Jean D’Alembert

Jean le Rond D’Alembert was born in Paris in 1717. He was an all round scholar – philosopher, mathematician, physicist and mechanician. He became a member of Academy of Sciences of Paris (1740), French Academy of Sciences (1754), Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1764) and other academies. Together with Denis Diderot, he was engaged as a co-editor of the Encyclopedie. Being always skeptical about religion, Jean le Rond D’Alembert faced death in Paris in 1783 true to himself and refused the Last Sacrament. The Archbishop of Paris forbade the funeral service.  But his scientific works survived: D’Alembert’s principle, D’Alembert’s paradox, D’Alembert’s formula, D’Alembert’s system etc.

D’Alembert system

Place a bet of 1 dollar. If this bet wins, then the next game, leave its value unchanged.  Continue in this manner. If the bet loses, double it – place $ 2. If this bet loses, then you double it again – place $ 4, etc. In other words, when losing, double your last bet. Thus, in the case of consecutive losses your bets should be as follows – 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and so on until you win. Then again place a single bet of $ 1, and repeat the entire above mentioned scheme again and again. The idea of the system is very simple – when you are winning at any time during the game, you’ll win a single bet, in this case, $ 1. For example, if you lose three consecutive bets 1 +2 +4, after winning in the fourth one i.e.8 dollars, you will recover all your previous losses and have a profit of $ 1.

The Grand Martingale System

Place a one dollar bet. If the bet wins, place again a dollar bet. If the bet loses, double the bet and add to it your initial bet, which makes total $ 3. Continue the same way – when you lose, raise your bet twice and add the value of your initial bet. Thus, in the case of consecutive losses your bets should be as follows – 1, 3, 7, 15, 31 and so on. In this way if you win after series of losses, you’ll have $ 2 profit. As you can see, this system is more aggressive than the previous one – it gives you the opportunity to double your profit but also doubles the chances to lose as well.

If the previous explanation of the danger of such systems is still not very clear for you and you still do not believe in a huge speed increasing of avalanches and the inevitable collapse of any financial pyramid, you can experience all this with a simple example. Make a model of possible outcomes of 52 games in which gains and losses are alternating in no particular order. Shuffle a deck of 52 cards and put on the table all the cards face up one after the other. Assume that all your black suit cards are your losses, and the red ones are your wins. Pay attention only to the one-color cards that are one after another. Theoretically, after the first scenario, you should see a group consisting of 5-6 cards of the same color, i.e. 5-6 losses in a row, but bear in mind that these are only 52 hands! In other words, in front of you on the table you have a very real situation when you are playing according to this system with an initial bet of $ 5, and you have already lost about 500 dollars. How long did it take you to put all the cards on the table? Real 52 hands do not require much more time. Now think would you like just one more time to put the cards of the deck on the table and lose the next one thousand dollars?

Cancellation system

On a piece of paper write in a row the numbers from 1 to 10. The value of your first bet should be equal to the sum of the first and last number in the row i.e. 10 + 1 = 11 dollars. In case you win, cross off the first and the last numbers

1 2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10

and place a bet equal to the sum of the numbers in both ends i.e. 2 + 9 = 11 dollars. If you win again, repeat the same action i.e.

1 2 3          4          5          6          7          8          9 10

Your next bet should be equal to the sum of the numbers in both ends i.e. 8 + 3 =11 dollars. Continue playing the same way until there are no numbers left.

If at any stage of the game you lose, you double down your last bet and do not cross off any numbers. After crossing off all numbers, not exceeding the value of the maximum permissible bet and your own credit, you’ll win $ 55.
In fact, it is still D’Alembert system but with the condition that as soon as the player wins $ 55, he’ll stop playing. In case of a higher initial rate, the achieving of the maximum permitted rate and the total loss occurs even more rapidly. The only thing that somehow can compensate this danger is that a player, having played on this system once, will never dare to apply it again. But even if it is the first time you play applying this system, you never know – maybe exactly this time the Fortune decided to laugh at the fools looking for an easy game.

System 1-2-3-5

Start the game by placing a $ 1 bet. If you win, double your bet – place $ 2. If you win again, place 3 initial bets – $ 3. If you win again, place 5 bets – $ 5. Continue placing the last bet of $ 5 until you lose. Whenever at any stage of the game you lose, start the next game with an initial bet of $ 1.
This system increases your winnings when having a long streak of good luck and minimize your losses in case of series of losses. Ultimately in a long game, you’ll have the same results as in haphazard game. Any long run game with increased bets will always lead to bigger losses. Do not forget that if your plans are to stay in the game as long as possible with a certain amount of money.

System 1-3-2-6-1

Start the game by placing a $ 1 bet. If you win, place a bet of $ 3. If you win again, double your initial bet i.e. place $ 2. If you win again, increase 6 times your initial bet i.e. place $ 6. In case you win again, place again a bet of $ 1. If you continue wining, repeat the steps from the beginning. If you lose at any point in the game, then your next bet should be the $ 1.
The main idea of this system is that you have to win 4 times in a row. If so, you win 12 initial bets. If you win 3 times in a row, but lose the fourth time, you’ll have a zero result. Losing the third game, you gain 2 initial bets. If you lose after a single win, you lose 2 bets.

10 per cent betting system

The first thing you need to do is to determine the amount you can spend on the game this evening. Let’s assume that it is the amount of $ 100. Your first bet then should be 10% of this amount i.e. $ 10. If you win, you’ll have 110 dollars and the next your bet should be also 10% of the money i.e. $ 11. If you lose, you’ll have 90 dollars and the next your bet should be $ 9 (10%). Continue the same way calculating your bets, adding or subtracting from your total money amount your winnings and losses and placing 10 % bets of the total amount.

