Poker Card
Poker, a classic and thrilling card game that has captured the hearts of players worldwide, has a rich history dating back centuries. Whether you’re a seasoned poker card enthusiast or a beginner eager to learn the game, this article will take you on a journey through the fascinating origins of poker cards, teach you how to play the game, and provide a comprehensive overview of the rules of play.
Rules of the game Poker card Game
In this article, the rule of poker card in its most popular and most played variation will be explained: Texas Hold’Em Poker.
One-sentence Hold’Em rule: Each player has 2 cards in hand and will have to compose combinations with his hand + the 5 cards in the middle of the table.
Popularity: Casino Royale Popularized by the WSOP (the world championships of poker), but also by films such as L’Arnaque or Casino Royale.
Poker reached an unprecedented peak in popularity in 2000 thanks to online poker and television broadcasts.
Mechanics: Auctions, luck, psychology and bluffing.
Material: 52-card deck + tokens
Number of players: 2-10
Goal: Build the best hand to win opponents’ chips
Principle: At the start of each game, players are dealt 2 cards which they look at secretly. Gradually, 5 more cards are added, visible to everyone in the middle of the table (flop-turn and river). The players will have to constitute, thanks to their 2 cards and those in the middle, the best combination of 5 cards.
Rules of Poker Card
I – Implementation
Acknowledgment of the Blinds: Before the Dealer deals the cards, the 2 players to his left must pay the blinds (two first bets compulsory). Respectively, they pay:
The Small blind (for the player to the left next to the dealer. This amount is defined at the start of the game) and:
The Big Blind (for the player to the left of the Small Blind. The amount of the Big Blind is double the Small Blind).
Shuffle Cards & Cut: The Dealer (the dealer owns the dealer’s chip called “Dealer”) shuffles the cards and asks the person to his right to cut.
Distributing Cards: The Dealer distributes the cards face down in a clockwise direction (left to right from the Small Blind).
The Dealer stops dealing when each player has 2 cards. Players will only be able to reveal their two cards at the time of the “showdown”.
II – Pre-flop, Flop, River
In Texas hold’em, the cards placed by the dealer on the board is called community cards. The community cards are dealt in three phases, which namely is the flop, the turn and the river. This is not the case in all poker variations, but you will face this order in the most popular games, such as Texas hold’em and Omaha.
The first 3 community cards are dealt together and are called the flop, the next card is called the turn and the very last card is called the river. It can look something like this:
Flop: 3♠-A♠-7♣
Turn: K♥
River: J♦
1. Pre-flop (before the 3 community cards are turned over):
Take note of the 2 cards: The Players take note of their game and begin a pre-flop betting round.
First round of pre-flop betting: The player to the left of the Big Blind starts betting. The latter can:
To fold: He then throws his cards and withdraws definitively from the game.
Call the Big Blind: He puts in the pot the same amount as that deposited by the big blind.
Raise: He bets a sum greater than that deposited by the Big Blind.
Then the game continues clockwise (left to right).
2. Flop (3 community cards are turned over):
Burn a card: After the 1st betting round, the Dealer “burns” a card face down.
Uncovering the Flop: The Dealer then spreads the Flop: 3 cards are turned face up in the middle of the table.
→ The players will have to combine these 3 cards with their 2 hands to form combinations. The community cards in the middle of the table constitute the “tableau” (board).
New betting round: Next, a new betting round begins:
→ The player to the left of the dealer starts betting and can choose one of the following actions:
Check: The player does not put any extra money into the pot. A check is only possible if the previous players have not bet.
Bet: Place the desired amount in the pot.
Raise: Bet a larger amount if a player has already bet.
Call: If a player has already bet, to call that bet in the pot.
To fold: to throw its cards and to withdraw definitively from the game.
The next betting rounds will be the same.
3.Turn (a 4th card is turned):
Burn a card: The Dealer “burns” a card.
Unveil the Turn: The Dealer flips a new card to the center (the 4th one is revealed on the board).
New betting round: See above.
4. River (the 5th and last community card is turned over):
Burn a card: The Dealer burns one last card.
Uncover the River: The Dealer turns over a 5th and last card in the center. It’s about the river.
Last betting round: See above.
Showdown: The hands of the players still in play clash. Players must present a hand of 5 cards. To do this, they can combine their private cards with those in the tableau or not use any private cards (he is said to be playing tableau).
