POKER SCHOOL
DOWN TO THE BASICS
Cards are ranked from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Aces are unique. They are the highest card, but can be used as the lowest card to complete small straights (e. g. A-2-3-4-5).
Hands are ranked in accordance with the following table:
HAND RANKING
ROYAL FLUSH
Five cards in the same suit from Ace to Ten.
Ties: Two or more Royal Flushes divide the pot.
STRAIGHT FLUSH
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Ties: The highest card in the order determines the winner.
FOUR OF A KIND
Four cards of the same rank plus another card. Often called "QUADS."Ties: The highest rank wins.
FULL HOUSE
Three cards of the same rank and a pair of the same rank. Often called a "Boat."
Ties: The highest ranking three of a kind determines the winner.
FLUSH
Five cards of the same suit.
Ties: The highest ranking single card wins. If the top cards are the same then the next highest card breaks the tie.
STRAIGHT
Five cards of the consecutive rank. (Aces can be high or low)
Ties: The highest card in the order determines the winner.
THREE OF A KIND
Three cards of the same rank plus another two cards. Often called "Trips" or a "Set."
Ties: The higher ranking Three of Kind wins.
TWO PAIRS
Two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another same rank, plus another card.
Ties: The highest pair wins.
ONE PAIR
Two cards of the same rank plus three other cards.
Ties: Highest pair wins. If tied, the highest ranking other card wins.
BASIC RULES
Poker is played with a standard deck of fifty two cards. Suits are of equal value in poker. A flush in spades is no better than a flush in clubs.Poker requires cash or chips. PLEASE NOTE: SUIT UP POKER LEAGUE is a FREE Texas Holdem Poker League that plays with chips that have NO CASH VALUE!Poker is not solitaire. A minimum of two players is required. In general, hold 'em features nine or ten players.Poker is "one player one-hand." It is not a team sport. Each player plays his own hand. You should never show your hand to another player at the table. It is common practice in some poker rooms for players to show their hands to their neighbors and their neighbors have folded. Do NOT get into this habit. Even though you intend nothing, it "appears" to violate the rule of one-player one-hand.
POKER LINGO
ACTION:Betting
ALL IN:When a player puts all of his or her chips in the pot
BLIND: A forced bet (Small and Big Blind in every hand)
BLUFF: A bet with a hand that you do not believe is the best hand.
BOARD: The community cards
BOAT: A Full House
BUTTON: Dealer position. The button acts last and is the most desirable seat.
CALL: To equal the amount of the previous bet.
CHECK: To pass the action to the next player without placing a bet.
DRAW: The hand you are hoping to develop.
FLOP: In hold 'em there are five community cards. The first three cards are turned up at the same time. These cards are the flop.
FLUSH: A poker hand consisting of five cards from the same suit
FOLD: To discard your hand.
FULL HOUSE: A poker hand consisting of a three-of-a-kind and a pair.
KICKER: The card in your hand that will be used to break a tie.
MUCK: The pile of cards made up of the discards. If you fold, you "muck" your cards.
RIVER: The final card.
RUNNER-RUNNER: A hand made by drawing two required cards one after another.
SET: Three of a kind.
SHOWDOWN: Starting with the last player to open or raise, players turn their hands face up.
TILT: To break from one's usual methods and start to play badly is to "go on tilt."
TRIPS: Three of a kind.
UNDER THE GUN: The first player to act is said to be "under the gun."
BETTING
Each game begins with blind bets (small and big) and the cards are dealt. Next there is a series of betting rounds, in between which more cards are dealt. As the hand progresses through the betting rounds, the individual bets are pulled together into the "pot." A player is awarded the pot if all of his opponents fold or he or she is the only one left, or he or she has the highest ranking hand at the showdown. NOTE: There are two ways to win the pot: either your opponents fold, or you finish with the best hand.
Betting during a hand follows a prescribed order. One player is designated to act first (player to the left of the big blind). The action moves clockwise around the table. When the action gets to you (it is your turn) you will have a few betting options. If there has not been a bet, you can either "Check" or "Bet." If you check, the action passes to the next player and he or she faces the same option. If you bet, then the action passes to the next player and he or she is forced to "Fold, Call or Raise." If the action gets to you and there has already been a bet, then you face three options: Fold, Call or Raise. If you fold, then you relinquish your hand. If you call, you place an amount equal to the bet in the pot, and the action passes to the next player. If you raise, then you not only equal the preceding bet, but also increase it, and the action passes to the next player at this new amount.
You do NOT put your chips directly into the pot. You place all bets directly in front of you. Once the dealer has verified that all players' bets are correct, the dealer will pull all the chips into the pot. Tossing your chips into the pot is called "splashing the pot" and it is rude. It is also impossible for the dealer to verify that your wager is correct.