This system is aimed at generating benefits in case of a lucky streak – you win and raise bets and at the same time you cut down your losses in case of series of losses – the more you lose, the less you bet. In order not to lose a lot of money, before you start playing you need to know when to stop. First – you stop playing when you lose all the money. Second – you finish playing, winning in this case $ 150.

How to select a game and the way to learn poker

Some said that poker is one of the simplest games in the world. In order to start playing, the only thing you need to know is the hand ranking, which hands beat which hands and the fact, that you need to bet only with strong hands and fold with the weak ones.

The first thing you need to do before start playing is to understand what types of poker are offered since you should begin learning the necessary rules and strategies, focusing on a specific game.  So, find out what types of poker are offered, what is the betting structure, the commission, and if there are some additional rules. The world’s most common poker game is stud, so it makes sense to pay more attention to this particular game. Texas Hold’em, because of its simple rules and strategies is not less popular. It is also important where exactly you intend to play. For instance, in Russia, five card stud is more common than the same game with seven cards. At the same time in the US, five card stud is played very rarely. In case you are not familiar with poker at all, you should start with a draw poker. In this game you will quickly understand the basic principles of poker – betting strategies, combinations, the possibilities to form a combination with drawing hands etc. In addition, the draw poker is well known and popular among the “home” players, and it will not be difficult for you to find partners among your acquaintances, friends and colleagues.

If you play in a casino, bear in mind that many casinos in the U.S. have poker tables for beginners. At these tables players either play entirely without money or they play very low. In some clubs, there are instructors that can give beginners some free tips and lessons. But do not play low for too long. In many cases, these low bets for beginners develop the habit to place a bet in every pot, to enter the game with any combination of cards, “just in order to play.” In addition, some of the unusually impressive and spectacular (when you play low) actions may lead to their unconscious repetition in future, in more serious games, which can cause huge losses.

The best way to explore all aspects of the game and acquire the necessary game skills is to attend a game with “normal” bets, but with low ante. Thus, in a standard draw poker a bet should be from 5 to10 dollars, and the ante should be just $ 1. Even if you play poker only for the second time in your life, you can spend at the gaming table quite a lot of time and virtually to lose nothing, or even get a small profit. At the same time, watching the game of the skilled players (the more players there are at the table, the better), you can learn game strategy and tactics, you can understand the game, but not join it for real. You should only place your ante of $ 1, and only when your cards are very strong indeed, you should place a bet or respond to the bets of your opponents. Then again, you should wait for your stroke of luck, losing very little, and when fortune smiles at you, returning part of your money.
Statistics show that by using this strategy, most beginners have mastered their playing skills just for $ 100! Do not forget that this strategy is a strategy of defeat! It is intended only to give you the opportunity to fully understand the game. After spending hours at the gaming table or a couple of hours, you must begin to apply more favorable to you strategic decisions. In case you notice that the players always fold after you place a bet or raise, because they know that you are playing very tight and, entering the game, you are absolutely going to win, take advantage of this and bluff – start playing with bad cards. Use the strategy of stealing the ante, check-raise and then you can say that you’ve played a real game. A little luck, a little common sense, and you’ll win.

If you are familiar with the basic principles and strategies of the game, then these low bets are unlikely to ruin you. The bets of $ 2- $ 4 or $ 5- $ 10 dollars are optimal for all beginners and intermediate players. These bets make the game balanced, and visible, with moderate losses and moderate profit. Moreover, as in any other gambling game, a stroke of luck is within the realm of possibility, which gives a fairly big chance even the novice player to win a professional.

Having learned how to play, do not stop on this level, you should constantly improve your strategy and tactics, and very soon you’ll be able to beat the house advantage and win against your opponents. Having achieved some success, move to the next category and start placing higher bets. There was a totally wrong conception that if the bets are higher, the class of the players is higher as well. In the real life, everything is just the opposite. In many cases high stake games are played not by those who are more familiar with the game, but just by more prosperous and gambling people who are too busy and have no time to study the complex strategies of the game. If your income is a few hundred or thousands per day, then it is not a big deal to place a bet of 5 -10 dollars, even if you are totally ignorant of the game.

That is why experienced players know that the higher the bets, the easier they are won by some and lost by others. Professionals have long observed that if they play with other strong players,(approximately their level of players), the very best that you can count on is winning a high stakes game for one hour i.e. in a game with bets of  5 – 10 dollars the best player wins about $ 10 per hour. Therefore, the main income professionals get not from the best, but from casual and completely illiterate players who in poker are called Fish. In this case, your winnings (with the same bets) may be 50, 100 and more dollars per hour, depending on the number and the species of the fish in your “aquarium”. If you make a living with playing poker, then “catching Fish” and high stake games should be your main tactic.

Stud Poker

The game is played usually by two to eight players. Before the cards are dealt each player places an initial bet. Then the dealer deals each player two face down cards and one face up. Players see their cards and the open cards of their opponents and decide to place their bets or to fold. After decisions have been made, the dealer deals each player three cards face up and one face down. Then the players again have to decide whether to bet or fold. This betting round is followed by showdown. The player with highest poker combination wins the pot.

Five card stud poker

Two to ten players participate in the game. The dealer deals each player one card face down and then one card face up. After that the first betting round begins. During this round the player with the highest card is to place the first the minimum bet. During the next betting rounds the player with the highest combination places the bet first. In case there is a tie, the player to the left of the dealer acts first. After the first betting round the dealer deals each player one card face up and the next betting round begins. Затем следует еще один период ставок и еще одна сдача по одной открытой карте каждому игроку, после чего наступает следующий период ставок. Далее вновь следует последняя сдача по одной открытой карте и последний период ставок. Then is time for showdown. Игрок, который покидает игру, должен перевернуть все свои карты, которые лежат в открытом виде.

