Poker for Dummies (Mini Edition)

by Richard D. Harroch

  Most games require ante or blind bets (see the “Betting terms” sidebar in this chapter). If antes are used, each player must post a token amount of money in order to receive cards. As for blinds, one or two players are required to make a bet or portion of a bet before the hand is dealt. This requirement rotates around the table so that each player pays his fair share.

  Each time a round of cards is dealt, players have an opportunity to check, bet, fold, call, or raise. Any time a player decides to forfeit his interest in the pot, he may release his hand when it’s his turn to act (to do something related to betting: raise, fold, check, or call). When a player folds a hand, he is not required to place any more money in the pot. If a player bets or raises and no one calls, the pot belongs to that player, the cards are collected and shuffled, and the next hand is dealt. If two or more players are still active at the end of the hand, the best hand wins the pot.

  Although there are different rules for each specific version, poker really is this simple. Yet within its simplicity lies a wonderfully textured game structure that is always fascinating, frequently enjoyable, and, for some, a lifelong source of pleasure.

  Hand Rankings

  Seven-Card Stud and Texas Hold’em are the two most popular forms of poker in which the highest-ranking hand wins. These games are played with a 52-card deck — there is no joker — composed of four suits: spades (), hearts (), diamonds (), and clubs (). Each suit is equal in value, and there are 13 ranks in each suit. The Ace is the highest ranking card in a suit, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and 10 through 2 (or deuce), in descending order. An Ace may also be used as the lowest-ranking card in a 5-high straight (5-4-3-2-A), which is also called a wheel or bicycle.

  Although Stud and Hold’em are played with seven cards, the best hand refers to the best five-card hand. Hand rankings are a function of probability. The rarer the hand, the more valuable it is. See Figure 1-1 for an at-a-glance look at hand ranking in descending value.

  Royal flush; straight flush

  A royal flush is simply an Ace-high straight flush, and is the best possible hand in poker. There are only four of them: AKQJ10; AKQJ10; AKQJ10; and AKQJ10.

  A straight flush is five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 98765 or QJ1098.

  Four-of-a-kind

  Four-of-a-kind, or quads, is a five-card hand composed of all the cards of one rank, plus one unrelated card, such as JJJJ5. The higher the rank, the better the hand. For example, four Kings beats four Jacks.

  Full house

  Three cards of one rank and a pair of another make a full house. The rank of the full house is determined by the three-card grouping, not the pair. A hand like 99955 is referred to as “nines full of fives.”

  Figure 1-1: Poker hands in descending value, with royal flush as the best hand.

  Flush

  A flush is any five cards of the same suit. The cards are not in sequence. If they were in sequence, it would be a straight flush. If there is more than one flush, the winning hand is determined by the rank order of the highest card, or cards, in the flush. A flush composed of AQJ65 is higher than AQJ43.

  Straight

  Five sequenced cards, not all of the same suit, compose a straight. If more than one straight is present, the highest card in the sequence determines the winning hand. A jack-high straight J10987 will beat this 98765 nine-high straight.

  Three-of-a-kind

  Three cards of the same rank, along with two unrelated cards is called three-of-a-kind. This hand is also referred to as trips, or a set. If you held 888K4 you could refer to it as “trip 8s,” or “a set of 8s.”

  Two pair

  Two cards of one rank along with two cards of another rank and one unrelated card compose two pair. The higher rank determines which two pair is superior. If two players hold two pair and each has the same high pair, then the rank of the second pair determines the winner. If both players hold the same two pair, then the rank of the unrelated side card determines the winning hand. If the hand is identical, then the players split the pot. For example, QQ884 Queens and 8s is superior to QQ55K Queens and 5s.

  One pair

  One pair is simply two cards of one rank and three unrelated cards. If two players hold the same pair, then the value of the unrelated side cards determines the winning hand.

  No pair

  No pair consists of five unrelated cards. When no player has a pair, then the rank order of the unrelated cards determines the winning hand. For example, if Harry has A-Q-9-6-3 and Adrien has A-J-10-3-2, then Harry wins because A-Q ranks higher than A-J.

  Low hands

  In split-pot games, like Omaha/8, the best low hand composed of five unrelated cards with the rank of 8 or lower, captures half the pot. A hand like 7643A beats 7653A but will lose to 7432A.

  Determining the best low hand takes a bit of practice, but if you always begin with the highest of the low cards and continue in descending order, you can’t go wrong.

  Betting

  Without betting, poker would just be a game of luck and the best hand would always win. Betting is the key to poker, and minimizing losses when holding a poor hand while maximizing wins with good hands is what poker is all about.

  Every betting interval requires a check or a bet from the first player to act. Each player to the left of the first player to act may either check or bet if no one else has bet. Whoever makes the first bet is said to make the opening bet. If a bet has been made, other players may fold, call, or raise.

