Try to flip the channels on any television in the world and go through the whole repertoire of available shows and for sure you will find at least one poker card game tournament going on, and being broadcast. Poker is the best loved and the most played card game on the face of the earth, and has morphed from the sordid, smoke laden back rooms in saloons in the Old West, to the first choice for entertainment of players everywhere, whether in casinos or family living rooms on a Saturday night.

Any game you play today has rules and regulations, and poker is no different. The basics of the more common forms of poker is that the individual cards are ranked in ascending value from 2 (low) to Ace (high); and unlike some other card games, suits have no value when ranking hands or tallying points. In lowball games of poker, where the best poker hands are the lowest valued hands (just the opposite of the traditional games of poker); Ace plays low only when you are playing lowball games in A to 5, and A to 6, and in 2 to 7 lowball the Ace plays high. But traditionally, the high cards are the Ace, then the King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in descending order; and the best poker hands are those with the highest value in the hand.

In order to be an effective poker player, you must understand the hierarchy of card combinations that can win the hand you are playing. Starting from the least important hand to the highest combo you could get, the list runs as such: high cards, 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, 4 of a kind, Straight Flush. Remember that suits have no value in poker and that thought should always be included in your calculations when you are evaluating the best poker hands. Suits are used only to determine whether a hand fits into a certain category, for example flush and straight flush hands. What makes a flush a flush, is that the run of 5 cards is made up of all the same suit, not whether that suit is diamonds or spades, etc. If 2 players have the identical numbered cards in a straight flush, and for example one was 3,4,5,6,7 of spades; and the other run was 3,4,5,6,7 of diamonds-the spades are not higher than the diamonds, the hands are tied and the players must split the pot.

Next up in importance in what you should know in playing poker, is how to bid correctly so you can make the most of the best poker hands if you should be lucky enough to be dealt one. Don’t forget that the other players around the table are just as eager to win as you are, and they are watching every move you make with eagle eyes; even if they have their “poker faces” on and seem not to be noticing what you are doing or how you are sweating, etc. Psychology is at its best here in action at the poker table, and you must keep control of your body language and your facial expressions so you don’t give away your hand, especially if you are bluffing.

When it comes to playing an effective game of poker, and a winning game; nothing beats experience and learning from each hand you play; whether it is one of the best poker hands you could possibly be dealt, or it is a garbage hand with nothing but mismatched cards of low values. That old country song about a poker-playing gambler is right on the money when the lyrics say “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” That’s how to perform when you are playing poker, in a nutshell. The more you play with all kinds of players, experienced and inexperienced; the more you will learn the ins and outs of the best poker hands, and what you do with good and bad hands during the bidding.

Following closely on the heels of experience is the need to be informed if you are to do well in the field you have chosen to pursue. There is no place better for informing yourself with the ins and outs of poker and what the best poker hands are, than the Internet. There are tons of sites that will help you understand the act of playing and bidding poker, as well as interactive sites that allow you to join a game in progress and sharpen your skills as you match your wits with other players around the virtual table. There is no need for money to play on these sites, and they are great places to learn and have fun.

Just think how dull the world would be without card games, and for a good share of the population that are playing cards, poker is the game of choice, with out a doubt. The thrill of the play and the bidding itself, as well as the air of suspense that hangs over the table as each player tries to outwit the others and reveal who holds the best poker hands; makes poker the exciting game that it is. There are plenty of expressions that have evolved into the general language showing how much poker has become a part of our every day lives, such as “when the chips are down” and wearing a “poker face.” One thing is for sure; whether you are new to the game and just learning the ropes, or a seasoned player; poker holds the same attraction and satisfies one’s need for excitement more than anything else.

Tags: Gambling

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