Poker Instructions

 Poker Winning Hands - Listed from highest to lowest

Royal Flush - The highest straight flush, five cards in sequence with all five cards of the same suit and a straight from 10, J, Q, K, A.
Straight Flush - Any straight with all five cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank.
Full House - Any three cards of one rank plus any two cards of another rank
Flush - Five cards of the same suit.
Straight - Five consecutive ranking cards.
Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank.
Two Pair - Two cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank.
One Pair - Two cards of the same rank.
High Card - Highest ranking cards with no pair.

Texas Holdem

There are two face down cards for each player and five face up community cards.  The player who makes the best five card poker hand with any combination of their two face down cards and the five community cards wins the hand.  There are no antes in Texas Holdem; instead, forced wagers called blinds are used.  Before the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer posts a wager called the small blind, which is usually equal to half of the minimum wager.  The person to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to the minimum wager.  The dealer deals two clockwise rounds giving each player a single card down during each round (known as hole cards).  (Notice that the big blind and the small blind do not get to look at their cards before wagering, thus the term “blind”).  Wagering begins with the first player to the left of the big blind.  Each player may call (equal the wager that has been placed), Raise (increase the original wager) or Fold (remove themselves from the hand).  If any one raises, each person thereafter, will have the same opportunity to Fold, Call, or Raise.

            After the first round of wagering is over, the Flop (the first three cards of the community) is dealt.  The community cards are common to all the players participating in the hand.  These cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table.  Wagering will begin with the first player to the dealers left.  The player now has the option to Check (no Bet).  By checking, the player indicates interest in the pot without placing a Bet.  If any player Bets, each player clockwise may either Fold, Call, or Raise.  If anyone Raises a Bet, each person thereafter will have the same opportunity to Fold, Call, or Raise.

            After wagering is complete, the fourth community card is dealt face up to the center of the table, this is known as the Turn.  The third wagering round begins and proceeds as per the second round.  In limit games, the minimum bet doubles in the last two rounds of wagering.  After wagering is complete, the fifth community card is dealt face up to the center of the table, this is known as the River.  The fourth wagering round is as per the second and third rounds.  After the final round of wagering, its time for the Showdown.  This refers to the action of deciding the winner.  Five cards of the total of the hole and community cards are to be used for deciding the winning hand.  If any time during play no one calls a Bet, the Bettor wins and does not have to show his hand.

            There are three kinds of Holdem games.  In Limit Holdem games, Bets and Raises are set at a fixed amount.  Each round of betting is capped at a maximum number of raises.  In No Limit Holdem, the maximum Bet is determined by the number of chips you have in front of you.  Players can Bet and Raise by any amount, and at any time, a player can go “all-in” by pushing all their poker chips towards the center of the table.  Remaining players may Call this Bet but cannot Raise.  Pot Limit Holdem is similar to No Limit, except that the maximum Bet is determined by the number of chips currently in the pot.

Seven Card Stud

There are five wagering rounds in a complete game of Seven Card Stud, not including the ante.  The dealer deals two clockwise rounds giving each player a single card down during each round (known as hole cards) and one round with the card face up (known as the door card).  Wagering begins with the first player with the highest ranking door card.  This player may Check (no wager) or Bet.  If this player Checks each player clockwise has the same opportunity to Check or Bet.  If any player Bets, each player clockwise may either Fold (remove themselves from the hand), Call (equal the wager that has been placed), or Raise (increase the original wager).  If any one Raises a Bet, each person thereafter will have the same opportunity to Fold, Call, or Raise.  The number of Raises are predetermined at the beginning of the Game.  After the initial round of wagering, the dealer deals another round of cards face up.  The person with the highest hand showing face up is first to Check or Bet.  Thereafter, the second round of wagering is as per the first round.  The third and fourth rounds are as per the second round.  After the fourth round of wagering, the dealer deals another round of cards face down.  Wagering is as per the second, third, and fourth rounds.  After the fifth round of wagering, its time for the Showdown.  This refers to the action of deciding the winner.  Five cards of the total seven cards are to be used for deciding the winning hand.  If any time during play no one calls a Bet, the Bettor wins and does not have to show his hand.
Note:  Five Card Stud is the same as Seven Card Stud with the exception that only five cards are dealt to each player with the first and fifth cards dealt face down and the second, third, and fourth cards are dealt face up.

Five Card Draw

          There are two wagering rounds in a complete game of Five Card Draw, not including the ante.  The dealer deals five clockwise rounds giving each player a single card down during each round.  Wagering begins with the first player to the left of the dealer.  This player may Check (no wager) or Bet.  If this player Checks each player clockwise has the same opportunity to Check or Bet.  If any player Bets, each player clockwise may either Fold (remove themselves from the hand), Call (equal the wager that has been placed, or Raise (increase the original wager).  If any one Raises a Bet, each person thereafter will have the same opportunity to Fold, Call, or Raise.  The number or Raises are predetermined at the beginning of the game.  After all wagers have been made, active players may draw to their hands.  Starting with the first active player to the dealers left, each player in turn may discard up to three cards and receive a same amount from the dealer.  The second round of wagering begins with the player who started the first round of wagering and proceeds as per the first round.  After the second round of wagering, its time for the Showdown.  The player with the highest hand is declared the winner.  If any time during player no one calls a Bet, the Bettor wins and does not have to show his hand.

            Many people prefer using clay poker chips or composite poker chips while setting up the game at home.  There are a few options for the playing surface.  The player can either convert a standard dining room table into a poker game table, or they can use one of the pre-made Texas Holdem poker table top.  Enjoy the game.