Poker Instructions
poker instructions 87 74 instructions on how to play poker 76 65 step by step instructions on building a poker table 16 14 poker table building instructions 10 9 video poker instructions 10 9 instructions for filipino poker 7 6 step by step instructions to building a poker table 6 5 instructions for applying felt on a poker table 5 4 instructions for poker 4 3 poker game instructions 4 3 recovering poker table instructions 4 3 party poker instructions 3 3 poker rules instructions 3 3
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Poker Instructions: Group Tables
Poker Instructions: Group Tables
Some Casinos offer Group Tables.
A group table allows you to play together with your friends without being interrupted by any other users. You must first decide on a "table code". It can be anything you think of but we suggest you keep it simple so as to avoid mistakes. Make sure that all participants knows this table code .
Now follow these steps:
1. Start the Casino software and connect using your normal username and password.
2. Click on the game of your choice.
3. Select "Group table".
4. Enter the table code.
5. Click "Login"
All group members should follow exactly the same steps and soon you'll all be playing together. Sometimes there are limits of 3 to 5 players per table.
posted by Poker Instructions at 10:20 AM  
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Poker Betting Basics
Poker Instructions: Poker Betting Basics
Poker is a gambling game. So, how do you bet? In most games, you must 'ante' something to get dealt cards. Players place their bets into a pot in the middle. At the end of the hand, the highest hand unfolded hand wins the pot. You have one of three choices:
Poker is a gambling game. So, how do you bet? In most games, you must 'ante' something to get dealt cards. Players place their bets into a pot in the middle. At the end of the hand, the highest hand unfolded hand wins the pot. You have one of three choices:
Call
When you call, you bet enough to match what has been bet since the last time you bet.
Raise
When you raise, you first bet enough to match what has been bet since the last time you bet (as in calling), then you 'raise' the bet another amount.
Fold
When you fold, you drop out of the current hand, but you don't have to put any money into the pot. Betting continues until everyone calls or folds after a raise or initial bet.
posted by Poker Instructions at 3:58 PM
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Poker Instructions: Mistakes - The Bad Beat Road
Poker Instructions: Mistakes - The Bad Beat Road
Sometimes we do everything right but still lose to some godawful miracle suckout. But that is poker. If it can happen, sometimes it will.
With the recent influx of players into the poker world comes a lot of newbie players who don't have the perspective to recognize non-usual exceptions -- for example, if you lose with AA the first two times you get it you might have a much more warped view on their value than if you won ten times then lost two in a row with the hand. Once you have played tens of thousands of poker hands, it is a lot easier to just know that, well, shit happens.
Okay, now that is straightforward enough, but if you are a newbie player, it is actually more complex than that. While "bad beats" do occur in poker, they happen more often to new players (or weaker experienced players) because new players make mistakes that invite the bad beats.
A reader, Traves, sent me an email describing the situation well:
Dear Steve,
First I'd like to compliment you on your articles in general, they are truly some of the best I've ever read and do a fantastic job of taking the romanticism and glitter out of playing poker... I've been playing consistently for 14 years. Nowadays my online [play] is generally at PartyPoker in the NL Hold Em Tourneys.
I've noticed an overall theme in your writing that I think is very important in today's world of poker. You hit on it again directly in your basics article. It is your concerns -- if I can call them that, about the explosion of No Limit Tourneys on the Internet and high stakes play and the dangers thereof. Many people are diving into these games and have to be blowing their brains out. Televised big money tourneys are spiffy to watch but as I've played in a few real ones and watched a few more live I know how hard it is to win or even place in these mothers. I'm a fair player and the areas my Hold em game needs improving on are huge but I understand what you're writing. I see many that don't and hope you keep pounding out the message.
I'd like to give you two examples [the second example was of a hand he played right but still lost] you may find useful for future reference to further get it across to the hordes that seem to be playing online. Not everyone can be a winning player but if they aren't prepared to learn they can guarantee losing their ass. The first is a terrible play I made.
My stack is about average, I'm not short. Blinds are at 100-200. I'm in late position with JJ. One call in front, and when it comes to me, I just call. First mistake and it's the killer. [Players behind fold, and the blinds call.] Flop comes 662 offsuit.
Checked around to me, I bet 1000. SB tosses, the big blind calls and other player folds. Now goddamn it Steve, I know the BB has to have me beat but I lose the discipline and fall in love with my pocket pair. Turn is a 9. The big blind goes all in and I call. The river is a K and BB shows 63 offsuit and I'm out of the tournament.
