Poker is a popular card game, and is part of the family of games called vying games, in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot. At the end of the round the pot is awarded to the remaining player or players with the best combination of cards
Poker, the world's favourite card game, has many variations. The most popular poker variations are shown below.
If you are not familiar with the different versions of Poker, click on the list above for a brief guide to each of the games and features.
Basic Poker Rules
All poker games use a standard 52 card deck, and the cards are ranked: The Card Values are Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. (Aces count as both high and low). The Suits are Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades which are all of equal value.
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The aim is to have the best hand out of the cards you are dealt, with the following winning hands listed in order of their importance (know as their rank).
Poker Rank of Hands
Royal Flush
The ultimate hand, the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of any one suit.Royal Flush in Spades.
Straight Flush
A straight in one suit, i.e. five cards of the same suit in ascending order.
An 8 high Straight Flush in Diamonds.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of same value (e.g. all sevens).
A 4 of a Kind in Queens.
Full House
Three of a kind and a pair, with the three of a kind counts first.
A Full House Aces over Fives
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
A King High Flush in Spades.
Straight
Five cards of assorted suits in ascending order.
A 10 High Straight .
Three of a kind
Three cards having the same face value.
A 3 of a Kind in Queens.
Two Pair
Two sets of pairs.
2 Pair Aces and Fives.
One Pair
One pair of cards. |
Paigow Poker Rules |
A Pair of Queens.
High Card
If no player has any of the above hands the winner is determined by who has the highest card in their hand.
For more detailed explanations of the different Poker games and how they are played, click on the name of the Game: Texas Hold Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven card stud, Five card stud. There is a fuller explanation of the rules on the WikiPedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker.
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All these games can be played at our online poker room.
TexasHold'Em
With up to ten people playing at once, Texas Hold'Em is arguably the most popular poker game in the world. Players are dealt two cards each (called the hole cards), and five community cards are dealt by the dealer, with a round of betting preceding each new community card. Players need to make the best five card hand out of the five community cards and two hole cards. Note that you do not have to use the two hole cards in your hand. You can use both, only one or none of them. Practice it free here!
Omaha
Similar to Texas Hold'Em, Omaha is a community card poker game where players are dealt four cards (called the pocket cards), instead of two as in Texas Hold'Em.The Dealer then deals five community cards , with betting rounds preceding each newly dealt community card . Players must make the best five card hand using two of their pocket cards and three of the community cards . Practice it free here!
Omaha Hi-Lo
OmahaHi-Lo is one of the most challenging versions of poker played across the globe. Using the same dealing structure as Omaha, Hi-Lo is different as the pot is split by both the highest and lowest hand. A low hand does not qualify if it beats an 8. If none of the hands qualifies as lowest then the pot goes to the highest hand. You can use different cards for the two hands, and it is possible to be both the highest and the lowest.
Remember you must use two pocket cards and three community cards to construct a hand, however you may use different cards to create a high and low hand. Practice it free here!
Seven Card Stud
The most popular of the stud poker games and a close second to Texas Hold'Em in popularity, Seven Card Stud is a high betting game that rewards skilful players. Each Player is dealt three cards, two face down (called hole cards) and one face up (called up or door cards). Rounds of betting precede the Dealer giving each player three more up cards and one more down card. A final round of betting occurs after the last card, and the Player with the highest five card hand wins using any five of their seven cards. Practice it free here!
Five Card Stud
There's a pattern forming! The classic poker game, Five Card Stud Poker is similar to 7-card. Players are dealt one card face down (the hole card) and one card face up (the up or door card). Players then have a betting round before the dealer gives out a new up card. Once players have five cards there is a final round of betting, and the Player with the highest hand wins the pot. Practice it free here!