→ The player with the best hand wins the pot. In the event of a tie, it is split.
Special face-to-face cases:
The donor finds himself Small Blind (and not Big Blind)
III – Hierarchy of Card Combinations (Poker Card hand rangking)
Here is the ranking of poker hands, from the weakest (single card) to the strongest (Royal Flush).
Combinations and examples of Poker Hands
Combination | example | |
Royal flush | Continuation of 10 to the ace of the same symbol | 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥ |
Straight flush | Continuation of the same symbol | 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ |
4-of-a-kind | Four cards of the same rank | 10♥ 10♠ 10♦ 10♣ 4♣ |
Full house | Three cards of the same rank and a pair | 10♥ 10♠ 10♦ 4♣ 4♥ |
Flush | Five cards with the same symbol | 10♥ 3♥ 6♥ A♥ 9♥ |
Four of a kind | Series of different symbols | 4♣ 5♥ 6♠ 7♥ 8♦ |
3 of-a kind | Three cards of the same rank | 4♥ 4♦ 4♣ 7♣ K♥ |
Two pairs | Two pairs | 2♥ 2♦ 6♠ 6♣ 8♥ |
One pair | Two cards of the same rank | 10♠ 10♦ 6♥ K♥ J♦ |
High card | Highest card in the hand | 4♠ 7♣ 6♥ A♥ 2♦ |
Combinations and Probabilities in Poker Card Games
This article is about the gambling and statistical terms for the following:
Combination options with five out of 52 cards
hand | Number of possibilities |
probability | cumulative probability | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
in percent | as an inverted odd | in percent | as an inverted odd | ||
Straight Flush & Royal Flush | 36 + 4 | 0.00154 | 64973 : 1 | 0.00154 | 64973 : 1 |
Four of a kind | 624 | 0.0240 | 4164 : 1 | 0.0255 | 3913 : 1 |
Full house | 3,744 | 0.144 | 693.2 : 1 | 0.170 | 588.6 : 1 |
Flush | 5,108 | 0.197 | 507.8 : 1 | 0.366 | 272.1 : 1 |
Straight | 10,200 | 0.392 | 253.8 : 1 | 0.76 | 130.8 : 1 |
Three of a kind | 54,912 | 2.11 | 46.3 : 1 | 2.87 | 33.8 : 1 |
Double pairs | 123,552 | 4.75 | 20.0 : 1 | 7.63 | 12.1 : 1 |
One pair | 1,098,240 | 42.3 | 1.37 : 1 | 49.9 | 1.005: 1 |
High card | 1,302,540 | 50.1 | 0.995: 1 | 100 | 0 : 1 |
total | 2,598,960 | 100 | 0 : 1 | – | – |
Combinations with 7 of 52 cards (Texas Hold’em)
hand | Number of possibilities |
probability | cumulative | |
---|---|---|---|---|
in percent | as a ratio | in percent | ||
Straight Flush & Royal Flush | 41,584 | 0.0311 | 3216.2: 1 | 0.0311 |
Four of a kind | 224,848 | 0.168 | 594 : 1 | 0.199 |
Full house | 3,473,184 | 2.60 | 37.5: 1 | 2.80 |
Flush | 4,047,644 | 3.03 | 32.1: 1 | 5.82 |
Straight | 6.180.020 | 4.62 | 20.6: 1 | 10.44 |
Three of a kind | 6,461,620 | 4.83 | 19.7: 1 | 15.3 |
Double pairs | 31,433,400 | 23.5 | 3.3: 1 | 38.8 |
One pair | 58,627,800 | 43.8 | 1.3: 1 | 82.6 |
High card | 23,294,460 | 17.4 | 4.7: 1 | 100 |
total | 133.784.560 | 100 | 0 : 1 | – |
Odds
The probability of obtaining each of the hands is obtained by dividing the number of combinations that give rise to that hand by the total of possible combinations of five cards. They are shown in the following table:
Hand | Combinations | Probability |
---|---|---|
Royal flush | 4 | 0.0002% |
Straight flush | 36 | 0.0014% |
Four of a kind | 624 | 0.0240% |
Full house | 3,744 | 0.1441% |
Flush | 5,108 | 0.1965% |
Straight | 10,200 | 0.3925% |
Three of a kind | 54,912 | 2.1128% |
Double pairs | 123,552 | 4.7935% |
One pair | 1,098,240 | 42.2569% |
High card | 1,302,540 | 50.1177% |
Total | 2 598 960 | 100.0000% |
How to play Poker Cards
Poker is a popular game that is fairly easy to learn, but difficult to master. It is a game of cards, but also of strategy, and you have to constantly analyze the behavior of your opponents to decide when to fold or to bluff or to determine when another player is bluffing.
