Playing the Basic Game of Poker

The many variations of poker can be intimidating to beginners. Novice players can easily learn how to play the basic game of poker, though.

If you have four players and a standard pack of playing cards, you can already have a game of poker. If there are more people in your group, the game can be played by even ten players. One of the other people in the group can be the dealer. One of the players may also take on the part. Dealing of poker cards is done clockwise. The pot contains all the bets.

It is very important to first know the poker hands and their rankings. Novice players can agree to post the following list for everyone's reference:

1. straight flush, involving five chronological cards of a single suit (the Ace can be high or low); 2. four of a kind, involving four cards of a single rank and one add-on card; 3. full house, involving three cards of a single rank and another two cards of a single rank; 4. flush, involving any five cards of a single suit; 5. straight, involving five chronological cards of any suit assembly; 6. three of a kind, involving three cards of a single rank and two add-on cards; 7. two pair, involving two sets of two cards with a single rank and an add-on card; 8. one pair, involving two cards of a single rank and three add-on cards; and 9. high card or the card with the greatest value in an uncategorized hand.

The list is in the order of highest to lowest. For the same hand, a higher rank is given to the owner of the higher card in the major combination.

The poker hands and rankings are the basis of poker players' bets. Players try to determine how their own hands fare against the hands hidden by opponents. Bluffing also comes into the game here.

Players can call a bet, raise the stakes of the game or fold. To call a bet, players need to match the previous bet. To raise the stakes of the game, players need to bet higher than the previous bet. When players feel that their hand is inferior to other players, they can decide to fold or not make a bet and instead leave the game while giving up all previous bets placed.

All players are given a chance to bet or fold before the end of the round. Afterwards, all who remain have a show of hands to judge their cards. If a single player remains and others have folded, the survivor gets the pot.

The basic game of poker is just that simple. Now go and play.