Poker is a multi-player, table-based card game that grew out of a tradition of playing cards at card tables around New England in the United States. Poker is a household name, recognized the world over, as a game of chance played by many and known amongst few. Poker was invented by Richard Steele Murray Pickets, a poor boy who started playing at age 14, using his pocket change and winning a considerable amount of money in the process. He then started teaching others, which led to the foundation of what we know today as poker.
Poker is played with seven cards, called ‘pokers’, which are placed in a ‘table’ and players face their opponents in what is called a ‘board’. The object of the game is to be the first player to win a poker game, by keeping all the other players from joining you in the poker table. In the US, you may play Poker online, through software downloads, or through regular Internet mail. There are variations of Poker, such as Omaha Poker, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Five Card Stud Hi/Lo and the all time favorite Texas Holdem. These differ because the way the poker hands are dealt, and the different ‘flops’ on the poker board, or playing field.
When a player bets, the dealer will deal five cards to the player with the highest bid, followed by another five cards to the player with the second highest bid. After the initial five cards have been dealt, the dealer will draw one card from each pot to side. After the draw, the remaining deck of cards will be turned over, and the player with the highest ranking cards will be the recipient of the top hand. After the player bids, the dealer will then deal three cards to each person, and the player with the final highest bid will win the pot.
There are many types of Poker, such as Badugi, Caribbean Poker, Five Card Stud Hi/Lo, and the all time favorite Texas Holdem. The main differences between these are the type of betting that occurs, and the number of cards dealt. In a regular game of Poker, a player will have five cards to deal with, plus the five that come from the middle. In a Texas Holdem game, a player will receive four cards from the middle, three from each face down, and one card from the river, meaning there will be a total of seven cards in play for each hand.
The betting process is pretty simple. Before the betting starts, each player will blind fold, or place their money in an envelope provided to them. Once all players have raised their hands, betting will begin. The player with the highest hand usually begins the betting action. A pot may also be opened for betting by all players. When the pot becomes full, more betting will take place until someone wins, or the pot is emptied.
After all players have bet, the last betting round will take place. At this point, any player with a high hand will reveal his cards, and will have to either fold, or stand in the way of the blindfolded player who has raised his hand. The last person standing will win the pot, and the person with the lowest total bet at the end of the betting round will fold, allowing the new pot to be opened. The final betting round is known as the “shootout” where the highest stake will win. When the game is over, the money wagered on each hand will be placed in a pool, and the winner of the pot takes all of the funds.