The Basics of Poker

There are many variations of Poker. Three-Card Monte and Spit-in-the-Ocean are two variants of fewer than five cards. Later in this chapter, all Poker variations will be discussed. For more than ten players, two separate games can be organized. In each case, the winner is the one who does not get called by the other player. Depending on the number of players, the game may also be played with one deck of cards.

In a game of poker, you’ll have many different betting intervals. In each betting round, a certain player has the privilege or obligation to make the first bet. In other words, the player who calls and places money into the pot first is known as the “ante up.” The winner of the game takes home the entire pot. To limit your betting, choose a pot limit. Usually, this is somewhere between one and four hundred dollars.

You can’t get the best hand in every hand. Sometimes, you need to hit the turn and river to win the hand. The best hand, known as the “nuts,” is a pair of sevens. A pair of sixes is a counterfeited hand. When you’re dealt a pair of sixes, any other player with a higher hand than 6 beats the hand. If you’re the dealer, you’ll be dealt a “button” card. In live poker, the button is a plastic disk that’s passed clockwise after each hand.

As you might guess, the game of poker evolved from a French card game known as poque. It’s thought that these players cheated by cheating and using a word, “poke.” The term “poke” was also used as slang by card hustlers. It’s not hard to see why the word “poke” got attached to this game. After all, it’s a simple card game, and involves an element of cheating.