Sean Moronse asked:


Poker is like any other form of gambling, to win you must have luck on your side. It is a game of chance. This however was changed because of some rules on how to play poker. Psychology and skill is now part of playing poker and winning. Luck is still a really big factor in poker but a skilled player has the ability to turn luck around with proper psychological warfare and intimidation. Before we get into that, let us look at the basics of the rules on how to play poker.



The rules on how to play poker states that you would need a standard pack of cards which contains 52 cards. Some variants of the game would require additional cards but let us stick to the basic. The ranking of cards have the Ace as the highest, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three and the lowest, two. Again, some variants of the game have the Ace as the lowest but usually it is the highest. The suits; heart, diamond, spade and club, have no effect or has no ranking. A hand would have five cards and the best hand or the highest hand would win the pot. The highest hand a player can have is called five of a kind (four cards of the same number and a wildcard) followed by a straight flush (five cards in order and are suited). Four of a kind is the third highest then we have a Full house (three of a kind and a pair) a flush (five suited cards), straight (5 cards in order), three of a kind, two pairs, a pair and a high card meaning your hand does not have anything. When there are ties for example in two pairs and pair, the high card rule breaks the tie. Meaning the rest of the hand is then used to see which is higher.



The rules on how to play poker gives the player three options when it is his or her turn. First is to call. When a player calls, he or she would bet to match the last bet. For example, another player bets a dollar; to call it you would also bet a dollar. The other option is to raise. When someone raises, it would mean that player would call the last bet and add a higher bet. The last option is to fold. When someone folds, that person wouldn’t need to put any more money into the pot but automatically losses what he or she already has put in before folding. A player who folds drops out of the current hand.



That was the basic of the rules on how to play poker. The best way to learn the game is to experience it for yourself in a real game. To become good in poker, the key is experience. When you play you would gain knowledge and wisdom to be able to make good decisions when playing the game of poker.

Sacha Tarkovsky asked:


You wont find 5 card draw poker in the casino or online much as newer hybrid varieties are more popular.

However 5 card draw is the basis of all the new games (including the poker found on video slots) So lets learn it here and you the basics covered, before you look at all the variations.

Poker is actually a very simple game to play but can take years to master and is essentially a game of psychology and is one casino game where the best hand does not guarantee you will win.

Lets look at the basics of 5 card draw poker.

Playing the Game of 5 Card Draw Poker

5 Card Draw Poker begins only when all players place an ‘ante’ or opening bet into the ‘pot’ (on the table).

There are certain variations concerning the betting, and the game is often nicknamed after these. After the antes are all in, the dealer will deal five cards to each player, all face down.

In 5 Card Draw Poker, all cards are hidden until the hand is over.

Because of this there is no real information on who is holding what.

The only clues you can get, are bet amounts, the ‘tells’ or nervousness or confidence of the players, and also how many cards each player drew, and of course, there is the prospect any or all of them could be bluffing.

This is really what makes poker so exciting the expectation and anticipation. This especially 5 card draw poker, as you really wont know who is bluffing, who has a good hand, who not, till the very end.

The Games Routine

Now the player to the dealer’s left can either bet, with an option to bet ($5 at this point) or to check, meaning to pass, or fold (drop out of the hand).

In case the first player bets, the second player can no longer check. He can his only call, raise or fold. Usually you can only raise 3 times per hand.

After this round of betting in 5 card craw poker, the players remaining in the hand have the option to replace cards in their hand with new cards.

Again, the player to the dealer’s left is the first to ‘draw’ (take new cards for those he has discarded. He can discard from 1 to 4 cards, and in some games all 5). Next, the other players draw in their turn.

The way to draw is for you and select the cards you don’t want, remove them and remove them from your hand.

Next you give them to the dealer, at the same time saying how many cards you want ( note you can only take as many cards as you give to the dealer).

The Technique of Replacing Your Cards

As we said above, you can replace 1 to 4 of your cards. Some games even allow 5 but it doesn’t really bring an advantage for you to do that in 5 Card Draw Poker.

Even where you draw four new cards all will assume you are holding an ace, so you give away some clue to your hand. In poker, the less information you give the better. Its bad play to ask 4 cards. Therefore, the players will draw from none to 3 cards.

The player who draws no cards is known to be “pat.” This means to the other players he has a strong hand like a straight, a flush, or a full house, or of course he could be bluffing.

However there is a kind of bluff that’s used to create the impression of strength.

In this situation a player normally could be holding two pair or three of a kind, and will draw no cards.

This is a ploy in which you give up a potentially important chance to improve your hand, in return for creating the appearance of even stronger hand than you have.

In the same thinking you might be holding a completely worthless hand will draw no cards.

You hope to send out a message of strength, and if you combine this with strong betting and raising, you might actually win with all folding before you.

The Conclusion

Now after everyone has drawn their cards we have the second and final round of betting. Here in our example you must bet at $10.

It is the player who opened the betting on the first round who starts the betting on the second round.

After all the betting, calling and raising is done, the hand is over, and if more than one player is left, all the players lay their cards on the table so everyone can see who wins.



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PKR Poker asked:


Playing online poker is not the same as playing in person, as you cannot watch body language, which is a great advantage if you want to win. However, there are ways you can read the action of other poker players if you know what to look for in an online poker game.

The first thing you should pay attention to is how long it takes the person to place a bet. This is known as the stall. However, many experienced players are now using this method to try to fool other players. The best way for the stall method to work is that you must know the players in the room. After you play a room awhile, you will get to know the regulars and learn who is an expert. Once you know this, then the stall method will help you know which players are new. Inexperienced players often stall due to the fact they are not sure how much to bet even if they have a great hand. Just watch your step, remember pros are now using the same method to side track you.

Watch for players that have been playing rather quickly and then all of a sudden stall or vice versa one that has been thinking a bit before betting and then bets quickly after being dealt a hand. Either one of these could mean they have something good in their hand. No matter whether you are playing online or offline, you can learn behavior patterns of other poker players and get the edge.

The pattern of poker players is probably the most important factor with online poker. Since you cannot watch their faces, you can still watch the patterns that are there from betting, to calling, to raising. You should pay attention to the way in which each player bets compared to the size of the pot as well. Online players are normally those that play all the time, they have their own routine and patterns, just as in real life. These are things you must learn if you want to win at any online poker game.

Watch those chat boxes. Yes, it can be fun to chat with your friends; however, you can also be heckled just like in real life. A matter of fact, the chat box might be your worst enemy. They can yell at you with all capitals, use rolling smiley faces, and more to distract you from your main goal. You will hear all kinds of insults such as “newbie”, the “game room cheats”, and so on and so forth. Anything to get your mind off the game and watching the other players.

Of course, you cannot watch the other players in your poker room, but you can watch the way they play and learn from experience how to read online poker players.