There are many versions of the game, but Texas Hold’em is the most common. Each variant has its own rules, but the basics don’t change. You just need to understand the ground rules to be able to start working on your personal strategy.
1. Learn the combinations.
Familiarize yourself with all the different combinations and their ranking. No matter which version of poker you play, the combinations will always be the same. To help you, you can print out a list of these combinations and study them. Learn them by heart so you can easily recognize them. They are described below from best to lowest.
- The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush (the royal straight flush). This hand includes a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit, one kind (all clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades). It can only be tied but not beaten by the royal flush of another suit.
- Straight flush is made up of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit.
- 4 of a kind means you have 4 cards of the same rank (but different suits, of course) and a fifth card of any rank (such as 4 aces and a 9). If you have 4 aces, then no one can have any hand with an ace, so that no royal flush is available.
- Full house contains 3 matching cards of 1 rank and 2 matching cards of another rank.
- Flush contains any 5 cards of the same suit. These skip around in rank or sequence, but are from the same suit.
- Straight contains 5 cards of consecutive rank but from more than one suit.
- 3 of a kind means you have 3 cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards.
- 2 pair is made up of two cards of one rank, plus two cards of another rank (different from the first pair), plus one unmatched card.
- Pair means you have 2 cards of the same rank, plus 3 other unmatched cards.
- High card is the lowest-ranking (called a “nothing”) hand, when no two cards have the same rank, the five cards are not consecutive, and they are not all from the same suit.
Tips: when 2 people have the same combination in the showdown, the one with the highest value cards wins. If the two combinations are formed from the same values (color does not count), there is a tie and the wins (if any) are distributed equally.
2. Start betting.
In poker, you can open bets in two different ways. In a game of Texas Hold’em, the player to the left of the dealer usually starts by betting the “small blind,” which is half the usual minimum bet.
The player to the left of the first then bets the big blind, which is at least the minimum bet. If desired, each player can also place a basic minimum bet called an “ante” in the pot at the start of the round to increase the total amount that will be won.
Antes are not placed in a game of Texas Hold’em, but most other versions of poker employ this system. Aside from Texas Hold’em, most poker variants use an “ante up” system.
3. Look at your first two cards.
They are your hand. The dealer begins by burning the first card of the deck, which means that it will not be used for this round. He then deals two cards to each player. Look at the ones you received.
In poker, the dealer must burn a card at the start of each new dealing round. In this way, it is more difficult to anticipate the next card and the part of chance is increased.
Cards should always be dealt clockwise, that is, going to the left.
Tips: Players should not show their hand to anyone before the showdown. Even if a player folds, he must leave his cards face down. You don’t want him to give hints about yours by accident or intentionally!
4. Choose an action: Bet, call, or raise after each round is dealt.
Bet, wait or withdraw from the round after each round of dealing. Each time the dealer lays new cards, a betting round takes place. The first will be based only on the 2 cards in your hand. You will take turns betting. When it’s up to you, you have several choices.
- Place an initial bet if no one else has yet.
- Say “check” to avoid betting.
- Say “call” to match the bet someone else has made.
- Say “raise” to add more money to the betting pool. If you “raise,” the other players will go around in a circle and choose to either “call” your new bet or fold.
- If someone has bet and you don’t want to call their bet, say “fold” if someone else has bet and you don’t want to match their bet. If you fold, turn your cards into the dealer face-down to avoid giving the other players any advantages!
5. Watch the “flop card” to see if you have a good hand.
After the first round of betting, the dealer will burn the top card of the deck and place three cards face up on the table. They constitute the “flop.” »These are community cards that can be used in the constitution of the combinations of all the players. Compare them to the cards you have in your hand and then bet, check or fold.
The dealer will turn over five cards in all. You will therefore have seven cards available to form the best possible combination of five: the two in your hand and the five on the table. Your luck may change later, but take the time to analyze the cards on the flop. Do you already have enough to have a good combination at the end of the round?
