Poker

Poker has experienced a huge surge in popularity in recent times and can now rank itself as one of the most widely played card games.

There are a number of variations of poker, with the main types being stud, draw and community card games. Poker games often differ in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or “community” cards, and the number of cards that remain hidden.

Poker betting varies from different poker games, with different betting limits and pot splits available in the varying versions of poker. The betting procedures vary among different poker games in such ways as betting limits and splitting the pot between a high hand and a low hand.

The ‘ante’ is the minimum amount you must bet in order to participate in the game. The ‘blinds’ are put on the table before the cards are dealt, typically in the shape of a big blind and small blind, which start the betting. The blinds rotate with each new hand dealt. A ‘raise’ is when a player increases the bet on the table. The ‘call’ is when a fresh wager is being placed, indicating a player is matching a raised amount. ‘Checking’ means no new bet has been made and a player doesn’t wish to raise the pot.

When it comes to stud games, players are typically dealt five or seven cards and must use these cards to make their best hand. Draw games give the player the option to trade up to three cards in a bid to improve their hand. In community games, players are dealt cards face down, then all play off the community cards to make their best hands.

The most popular version of poker is Texas Hold ‘Em, where players receive two pocket cards and then wait for five community cards to be revealed. Betting occurs across four rounds: once after the hole cards are dealt, once after the first three community cards are revealed (the flop), once after the fourth community card is revealed (the turn) and finally when the final community card is revealed (“the river”). Players must make their best hands with any combination of five cards using their hole cards and the community.

Omaha is another type of poker than can include between two and 10 players. As with Texas Hold’ Em, there are four rounds of betting, although in Omaha each player is dealt four hole cards and five community cards. Players must make their best five-card hands from two of their hole cards and three of the communal cards.

Other poker games include 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, High/Low Chicago and Follow the Queen, but it’s traditionally Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha that remain the most popular versions of poker.