bet without holding a hand that they think may be the best. No Poker player can bet intelligently unless they know what constitutes a good hand, a fair hand, and a bad hand. A table of the various Poker hands and the number of combinations of each in a pack of cards is provided.
The Kitty
By unanimous or majority agreement, the players may establish a special fund called a 'kitty.' Usually the kitty is built up by 'cutting' (taking) one low-denomination chip from each pot in which there is more than one raise. The kitty belongs to all the players equally, and it is used to pay for new decks of cards or for food and drinks. Any chips left in the kitty when the game ends are divided equally among the players who are still in the game. Unlike the rule in some other games, such as Pinochle, when a player leaves a Poker game before it ends, they are not entitled to take their share of chips that comprised part of the kitty.
Chips
Poker is almost always played with poker chips. For a game with seven or more players, there should be a supply of at least 200 chips. Usually, the white chip (or the lightest-colored chip) is the unit, or lowest-valued chip, worth whatever the minimum ante or bet is; a red chip (or some other colored chip) is worth five whites, and a blue chip (or some other dark-colored chip) is worth 10 or 20 or 25 whites or two, four or five reds. At the start of the game, each player 'buys in' by purchasing a certain number of chips. All of the players usually buy in for the same amount.
Banker
One player should be designated as the banker, who keeps the stock of chips and records how many have been issued to each player or how much cash the player has paid for their chips. Players should make no private transactions or exchanges among themselves; a player with surplus chips may return them to the banker and receive credit or cash for them, while a player who wants more chips should obtain them only from the banker.
Betting Limits
There are different ways of fixing a betting limit. Some limit is necessary; otherwise a player with a lot more money would have, or would be perceived to have, an unfair advantage. Once fixed, the limit should be unalterable throughout the game unless the players unanimously agree to change the stakes. Some popular limit systems follow:
Fixed limit
No one may bet or raise by more than a stipulated number of chips, for example, two, or five, or 10. Usually this limit varies with the stage of the game: In Draw Poker, if the limit is five before the draw, it might be ten after the draw. In Stud Poker, if the limit is five in the first four betting intervals, it is 10 in the final betting interval (and often ten whenever a player has a pair or better showing).
Pot limit
Any bet or raise is limited to the number of chips in the pot at that time. This means that a player who raises may count as part of the pot the number of chips required for the player to call. If there are six chips in the pot, and a bet of four is made, the total is 10 chips; it requires four chips for the next player to call, making 14; and the player may then raise by 14 chips. But even when the pot limit is played, there should be some maximum limit, such as 50 chips.
Poker Games Rules What Is A Flush
Table stakes
The limit for each player is the number of chips the player has in front of them. If the player has only 10 chips, they may bet no more than 10 and he may call any other player's bet to that extent. In table stakes, no player may withdraw chips from the table, or return chips to the banker, until they leave the game. A player may add to their stack, but only between the deal just completed and the beginning of the next deal.
Whangdoodles, or Roodles
In a fixed-limit game, it is often agreed that following any very good hand - a full house or better, for example - there will be one deal by each player of Jackpots, in which everyone antes double, and the betting limit is doubled for these deals as well.
Poverty Poker
A maximum limit is put on the number of chips any player may lose. Each takes out one stack at the start; if they lose that stack, the banker issues the player another, without charging for it, and in many cases, the player can get still a third stack free before dropping out of the game. (Some limit should be placed on the number of free stacks so that a player will have the incentive to play carefully.)
No limit
In these sessions, the 'sky's the limit,' but such games are rarely played today.
Limits on Raises
In almost all games played today, there is a limit on the number of raises at each betting interval, and this limit is invariably three raises.
Draw & Stud Poker
The players should first decide what form of Poker they will play
The main forms of Poker are Draw Poker and Stud Poker. In Draw Poker, all the cards are dealt face down to the players. In Stud Poker, some of the cards are dealt face up as the betting progresses, so that all of the other players get to see a part of each player's hands.
Unless the host, or the rule of a club, has already established the game, the players should first decide what form of Poker they will play. Two factors should influence their decision: the number of players, and whether the group has only experienced players or has some inexperienced players. The following selections are recommended:
2, 3 or 4 players:Stud Poker in any form. Usually, with so few players, only the very experienced play Draw Poker and they will often use a stripped deck, which is a pack with cards removed, such as all the deuces (twos) and treys (threes).
5—8 players: Any form of Poker, either Draw or Stud.
9 or 10 players: Five-card Stud Poker
More than 10 players: One of the games in which fewer than five cards are dealt, such as Three-Card Monte or Spit-in-the-Ocean. All of the Poker variations are described later in this chapter. Another alternative with so many players is to simply form two tables and organize two separate games.
Dealer's Choice
When the Poker session is Dealer's Choice, each dealer has the privilege of naming the form of Poker to be played and to designate the ante, wild cards (if any), and the maximum limit of chips that can be wagered during each round. However, the dealer may not require one player to ante more than another. If a game such as Jackpots is selected and no one opens the betting, the same dealer deals again and everyone antes again.
Wild Cards
While most Poker purists choose to play with no wild cards, in many games, especially Dealer's Choice, various cards may be designated as wild. A wild card is specified by the holder to be a card of any rank or suit, such as a fifth queen, or the card needed to combine with the other four in a player's hand to form a straight or a flush. Wild cards in a Poker game add variety, and of course, they greatly increase the chances of getting a rare combination such as a full house or a straight flush. The usual choices for wild cards are as follows:
The Joker
Note that most packs of cards include two jokers for use in such games as Canasta. Poker players are increasingly adding one or both jokers as wild cards.
The Bug
This is the joker, but its wildness is limited: It counts as an ace; or as a card of any suit for making a flush; or as a card of any rank and suit for making a straight or straight flush.
Deuces
'Deuces Wild' is a popular form of Draw Poker. Every two is wild. Sometimes the joker is included as a fifth wild card. Note that the number of wild cards in a hand does not diminish it in anyway; thus, with deuces wild, five of a kind comprised of 10, 10, 2, 2, 2 (five 10s) beats 8, 8, 8, 8, 2 (five 8s).
One-eyed cards
The king of diamonds and the jacks of spades and hearts show only one eye, whereas the other face cards all have two eyes. One-eyed jacks are sometimes designated as wild cards, but the king of diamonds is rarely selected to be wild.
Low hole card
In Stud Poker, each player's lowest 'hole' card (that is, the lowest card that is dealt face down and not seen by the other players) is wild. In Draw Poker, the wild card would be the lowest card in a player's hand. When such a card is designated, it means that every card of that rank in that player's hand is wild, but the fact that a certain card is wild in one player's hand does not make that same rank of card wild in other players' hands.
Laws and Ethics
Higher Flush Poker
In every game, a written code of Poker laws should be used as the final arbiter for settling all questions. No Poker laws are universally followed - there are many local customs and preferences - but the Poker laws on this site embrace the latest customs of the most expert games and are recommended for adoption. It is a tradition of Poker that any club or group of players may make special rules, called 'house rules,' to suit their personal preferences. Of course, any such house rules should be written down.
Time Limit
Before play begins, the players should set a time limit for when the game ends and stick to it. Violation of this principle could eventually turn pleasant sessions into unpleasant ones. Often when the time for quitting is approaching, the host or one of the players will say 'three more deals' or 'through Zane's deal,' so that players will know how many deals are left and can gauge their strategies accordingly.