Depending on the rules you follow, you can also replace cards in your hand with others. Usually this is done during or immediately after the first round of betting.
6. Examine the “turn card”, after the second round of betting
After the second betting round, the dealer will burn the first card of the deck again and place the next one face up on the table, next to the flop. This card is the “turning point. Look at all the cards on the table and in your hand to determine if you want to bet, check or fold.
Depending on the rules adopted, you may also be able to redeem your cards at this time, but in general this is not the case in professional games.
When looking at the cards, also think about what combinations other players may have. For example, if the four community cards are spades, any player with a spade in their hand will have a flush, that is, five cards of the same suit.
Likewise, if the four face up cards are 5, 6, 7 and 8, any player with a 4 or a 9 will have a straight.
If you don’t have anything useful in your hand, but community cards make it easy to make a winning combination, it is advisable to fold, as it is likely that another person has a card that allows them to win.
7. Analyze the river.
The dealer will burn the top card of the deck and turn the next one face up next to the turn. This is the “river.” »Look at the cards in your hand and on the table and determine your best 5-card combination before betting, checking or folding.
If the rules allow, you may be able to trade your cards one last time before placing your bet, but this is rare in pro games.
8. Shoot the cards (Reveal each player’s hand clockwise in the final “showdown”)
Reveal your hands in turn, progressing clockwise. Once the last player has bet, checked, or folded, all remaining players participate in the showdown. Starting with the one to the left of the dealer, each player places the cards in their hand face up. The one with the most powerful combination wins the round and wins the pot.
In the event of a tie, the players concerned share the pot.
If you have folded, you don’t have to show your hand.
In Texas Hold’em, there are five cards on the table and two in each player’s hand. You can use these seven cards to form any combination of five. All others are not used.
If you only want to use community cards, you can do that, but all players have this option, which means it’s not the best strategy.
History of Poker Card
The historical origin of poker is open to debate, but the game dates back 2 or 3centuries.
This game is reminiscent of the Iranian game as nas, supposedly introduced to the United States by French sailors. However, the description of this Persian game dates from 1890 and is therefore subsequent to the first historical sources which trace the origin of this revival game to the United States in the nineteenth century2. It is generally considered to be related to the French game of brelan or the prime (card game), which was very successful in Italy, Spain, France and England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Read also: To Play Poker Like a Pro?
The prime, or more exactly the primero, dates from the Renaissance and is considered the mother of poker. It was at the time better known as bambara or golfo: it consisted of forming the best possible combination of cards among 5 existing, with four cards in hand which could be replaced by one or two cards. There is also a betting system, the pot can be won either by the best combination or by the number of points allocated to it to decide between the players. Introduces the concept of bluff which also appears in other games of this time, such as brag, an English game. The game of ambiguity, invented in France under Louis XIV, is strongly inspired by the bonus and, like it, offers a hierarchy of combinations, which is the essential characteristic of poker. At the end of the 18th century, the principle of the blind, used in poker, appeared in the hot water bottle – a game derived from three of a kind – under the name of edge.
It was during the middle of the nineteenth century that the use of the 52-card game became widespread, and flush was accepted as a hand.
Read also: Poker Variants | How many different versions of poker are there?
The name of the game itself comes from the German pochen (to hit), a card game played since the fifteenth century in Germany and which seems to be an old version of poker, both by its rules very similar to current poker and by its game tactics.
In the eighteenth century, the poque is a French adaptation of the German game which has interesting affinities with poker.
The etymological kinship of the French game of poker cannot mask the lack of historical sources: no document, other than the eighteenth century game manuals, attests that this game was played. The English name of the game seems to be linked to the verb to poke, “to give a little blow”, “to poke” (hence a poker, a poker), of the same etymology as the German pochen.
Conclusion
Poker cards have stood the test of time, evolving from ancient games to a global phenomenon enjoyed by millions. By now, you should have a comprehensive understanding of the history of poker cards, how to play the game, and the rules that govern its many variants. Whether you’re planning a friendly home game or dreaming of competing in prestigious tournaments, your journey in the world of poker has just begun. Embrace the excitement, keep honing your skills, and may the best hand win!
Sources: PinterPandai, Poker Listings, Poker News
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