Rules Of Poker
With the now televised World Series of Poker, and a sudden boom in poker television shows such as Poker Superstars, and Celebrity Poker Showdown, poker has gone from a somewhat shady and smoky past to a national, and even worldwide pastime. The basic rules of poker are very easy to learn, and most poker variants likewise have a low learning curve, yet offer enough room for skill and strategy to make them very addictive.
The rules of poker vary significantly, as there are many different versions of the game today, but they all depend on the same basic backbone system. The game is won or lost using the same card ranking rules.
At the bottom of the totem pole, there is the ‘high card’ hand. These hands are ranked based on the highest card in the hand, with the ‘ace’ being the highest, and the ‘two’ being the lowest. If more than one player has an ace, it then goes to the second highest card, and so on. A player with an ace and a queen beats a player with an ace and a jack.
Next up the ladder is the pair. A pair is any two cards of the same numerical ranking, and pairs are valued on that ranking. A pair of aces is the highest pair, and a pair of twos is the lowest. If two players have the same pair then their highest unpaired cards are measured. A player with two jacks and a king beats a player with two jacks and a queen. The highest unpaired card a player has is often called a ‘kicker’.
Following the pair is ‘two pair’, which is just two pairs. For two pair, the highest pair take precedence in ranking. Therefore a pair of jacks and a pair of twos would beat a pair of nines and a pair of eights. The bottom pair is only valued if another player has the same top pair, and if both pairs are identical the unpaired card is valued.
After two pair comes three of a kind, which is three cards of the same rank. Three of a kind is also called a ‘set’, or ‘trips’. A set of aces is the best, a set of twos the lowest.
Next after a set comes a straight, which is five cards in successive numerical order. Aces can be played low or high in this case. Ace, two, three, four, five is a ‘five high’ straight, and ten, jack, queen, king, ace is an ‘ace high’ straight. Ace high straights are the most valuable, five high straights the least.
A flush is the next best hand. A flush is five cards of the same suit, as in all hearts, spades, diamonds or clubs. Flushes are then ranked by their numerical order, the same way that a ‘high card’ hand is ranked.
A ‘full house’ is next up on the ladder. A ‘full house’ is a set plus a pair. The set takes precedence in the ranking. A set of aces and a pair of fours is called ‘aces full of fours’. Four of a kind is the next best hand, and it is just that, all four cards of the same numerical rank.
The only thing that can beat a four of a kind is a straight flush, which is five cards in successive numerical order and all of the same suit. A four, five, six, seven, eight all of clubs is a straight flush. A straight flush that ends with an ace high is called a ‘royal flush’ and is the best poker hand possible.
Whichever variant you are playing, these are the rules of poker in terms of ranking your hand.
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