General About Poker

POKER GENERAL

Pacific Poker has been called the national card game of the United States, but it is also an international game, popular almost anywhere cards are played. It has many forms and is played differently in different lands and communities, but the basic principle is everywhere the same: to build "structures" consisting of two or more cards of a kind ... sequences of cards

hands composed all of the same suit.

There are no official laws of Pacific Poker in the same sense that there are official laws of Contract Bridge. Poker is a game for the rugged individualist, and every game reserves the right to make its own laws. But any game will profit by adopting one set of published laws and abiding by it, and the following Pacific Poker laws are offered as worthy for adoption.

STANDARD POKER LAWS

Applying to all forms of the game

PLAYERs. Any number from two to fourteen, but the original players in a Draw Poker game may by agreement limit the eventual number of players to seven or eight; in a Stud Poker game, the original players may by agreement limit the number to nine.

CARDS. The pack of 52, with the cards in each suit ranking:

A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There is no rank of suits.

Wild Cards. Any card or cards may be designated as wild The holder of a wild card may designate any other card for which the wild card stands. It is quite usual to play Pacific Poker and Downloaded Pacific Poker with a 53-card pack, including the joker, the joker being wild.

The Bug. The joker in a 53-card pack is often designated as the Bug. The Bug is a wild card with limitations: It may be counted as an ace, and it may be counted as a card of any suit and rank necessary to make a flush or straight (which terms are defined in the next section).

Onscrs OF THE GAME. Each player endeavors to hold a better poker hand than any other player in the game. A poker hand consists of exactly five cards.

Rank of Poker Honda The following list states the combinations that make up valuable poker hands, and their rank. Fiue of a kind ranks highest when there is any wild card in the game.

Straight flush rank8 highest when there is no wild card. It consists of five cards in suit and sequence, with the ace ranking either high or low: 0 A-K-Q-J-1O (the highest possible hand, also called a royal flush), or 054-3-2-A, or any sequence in between, as + 10-9-8-7-6.

Four of a kind is next highest. It consists of the four cards of any one rank together with any fifth card; for example c7. 07-+7.+7-OQ constitute four sevens.

A full House ranks next; it consists of any three of one kind and any pair of another kind, as +6-&.06-+A-+A. It is referred to by the three.of.a.kind it contains; the example shown would be "sixes full."

A flush, ranking next, consists of any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence, as 0 J- 09.08-06-03, referred to as a "jack-high flush."

A straight consists of any five cards of two or more suits in sequence of rank, with the ace ranking either high in the sequence A.K-Q.J.1O or low in the sequence 54-3-2-A. It ranks next under a flush.

Three of a kind are any three cards of the same rank plus two other cards which do not constitute a pair and do not include the fourth card of the same rank; +9-09-9-4K-03 would be referred to as "three nines."

Two pairs, which rank next under three of a kind, constitute two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and any fifth card which is of neither of those ranks; it is referred to by the higher of the two pairs. Thus, +Q-4'Q.+8-48-+4 would be "queens up."

One pair--any two cards of the same rank, together with three other cards which do not combine with the other two to form any of the higher-ranking hands above: + K- 4K. 7-

are a pair of kings.

No pair--the lowest-ranking hand--losing to any hand con taming a pair or any better combination, consists of any five cards not meeting the specifications above.

Object of Betting. The players in the game bet with one another as to which has the best poker hand. Each deal is a separate game, in that its result does not affect any preceding or subsequent deal. All the bets are placed together and form a pot. A player who does not wish to bet that he has the best hand may droA thus relinquishing any chance to win the pot

The ultimate object in Poker is therefore to win the pot, whether by actually holding the best hand or by inducing other players to drop and leave the pot to be taken, uncontested, by a single player still willing to bet.

SEQUENCE OF Play

Rotation. The turn to deal, the cards as they are dealt, and the turn to bet all pass from player to player to the left. Once a player has dropped, the turn skips him and takes up with the next player to his left who has not dropped.

Chips. The unit of exchange is almost invariably the poker chip, which may represent money.

Procedura First the cards are shuffled and dealt by the proper dealer; then there may be one or more betting intervals in which the players may bet on their hands (or, if unwilling to bet, may drop); and, at the end of the last betting interval, there is a showdown at which each player who has not previously dropped exhibits his cards face up. Whichever of these players has the highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot.

THE SHUFFLE, CUT AND DEAL. Any player may shuffle the pack of cards, have them cut by the player at his right, and deal them one at a time, face up, in rotation beginning with the player at his left, until a jack falls to any player; that player becomes the first dealer.

The Shuffle, Any' player may shuffle, the dealer last. The cards must be shuffled at least three times.

The Cut. The player at dealer's right must cut the pack, leaving at least five cards in each packet. (Traditionally, the player at dealer's right could refuse to cut) Dealing. The cards are dealt one at a time in rotation to the left.

Betting. In any form of Poker there are one or more betting iateruak In each betting interval, one player in the game has the privilege or duty of making the first bet. Each player in rotation after him may either

(a) dro by discarding his hand; in this case, he no longer participates in the pot, and cannot win the pot regardless of what may later occur;

(b) call, which means that he places in the pot enough chips to make his contribution during that betting interval as great as the contribution of any other player, but no greater;

(c) raise, which means that he places in the pot enough chips to call, plus one or more additional chips.