The following are different variants of five card stud:

With final (River) card face down

The rules are the same as regular five card stud poker just the final card is dealt face down.

With required fifth card face down

This game has the same rules as regular five stud poker but the player before the last card is dealt has the right to turn his first card face up (which was dealt face down) and ask his fifth card to be dealt face down.

With first card dealt face down (Gun)

In this game there is a betting round after the first card is dealt (face down) which means there are 5 betting round in the end. Very often the player with the lowest card is forced to place a bet called a bring-in.

Mexican Stud

Each player is dealt 2 cards face down. Players look at their cards and choose which one out of the two cards to show. Then the face down card becomes a free card for each player. This is followed by a betting round. Then each player again is dealt one card face down and each player decides which one out of the two face down cards to keep in his hand as a free card and which one to show. Then there is another betting round. In the end, each player has 4 face up cards and one face down free card in the hand. This card is free only for the player who holds it. Similarly, all other cards which are player’s hole cards are considered as free cards. After the last betting round all players show their face down cards and announce their combinations.

Six card stud poker

The rules are the same as regular five card poker and the first five cards are dealt the same way. The only difference is that after the fourth betting round, each player decides which five of his six cards to keep in order to form a combination.

Seven card stud poker

Before the cards are dealt each player places his/her ante. Then the dealer deals each player two cards face down and one card face up and the first betting round begins. The player with the lowest face up card is to act first. The rest of the players must either call, raise or fold. When all players place their bets, each player is dealt one more face up card and the second betting round begins. Now the player with the highest combination of the faced up cards acts first. After all the players have placed their bets or checked, each player is dealt one more card face up and the third betting round begins. Later the game continues in the same manner and after the fifth betting round the cards are revealed and the player with the highest combination wins the pot.

The following are different variants of seven card stud poker:

Seven Card Flip Stud Poker

Five to seven players are usually participating in this game. Before the cards are dealt, players place their ante. Then each player is dealt 4 cards face down. The players are allowed to see the dealt cards and to choose two out of the four to be revealed. Then the betting round begins. Then the game is the same as regular seven stud poker game i.e. two face down and one face up card have been dealt. After each card/cards dealt there is a betting round.

There is another variant of the game where each player is dealt 2 cards: one face up and one face down. It is followed by a betting round and then again each player is dealt two cards: one face up and one face down. It is followed by a betting round and again each player is dealt one face up and one face down card. There is again a betting round and then each player is dealt the seventh card – face down. After that each player discards one of the revealed cards and one of the faced down cards keeping three face down and two face up cards. It is followed by showdown and the players compare their combinations. The player with the highest poker hand wins the pot.

Baseball

The game is played by the rules of seven stud poker but all 9s and 3s are free cards. Free cards are the cards that can replace other cards and depending on the rules of the game can either form or not form with the other cards pairs or other combinations. In this case if a 3 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game. A 4 dealt face up gives the player an opportunity to draw an additional face down card. The dealer is to deal the first card from the deck face down to that player. Sometimes baseball is played just like five stud poker.

Football

In this game only the 4s are considered as free cards. In this case if a 4 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game. A 2 dealt face up gives the player an opportunity to draw an additional face down card which should be the first card from the deck.

Heintz

In this game the free cards are 5s and 7s. In this case if a 5 or 7 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game.

Wulfert

The rules of this game provide the opportunity to play with free fives and tens. The player who’ been dealt a five face up should place 5 chips in the pot or leave the game. The player who’ been dealt a ten face up should place 10 chips in the pot or leave the game (fold).

Omaha

In this game each player is dealt two cards face down. Five cards face down are dealt in the middle of the table. It is followed by a betting round and then one after one the cards on the table are revealed followed by betting rounds. Each player should make a combination with his / her hole cards and the five cards on the table.

Hold’em

This game is similar to Omaha but after the first betting round three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. The last two cards are to be revealed one at a time.

Bull

Each player is dealt 3 cards face down. Then the player arranges the cards in the order he prefers and later he /she has not right to change this order. It is followed by a betting round after which all players are dealt 4 cards face up. Then the second betting round begins. After that each player turns up the first card (dealt initially face down). The third betting round begins. The players reveal their second cards and the last betting round begins. It is followed by the showdown when the last cards are revealed. .

Eight card stud poker

The game follows the same rules as regular seven card stud. The only difference is that each player is deal an eighth card – sometimes face down, sometimes face up (depending on what players agreed before the start).

Double Down Stud Poker

Double down stud poker is a simplified version of Let It Ride. The house advantage in this game is 2,67%. The table layout is half-round and similar to the Black Jack table. Very often the game is played at Caribbean stud poker table.

All players play against the casino and not against each other. The players at the table are not allowed to show their cards to the rest of the players.

First players place their ante. The dealer deals each player one card and four community cards – three of them are dealt face up and one face down. Then the players decide whether to double their bets or not. The dealer reveals the face down community card.  If the player’s card and the community cards form a winning combination according to the payoff table, the dealer pays the player, otherwise the player loses all of his bets. One coin payoffs are as follows: a pair of 6s through a pair of 10s pay one, a pair of Js or better pay 2, two pair pay 3, three of a kind pay 4, a straight pay 6, a flush pay 9, a full house pay 12, a four of a kind pay 50, a straight flush pay 200, a royal flush pay 1 000. If the initial bet is 5 coins and you double your bet, the royal flush pay 20 000 coins.