  Betting terms

  Following are some of the key terms to describe the action that occurs during a poker game:

  Ante: A token sum of money contributed by each player before the cards are dealt. Antes are used in Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Stud/8, Razz, and many other games.

  Bet: A wager of a certain amount of money by a player in a poker game. Bets can either be in fixed limits, such as $3 and $6, or spread limits, which allow a player to wager any amount within the limits at any time (such as $2–$10). Pot limit is another form of wagering, in which a player can bet any amount up to the sum total currently in the pot. No-limit poker allows contestants to wager any amount of money they have in front of them. (For more about betting, see the “Betting” section in this chapter.)

  Blind bet: A forced bet by one or more players before the cards are dealt. A blind bet takes the place of an ante. The requirement to post a blind bet rotates around the table from hand to hand, so that each player pays his fair share. Blind bets are common in Texas Hold’em and Omaha. In most casino games, there are two blinds: a big blind and a small blind. These blinds are considered live, which means that players who post the blind have the opportunity to raise when the action gets back around to them.

  Call: To equalize the amount wagered by putting the amount of money wagered into the pot.

  Check: A check is a bet of zero dollars. By checking, a player retains the right to call any bet made by a player who acts after he does, or even to raise. But if someone has already bet when it’s your turn to act, you can no longer check, and you must fold, call, or raise.

  Checkraise: To check and then raise if one of your opponents bets. This is generally done to trap players for a bet or two, when the checkraiser has a very powerful hand.

  Fold: To decide not to call a bet or raise. By folding, a player relinquishes her interest in the pot.

  Raise: To increase the amount wagered by an amount equal to your opponent’s bet — or by a greater amount, if the game is spread limit, pot limit, or no limit.

  When a player folds, he loses any chips he has contributed to that pot and has no further interest in the hand. After the final betting round, a showdown among the players still active in the hand determines the winner.

  Different types of games call for specific kinds of betting:

  Fixed limit: In a fixed-limit game, no one may bet or raise more than a predetermined number of chips. This limit, however, usually varies with the round of the game. In Stud poker, betting limits usual
ly double when the fifth card is dealt. Thus, a $10–$20 game means that the first two rounds of betting are based on limits of $10, while the last three are in increments of $20. In Texas Hold’em, with four betting rounds, betting limits usually double on the third round.

  Spread limit: Spread limit games are similar to fixed limit, but the bettors can wager any amount within the limits. A limit might be $2–$10 any time, which means that wagers can be made in any amount within those limits at any time, with the proviso that a raise must be at least the equal of the bet that preceded it.

  Pot limit: In pot limit, bets or raises are limited only by the amount of money in the pot at the time the wager is made. A player who raises may count her call as part of the pot. If there is $10 in the pot and someone wagers $10, a raiser may call that bet, making the pot $30, and then raise the entire pot. When she is done, the pot will contain $60.

  No limit: In no limit, a player may bet or raise any amount of chips she has in front of her at any time.

  In most limit games, a bet and either three or four raises per betting round are permitted.

  Rules of the Road

  Call them rules, conventions, or poker etiquette — there are some guidelines that are common to all forms of poker, especially poker in card clubs or casinos. Though you may find some minor variations from one casino to another, many card casinos are working diligently toward a uniform set of guidelines.

  Going all-in

  If you don’t have enough to cover the bets and raises, you are said to go all-in, and are simply contesting that portion of the pot your money covers. Others who are active in the hand can still make wagers, but those bets constitute a side pot. At the hand’s conclusion, the side pot is decided first, followed by the main pot. You aren’t eligible to win the side pot because you invested no money in it, but you can win the main pot. You can buy more chips or put more money on the table between hands.

  Few things you remember from Saturday matinee westerns happen in a public cardroom. Players don’t leave the game in mid-hand, go get the deed to the ranch, and then use it to cover a bet. You can’t drive someone out of a pot just by betting more money than he has in front of him. The player with the limited chip supply goes all-in — by calling with the remainder of his chips. If the all-in player loses, he either buys more chips or leaves the game.

  The forbidden string raise

  In a western, someone’s always saying, “Mighty big bet, cowboy. I’ll just see your twenty . . .” while reaching back into his stack for more chips, and with a long, lingering glance for effect, drawls “. . . and raise you forty!” As dramatic as that move may seem, you won’t see that in a real poker game. Calling a bet and then reaching back for more chips and announcing a raise is called a string raise. It is not permitted. Rest assured someone will shout “String raise!” The dealer then informs the hopeful raiser that a string raise just occurred, and he’ll have to take his raise back and simply call. Now, if someone shouts “String raise!” and another opponent says something like “That’s okay. Let his raise stand,” be assured your hand is in big trouble — real big trouble!

  The string-raise rule prevents a player from reading the reactions of his opponents while he puts some chips in the pot, and then deciding to raise if he thinks he’s got the best of it.

