Some Useful Information About The Official Poker Rules

Poker is a game that is loved by millions around the world, trumpeted as being the most popular card game of all card games out there, and has numerous versions and ways to play. For this reason, there has to be a regulating factor in keeping everyone on an even keel no matter where you are playing, and that is where the official poker rules come into play. The rules standardize the play of the game no matter where it is being played.

Knowing the rankings of the hands in poker play is key to starting to become a good poker player and the rankings are the backbone of the game. A poker game is played with a deck of cards containing 52 cards according to the official poker rules. Variations exist on this because some "wild card" games are played with the jokers as well, but not in tournament play. Each deck contains 4 suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs; and these suits are never used to break ties---i.e a 4 of spades is equal to a 4 of hearts; one suit does not rank higher than another. Poker hand rankings are as follows from the lowest to the highest: No pair, 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind, straight, flush, full house, 4 of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.

Poker may have its many varieties, but there are 3 basic groups that make up the games most often played: they are; Community card games, Draw poker games, and Stud poker games. Community games is the category that includes Texas Hold Em, Omaha, and Pineapple Hold Em. Draw poker involves games where you can discard the cards you are dealt and draw new ones, like in Jacks or Better, and Lowball (the lowest ranked hand wins). And last but by no means least, is the Stud poker group; hands are played with cards face up on the table, some face down, and hands consist of 5 or 7 cards in various combos.

Now, if you are to become a really good poker player, the official poker rules state just how you can bet your hand and what not to do as well. Betting is all important in poker because it is a game where human psychology comes into play, and you are playing "off" your fellow players, as well as "with" them----and the fun is trying to outwit them as well as play your cards to their maximum. The betting is as follows in most games: it moves clockwise around the table and always in turn---you cannot bet out of turn, it is not allowed. The first person to bet opens up the action, and you either verbalize your bet or move your chips toward the pot. Remember not to toss your chips at the pot---not allowed. That is called splashing the pot, and does not allow the other players to see what you actually put in. The next betting moves are: Raising a bet; increases the amount of the last bet (most games have a cap on this amount): Calling a bet; matching the previous bet so you can stay in the game: Checking a bet; when you decide not to bet but remain in play: Folding; exactly what it sounds like, folding your cards together and moving them toward the dealer, which takes you out of the game.

Poker has a set way of play no matter the variation of the game you are in; the official poker rules have made that a mandate; and the play progresses in an orderly fashion around the table. To be a good player and hold your own at a playing table, you must know the rules, know the rankings of the hands, and know how the play and the betting proceed. The actual play starts with the dealing of the cards, then the opening bid; everyone bets; play action; more betting again; another round of play action and so on until there is only one player left who has not folded and he wins the pot. Occasionally, you have a tie where 2 hands are equal in value at the end of the game----in that case the 2 players split the pot, or in the case of a showdown, one or the other takes it.

The official poker rules are arranged in such a way that the betting process allows for more leeway than just the basic betting tenets; there are such things as Antes and Blinds. Antes are paid by every player at the beginning of every game ("ante up"), and is actually a method of forced betting to keep the game moving. Also, Blinds are another form of forced betting and are actually antes in and of themselves, but they differ in that they rotate around the table depending on where the position of the player button is on the table. And finally, the piece de resistance in the betting world: Bluffing. What great fun to pull off a good bluff and take the whole pot right out from under the other players noses when you had nothing of value in your hand and shouldn't have even bet. A good bluffer can literally "steal" a pot, but don't try it too often or too boldly if you are not a seasoned player: they have a way of coming back and biting you on the rear.

Poker is the king of the card games, and has so many fun ways of being played that it provides a lot of good times for all ages and people of all walks of life. The official poker rules keep everything under control, and one is free to partake of the fun and excitement of playing a fast moving, brain teasing game and possibly win a little money in the process. No wonder it is so loved by so many.

Dean Evert puts forth information and articles on the subject of Online Poker Tips. For more information on Online Texas Holdem Poker Games visit our site.

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