Poker is a game of both skill and chance. It combines the ranking of hands with a strict system of betting and an element of bluff. It is interesting to note that poker hands are frequently not won by players with the stronger hands but by those skilled in the art of bluffing. The bluffing component, happily, has no relevance in online poker games, a fact that tends to level the playing field for newbies.
The game of Poker has many faces and, over recent years, through the medium of television, the public has been introduced to its once lesser-known variants like Texas Hold'em and Omaha that are now household names. Prior to this, most people's knowledge of poker was confined to a basic insight into stud and draw games played with a number of cards varying from three to seven.
Whatever the particular poker variant, the aim remains to build the best possible hand in order to beat those of competing players. The definition of "best" may vary between games as may the format of the deal and the number of cards dealt but it is fair to say that all poker games consist of a series of dealing rounds followed by rounds of betting.
It is customary for each player to place a pre-agreed bet known as the "ante" prior to the first dealing rounds. Some games may demand that the two players seated to the left of the dealer place "blind" bets. These bets are known as the small and big "blinds" where the latter is normally double the size of the former. The cumulative sum of all bets is termed the "pot".
During the subsequent dealing rounds, a player receives one or more cards into his or her hand. In the opening deal, a varying number of cards may be dealt facedown, the "hole" cards, while others are exposed depending upon the variant. In communal games, cards may be dealt face up to the table, in later dealing rounds, for communal use. Following a dealing round, each player re-assesses the prospect of a winning 5-card hand and decides upon a course of action for the betting round to follow.
Typically, a player may choose to check and remain in the round at no further expense, to call by placing a further standard stake, to raise by equaling the standard stake and adding a further amount or to fold and forfeit all bets and any further claim to the "pot". Once a player has called or raised, the only choice remaining to those that follow is to call or fold.
In draw games, players, may discard unwanted cards in exchange for new ones. As games progress most players will inevitably fold and it is common for games not to go the distance. For games that reach the final betting round with more than one player remaining, a "showdown" is required where one player concedes or pays to "see" the other. At this point, the hands must be compared by rank to determine a winner.
Ranking is largely standardized with top place for a "royal flush" of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit followed by the straight flush with five other consecutive cards of the same suit. Next comes any "four of a kind" like Aces or sixes; a "full house" that combines three of one kind with two of another, a "flush" with any 5 non-consecutive cards of the same suit followed by the "straight" where all five cards are consecutive but of different suits. The tail-enders are "three of a kind", "Two Pair" and "One Pair" while the bottom rank goes to the highest individual card or "high card" hand.