Basics in Winning Poker
Winning anything is basically mastering the basics. Even complicated games are won by simply going back to the basics and reviewing everything from there. Even masters re-examine the fundamentals to think up new strategies. They say new blossoms start out from the roots.
Here are some basic reminders to refresh the mind and clear it of clutter - digging up and clearing the soil to let the roots breathe for a fresh budding, as it were.
A full pack of cards is needed and used, most times including the joker, which may be a substitute for whatever card the player holding it chooses.
An ace may be a high or low card, depending on how the holder stands compared to the other players.
Five cards are dealt or distributed to each other, one at a time. Hands rank in the following order:
Royal Flush - five highest cards of one kind. Straight Flush - five cards in sequence of same kind. Four of a Kind - four cards, same denomination. Full House - three of a kind with a pair. Flush - five cards with same suit. Straight - five cards with different suits in sequence. Three of a Kind - three cards, same denomination. Two Pairs - two cards with pairs. One pair - two same cards. Highest Card - the highest card held in a game.
If two players hold the same winning rank, the guy with the highest cards wins. If players hold identical ranks in all respects, it's a tie.
In a deal, everyone puts up his ante. The one to the dealing player's left gets the chance to bet first. The next guy should at least equal the bet, or increase it to stay in the game. And so with the others.
In draw poker, when the betting is all done each person may draw from one to five cards. After that the first bettor bets again and so with the others in line. The bets amount to a huge sum.
And then the betting ceases - money in their pockets is bound to run out some time. But then one player is left still able to make a bet. This guy wins and takes it all - even without showing his hand.
If in case more players are left able to bet, then each shows his hand. The guy with the winning hand takes all the stakes.
Veteran players often have the edge in any game, but the beginner will do well in carefully going over the details of playing any game, in this case, poker. Expert players at times have more than enough confidence (and bluff) to ignore the basics and ensure a careless calculation - and defeat. Even flowers wither from too much wind.
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