Before any cards are dealt, the player must wager. He does
this by placing his bet in the designated space in front of his table position.
The dealer then deals two cards to each of the players, and two to himself (one
of the dealer's cards is dealt face up and one is dealt facing down). Face
cards (kings, queens and jacks) count as 10, ace counts as one or 11 (as the
player chooses) and all other cards are counted at their face value.
BLACKJACK - If the player's first two cards are an ace and
a 10 or face card, he wins. However, if the dealer also has a blackjack, it is
a standoff, as are all ties or pushes. A winning blackjack pays the player 3 to
2.
HIT or STAND - Hit means to draw another card (which the
player signifies by scraping the table with his cards or a similar hand
motion). Stand means no more cards (which the player signals by placing his
cards under his wager or moving his hand in a horizontal direction. If the player hits and busts (goes over 21), he immediately turns
his cards over and his wager is lost.
DOUBLE DOWN - The player is allowed to double the bet on
his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve his
hand.
SPLITTING PAIRS - If the first two cards a player is dealt
are a pair, he may split them into two separate hands, bet the same amount on
each and then play them separately. Aces receive only one additional card.
After splitting, A-10 counts as 21 and not as blackjack.
INSURANCE - If the dealer's up card is an ace, the player
may take insurance, a bet not exceeding one-half his original bet. If the
dealer's down card is a 10 or any face card, the player wins 2 to 1. Any other
card means a win for the dealer.
The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card
deck.
(In casinos, the dealer never plays. A round disc
-- known as a "dealer button" -- moves clockwise from player to
player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the
deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.)
Most Texas Hold 'Em
Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button)
putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are
dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand. This is
called "posting the blinds." Most often, the "first blind"
-- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and
the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet.
Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These
are known as the "hole cards."
Betting Begins
A round of betting takes place, beginning with
the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.
The Flop
After the first betting round, the dealer
discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done
to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent
cheating.
The dealer then flips the next three cards face
up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."
NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community
cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of
the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible
five-card Poker hand.
After the flop, another round of betting takes
place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During
this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.
The dealer burns another card and plays one more
face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the
"turn" or "
The player to the left of the dealer (the button)
begins the third round of betting.
The dealer burns another card before placing the
final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or
"
Final Betting and The
Winner
Players can now use any combination of seven
cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them --
to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.
The fourth and final round of betting starts with
the player to the left of the dealer (the button).
After the final betting round, all players who
remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the inital bet or the player who made the last raise shows
their hand first.
The player with the best hand wins
Best Hands in Descending order:
1.) Royal Flush (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 all
of same suite)
2.) Straight Flush (any consecutively numbered
five cards all of the same suite)
3.) 4 or a kind (four cards of the same kind exp. 4 jacks)
4.) Full House (two of card and three of another card,
exp. Two aces and three 5’s)
5.) Flush (five cards from the same suite)
6.) Straight (any five consecutively numbered cards in any
suite)
7.) 3 of a kind (three cards of one type exp. three Kings
8.) 2 pair (two sets of pairs of types of cards, exp. two
3’s and two 9’s)
9.) Pair (a pair of a type of card, exp. two 7’s)
10.) High Card (the highest card type in one’s hand, exp.
Queen)
This game is
based on 5 Card Stud Poker, but in this game you are not playing against other
players or the house. Here you only play against your own luck.
Starting out you have to make three
equal bets. This is done by placing one of your chips in each
of the three circles located at your playing position. Those circles will be
marked as "$",
"1" and
"2". The
chips in 1 and 2 may be called back later on but the chip in the $ circle is the minimum you have to risk. After
placing the bets each player and the dealer gets three cards face down. The
dealer then will discard one of his cards immediately. Those cards are not a
hand; they are later being used for every player to create a five card poker
hand out of his own three cards.
Once all the cards are dealt the players can pick up their first three cards
and look at them. After you looked at your cards and you don't think you are
going to have a winning hand, you can ask for your first bet back. This is done by
dragging the cards on the table the same way as if you were taking a hit in
Blackjack. The dealer will then give you back one of your three bets. In this
case the one bet is out of the game regardless if you win or lose. If you think
you have a winning hand just slide your cards face down under your bet. This
signals to the dealer that you want to Let
it Ride. After every player chooses between "Let It
Ride" or taking back one bet the dealer turns one of his two cards over.
You now have to use the dealers upcard
with your own three cards to make a good hand. At this point the betting, as
explained before, starts over.
Each player is again given the choice to Let it Ride or take his second bet back. In either case,
whether you let it ride or take back your bet, the decision you made on the
first bet will not be affected.
For instance: If you after the first bet thought that you were going to have a
winning hand and let it ride, but now you don't think you will be a winner
anymore you could take your second bet back - but the first bet still remains
on the table. Once everybody has made their decision on the second bet, in the
same way as explained above, the dealer will turn over his second card. Now you
have to use both of
the dealers upcards together
with your three cards to make the best hand. You are a winner if you have a Pair of Tens or better. The
payout is based on the bets you left on the table. For each bet you left on the
table you will get the following odds.
Payouts!
The ranking of the hands are the same as in regular Poker.
Pair of Tens or better / 1:1
Two Pair / 2:1
Three of a Kind / 3:1
Straight / 5:1
Flush / 8:1
Full House / 11:1
Four of a Kind / 50:1
Straight Flush / 200:1
Royal Flush / 1000:1