Poker is the most widely known card game. In one or another of its many formats, it is played more often than any other game. Live poker games are typically player-banked games that involve not only the luck of drawing certain cards but also much skill in determining how the cards should be played in order to defeat the hands held by other players. Some forms of the game, typically those played with machines (video poker), are house-banked games in which the player seeks to achieve hands of certain values in isolation of any other hand, whether held by a person or by a machine. (As the preponderance of poker players are male, in this entry I will use male gender forms to refer to players).
The Poker Hand
All poker games are based upon the value of a five-card hand. The ten best hands are listed here in descending order.
1. A royal flush consists of an ace, king, queen, jack, and 10, all of the same suit (e.g., all hearts or all spades).
2. The straight flush also consists of five cards in the same suit and also in order. Next to the royal flush, the best straight flush would be king, queen, jack, 10, and 9 of the same suit.
3. Four of a kind consists of four aces, four kings, four 2s, and so on.
4. A full house consists of three of a kind and two of a kind (a pair). The highest-ranking full houses have the top three of a kind (three aces and another pair).
5. A flush consists of five cards all of the same suit but not necessarily in any order or sequence.
6. A straight is a consecutive sequence of cards that are not necessarily of the same suit, for instance, a 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of varying suits.
7. In a three of a kind, the cards are of the same rank (three 4s, etc.), along with any two other cards.
8. Next is the combination of two pairs of cards and one other card. The highest pair would decide the value of the hands if two players had two pairs each.
9. The next combination is one pair.
10. Last is a hand valued by the highest card in a hand without at least a pair. (In Pai Gow and Pai Gow poker, two card hands are ranked according to the highest pair [the best hand is two aces] or the highest card if there is no pair).
Draw and Stud Poker
Two styles of poker games are draw poker and stud poker. In draw poker, the several players are each dealt (in turn) five cards. They may then request up to three new cards (more in some games) and throw away up to three cards. In the other form, stud poker, there is no draw. The player must utilize the cards that are dealt the first time. Stud poker games may involve more than five cards. In seven-card stud, the player is asked to make the best five-card hand possible from the seven cards.
The sequence of betting is tied to the rules of particular games. For two examples, consider five-card draw and a seven-card stud game called hold ’em, a game popular in Las Vegas. In a five-card draw game, all players at a table make an initial bet (called an ante). Then five cards are dealt to each player, all face down only, for the one player to see. Usually there must be at least one player with a minimum hand (for instance, a pair of jacks or better) in order to start the next round of betting. Such a player may open with another bet, and other players decide to either stay in the game and match the bet or drop out. Other players also may raise the bet, requiring all others to meet the raise or drop out. (Rules of the particular game put limits on the amount of bets and raises. If there are no limits, a person is entitled to stay in a game by placing all his money into the game pot. His winnings are confined to moneys equal to his bet from each other player. If he loses he is out of the game.) The players then throw away cards they do not want and draw new replacement cards. They then engage in another round of bets and raises according to rules (some games limit the number of raises to three). The final player to call or raise then must show his cards; others may drop out without showing cards. Of course the player who wins must show his cards. All cards are secret until the final play is made.
In variations of stud poker, cards are dealt face up as well as face down, so that all players can know partial values of their opponents’ hands. In seven-card hold ’em, there is an ante bet, and then initially two cards are dealt face down to each player. There is then another round of betting that is followed by a dealing of an additional three face-up cards that are placed in the center of the table. These are common cards. Each player now can make a five-card hand. Then another round of betting ensues in which players match each others’ bets or drop out. A fourth common card (one that may be used by any or all players in their hands) is dealt for all to see, and there is a final round of betting. Finally, the fifth common card is placed upon the table, and each remaining player puts forth his best five-card hand using his own two cards and three of the five cards from the common pool of cards on the table.
