Sport

How to play poker and win

Poker 108 Poker is one of the greatest and most competitive games of skill ever invented.

The No Limit Texas Hold'Em variety is the most popular game played physically and virtually in the world, but do you know how to play?

If not than what better time to learn than now?

The basics

Simply put, the aim of Poker is to win, to take the money (or chips) home victoriously.

This is achieved in one of two ways:

Have the highest rated hand of cards.
Bluff the opposition into believing you have the highest set of cards and hence forcing them out of the game.

Of course there are strict rules to abide by and poker hands to be learned, but all this can be picked up in time.

Starting the game

Gambling Once players are seated, drinks are in hand and the cards are ready the game can begin, with the dealer handing out cards clockwise to their left.

Once the cards are dealt, the players are left with four options:

They may 'check', which involves betting nothing but staying in the game.
They may 'call' the previous bet, which involves betting the same as the previous player.
They may 'raise', which involves increasing the bet.
They may 'fold', or throw in their cards and give up the chance to win the hand.

As a note however a player may only check when no other players have made any bets on the round prior to their turn.

Texas Hold'Em

In this variant, popularised by today's late night television and tournaments such as the Foxwood World Poker Championships each player is dealt two cards, face down from the dealer.

These cards are known as 'hole cards' and belong to the player they are dealt to and that player alone. He or she is the only one who may see them. Then based upon these cards each player, in turn, makes their first bet.

Place your bets
How to pick a winner at the races.

Next is the 'flop', where the dealer lays down three community cards face down in the centre of the table.

Each player may use these cards in combination with their 'hole' cards to make up the best possible hand of five cards. Then, with this hand in mind, comes another round of betting.

Next comes 'the turn' where a forth community card is laid face up, another round of betting and the dealing of the fifth and final community card, also face up.

Once this fifth card (known as 'the river') is laid the final bets are made and remaining players are free to chose five cards to represent their hand from all seven cards to which they have access.

These five cards are shown to all players in what is known as 'the showdown' and the winner is easily determined based on card values.

Card values

From highest to lowest value.

Royal flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit from 10 through to Ace.
Straight flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Four of a kind: Four cards of the same value.
Full house: Three cards of the same value, plus two other cards of the same value.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, in any order.
Straight: Five consecutive cards, of any suit.
Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value.
Two pair: Two pairs of two cards of the same value.
One pair: Two cards of the same value.
High card: If a player doesn't have a pair, then the highest card in the hand plays.