Poker

Now it's time to apply what you've read to the actual games of poker. The first few will be relatively simple, but after that be prepared to read them a few times to really understand. If there's a game you're not understanding after awhile, email me and I will come back and try to further elaborate.

Five Card Draw:
One of the most basic poker games.
Everyone is first dealt 5 cards face down. Starting with the person left of the dealer, a round of betting takes place. After betting, again starting with the person left of the dealer, people are able to exchange cards in their hands for new ones. You are able to discard up to three cards, but you also have the choice of keeping your hand as it is. If you have an ace in your hand, you may discard up to four, but to do this, you would have to show the rest of the table your ace before getting new cards. Another round of betting takes place, and then people show their cards, and the best five card hand wins the pot.
Maximum Players: 6

Seven Card Stud:
This game is what many other poker games are based off of, so it's good to learn this as one of your first games.
Everyone is dealt 2 cards face down, and 1 card face up. Starting with the person who has the best poker hand showing, a round of betting takes place. In this first round, if someone were to have an ace they would start the betting. If two people have identical winning poker hands showing, whoever was dealt first begins the bet. Another card is dealt face up, then another round of betting happens, again starting with the best poker hand. A fifth card is dealt face up, followed by a round of betting. A sixth card is dealt face up, with another betting round. The seventh and last card is dealt face down, and whoever started the betting last round begins it again. Then using 5 out of your 7 cards, construct a poker hand, and the best hand takes the pot.
Maximum Players: 7

Texas Hold 'em:
Often referred to as just "Hold 'em", this is the poker you may have seen on TV or in the movies recently.
Two cards are dealt face down to everyone, these are your hole cards. A round of betting takes place starting with the person to the left of the dealer, then three community cards (the flop) are dealt face up in the middle of the table. Another betting round happens, then a burn card is discarded, and a fourth community card (the turn) is placed. Another round of betting, then another burn card is discarded, and the last and final community card (the river) is placed in the middle. The last round of betting takes place, and whoever can make the best 5 card hand, using their own two card and the five community cards takes the pot.
This is usually played using blinds for the first round of betting rather than antes.
Maximum Players: 22 (though generally the maximum played with is 10)

Omaha Hold 'em:
This is a lot like Texas hold 'em, but with a twist.
Four cards are dealt face down to everyone. The game then ensues exactly like Texas Hold 'em. But at the end, when you are making your best 5 card hand, you must use exactly two out of the four cards in your hand, and 3 out of 5 of the community cards.
This is also usually played using blinds for the first round of betting rather than antes.
Maximum Players: 11 (though generally the maximum played with is 10)

Omaha Hold 'em Hi-Lo:
Omaha Hold 'em with two winners.
Gameplay is identical to Omaha Hold 'em. The difference happens in the end. The best five card hand (still using 2 of your 4 hole cards, and 3 out of the 5 community cards) only takes half of the pot. Then the lowest hand takes the other half of the pot. The lowest 5 card hand would be ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.
In determining a low hand, straights and flushes are not considered. However other hands do count against you, so pairs are not allowed. Another rule of the low hand, is the highest card in your low hand can be an 8. For instance, Ace, 2, 3, 4, 9 is not a low hand since there is a 9. Ace, 2, 2, 3, 4 is also not a low hand because there is a pair.
It is also possible for there to not be a low hand in which case the high hand takes the full pot. If for instance, the flop was 9, 10, Ace, 2, Queen, there is no low hand possible, because for in order to have a low hand, there must be 3 community cards which are 8 or lower. This is a difficult concept, and is hard to see sometimes, but it just takes some getting used to.
This is also usually played using blinds for the first round of betting rather than antes.
Maximum Players: 11 (though generally the maximum played with is 10)

High Chicago:
Seven Card stud with a twist.
Gameplay is identical to seven card stud. However the best 5 card poker hand only takes half of the pot. The other half goes to whoever has the highest spade in the hole. This means only counting the 3 face down cards, whoever has the highest space
Maximum Players: 7

Low Card in the Hole Wild:
This game is run just like seven-card stud, all the way up until the last card. The difference between this and seven card stud; as the name implies, the lowest card face down in your hand, is wild for you. For instance, if your face down cards are eight and two, all of the twos in your hand are wild, including the two in your hole cards, so all people have at least one wild card. At the point where the sixth card has been dealt, and the round of betting occurs, then the gimmick happens. In seven card stud, the seventh card is normally dealt face down.