  How to raise

  If you want to raise, just say “Raise.” Then you can go back to your stack and count out the proper amount of chips. If you want to let your action announce your intention, you usually must put the correct amount of chips into the pot, and do it all in one motion. Otherwise . . . string raise (see the preceding section).

  No splashing

  Avoid splashing the pot: Don’t toss chips into the center of the table where they mingle with the others. Instead, stack your chips neatly on the table about 18 inches in front of you. The dealer will pull them into the pot when the action has been completed on that round of betting.

  If it’s your first time in a public cardroom, tell the dealer so he can help you through the mechanics of the game. After a few sessions, you’ll be familiar and comfortable with the majority of playing procedures. Soon you, too, will feel like a regular.

  Protecting your hand; cards speak

  In a casino, unlike in many home games, you’re always responsible for your hand. Toss it in the muck (the pile of discarded cards), and your hand is fouled and cannot win. The rule in all cardrooms is that cards speak — your hand is worth whatever value the cards have. Dealers, however, can make mistakes. If you think yours is the best hand, turn your cards face up and announce it. Place it halfway between your chips and the pot, and hold on to it while the dealer determines the outcome.

  If you’re not sure whether you have the best hand, turn all your cards face up at the end of the hand and allow the dealer to read your hand. If you’re in a poker club or casino and there is a doubt or debate, even if the hand is over, casino security cameras can review the hands that were shown down in order to determine the winner.

  Table stakes

  Most games, including most casino games, are table stakes. You cannot add chips or money to the amount in front of you during the play of the hand. If you run out of money during a hand, you can contest only that portion of the pot that your bets cover. You cannot go light — that is, pull more money out of your wallet — as you might do in a home game. You can, of course, always add more money to your playing stake between hands.

  Timeout

  Anytime you’re unsure of anything, the best procedure to follow is to call “Time!” This freezes the action. Then get your questions resolved prior to acting. Poker etiquette suggests that you not abuse this privilege, particularly if you’re in a game where you’re charged a fee for sitting at the table. Players usually want a fast, efficiently run game, with as few interruptions as possible.

  Decks and dealing

  Dealers — and decks — generally rotate every half-hour. In addition, players unhappy with their run of cards are prone to holler “Deck change!” Most cardrooms permit a change after a deck has been in play for an entire round.

  The finer points: Etiquette

  Poker rules and etiquette help speed the game along and keep it orderly. These conventions are as much a part of the game as the cards themselves. In fact, when you play casino poker for the first time, poker etiquette may take more getting used to than the game itself.

  Keep in mind the following points of poker protocol:

  Act in turn. Each player is expected to act in turn as play proceeds clockwise around the table. If someone bets and you plan to discard your hand, wait until it’s your turn to act before doing so. Not only is acting out of turn impolite, it can give a big advantage to one of your opponents. If your opponent knows you’ll fold your hand, it makes it easier for him to bluff, and is unfair to the rest of the players. In poker, as in most things, it’s considered polite to wait your turn.

  Keep your cards in plain sight. In order to maintain the integrity of the game, players need to keep their cards on the table during the play of the hand. The best way to protect your hand is to keep it on the table, and look at the cards by shielding them with your hands while lifting a corner of each card to peek at it. In a game like Texas Hold’em, where players have only two cards in front of them, it is customary to leave them on the table after looking and to place a chip on top of them. This alerts the dealer that your hand is still in play.

  Avoid discussing hands in play. Discussing your hand with others, even if you have released it and are no longer contesting that pot, may provide information that would give another player an unfair advantage. If you want to discuss a hand with a neighbor, wait until the hand is concluded.

  Practice toking. We’re not blowing smoke here, but toking (poker parlance for tipping) the dealer is customary when you win a pot. In poker casinos, tokes constitute a significant part of each dealer’s income. The size of the pot and the game’s betting limits generally determine the amount of th
e toke. If you’re new to casino poker, take your toking cue from the other players at the table. In games with betting limits of $10–$20 or higher, a dollar is a typical toke for all but the smallest pots. In smaller games, tokes of 50¢ are the rule.

  Chapter 2

  Texas Hold’em

  In This Chapter

  Understanding the basics

  Taking a deeper look

  Starting hands

  Getting to know the ins and outs of raising

  Playing the flop, turn, and river

  Knowing what to do if you make your draw

  Making smart moves when the pot gets big

  Texas Hold’em is the most popular game played in casino poker rooms. Although playing expertly requires a great deal of skill, Hold’em is easily learned and deceptively simple. It is a subtle and complex game, typically played with nine or ten players to a table, and is a faster, more action-filled game than Stud or most other games. Texas Hold’em is also the fastest growing poker game in the world, and it is the game used to determine the world champion at the World Series of Poker.