The Rules

The game is played with a 52-cards standard deck. Before each hand, the deck should be shuffled. In this game the cards are dealt to the players only – each player is dealt one card and there are 4 community cards dealt on the table. Players form their combinations using their cards and the four community cards. The dealer has no cards. He only deals the cards, shuffles the deck, collects the money and pays winnings. Before the game starts, all players place their ante. The dealer deals each player one card and deals four community cards on the table – three cards face up and one card face down. Then each player needs to decide whether to continue playing without increasing his bet i.e. to stand, or to double his initial bet (the ante) i.e. to double down. After that the dealt face down community card is revealed. If the player’s card and the four community cards form a combination lower than a pair of 6s, the player loses the ante and the double down (if made). If the player forms a combination of a pair of 6s-10s there is a push and the player gets back all of his bets. If the player forms a pair of Jacks, he wins all his bets 1 to 1. If the player forms two pairs or better combination, he is paid according to the payoff table of the casino. .

Double Down Poker Strategy

You should double the initial bet (double down) only in case your card together with the three dealer’s cards form one of the following combinations:

· pair of 6 or better;

· two pairs;

· three of a kind;

· four of a kind;

· four cards to a flush;

· four cards to a royal flush;

· four cards to a straight flush;

· four cards to a straight;

· an outside straight.

Using this strategy will lower the house advantage to 2,67%.

Caribbean Stud Poker

This game is played with a standard 52 card deck which is to be shuffled before each hand. The table layout is similar to Blackjack table. There are circles on it indicating where to place the antes and raises usually marked as Ante and Bet as well as places for additional bets. The payout table should be there too.

The first thing the players need to do is to place their ante bets. Then each player and the dealer is dealt five cards face down. Then the dealer turns over one of his cards and then the players are allowed to look at their cards and decide whether to play or to fold. If a player decides not to play, he loses his ante bet. If a player decides to play, he should place a bet which should be twice the amount of his ante bet. The cards are revealed and compared after all the bets have been placed. In case player has a higher than dealer’s hand, he wins. In case player has a weaker hand than the dealer’s, he loses all his bets. If a player has a combination higher than the dealer’s but the dealer ahs not a qualifying hand (a hand that consists a king and an ace or higher combination), the player should be paid even money on his ante bet and he’ll get back his ante and bet wagers i.e. he won’t be paid on his bet wager. If the dealer has a qualifying hand, the player should be paid even money on his ante and bet wagers according to the payoff table. The standard payoff table is as follows: royal flush – 100 to 1; straight flush – 50 to 1; four of a kind – 20 to 1; full house – 7 to 1; flush – 5 to 1; straight – 4 to 1; three of a kind – 3 to 1; two pairs – 2 to 1; one pair – 1 to 1, and high card – 1 to 1.

When you decide to play, you need to choose a casino with acceptable rules. There should be a table on the gaming table that indicates the minimum and the maximum bets and payouts. If the maximum payout is 2 000 that means that if you form a straight or royal flush, you’ll be paid 2 000 maximum. The optimal strategy is to bet in case you have a king and an ace or a pair or better combination.

The game has also different versions. Usually in the Caribbean stud players have the opportunity to replace one or more cards. If the dealer has 2, 3 or 4 and you don’t have a pair or higher combination, you can replace five cards. If the dealer’s card is not the one you need and you have 3 cards to a royal flush, replace two cards. If the dealer’s card is joker and you form two pairs or three of a kind, always replace a card since this way you can increase your profit.

Poker in a Casino

Playing poker in a casino is not the same as playing the classic games at home. There are thousands of reasons to play the game of poker in public cardrooms and not at the kitchen table at your residence. The most significant factor is that there is always a game. Every day there are available games 24 hours during the whole week, so you can always choose the game that you want to participate in. Another great advantage in the poker clubs in the city is the safety of the community cardrooms. These places offer video security, floorpersons, and professional dealers, like any respectable Las Vegas casino. You can find in the cardrooms more security personal in comparison with any of the banks because people are constantly walking around with a huge amount of money. The parking spaces are well patrolled, brightly lit and crime free. Most of the large clubs provide ATM machines, safe deposit boxes, and check cashing, and there is no need for anyone to go with a lot of money in the pockets. You can even use the players’ banks that are available in many casino clubs.

Casino Poker vs. Home Poker

In the community cardrooms nobody minds if you stop playing while you are winning, there is no pressure what so ever to remain in the game. There are plenty of players waiting to take your seat. Of course, in order to play you have to pay. And of course, the amount of money you need in order to play in a casino is much bigger than if you participate in a home poker game. There are probably many things that you are used to do during a home poker game that will probably never happen in a professional cardroom. No one will go through the discards, the dealer always will handle the deck, and you need to play without any help.

You’ll find out that the speed of the casino game is much faster compared to the home poker games. The casino dealers are trying to keep the speed fast. If you play a time collection game you will pay the same fee for 30 minutes of playing no matter how many hands are dealt. Therefore, dealers act professionally and they expect from players to make very quick decisions.

How to Attend a Poker Game?

The first thing you might see in a cardroom is a white board with the initials of players. They are listed under the available games at the time. For instance, if you go to a large casino cardroom you might end up with six players before you for $2-$4 Texas Hold’em game. The first thing that you have to do is to give your own initials to the attendant and specify the games that you want to participate in. For example, “My initials are RNK. Put me in the list for $5-$10 Texas Hold’em, $4-$8 Omaha, and the $5-$10 Stud games”. It is very easy. From that point on your initials will go up for each game you have pointed and you will be called the moment there is an available seat. If the list of initials for one of the games is very long, the attendant will state it and call the players in the order they are written on the board. The moment you hear your initials you have to go to the table and take the empty seat. You are already in the game. There are cardrooms where there is no board. In that case you have to give your first name to the attendant and let him know which games you want to play. In very small cardrooms with just one or two tables you have to ask the dealer for a waiting list or a vacant seat.

How to Buy Chips?