Each of these poker games involves many calculations of which cards are likely to be dealt from the remainder of the single deck that is used for the games, as do the many variations, including low ball, in which bettors seek to have the lowest hand at the table. There are also great psychological skills used to seek how to discover signs that will reveal what an opponent may be holding. The main questions asked about the heavy bettor in a game are, “Is he bluffing?” “Does he really have a good hand, or is he just trying to scare others out of the game?” If all others drop out, he can win without having to show his hand. As suggested by Kenny Rogers’s famous gambling song, each hand can win, and each hand can lose, depending upon how it is played and on how the player is able to “read” other players. Even a royal flush can be misplayed in such a way that the one holding it can really be a “loser”. If the player cannot conceal his joy at such a good hand, the other players will drop out, and all he will win is their ante. If played properly, the hand can be used to draw out big bets from the other players. Players seek to find characteristics called “tells” that will reveal an opponent’s holdings.
The live-card poker game among players is extremely exciting. The game is one that, more than any other, attracts professional players. Some of them actually make a living with their skills, although there are not many examples of biographies revealing players who kept their fortunes well into old age.
Caribbean Stud Poker
Other forms of poker games do not have the suspense and psychology of the live player-banked game, but they do involve the poker hand. In Caribbean stud poker (a house-banked game), the player puts his five-card stud hand against a dealer’s hand.
First the player makes an ante bet. Then the dealer gives him five cards and also takes five cards. Four of the dealer’s cards are down, and one is up for the player to see. The player looks at his cards and then either drops out or bets an amount double his ante. The dealer does not look at his cards until the players’ bets are finished. When he looks at them, he determines if he has a “qualifying hand.” The qualifying hand has at least an ace and king cards high or one pair. If the hand does not qualify, the dealer folds and pays the remaining players a win equal only to their ante bet. The second bet they made is simply returned.
If the dealer’s hand is qualified, however, the player either loses or wins an amount equal to the ante and the second bet. He also is eligible to win a bonus depending upon the value of his hand. For instance, a straight gets a 4-to–1 bonus (on the second bet amount); a flush, 5-to–1; four of a kind, 20-to–1; and a royal flush, 100-to–1.
There is also another side bet that the player makes at the beginning. He may bet one dollar on the value of his hand, and he can win a special payoff if he stays in the betting, even if the dealer’s hand is not qualified. The casino will have a progressive jackpot for this bet. A flush will get $50, a full house $100, a straight flush 10 percent of the progressive jackpot, and a royal flush the full jackpot. The progressive meter displayed above the Caribbean stud tables attracts players with the notion that they can win six figures on a one-dollar bet. Experts who study the game find that this extra one-dollar bet favors the house until the progressive jackpot grows beyond $200,000, which is rather rare.
Let It Ride
The game of let it ride poker was introduced to Las Vegas casinos in 1993 and has gained some popularity with casinos in many jurisdictions. Like Caribbean stud, it is a five-card stud poker game that is house banked. In this game the player hopes to get a hand with a good value. There is no dealer’s hand. The player lays three equal bets on the table. Each player then receives three cards face down. At that time he may let his first bet stay on the table, or he may withdraw it. A fourth community card is dealt (to be used by all players), and he then can make another decision to withdraw his second bet, or “let it ride.” His third bet must stay. Then a final card, also a community card, is revealed. He now has his hand. The hand is paid off according to a schedule. If the player does not have at least a pair of tens, he loses. The one pair of tens gets the bettor’s wagers returned to him. Two pairs give him a 2-to–1 return; a flush, 8-to–1; a royal flush, 1,000-to–1. Like Caribbean stud, there is also an opportunity to make a one-dollar bonus bet that pays off $20,000 for a royal flush and less for other good hands. On this bonus bet payoff, the expected return to the player is less than 80 percent, whereas the basic game pays back over 96%.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai gow poker is a house-banked even-payout game. The player is given seven cards, as is the dealer. Each then makes his best two-card and best five-card hand. If both of the player’s hands are better than the dealer’s two hands, the player wins but pays a 5 percent commission on the winnings. If both of the dealer’s hands are better, the dealer wins; if one is and one is not, it is a tie. One fifty-two-card deck is used along with a joker, which may be used as an ace or as a card to complete a straight or a flush. The best possible hand is five aces.