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Poker Card Game Rules and Variations
The game of poker has been around for quite some time but it may be more popular today than it has ever been. All of this is very exciting for those who understand the game and know the rules, but many newcomers may not know what all the fuss is about. Here is a quick guide to the game of poker for the newcomer.
Poker can be played in many different variations and any place you find the game being played usually has its own set of house rules. Although there is no set of official poker rules, most variations follow the same basic method of play. First, someone is selected to deal the cards and this privilege usually rotates through all the players after each hand is played to completion. The dealer position can be marked with a button also known as the buck. After shuffling the cards another player cuts and the correct number of cards are dealt. After this initial deal, the first of what can be many betting rounds takes place.
From one betting round to the next, a player’s hand has an opportunity to improve by either replacing cards or receiving new cards or in some cases by having a community hand dealt. All bets made are collected into a central pot which each player tries to win. When betting, after an initial bet has been made the following players are required to match this bet or forfeit the hand and lose any money already put into the pot. A player can also choose to raise the amount of a bet made as well.
If for some reason no one decides to match a bet placed the hand is finished and the player who made the wager wins the pot. It is important to note that in this case no cards are required to be shown. This opens the possibility to “bluff” or bet on a hand you know is not strong to intimidate other players into giving up their hand. If after the final betting round there is more than one player still holding a hand, the winner is determined by ranking the strength of the hands held by the remaining players. The best hand wins the pot and a new hand is dealt.
Some of the variations of poker include draw poker, where one or more cards can be replaced after an initial deal of 5 cards. There is stud poker where cards are dealt one at a time with some being revealed to other players and community card poker where a set of cards are dealt which are available to all players to make their hand.
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