POKER

The most diverse and common casino game of all time, Poker comes in a vast number of different varieties, but they do share some common factors.

CARD VALUE IN POKER.

Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, ranked by value, not by suits.

Their value goes as follows:

HIGH  LOW
A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

A hand is usually made up of five cards (with certain exceptions in different variations, which will be explained below).

Hand value in poker.
The object of poker is to win by having the highest hand value. Listed below, in order of highest value to lowest, are the various permutations it is possible to have in a poker game.

1. Royal flush - the ultimate, and rarest, hand in poker. Most players will never be dealt a royal flush in standard play, provided the cards have been shuffled correctly. The hand is made up of 10, J, Q, K, A and they must be all of the same suit.

2. Straight flush - A sequence of five cards, in numerical order, of the same suit. The strength of a straight flush is calculated by its highest card, so it can be beaten by another straight flush. An ace in a straight flush is always low, as otherwise it would be a royal flush.

3. 4 of a kind - Four of the same cards, all different suits. For example, 2222A or 33334 (in this case 33334 wins out of the two, as the 4 cards have higher values).

4. Full house - Three cards of one value, two cards of another. For example, 33355 (known as 'threes on fives'). The value of the three cards decides which hand wins on a draw.

5. Flush - Five cards, of any value, of the same suit. In case of two flushes, the highest card decides, followed by the second-highest and so on.

6. Straight - A sequence of five cards, in numerical order, of different suits. Again they are decided by the highest card, with aces low in a 5-4-3-2-A and high in an A-K-Q-J-10.

7. 3 of a kind - Three cards of the same value . The other cards are unimportant, and winners are decided by the value of the three cards should two players have three of a kind hands.

8. Two pairs - Two pairs of cards of equal value, but each pair is of different value (else it would be four of a kind). If two players have two pairs, the highest pair wins. If the highest pairs are equal, it falls to the next pair and, should they be equal, the spare odd card's value decides it.

9. One pair - A pair of cards of equal value. The hand with a higher valued pair wins, and if they are equal the hand with the highest odd card wins.

10. High card - Should nobody have any of the other combinations, the winner is the player with the highest individual card.

Some tables may have a ‘wild card’ in play, which can be substituted for any other card, making it possible to get the five of a kind, which beats even the Royal Flush.

Betting at poker depends upon the version you're playing, so without further ado, onto the games!