Poker Strategy
There are many different variants of poker and the most popular version is Texas Hold’em. Today, Poker is played not only in the privacy on the players’ homes, but also in rooms at casinos as well as online gambling sites. Many may say that poker involves luck, but great skill is also needed in the game.
Variants of Poker
Many commonly played forms of poker include:
- Texas Hold’em
- Five Card Draw
- Omaha High
- Seven Card Stud
- Razz
- Badugi
There are also other forms of mixed poker games:
- Hold’em Mixed
- O.R.S.E
- 10 Game Mix
Table Size (Number of Players)
A game of poker is organized by the number of players allowed at the table, also known as the table size. There are 3 types for the number of players allowed:
- Full Ring – refers to the maximum number of players, which is usually 10. This is when the game fully utilizes the entire table. However, some full ring games only take in 9 players. The term ‘full ring game’ does not necessarily refer to 9 or 10 players, it simply is defined as the maximum number of players that can play for the particular game.
- Shorthanded – restricts the number of players who can play at the game. Usually the maximum number of players would be 6, hence also known as six-max. This table size is commonly played in online sites.
- Heads Up – refers to a game between 2 players. This table size is getting more and more popular online, although not in live card rooms as it does not maximize the use of the tables.
How to Score
A poker hand consists of 5 cards and the different combinations of poker hands are ranked from the highest to the lowest as follows:
- Five of a Kind – the highest hand where the player usually has at least one wild card including the four deuces, 2 one-eyed jacks or a joker.
- Straight Flush – also known as the royal flush or the royal straight flush. Without the wild cards, a straight flush contains 5 cards of the same suit in a sequence such as A, K, G, J and 10 of spades.
- Four of a Kind – the player must have 4 of the same kind such as four Js or four 5s. The last unmatched card does not matter.
- Full House – a set of 3 cards of a single rank and another 2 cards of another rank would make up a full house. This could include a set of three 4s and two aces.
- Flush – refers to a set of 5 cards of the same suit but they may all not be in a sequence, such as J, 3, 5, 7, ace of hearts.
- Straight – 5 cards in sequence but they may not all be of the same suit.
- Three of a Kind – where the player has 3 cards of the same rank and another 2 cards of different ranks.
- Two Pairs – 2 pairs of different ranks and the fifth card of another rank.
- One pair – a common combination where the player obtains only a pair while the other 3 cards are of different ranks
- No Pair – the lowest rank and if more than a player has no pair, they are rated according to the highest card they have.
Poker is a fun game for many but it is important to play within means and practice responsible gaming.