The moment you sit at the table you will be asked from the dealer or the floorperson how much money you want in chips. Every game requires a minimum amount of money to enter; this is the so called buy-in. You’ll get the chips the moment you give the dealer or the floorperson the required amount. In large casinos you can find chip attendants, one of them will collect your cash, and he/she will announce that “seat number…is playing $500 behind.” The meaning is that you bought in for $500, and the casino is going to provide your chips. You can start playing even if you haven’t received your chips yet. The dealer will count how much you owe the pot or lend you a few chips. Your chips should be provided by the end of the first played hand.

Shuffling and Dealing the Cards

The procedures of shuffling differ from casino to casino and sometimes from game to game but they are always very strict. They have nothing to do with the amateur games. Most of the people who play at home are not familiar with the science of perfect shuffling and some don’t have the skill to perform it. The professionally trained dealers in the casino gather the cards in that way that they face all the players and they scramble the cards on the table. This is followed by a procedure of 4 steps: shuffle, shuffle, riffle, and shuffle. In the end the dealer cuts the deck into two approximately equal parts and the dealing starts. The whole procedure is quite fast, efficient, and organized in that way that no cards can be flashed during the procedure.

Differences between Casino Poker and Home Poker Games

While you are looking for a free seat at a table in a casino you may notice that the players don’t play that many hands like in the home games. In the casino the situation is completely different. There the players are much more selective and one of the biggest mistakes during the game is actually to play too many hands. You must know when to fold and when to bet.

The low-limit games are closer to the home games, but they are still tighter. In these kinds of games the player with stronger hand tends to enter the pot. At the same time in looser games many players enter too many pots, which is completely unnecessary. If in the low-limit games your starting cards are better than the ones of other players, you will most likely win the money in the pot. You won’t be the winner from the beginning though. It will take some time till you get used to the cardroom games, so if you are a beginner, it is a good idea to start with the small-limit games. The first 5 or 10 times you will be probably paying for learning the cardroom way of playing, so try not to make these lessons more expensive than they are.

If you come to a community cardroom from a home game you will realize very fast that you can’t play every hand like in home games or even a lot of hands. You need certain standards (starting guidelines), which is true for all forms of poker. The standards will tell you your minimum raising and calling hands. Without standards every time you have to lose 90 % of your concentration to make decisions what you must do with a certain hand. You need your energy for deciphering the thing that makes this hand different from other hands that you saw in the past and for studying your opponents. In the end it is not necessary to play every dealt hand, you can also fold. Especially, the weak hands – they are not profitable. Just keep in mind that you have to play much less hands, you have to fold more often.

Speed of the games

When you start playing in a casino you might be shocked from the speed of the games. You might also think that the players there are much better in comparison with the opponents that you play against at home. The moment you become familiar with the environment in the cardrooms you will realize that your skill level is much closer to the ones of other players at the table. There will be players like you who are there to study the game and there will be some players who just want to have some fun playing their favorite game. The regular skilful players don’t study the game and they continue to make the same mistakes for years, so you shouldn’t worry about the skill level of your opponents. You just make sure that you are studying the game very carefully. In that way you will catch up sooner than you think. No matter how skilful you become, you should always study the game and your opponents. Keep yourself in a good shape for the games in front.

Poker Strategy

There are still people who think that poker is a game of chance and nothing else, but they are totally wrong. Every poker player should have enough knowledge about the basic poker strategies. You should know when to raise, re-raise, call, and fold. Otherwise you are playing a lottery. You may win from time to time, but that will be nothing but luck. If you want to become a skilful poker player, you need a strategy. Without knowledge you will not have any control of the game. There are actually a lot of poker players who believe that the goal of poker is winning the pot and they are all mistaken. The objective of poker is to have fun and to win money, not pots. To win the most of the pots is not a problem at all. You just have to play every single hand, to call every bet, and raise till the end. In that way you will win every possible pot, but at the same time you will lose very fast a lot of money. That’s why people say that the goal of the poker game is to win money and that means that you have to select very carefully the hands to play. You don’t have to play every hand. The best poker players play just a few hands. They play when the odds are on their side and they are trying to maximize the amount of money in the pot. Anybody can win in a short run, but in a long one the skilful players win more money with their strong hands and lose less money with their weak hands – this is the real meaning of poker.

What is Poker?

Poker is different games that make free use of bluffing, betting, and hand rankings as tactical and strategic elements. In some of the poker games like Texas Hold’em, Seven- Card Stud, Omaha, and Five-Card Draw poker the best poker hand wins. The definition of “best hand” is the rarest hand. The rare the hand is, the higher the rank. Consequently, the straight flush is higher ranking poker hand than the full house since it is less likely to form (the probability of being dealt is too low). For the same reason one pair is beaten by two pair, and the latter is beaten by three-of-a-kind. In other type of games such as Deuce-to-Seven Kansas City Lowball, Lowball, and Razz the lowest ranked hand wins. If you are not still completely confused, you should know that there are also split games. In that case the lowest and the highest hand split the pot. In the casinos the two most popular “split” games are Omaha and Seven-Stud/8.

Being a Beginner

Every player was a bad player in the beginning, even the professional and skilful players who win now tournaments such as World Series of Poker. People of talent have to work very hard and for a long time in order to refine that talent. So, don’t complain about your current skill level as a poker player. You can become much better if you are willing to pay the price for that improvement. Every skilful player now has been there and they all improved their skills with time. The first and the most important thing that you have to do is to build a foundation, in that way you can reach every of your poker goals. If you have a potential as a poker player, you must build a foundation that will assist you in reaching your full potential as fast as possible. Everybody who managed to become expert players   have one thing in common – a solid foundation. Only after you have managed to master the fundamentals of poker, you can call yourself a true professional and you are ready for the next step – improvisation. After you have a solid ground, you can begin to improvise. The masters of improvisation are standing on a platform of poker theory and knowledge, understanding of the game and strategy. Without the basic skills, you can’t improvise. To acquire those you need a lot of training, many years behind, participating in many games, and a lot of studying. The results of all that efforts are going to be very sweet and very profitable.