Now, here's the ammunition for you maybe in a future article. In the chat box after the hand, three players say "Damn bad beat" and "Jacks just aren't holding up". This then was an example of a terrible play by an experienced player and more importantly a great example of players not understanding I made a bad play and created my own "bad beat".
After the first hand I went and kicked the cat. After the second hand [where he played correctly but still busted out] I went to a movie with the wife. Please keep on pounding away at the masses, de-mystifying poker.
Hands similar to Traves' occur every minute online and in casinos -- much more often than genuine bad beats. People lose hands because they screw up. In this case, Traves invited the big blind to beat him, and he did! Not only that, Traves knew he was beat, and committed the much worse sin of losing the bulk of his chips even though he knew he was beat. There is no bad beat in that, only bad poker.
Recognition of the mistake though is good poker. The worst poker is being displayed by those three people who lamented about Traves' "bad beat" with the jacks. They don't recognize that poor play lead to poor results.
Before you can apply good poker play, you have to recognize it.
posted by Poker Instructions at 6:48 PM
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Poker Instructions - Draw Variants
Poker Instructions - Draw Variants
5-Card Draw
Louisiana Lo-Flop
Boure (or Boo-Ray)
In Between
pass the trash(switcheroo)
Anaconda 3-2-1 (hi/lo)
P-Boure'
Jacks Or Better
Spit In The Ocean
5-Card Draw Rules:
Five card draw is the most well-known poker game. Each player is dealt 5 cards face down. There is a round of betting. Then players can discard up to 5 of their cards and draw new ones from the deck. After the draw, there is another round of betting.
Some play that you can not draw more than 4 cards, and you can only draw 4 cards if you have an ace (and expose it). Also, some have a rule that to open on the first betting round, one must have a pair of jacks or better. If no one has jacks or better, the hand is considered a misdeal.
Louisiana Lo-Flop
Rules:
A very simple game to play amongst friends (and alcohol). All players ante, then are dealt two cards face down. Each player may then choose one of their two cards to look at. After this, a round of betting takes place. After the first round of betting, players are given the option of putting down the original card, and picking up the other card they were dealt. If they do this, they must keep the new card, and the old one is now discarded. Another round of betting takes place, then a showdown. Highest card wins. Suites are used to break ties (Spade, Heart, Diamond, Club).
Boure (or Boo-Ray)
Rules:
This game is not easily explained in a few words, but can be a very fun game to play amongst friends.
Best played with 6 people or less, due to card limitations. Each player antes, and then is dealt 4 cards face down. After all players have been dealt 4 cards, 1 single community card is placed in the middle of the board. The suit of this card is trump for the game. (So if the 4 of diamonds is the community card, the best four card hand one could have would be Ace-King-Queen-Jack, all of diamonds).
After trump is shown, each player, starting to the left of the dealer states their intent to play. You can either say "I'll play" or "Fold". If only one person decides to play, then they win the pot, game over. As long as more than one person decides to play, the dealer gives the option to each player as to how many cards they would like to draw. They may discard 0-4 of the cards they are holding, and receive new cards in their place. After all players have completed their draws, play begins.
From here, the game is very similar to euchre if you are familiar. Each player, starting to the left of the dealer puts out one card onto the board. The following players must play out a card that matches the suit of the original card played, if they cannot match the suit, then they are free to trump the card played by the first to act. The best card played out wins the trick. (There will be four tricks possible to win, as each player is holding four cards). So to clarify, say diamonds were our trump and we had three people in the hand. The first person played the King of Spades, the second person playes the Ace of Spades (and thus takes the lead), at this point the third person (last to act) would have to play a spade if he has one, if he does not have a spade, then he may trump the hand. So in this case, the third to act plays the Four of Diamonds, and wins the trick. Because he won the trick, he leads off the play for the second round (the winner of the previous trick always leads off the play for the next trick).
The object of the game is to win as many tricks as possible, or at least one trick to avoid busting. Let me clarify, say in our three person game, one player won two tricks, and each of the other two won one apiece. (2-1-1). The player who won two tricks would claim the pot, and the session would end. However, if one player won three tricks, and one other player won one trick (3-1-0), the player who won three tricks would claim the pot, and the player who did not win any tricks would PAY THE POT. That means, if the three-trick player wins a pot of $15, the player who did not win any tricks puts $15 into the pot, and the game is played all over again from the start, this pattern repeats until there is no money left in the pot. If it goes 2-2-0, it is a split pot, and the player with no tricks pays the pot. If it goes 4-0-0, one man takes the pot, and BOTH of the zero-trick players pay the pot. You can see by now the importance of having plenty of trump in your hand before the gaming starts.