However, this may change your wild card in a way you wouldn't like. For instance if your hole cards are Ten, Ten, you would have two wild cards, and the seventh card may be lower than a ten, which would most likely reduce you to one wild card. Or if you have a seven, Jack in your hole cards, and you also have a seven in your face up hand. Because of this situation, you have the option of having your seventh card dealt face up in order to maintain your hand. To have this done, you must pay a fee; the cost being determined before the game is dealt.

Then using your best five card hand including your one or more wilds, the best hand wins the pot. There is a variation of the game in which the first six cards are all dealt face down. Initially the first three cards are dealt face down. Then before the betting round, each person flips one card to be face up; so you determine which cards are your hole cards. The fourth, fifth, and sixth cards are also dealt face down, one at a time. Each time, people determining which card to flip face up. The seventh card is played the same way as in the first variation.
Maximum Players: 7

Up the River, Down the River:
This game does not follow any of the patterns of previous games.
Five cards are dealt face down to each player, and two rows of five cards are dealt face down in the middle of the table. A round of betting occurs starting with the person left of the dealer, then one card from one end of either row is turned face up. This card, and all of the other cards in this row are community cards.

Another round of betting occurs, and another community card is flipped face up. This repeats until the first row of card are all face up. Another round of betting occurs, and a card from either end of the remaining face down row is flipped face up. This and all of the other cards in this row is a kill card. Just like before a round of betting occurs in between each card, and they are flipped face up one by one. After all ten cards are face up, a final round of betting occurs. After this, peoples hands are exposed, and each person forms the best five card hand in combination with the community cards. The best hand wins.
Maximum Players: 8

5 and a Half, 21 and a Half:
This game is somewhat similar to Blackjack.
All players are dealt one card face down, and one card face up. The object is to be the closest person to either 5 and a half points, or 21 and a half points. Number cards are worth their numeric value, aces are valued at 1 or 11, depending on how the player wants to value them. Face cards are worth a half a point.

After the cards are dealt, a round of betting occurs, starting with the person with the most points showing. Then, starting with the person left of the dealer, each person is given the opportunity to be dealt a card face up from the deck. This continues, with a round of betting between every round until no players take cards. When offered the chance to take a card, you may pass and take no cards. Passing does not mean you may not take any more cards ever though. You may pass up to two times in a row, and still take a card the next round. Once you have passed three consecutive times however, you are frozen. Passing then taking a card has strategic purposes including seeing what other players are doing, and also creates more rounds of betting.

Once all players have passed, and the final round of betting has taken place, a declaration round takes place. Each player takes three chips in their hand. Simultaneously, players drop chips from their hands. To announce that you are going for a low hand, you drop one chip, to announce high you drop two chips. To announce that you are going high and low, you would drop all three chips. To win both high and low you must win both. This is done with the use of an ace. For instance if you have Ace, Ten, this gives you both 11 and 21. If the highest high is no higher than 20.5, and the low is not lower than 11.5, you would have won both ways. However if a player had either 21.5 or 10.5 you cannot win the high or the low. If someone had either 21 or 11 you would take half of the pot for either the high or the low, and you would take half of the remaining pot, and the other player who tied would take the remains. Once declaration takes place players expose their hands. Each players points are totalled, and whoever has the hand closest to 5 and a half takes half of the pot, and the player closest to 21 and a half takes the other half. If there is an odd amount in the pot, whoever was closest to 21 and a half takes the extra difference. Being closest to each amount requires players to be within the range. To be closest, you must have at least 5 and a half, and no more than 21 and a half. In taking cards if your hand goes over 21 and a half points, you must announced that you have busted, and must fold your hand.

7, 27:
This game is very similar to 5 and a Half, 21 and a Half.
A difference is that each player is initially dealt two cards face down, and one face up. As the name implies the two target point values are 7 and 27. Another difference is that you may go above 27 and below 7. If there is a tie however where someone has 6.5 and someone has 7.5, whoever has 7.5 would win. In a tie between 20.5 and 21.5, 20.5 would win. In other words, ties go to the inside hand. A perfect hand in this game is Ace, Ace, 5, which totals to both 7 and 27. Other than the above exceptions, gameplay is identical to 5 and a Half, 21 and a Half.

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