Basic Concepts of Poker

First you should try to learn the basic concepts of poker. Even if you do understand them, you have to find a way to apply all you have learned. The abilities and knowledge of basic poker is not something that you can learn from a few games. They need to be trained constantly. You have to understand the blinds and antes. The first is a forced bet by 1 or more players before the cards are dealt. The second is a small bet that every player gives in order to seed the pot before the beginning of each hand. The players use blind bets inTexas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em, and they ante in Stud games. Every game needs some initial money in the pot. A game with empty pot is boring and slow. The blinds and antes are used for making the game more exciting and tempting for players. Another thing that you need to master is studying and knowing your opponents. You have to be prepared to win, because success needs preparation. Knowledge, experience and preparation are equal to skill. That is what you need if you want to become a winning poker player. The most important step before eliminating bad habits and making behavioral changes is to be in charge. You are personally responsible for yourself at the poker table. If you are trying to blame someone or something else you would be avoiding the truth. Some of the tactics in poker are important and some aren’t. There are techniques that if you play regularly you can use maybe once or twice a year. That makes other skilful moves somehow meaningless. In the game of poker decisions are very important. Like in life every decision has its consequences. In order to play correctly you will need the kind of judgment that comes mainly from experience. Even the most skilful and experienced players are making wrong decisions. Everybody make mistakes. The idea is to avoid the catastrophic mistakes and you will be fine. A critical error for instance is if you fold a winning hand, because it will cost you the whole pot.

There are variation to the game, and what is considered as the highest ranking hand, but here we’ll take as our starting point games like Seven-card Stud and Texas Hold’em, which are played with a 52 card deck, and there is no joker.

These are the highest ranking cards in descending order, best hand first:

Royal flush

The highest possible ranked hand. To achieve this hand you need an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suit.
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Straight flush

Five cards of the same suit in ascending order.
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Full House

Three of a kind and a pair. The player with the higher value three of a kind, wins in the event of a tie.
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Flush

A hand containing five cards of the same suit. If two players have the same hand the winner is the player holding the highest valued cards.
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Straight

Five cards of any suit in ascending order. The ace can be either high or low and the high straight wins the tie.
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Three-of-a-kind

Three of a kind is simply three cards of the same value.
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Two pair

Two sets of pairs.
The player holding the highest pair takes the pot in the event that more than one player is holding two pairs.
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One pair

One pair of cards in a hand.
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No pair

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High Card

Highest card takes all in the event there is a complete absence of the above hands.

This is the easy part. Poker is much, much more than mastering the rules. Poker is not only about placing a bet and wining. Poker is also about good thinking and a good strategy

Texas hold ‘em (or simply hold ‘em or holdem) is the most popular of the community card poker games. It is the most popular poker variant played in casinos in the western United States, and its no-limit form is used in the main event of the World Series of Poker, widely recognized as the world championship of the game.

Although it can theoretically be played by up to 22 players (or 23 if burn cards are not used), it is generally played with between 2 and 10 people. It is one of the most positional of all poker variants, since the order of betting is fixed throughout all betting rounds. Holdem is commonly played in the rest of the world as well, but seven-card stud, Omaha hold ‘em and other games may be more popular in some places.

THE BUY-IN
You must buy-in a minimum amount of chips when sitting down at your chosen table. The minimum limit is equal to ten times the lower bet limit of the game. For example on a $3/$6 table the minimum buy-in is $30, on a $10/$20 table the minimum buy-in is $100.

THE GAME
Texas Hold ‘Em uses a disc called a dealer button to indicate where the cards are to be dealt. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and big blinds. It is called a blind because players must pay this amount before seeing their cards. It’s called live because it counts as part of any further bets in the first betting round.

The play begins with two cards dealt facedown to each player. Action starts with a betting round beginning with the player to the left of the blind bets and continuing clockwise around the table. Players may bet, check, raise or fold in turn. The big blind has the privilege of last action and may check or raise the bet.

Three community cards called “The Flop” are then dealt up in the center of the table and another betting round takes place beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button. Another card is dealt face up (called “The Turn”) followed by a round of betting.

The fifth and last card called “The River” is dealt face up and a final round of betting takes place. Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Any combination of pocket cards and community cards may be used to make the best five-card poker hand.

SIT DOWN
Up to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.

DEALER BUTTON
In front of one of the players is a round disc or button. This disc determines the order of betting (posting the blinds) and moves to the left one player at a time, after each hand.

POST BLINDS
Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post “blinds”. To post a blind is to place a bet before getting cards.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the “small blind,” equal to half of the minimum bet (Example: $5 for a 10-20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the “big blind,” equal to the amount of the minimum bet (Example: $10 for a 10-20 game).

POCKET CARDS
Once the blinds have been posted, the first round of cards is dealt. These consist of two cards face down to each player and are called the “pocket cards”. Each player can see his or her own pocket cards.

Then the first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table.

BETTING
Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a 3/6 table, bets are $3 in the first two rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be one bet and three raises in each round.

THE FLOP CARDS
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the “Flop”. All three cards are “community” cards and can be used by all the players at the table to make up their best possible hand.

After the flop is dealt, a second round of betting takes place, again beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to left of the dealer button.

THE TURN CARD
Following the flop, a fourth “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is called the “Turn” card and can also be used by all players. It is followed by a third round of betting.