This is the basic layout of Boo-Ray. Lots of groups come up with small variations on this game, but the above should make a good base to start with. I have seen some enourmous pots because of this game, so play within your means.
In Between
Rules:
Each player antes (I would recommend the ante to be somewhat large for this game...'large' being very relative of course). Action starts to the left of the dealer. The dealer turns over one card, and a few inches to it's right, they turn over another card. The player may choose to pass, or they may choose to bet (up to the amount in the pot). So say we start with a $20 pot, and the dealer turns up a Queen and a Four. The first player may bet on what he thinks the chances of the next card flipped being IN BETWEEN the two cards showing. So say the first player bets $5 on the next card being in between a Queen and a Four, and the next card flipped is a King, the player would have to pay $5 into the pot. If the card was a Nine, the player would claim $5 from the pot. The game goes around the table clockwise until there is no money left in the pot. At anytime, any player (provided it is their turn) can bet the entire pot on the two cards turned over (the ideal situation of course being Ace-Two). And simply, once the pot is gone, the game is over until another one starts.
pass the trash(switcheroo)
Rules:
First must ante, then all players are dealt 7 cards face down. A round of betting insues, and you can either stay in, or fold. Then each player must select four cards to hold on to and three cards that they want to pass to the left, (folded players do not pass their cards). Another round of betting insues and then players show their cards. And may the best five card poker hand win.
Anaconda 3-2-1 (hi/lo)
Rules:
Deal 7 cards face down. Each person passes 3 cards to the left. After passing your cards you pick up the cards passed to you. Repeat the process with 2 cards then repeat with 1 card. Discard 2 cards and keep best 5 cards. Put in order. All roll top card simultaneously. Bet after each roll. Prior to last card being rolled each player puts 0, 1 or 2 coins in his/her hand. All declare high, low or both. Wheel is lowest hand. Must win both or you lose.
P-Boure'
Rules:
Pinochle-Poker Boure' - Each player Antis $1. 52 card deck- deal passes to the left. Deal 5 cards turning one face up for the dealer - Trumps. Starting left of dealer, declare 'In - Out'If In, draw fresh up to 3 cards[As in 5 card Draw]. goto next and repeat. First player left of dealer leads any card and the next In player must try to over play in the lead suit or play Trump [Pinochle -A, 10, K etc].Most tricks wins and splits are devided equally. An 'IN' player(s) not taking a trick are Boured and match the Pot. A CALLED -Valid playing error 'Renig' matches the Pot and is taken by the Pot winner(s). The error is corrected and play continues. An Invalid Called Renig requires the Caller to match the Pot and play continues with the winner(s) taking the Pot. A SUSPECTED but not CALLED misplay on a player is not a Renig, it is evaluated and play continues without any penalty. Only an 'IN' player may CALL a RENIG. If an onlooker gives any clue to players that a Renig may have occured- No action may be taken. You must always try to win and beat the previous card played. You are not forced to lead Trump, play your highest card or win at first first opportunity. It Poker / Pinochle at it's best, Social with a low limit stake.
Jacks Or Better
Rules:
5 card draw poker. Draw is dealers choice. Anti before every
deal. Need pair of Jacks or better to open (begin betting). Once
someone can open everyone else can choose to stay in or not. If
no one can open hand is scrapped, everyone in for anti again,
continue dealing until someone can open.
Spit In The Ocean
Rules:
Each player is dealt 4 down cards, one at a time, unless the player at dealer's right says "spit" then a center community card is immediately dealt face up. The community "spit" card and all other non-community cards of the same ranking become wildcards!
If the deal is stopped for a "spit" card, then a bounes betting interval occurs, even though some players may not have all (or any) of their 4 down cards. If dealer's right fails to say "spit", a "spit" card is dealt last, and the bounes betting interval never occurs.
posted by Poker Instructions at 9:08 AM
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Poker Instructions - Excellent book resources!
Poker Instructions - Hot Tips!Online Books to find
Below, you can find some excellent resources on the game of poker. These books are extremely informative, and will increase your odds in casinos wherever you go. You can order these books from your local bookstore, or from the online bookstore site of your choice.
