Poker Games
Poker is very popular throughout
every jurisdiction where Class II and Class Ill gaming
is legal. There are card rooms all over California,
and poker rooms are found in almost all Indian and off-
reservation Casino in the States. And all the styles
or versions of the game are poker played. Stakes go anywhere
from as small as $1 to $3 bets, up to $1 and $30, $50,
and $100, and, in some places, no-limit stakes where
pots may reach as high as $100,000. What?s the Deal?
There are many different kinds of poker
games. We will deal, howevet with the card games played
in the states mentioned. Stud stud poker is the game in which
one gets two or three cards dealt face down, then four
cards dealt up, for a six- or seven-card game. Five-card
stud is where four cards are dealt up with one card
down (in the hole). Then poker there is the popular game of
seven-card stud, where there are four cards open and
three down cards in your hand. There?s also high-low
draw, and high-low stud, which gives a win to both the
high hand and the low hand. Then there is the boss game,
Texas Hold?em, in which the lowest hand wins. A straight
of ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the lowest hand. Ace counts for
one, and the second lowest hand is ace, 2, 3, 4, 6,
then ace, 2, 3, 5, 6, and so on.
Black Jack Games
These are the most popular games played
in the various card rooms and poker clubs around the
country. Now here are explanations of each game, starting
with draw poker. DRAW poker terminology The first requirement of
the poker game is to ante, which means that a previously agreed-upon
amount of money is placed on the table by each player.
This serves the dual purpose of giving each player an
incentive to win and at the same time helps to eliminate
the problem of the proverbial quitter who always folds
unless he instantly draws black jack four to a royal flush. Next,
five cards are dealt face down to each player and it
is time to determine who is going to open the poker betting
and then who is going to call (match) the bet or raise
it. The general rule is that it takes a pair of jacks
or better to open.
This is when you have to exercise caution
and have the necessary knowledge to make an accurate
analysis of the odds. The odds depend upon how many
players are involved, where you are casino black jack sitting, and who
opens before you. Speaking in very general terms, the
odds are quite high poker that everyone is going to be dealt
at least one pair. If you happen to have a pair of jacks,
the probability that someone else has a pair of queens
or kings is very high. Out of the heart of Texas comes
a quote that is extremely appropriate here: ?I don?t
open with jacks. That?s gambling, and my Daddy taught
me never to gamble.? Pay close attention to the odds.
It would be an excellent idea to pick up one of the
many available books on analyzing the odds and study
it until you can commit most of it to black jack memory. If you
are capable of accurately poker understanding the odds, you
will be way ahead of the opponent who goes on hunches
and gut-level feelings. His ?feelings? will probably
end up putting money in your pockets.
The easiest rule of thumb would be that
if you are sitting directly to the left of the deal,
then open with aces. If you are two seats or more from
the dealer, open with nothing poker lower than kings. If someone
in the seventh seat opens first, figure that he has
at least a pair of jacks, and don?t stay in the game
unless you have at least a pair of casino black jack queens. If you plan
to raise the opening bet, be sure that you can beat
any pair. The rules on betting vary from game to game
and go all the way from unlimited casino black jack betting to the more
common system of having a fixed amount and/or a fixed
number of raises. Now, all the betting for this round
has come to a halt and you casino poker are ready to draw. Again,
there are variations on the theme. You can ?rebuild?
your hand by discarding from one to five cards (the
latter amount only if allowed) and getting new ones
in exchange.
Poker Hands
If you have a pat hand, you are satisfied
with the original cards dealt to you in the first place.
Again, there are odds to consider and, as mentioned
earlier, if there is $10 in the pot and you?re betting
$2, then your return, if you win, will be 5:1. What
you must consider is that if your cards indicate that
the odds are 22 to 1 that you won?t win poker, then you should
not be staying in the game, because the odds of winning
should be better than the pot odds. Once you know your
odds and, based on the laws of probability, it appears
that you have the winning hand, go for it, all the way!
If you?re running scared about losing your shirt, you
shouldn?t be in the game in the first poker place. Part of
the battle is to come to the table armed with the proper
knowledge; the other part is to back yourself up financially,
without any doubts, once you?re ready to casino black jack make your move.
One final note: It?s best not to play poker with people
you?ve never met before. It?s hard enough to ?read?
the expressions of people you know, let alone to come
out ahead with a bunch of total strangers.