THE RIVER CARD
Finally, a fifth and final “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. It is called the “River” card and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

SHOWDOWN
Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card hand that they can make. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Should multiple hands tie, the pot is split with any odd amount going to the player immediately to the left of the dealer.

START AGAIN
After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left and the next hand begins.

Omaha High/Low is played in exactly the same manner as a regular game of Omaha High. However, in Omaha High/Low, the pot is split 50-50 between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand, consisting of 5 cards of different values ranked 8 or lower.

Straights and flushes are not counted against you when evaluating a low hand. However, they still apply for evaluating the high hand. Aces can be used both for high and low hands. Therefore, the best possible low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which is also a straight for the high hand. It is possible for a player to scoop the entire pot with both the highest and lowest hands.

THE BUY-IN
You must buy-in a minimum amount of chips when sitting down at your chosen table. The minimum limit is equal to ten times the lower bet limit of the game. For example on a $3/$6 table the minimum buy-in is $30, on a $10/$20 table the minimum buy-in is $100.

THE GAME
Omaha High/Low uses a disc called a dealer button to indicate where the cards are to be dealt. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and big blinds. It is called a blind because players must pay this amount before seeing their cards. It’s called live because it counts as part of any further bets in the first betting round.
The play begins with four cards dealt facedown to each player. Action starts with a betting round beginning with the player to the left of the blind bets and continuing clockwise around the table. Players may bet, check, raise or fold in turn. The big blind has the privilege of last action and may check or raise the bet.
Three community cards called “The Flop” are then dealt up in the center of the table and another betting round takes place beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button. Another card is dealt face up (called “The Turn”) followed by a round of betting.
The fifth and last card called “The River” is dealt face up and a final round of betting takes place. Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Players must form their best five-card poker hand from only two of their four pocket cards and any three of five community cards.

SIT DOWN
From 6 to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.

DEALER BUTTON
In front of one of the players is a round disc or button. This disc determines the order of betting (posting the blinds) and moves to the left one player at a time, after each hand.

POST BLINDS
Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post “blinds”. To post a blind is to place a bet before getting cards.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the “small blind,” equal to half of the minimum bet (Example: $5 for a $10/$20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the “big blind,” equal to the amount of the minimum bet (Example: $10 for a $10/$20 game).

POCKET CARDS
Once the blinds have been posted, the first round of cards is dealt. These consist of four cards face down to each player and are called the “pocket cards”. Each player can see his or her own pocket cards.
Then the first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table.

BETTING
Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a $3/$6 table, bets are $3 in the first two rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be one bet and three raises in each round.

THE FLOP CARDS
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the “Flop”. All three cards are “community” cards and can be used by all the players at the table to make up their best possible hand.
After the flop is dealt, a second round of betting takes place, again beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to left of the dealer button.

THE TURN CARD
Following the flop, a fourth “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is called the “Turn” card and can also be used by all players. It is followed by a third round of betting.

THE RIVER CARD
Finally, a fifth and final “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. It is called the “River” card and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

SHOWDOWN
Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card high or low hand that they can make from two of their four pocket cards and three of the five community cards. In Omaha High/Low the pot is split 50-50 between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand, consisting of 5 cards of different values ranked 8 or lower.
Straights and flushes are not counted against you when evaluating a low hand. However, they still apply for evaluating the high hand. Aces can be used both for high and low hands. Therefore, the best possible low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which is also a straight for the high hand. It is possible for a player to scoop the entire pot with both the highest and lowest hands. Four of these cards will be in their own possession and dealt as down cards, and five will be face up as community cards to be shared by all players. Therefore, if a player is dealt four kings down, only two of the kings count toward the final hand. The remaining three cards must come from the community cards. The player with the best five-card hand and the player with the qualifying best low hand share the pot evenly. Should multiple hands tie, the pot is split with any odd amount going to the player immediately to the left of the dealer. The “button” is moved clockwise around the table so that every player can benefit from the advantage of being last to act once per round. Like Hold’em, position is an important advantage with the player on the button being in the best position possible

START AGAIN
After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left and the next hand begins.

Omaha High is like Texas Hold’em, with only two exceptions: Players are dealt 4 cards instead of 2 and players must use 2 out of their 4 cards NO MORE and NO LESS to form their hand.

THE BUY-IN
You must buy-in a minimum amount of chips when sitting down at your chosen table. The minimum limit is equal to ten times the lower bet limit of the game. For example, on a $3/$6 table the minimum buy-in is $30, on a $10/$20 table the minimum buy-in is $100.

THE GAME
Omaha High uses a disc called a dealer button to indicate where the cards are to be dealt. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and big blinds. It is called a blind because players must pay this amount before seeing their cards. It’s called live because it counts as part of any further bets in the first betting round.

The play begins with four cards dealt facedown to each player. Action starts with a betting round beginning with the player to the left of the blind bets and continuing clockwise around the table. Players may bet, check, raise or fold in turn. The big blind has the privilege of last action and may check or raise the bet.

Three community cards called “The Flop” are then dealt up in the center of the table and another betting round takes place beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button. Another card is dealt face up (called “The Turn”) followed by a round of betting.

The fifth and last card called “The River” is dealt face up and a final round of betting takes place. Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Players must form their best five-card poker hand from only two of their four pocket cards and any three of five community cards.

SIT DOWN
From 6 to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.

DEALER BUTTON
In front of one of the players is a round disc or button. This disc determines the order of betting (posting the blinds) and moves to the left one player at a time, after each hand.

POST BLINDS
Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post “blinds”. To post a blind is to place a bet before getting cards.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the “small blind,” equal to half of the minimum bet (Example: $5 for a $10/$20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the “big blind,” equal to the amount of the minimum bet (Example: $10 for a $10/$20 game).