Poker For Dummies
From novices to advanced players, everyone who's ever played poker or wanted to will benefit from this jackpot of advice from two poker experts. Strategies that turn ordinary players into winners, tips on bluffing, developing a "poker face," other players, remembering cards, betting strategies: how to bet wisely and responsibly, and more. By Lou Krieger and Richard D. Harroch. $12.74
Thursday-Night Poker : How to Understand, Enjoy - And Win
How often do you play poker? Do you play for fun or to make money? How high are the stakes of your games? If you play semiserious poker on a weekly basis in a standing game for more than laundry money, this is the book for you. Intended for the serious biweekly or monthly player, this gaming guide devotes chapters to calculating probabilities, estimating odds, bluffing and being bluffed, reading your opponents' down cards, and more. Virtually everyone will learn from this clearly written, fully illustrated instructional book. By Peter O. Steiner. $12.80
The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle
Here's a chance to learn the 200 real rules of poker, including descriptions of the characters, the right food (pizza, cold cuts) and the wrong food to serve; betting strategies that keep the player from losing to much too early; dealing, talking; and the dos and don'ts of a minimal standard of behavior. By Stewart Wolpin. $5.56
Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker
The world's foremost poker theoretician presents the essential strategies and secret winning plays of poker. Players learn how to adjust their play to win more from weak players, how to equalize stronger players, and how one should bluff a bluffer. With selected tips on all forms of poker, this all-around poker book also illustrates seldom-analyzed strategies. By Mike Caro. $7.96
Poker: One Hundred and One Ways to Win
Becoming a successful (i.e. A consistent winner on an annual basis) poker player requires a huge amount of skill. This book will help you develop those skills. For instance, did you know that your toughest opponent is you? Do you have survival techniques in place to prevail during a long session of bad cards? Is your skill at reading opponents in top shape? Do you know the best way to cope with a check raise? Are you as good a player as you think you are? These, and many other questions, are dealt with in this authoritative book. By Andy Nelson. $17.95
Poker : A Winner's Guide
Whether it's a serious trip to the casinos or a Friday night game with friends, poker players can rely on this easy-to-follow guide for everything they need to know, from the basics to the finer points of the game. The rules for Stud, Draw, High/Low, Hold 'Em, plus variations on all the games are covered, plus a wealth of skills needed for each. Special section on how to win at tournaments. By Andy Nelson. $9.56
The Theory of Poker
This book discusses theories and concepts applicable to nearly every variation of the game, including five-card draw (high), seven-card stud, hold 'em, lowball draw, and razz (seven-card lowball stud). This book introduces you to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, its implications, and how the theorem should affect your play. Many of today's top poker players will tell you that this is the book that really made a difference in their play. That is, these are the ideas that separate the experts from the typical player. Those who read and study this book will literally leave behind those who don't, and most serious players wear the covers off their copies. In many ways, this is probably the best book ever written on poker. By David Sklansky. $23.96
posted by Poker Instructions at 3:54 PM
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Poker Instructions - Four Key Poker Skills
Poker Instructions - Four Key Poker Skills
Thinking Like a Poker Player
Poker pros are commonly described as tight and aggressive: "These poker pros do not play many hands, but when they play them, they play them like they had the nuts."
That's a nice general description, but it doesn't say much. And it's not even totally right about no-limit games, since a solid, loose-aggressive player is a person to be feared. Thus, I think when people say a player is tight-aggressive and therefore good, I really think they mean that the player has mastered four critical elements of poker.
#1. Math skills
Good poker players know general percentages. They know that you have about 1 in 8 chance of hitting a set when holding a pocket pair, and that you have about a 1 in 3 chance of completing a flush draw at the flop.
They know the importance of 'outs.' Outs are simply the number of cards that will improve your hand. Count your outs, multiply them by two, and add one, and that's roughly the percentage shot you have at hitting.
They can figure out the 'pot odds.' Knowing outs is meaningless unless it's translated into rational, calculated betting. Knowing you have a 20% chance of hitting, what do you do then? Well, simply once you figure out your chance of hitting/winning, you divide the size of the pot at the river (i.e. the current pot plus the amount of money that you think will be added through future bets) by the amount you have to put in. If you have a 20% chance of hitting and the bet to you is 50, if the pot at the river will be greater than 250, call. If not, fold.
