What Is Poker And The Variations Of Poker

Poker is essentially a game of cards that has betting rules and hand rankings

. Just as with most card games there are differences in rules with all games of poker such as how many cards are dealt, how to make up hands, and whether it's the highest or lowest hand that wins.

How does it start?

Usually the first round of the game is a forced bet and so in order to kick start the game everyone must bet and play. Then from the left usually, each player one by one can look at their cards and decide either to fold, thus taking themselves out of the game, or match the highest previous bet. If the latter occurs then this player also has the option increase the bet. The betting section of the game ends when all players have matched the bet or folded.

How can you win at poker?

If all players fold the game except one then remaining player will win all the pot and they do not have to show their hand to anyone either. If more than one player is left after others have folder each player in turn shows their hand and the winning hand wins the pot.

Some would say that the outcome of the game is purely down to luck and chance; however the more people play the game the more they say it is down to probability and psychology.

Over the years poker has grown from a cult to a massive industry worth multi-billions of pounds annually and is continuing to grow.

There are many different types of poker games available today; here is a breakdown of the most popular ones.

Within poker there are a few different variations that make the games slightly different. Here is a break down of those changes:

Straight - This is the oldest form of poker and involves each player having a complete hand dealt to them. Each player bets in round one and raising and re-raising is allowed. This is the most straightforward of poker games to follow; different variations come from this structure.

Stud - cards are dealt in a slightly different manner as some are dealt upwards and some downwards and each player bets in turn. This is the first variation to appear from the Straight poke gamer, the most popular stud game 7 Card Stud where 2 extra cards are dealt to each player, 3 facing down and 4 facing up, and of these cards the player can choose the best possible 5 card hand.

Draw - 5 card draw is the most famous of this variation. The hand is dealt to each player, all cards face down, the players then bet and after betting the players can then change their cards by getting rid of unwanted cards and being given new cards.

Community - This is a variation of Stud. Each player is dealt an incomplete hand, face down, and then a bunch of 'community' cards are dealt in the middle of the table face up which the players can use to make up their 5 card hand. Texas holdem is a famous version of a Community poker game.

Miscellaneous - some variations use the above as a structure and then incorporate other rules such as about individual cards for example 3's and 9's are wild and if any player who stays in (or the deck hand) has a 4, they get an extra card.

by: Brad Potter

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