How to Play Poker

Overview
Poker is a fun card game that includes luck, strategy and gambling. This game involves multiple players
who bet to see who has the best hand. Before getting started, understand that poker is a game for adults
and mature individuals. Not only is poker a difficult game to learn, but it also requires financial
responsibility. Gambling can be a fun way to spend an afternoon but can also lead to bad financial
decisions and addiction. The game described below is a Texas Hold em Cash Game. There are many
variations of this game.

What you will need…

 One 52 card deck, jokers removed.
 Large stack of poker chips, the more colors the better.
 2-9 players.
 A large, clean table.
 Money (cash or electronic).
 Poker table (optional)
 Cheat sheet (optional)

Basic Card knowledge

Out of the 52 cards in the deck, there are 4 suits, each having 13 “numbers.”The suits are diamonds,
hearts, spades and clubs. The “numbers” consist of an “Ace” card, 2-10 cards, a jack, a queen and a king.
If you have a deck, flip through it and familiarize yourself with the cards. The cards go in a specific order,
the first being the ace, followed by 2-10, the jack, the queen and the king. The ace can also come after the
king, we will talk about this later.

Goal of the Game (How to win)

Before getting into the steps of how to play poker, you must understand the goal. There are different
combinations of cards called “hands”. The goal is to have the best “hand” at the table. Each player has
two cards, and as the round progresses, the dealer places communal cards in the middle of the table. A
hand consists of 5 cards. Below are the different types of hands ranked from best to worst. Having a cheat
sheet helps beginners so they know how good their hand is.
1. Royal Flush - A royal flush consists of a ten, jack, queen,
king, and ace all the same suit. This is the best and most rare
hand.
2. Straight Flush- A straight flush consists of 5 cards in a series
that are all the same suit. The higher the series, the better the
hand. For example, 5-9 of diamonds is better than a 2-6 of
diamonds. This is also a rare hand.
3. Four of a Kind- Four of kind simply means you have 4 of
the same “number”. For example, you have 4 5s or 4
queens, or 4 3s. The fifth card does not matter.
4. Full House- You have a full house when you have three of
one “number” and two of another. This is also a rare hand
and you will usually win with this.
 5. Flush- A flush, like a royal flush, is when you have 5 cards of the same suit. A flush is another
good hand that usually wins.
6. Straight- A straight is five “numbers” in a row. Similar to a straight flush, but the five cards do
not need to be the same suit.
7. Three of a kind- Three of a kind is simply having three of the same “numbers”. Three of a kind is
a relatively common hand that will win about 50% of the time.
8. Two pair - A two pair is having two sets of “numbers”. Having 2 jacks and 2 3s or having 2 5s
and 2 sixes. A two pair is common and will win less than 50% of the time.
9. Pair – A pair is one simply 2 of the same “numbers”.
10. High Card – If nobody has a pair or better, the player with the highest card in his hand wins.

How betting works

The person to the left of the dealer starts each round of betting. The order of play goes clockwise. When it
is your turn, you have four options: check, bet, call, fold or raise. Your decision is based on how
confident you are in if you will win the round or not. If nobody has bet before you, you have the option of
“checking”, which means that you are not betting, but you would like to stay in the round. If you like your
hand and would like to bet, you can put forward an amount of money (in chips). If the player before you
has bet, you can call, fold or raise. A call is where you match what was put in before you. A raise is where
you double what the person before you has put in, and a fold is where you withdraw from the round and
throw your cards into the discard pile.

Playing the game, step by step

Now that you know what hands are best, lets start with the steps. First, sit down with everybody sitting
around the table. Chose someone to be the dealer and give them a shuffled deck of cards. Remember, a
hand can consist of both, one, or none of the cards in your hand. However, if the entire hand is on the
table, remember that all players hold that hand. Lets go through the steps

1. Bet the Blinds

Find a good starting bet and have the player to the left of the dealer put that amount in front of them. He
is called the “small blind”. The player to the left of the small blind should put in double, he is called the
“big blind.”

2. Deal the Cards

The dealer, starting with the small blind, giveseach player a card face down. Once everyone has a card, he
repeats and give every player another face down card.

3. First Round of Betting

Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, he has the option to match the big blinds bet, or fold. If
you fold, you put your cards in the middle of the table and you are out of the round. Each player has their
turn until everyone is done betting.

4. Seconds Round of Betting

The dealer should grab the deck of cards and deal three face up cards in the middle of the table. These
three cards are known as “The Flop.” These cards are free for anybody to use in their “hand”. Starting
with the small blind, players go around again and can check, bet or fold. Usually, players with bad hands
will fold their hand.

5. Third Round of betting

The dealer adds a fourth card beside the other three cards, called “The Turn.” Just like before, starting
with the small blind, the betting goes around the table. Remember, if everybody folds but one person,
they have won.

6. Final round of betting

The dealer places a final fifth card, called “The River”next to the others and have the final round of
betting take place. The remaining players flip their cards and see who has the best hand. The winner
takes the pot.

7. Repeat
After the winnings have been played out, shuffle the cards and play again. You can play as many times as
you want.

Works Cited
1st Picture –
https://www.cardschat.com/poker-hands/
2nd Picture-
http://www.top15poker.com/Poker-Terms/river-card_(poker).html