Math skills are the most basic knowledge; it's day one reading. Anyone who doesn't understand these concepts should not play in a game until they do.
#2. Discipline
Good poker players demand an advantage. What separates a winning poker player from a fish is that a fish does not expect to win, while a poker player does. A fish is happy playing craps, roulette, the slots; he just hopes to get lucky. A poker player does not hope to get lucky; he just hopes others don't get lucky.
Good poker players understand that a different game requires a different discipline. A disciplined no-limit player can be a foolish limit player and vice versa. A disciplined limit player is always very tight preflop. He or she will not play too many hands, only the ones that have a very good chance at winning.
However, a disciplined no-limit player is very different. This player is not so concerned with paying too many blinds; instead, he or she does not want to get trapped. The main difference between disciplined limit players and disciplined no-limit players is that the limit player avoids piddling away his stack bit by bit while a disciplined no-limit player avoids losing his whole stack in one hand. Hence, a disciplined no-limit player can play a lot of hands. Preflop, he or she can be extremely loose and limp in with hands as odd as 5 3. However, a good no-limit player knows when to toss hands that will get him or her in trouble.
A disciplined player knows when to play and when to quit. He recognizes when he is on tilt and is aware when a game is too juicy to just quit while ahead.
A disciplined player knows that he is not perfect. When a disciplined player makes a mistake, he learns. He does not blame others. He does not cry. He learns from the mistake and moves on.
#3. Psychological Skills
A good player is not a self-centered player. He may be the biggest SOB you know. He may not care about anyone but himself, and he may enjoy stealing food from the poor. However, when a poker pro walks into a poker room, he always empathizes with his opponents. He tries to think what they think and understand the decisions they make and why they make them. The poker pro always tries to have an answer to these questions:
What does my foe have?
What does my foe think I have?
What does my foe think I think he has?
Knowing the answer to these questions is the first step, manipulating the answers is the second and more important step. If you have a pair of kings and your foe has a pair of aces, and you both know what each other have and both know that you each know what the other has, why play a game of poker? A poker pro manipulates the latter two answers by slowplaying, fastplaying, and bluffing in order to throw his opponent off.
Good poker players know that psychology is much, much, much more important in a no-limit game than in a limit one. Limit games often turn into math battles, while no-limit games carry a strong psychology component. Thus, poker tells are much more important in no-limit games than limit games.
#4. A Clear Understanding of Risk vs. Reward
Pot odds and demanding an advantage fall into this category. Poker players are willing to take a long-shot risk if the reward is high enough, but only if the expected return is higher than the risk.
More importantly, they understand the risk-vs.-reward nature of the game outside of the actual poker room. They know how much bank they need to play, and how much money they need in reserve to cover other expenses in life.
Good poker players understand they need to be more risk-averse with their overall bankroll than their stack at the table.
When you play in an individual game, you must value every chip equally at the table. You should only care about making correct plays. If you buy in for $10, you should be okay with taking a 52% chance of doubling up to $20 if it means a 48% chance of losing your $10.
However, you should be risk-averse with your overall bankroll. You need to have enough money so that any day at the tables will not affect your bankroll too much. If you worry too much about losing, then you will make mistakes at the table. You need to leave yourself with the chance to fight another day.
posted by Poker Instructions at 7:48 AM
Friday, May 20, 2005
Five Card Draw - Poker Instructions
Five Card Draw - Poker InstructionsThere are two wagering rounds in a complete game of Five Card Draw, not including the ante. The dealer deals five clockwise rounds giving each player a single card down during each round. Wagering begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. This player may Check (no wager) or Bet. If this player Checks each player clockwise has the same opportunity to Check or Bet.
If any player Bets, each player clockwise may either Fold (remove themselves from the hand), Call (equal the wager that has been placed, or Raise (increase the original wager). If any one Raises a Bet, each person thereafter will have the same opportunity to Fold, Call, or Raise. The number or Raises are predetermined at the beginning of the game.
After all wagers have been made, active players may draw to their hands. Starting with the first active player to the dealers left, each player in turn may discard up to three cards and receive a same amount from the dealer. The second round of wagering begins with the player who started the first round of wagering and proceeds as per the first round. After the second round of wagering, its time for the Showdown. The player with the highest hand is declared the winner. If any time during player no one calls a Bet, the Bettor wins and does not have to show his hand.
posted by Poker Instructions at 8:19 AM
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