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Compared to many other super popular gambling games Poker is fairly young as it appeared only in the eighteenth century. The combination of simple (even for the beginners) rules and the degree of excitement made this game phenomenally popular both amongst professional gamblers and amateurs.
History of Classic Poker
The origins of Poker have been debated by professionals for a long time, and some are advocating that European card games were its origins, because one of the main features of poker- bluffing – can also be found in the ancient French game brelan. Other game enthusiasts state that trading with several rounds of bets is unique and can’t be found in any games at all. Classic Poker history defines its birthplace as the South of USA, where it was played in 1830s around New Orleans with rules similar to the modern ones.
It took Poker about half a century to become an accepted game in European and American casinos as the game lived through a period when it was popularised at one moment and then banned a few years later. Poker became more common when large international tournaments were introduced in the 1970s, with significant prize funds and professional gamblers taking part in such events. In 2009 International Poker Federation was created, and in 2010 the game became an accepted and recognised intellectual sport, along with chess and bridge.
Classic Poker
Main principles of Poker are a sequence of alternating card dealing turns and trade turns (betting). Depending on the type of the game, there are several rounds of each (the size and limit of bets vary as well). In Texas Hold’em, for example, the player has a choice of seven cards (2 on pre-flop, and 5 common) to assemble a hand, while in Omaha the number of cards equals to nine.
Regardless of small differences, the game flow is in many ways very similar:
- All players get a set number of pocket cards, which altogether compose the starting hand, and based on this it is possible to estimate how the match would go. Some types of Poker also have compulsory bets,that set players’ place depending on the rules;
- The first round of bets is called preflop, and is the same for all versions and varieties of this card game: after cards are dealt, gamblers open the betting, with each player having the choices of fold (give up), place a bet, raise (increase the bet made by previous player), or call (bet same as the previous player);
- After all bets are placed, the dealer puts three common open cards on the table, and these can be used by everybody, which makes the next round of betting, flop, more exciting. It is possible to get rid of your weak hands during flop by raising and bluffing;
- The next phase of the classical game is called turn. This is when an extra card is added to the table followed by another round of betting;
- The game ends with a river: a final card is added in, and this is when all hands are final, and all is pivoting on the last round of trade. If there are players left, this is when the cards are opened and the lucky one with the best hand goes home with the whole pot.
The rules and combos
Here's the list of possible card combinations:
- Street-flash – five cards of the same suit, in consecutive ranks, for instance (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack or cubs). A separate type of this combination is royal flash, when cards from ten to ace of one suit are present;
- Four of a king – four cards of the same rank, and in case when two players have this combination, the one with the senior cards wins;
- Full-house – a hand that contains three cards of the same rank, plus a pair. Similarly to four of a kind, more senior combination wins;
- Flash – five cards of the same suit. In case of two flashes, the one with the senior kicker would win;
- Street – a hand with five cards in rank order;
- Set –three cards of the same rank (such as three queens);
- Pair – two cards of the same rank
When there are no combinations on the table, the player with the senior kicker wins.
Compulsory bets
Some types of Poker require players to make compulsory bets. For instance, these are found in Texas Hold'em as well as in Omaha Poker. They are called blinds and are made by players sitting to the right of the dealer; the player next to the dealer places a small blind (half a bet in value), and the second player places a large blind (worth a bet in value).