POCKET CARDS
Once the blinds have been posted, the first round of cards is dealt. These consist of four cards face down to each player and are called the “pocket cards”. Each player can see his or her own pocket cards.
Then the first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table.

BETTING
Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a $3/$6 table, bets are $3 in the first two rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be one bet and three raises in each round.

THE FLOP CARDS
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the “Flop”. All three cards are “community” cards and can be used by all the players at the table to make up their best possible hand.
After the flop is dealt, a second round of betting takes place, again beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to left of the dealer button.

THE TURN CARD
Following the flop, a fourth “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is called the “Turn” card and can also be used by all players. It is followed by a third round of betting.

THE RIVER CARD
Finally, a fifth and final “community” card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. It is called the “River” card and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

SHOWDOWN
Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card hand that they can make from two of their four pocket cards and three of the five community cards. Four of these cards will be in their own possession and dealt as down cards, and five will be face up as community cards to be shared by all players. Therefore, if a player is dealt four kings down, only two of the kings count toward the final hand. The remaining three cards must come from the community cards. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Should multiple hands tie, the pot is split with any odd amount going to the player immediately to the left of the dealer. As in Texas Hold’em a button is used to indicate the dealer’s position. The “button” is moved clockwise around the table so that every player can benefit from the advantage of being last to act once per round. Like Hold’em, position is an important advantage with the player on the button being in the best position possible.

START AGAIN
After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left and the next hand begins.

Quick play overview

Play proceeds as follows (“player” refers only to those who have not folded and are still in the game), with betting rounds in-between.

Betting is clockwise, the player with the highest poker hand showing starts (ie 2-2 beats K-Q).

2 cards dealt face down to each player, 1 card dealt face up
upcard to each player
upcard to each player
upcard to each player
downcard to each player
Showdown
Mnemonic: Two down, four up, one down.

Play Rules

The game begins with each player being dealt two cards face down and one card face up. If played with a bring-in, the player with the lowest-ranking upcard pays the bring-in, and betting proceeds after that in normal clockwise order.

The bring-in is considered an open, so the next player in turn may not check. If two players have equally ranked low cards, suit may be used to break the tie and assign the bring-in (see high card by suit).

If there is no bring-in, then the first betting round begins with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard, who may check. In this case, suit should not be used to break ties. If two players have the same high upcard, the one first in clockwise rotation from the dealer acts first.

After the first betting round, another upcard is dealt to each player (after a burn card, and starting at the dealer’s left as will all subsequent rounds), followed by a second betting round beginning with the player whose upcards make the best poker hand.

Since fewer than five cards are face up, this means no straights, flushes, or full houses will count for this purpose. On this and all subsequent betting rounds, the player whose face-up cards make the best poker hand will act first, and may check or bet up to the game’s limit.

The second round is followed by a third upcard and betting round, a fourth upcard and betting round, and finally a downcard, a fifth betting round, and showdown if necessary. Seven-card stud can be summarized therefore as “two down, four up, one down”. Upon showdown, each player makes the best five-card poker hand he can out of the seven cards he was dealt.

You may note that seven cards to eight players plus four burn cards makes 60 cards, and there are only 52 in the deck. In most games this is not a problem because several players will have folded in early betting rounds.

But there are certainly low-stakes home games where few if any players fold. If this is the case in your game, you may want to limit the game to seven players. If the deck does become exhausted during play, previously-dealt burn cards can be used when only a few cards are needed to complete the deal.

If even those are not sufficient, then on the final round instead of dealing a downcard to each player, a single community card is dealt to the center of the table, and is shared by everyone (that is, each player treats it as his seventh card). Under no circumstances can any discarded card from a folded hand be “recycled” for later use.

Unlike draw poker, where no cards are ever seen before showdown, stud poker players use the information they get from face-up cards to make strategic decisions, and so a player who sees a certain card folded is entitled to make decisions knowing that the card will never appear in another opponent’s hand.

THE BUY-IN

You must buy-in a minimum amount of chips when sitting down at your chosen table. The minimum limit is equal to ten times the lower bet limit of the game. For example on a $1/$2 table the minimum buy-in is $10, on a $5/$10 table the minimum buy-in is $50.

SIT DOWN

Up to 8 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.

ANTE

You like all other players must ante before any cards are dealt. The amount of the ante reflects the table limits. The lower the limit, the lower the ante. $1.00/$2.00 tables have an ante of $0.25, and $10.00/$20.00 tables have a $1.00 ante.

BETTING

You are dealt two down cards (“Hole” cards) and one up card. The player showing the lowest card by suit (highest to lowest: spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) must bring-in the first round of betting with a forced bet of half the lower limit. The player who is to begin the betting will be prompted.

After the initial bet, three more up cards are delivered (with a round of betting after each card), then a final down card and a final round of betting. There are betting limits at each table. The stakes being offered at the particular table determine the limit or maximum bet on any player’s turn. For example, at a $1-$2 table, the limit on any bet is $1 on the first two betting rounds and $2 on the final three betting rounds.

We allow one bet and three raises in our card room. The final raise is capped and the only options you have are to call or fold at this point. The action of the first two rounds is set at the lower limit of the table structure. The exception to this rule is when a player shows a pair after the 4th street the bet is the lower limit multiplied by two.
All players have the option to bet the higher limit for the second round of betting. If a player does bet the higher limit, subsequent bets must also be at the higher limit.

THE SHOWDOWN

Any five of your seven cards can be used to make up your best poker hand. The best poker hand wins the pot. Should multiple hands tie, the pot is split with any odd amount going to the player immediately to the left of the dealer.
If all eight players are still in the hand on the river, the total number of cards needed for all the players to receive their own card would not be available in a standard deck of cards. In this case the river card will be dealt face up on the table and it will be used as a community card.

START AGAIN

After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left and the next hand begins.