To illustrate: If there are seven players designated as A, B, C, D, E, F and G, A is the first bettor. A bets one chip. B calls by putting in one chip. C drops, discarding his hand face down, D raises, putting in three chips--one chip to call and two to raise. E calls, putting in three chips. F raises, putting in six chips--three to call and three to raise. G drops.

It is now the turn of A again. A calls, putting in five chips; this makes his total contribution to the pot six chips during this betting interval. B drops; he relinquishes his chance to win the pot, and the chip he previously put in the pot remains there. D calls, putting in three chips to bring his total contribution up to six. B raises five chips by putting in eight chips. F raises by putting in ten chips. A drops, thus losing the chips he had already put in. D calls, putting in ten chips. B calls, putting in five chips, and now the betting interval is ended. 1), B and F are still in the pot, and each has put sixteen chips into the pot.

A limit is usually established for betting and raising.

A betting interval ends when every active player has had at least one turn to bet and when the bets have been equalized--that is, when every player has contributed the same amount as every other player, or has dropped, or when all have checked.

A player may drop or bet only in turn.

Checking. In many forms of Poker, a player in turn is permitted to make "a bet of nothing" by saying "Check," provided no previous player has made a bet during that betting interval. The effect of the check is that the player merely wishes to stay in the pot by making no additional bet. If the first bettor checks, each active player thereafter may check until any player chooses to bet, after which a player may stay in the pot only by at least calling the previous bet.

Tus SHowDowN. When the bets have been equalized in the last betting interval, every player who has -not previously dropped must expose all his cards face up on the table. The highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot.

It is not necessary for a player to announce the value of his poker hand as he puts it down, nor is he bound by any such announcement if he makes it. "The cards speak for themselves." The player with the winning hand takes in the pot. (If a player begins to take in the pot even though he does not have the winning hand, a player with a better hand must protect himself by promptly objecting.)

If any wild cards are being used, the player holding them

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must indicate their rank or suit when he shows them. Thereafter, the cards speak for themselves. If he fails to designate a wild card as such, it is taken at its face value.

If at any stage of the game every player but one has dropped, the latter takes the pot without showing any of his cards.

Breaking Ties. When two players have hands of the same type, the higher-ranking hand is determined as follows:

If each has a straight or straight flush, the one including the highest card wins (6-54-3-2 beats 54-3-2-A).

If each has three of a kind, four of a kind, or (with wild cards) five of a kind, the one composed of the higher-ranking cards wins. When there are many wild cards, two players may have thaee or four of a kind in the same rank. The tie is then broken by the unmatched cards, as described in the two next paragraphs.

If each has two pairs the one with the highest pair wins; A-A-3-3-4 beats K-K-Q-Q-5. If each has the same higher pair, the hand with the higher of the two lower pairs wins; A-A-6- 6-5 beats A-A-5-5-9. If each has the same two pairs, the one with the higher fifth card wins; A-A-6-6-7 beats A-A-6-6-5.

If each has one pair, the higher pair wins; K-K-5-3-2 beats

J.J.A-K-Q. If the two pairs are the same, the winner is determined by comparison of the other three cards in the two hands, depending first on the highest card (J-J-A-3-2 beats J. J-K-Q-1O); then on the next higher card (J-J-A-4-3 beats J-JA-3-2); and finally on the third card (J-J-A-K-7 beats J-J-A-K 6). If each has a flush, or if each has a hand of lower rank than one pair, the hand containing the highest card wins; A- 7-5-3-2 beats K-Q-J-74. The highest cards in the two hands being identical, the winner is determined by the rank of the next-highest card, and so on down to the lowest card in the two hands, if necessary.

When two players have hands which are in all respects identical, except fo the suits of the cards, and when they are jointly highest in the showdown, they divide the pot as evenly as possible and determine ownership of an odd chip or chips by lot. In determining the rank of poker hands, the suits are meaningless.

IRREGULARITiES. Incorrect Pack. If proved before the pot has been taken in, that deal is void and each player withdraws from the pot as many chips as he has put in it, but results of previous deals are not affected. Misdeal In the event of a misdeal, the next dealer in turn

deals, after a new shuffle and cut; any ante placed in the pot remains there, but the regular ante is made for the next pot aloe. It is a misdeal: if attention is called in time to an irregularity in the shuffle or cut or to a deal out of turn; or if the pack is discovered to be imperfect at any time before the pot has been taken in.

Incorrect Number of Cards. If in dealing the dealer gives a card to the wrong player, he may rectit' the deal before proceeding, transferrmg such cards as are necessary.

Incorrect Number of Hands. If dealer omits a player, he must give his own hand to the omitted player nearest his left. If dealer deals too many hands, he must assign one hand to each player and any excess hand becomes dead.

Irregularity in Betting. In correction of a betting irregularity, no chips once placed in the pot may be removed.

If a Poker Nettet player beta, calls or raises out of turn, the turn reverts to the proper player. When the offender's turn comes, he is deemed to have bet the number of chips he put in. If he put in too few chips to call, he may add enough chips to call. He may not raise, and if he put in more chips than he needed to call, those chips are forfeited o the pot.

If a player announces a bet, in or out of turn, and does not. accompany the announcement with a contribution of chips to the pot, the announcement is void, if he puts into the pot more chips than he announced, the additional chips are forfeited to the pot unless the improper announcement was a slip of the tongue and is corrected before any other player calls attention to it.

Was written by the Poker Nettet Site Editor