Poker Rules, Card Combinations, Strategic Principles, Psychology and Bluffing

Poker is a worldwide known and one of the most popular card games. Hardly anybody has not heard of it or played it yet. Poker appears in old western movies, serials like M*A*S*H or in the last but one adaptation of the British Secret Service agent James Bond – Casino Royale.

You will find here: basic Poker terminology and variations, card combinations, hand rankings and the rules of beating the same combinations, strategies and decision making as a headstone of success in Poker, psychology and bluffing.

Poker is a game of skills and art. Generally, if a good player is able to surpress a little disfavour of luck in the long run then in poker this pays twice. It is due to tactics of the game, good nerves, determation to get maximum out of minimum and psychology. You can have a seemingly unbeatable hand, but if nobody bets you will not win much.

Figure – Poker (Four of a Kind) – One of the Strongest Hands in Poker

Ace in Hearts Ace in Diamonds Ace in Spades Ace in Crosses King in Hearts

Poker is a tough game, where money scores. Good players win, bad players lose. The basic rules of Poker are not difficult. Nethertheless to become a good player requires at least three things, which will be addressed here:

  • To know the true odds – especially chances to improve hand;
  • To keep specific rules for betting and decision making – so called Money to Pot ratio;
  • To watch the game and the opponents – to be a good psychologist.

Poker Variations

Thanks to the great popularity of the game there occured numerous Poker variations. All of them, however, arise from two basic forms – Poker Draw (where cards can be traded) and 5-Card Stud Poker.

The basic difference consists in the fact that in poker Draw the cards are dealt face side down (invisibly) and all or some of them can be traded.

In Poker Stud type of game players can receive e.g. only one or two card(s) face down, the remaining cards are visible to all players or they are even common for the players (Community Cards). The most-favoured Poker variations are Seven-Card Stud and especially Texas Hold'em Poker.

Basic Fundamental Terms in Poker

Ante
An initial bet that each player is required to put in the pot before the game (round) starts.
Open
The first (opening) bet which is made by putting it in the pot. If you do not open you can either Check, Pass, or Throw-in (Fold).
Check
The Check hands over the turn to the next player, who can either bet or raise.
Call
The Call confirms the levelling of the previous bets.
Raise
Raises the bet of a previous player.
Fold
Giving up made by throwing the cards in.
Check-raise
Or so called Sand Bagging – check in the first round and raising after it.

Poker Card Combinations – Hand Rankings

The card combinations in Poker are ranked according to the probability – the lower the probability is, the stronger is the combination. If you are interested in common myths and mistakes that players make when gambling – see assessing the probability.

The strongest combination is so called Royal Flush, which represents a sequence (straight) of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same colour. For instance the probability to get the Royal Flush on hand after a deal of 5 cards in Poker Draw is as little as 0.00000153907716932927, in other words 1:649,739. It means that the chance AGAINST you to get this combination is the opposite value, ie. 649,739:1.

Straigh Flush is also quite a rare hand – 1:72,192. It is the straight of the same colour not beginning with Ace. Poker (Quarte / Four of a Kind) is also a very strong and not so unusual combination of four cards of a kind (e.g. 4 Aces) – 1:4164.

The remaining poker combinations / hands and their illustrations are shown in the table below. They are the following: Full House 3 + 2 cards of a kind, Flush – five cards of the same colour (and not creating the Straight), Straight – a sequel of cards (the colours can be different), Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair and High Card if none of the afore-mentioned combination is created.

Table 1 – Poker Combinations, Hand Rankings
Poker Combinations / Hands Hand Example
Royal Flush Ace of Clubs King of Clubs Queen of Clubs Jack of Clubs Ten of Clubs
Straight Flush Ten of Diamonds Nine of Diamonds Eight of Diamonds Seven of Diamonds Six of Diamonds
Poker / Four of a Kind 4 of Hearts 4 of Spades 4 of Diamonds 4 of Clubs
Full House Queen of Spades Queen of Hearts Queen of Clubs Five of Spades Five of Diamonds
Flush King of Diamonds Jack of Diamonds 10 of Diamonds 9 of Diamonds 6 of Diamonds
Straight Queen of Spades Jack of Spades Ten of Diamonds Nine of Hearts
Three of a Kind Jack of Diamonds Seven of Clubs Jack of Spades
Two Pairs Ace of Clubs Ace of Spades Five of Diamonds Five of Spades
One Pair King of Diamonds King of Spades
High Card Ace of Hearts 10 of Diamonds Seven of Spades 6 of Diamonds Five of Diamonds

Evaluation of the Power of Poker Combinations / Hands

It may actually happen that two or more players have the same combination of cards. Then there are the following rules:

  • Straights (Straight Flush, "simple" Straight) – the strength of the Straight is evaluated according to the highest card; Please note that there is also a specific Straight that can be created using an Ace: A, 2, 3, 4, 5, when the Ace supplements number 1. However this Straight is weaker than any other,
  • Poker (Four of a Kind) – stronger four cards are decisive,
  • Full House is evaluated according to the three of a kind, the pair is faint,
  • Flush is assessed via the highest card, if they are the same, then according to the second highest card etc.,
  • Two Pairs – according to the stronger pair, the other pair is faint; if two players have the same two pairs (which may happen), then the higher last card is decisive,
  • High Card – beats a lower card – similar as a flush rule.

Examples of Beating the Same Combinations

Jack of Hearts Ten of Hearts Nine of Hearts Eight of Hearts Seven of Hearts beats Ten of Crosses Nine of Crosses Eight of Crosses Seven of Crosses Six of Crosses (higher Straight is decisive: J>10)

King of Spades King of Spades King of Crosses Three of Spades Three of Diamonds beats Queen of Hearts Queen of Diamonds Queen of Crosses Ace of Hearts Ace of Crosses (Three of a Kind is decisive: KKK>QQQ)

Ace of Diamonds King of Diamonds Jack of Diamonds Three of Diamonds Two of Diamonds beats Ace of Hearts King of Hearts Ten of Hearts Seven of Hearts Six of Hearts (1st and 2nd card is the same, 3rd is decisive: J>10)

Ace of Crosses Ace of Hearts Two of Diamonds Two of Spades beats King of Crosses King of Spades Queen of Hearts Queen of Diamonds (stronger Pair is decisive: AA>KK)

Decision Making in Poker – the Fundament of Success

When playing poker one must always keep in mind and assess the following three factors in the course of game:

  1. Cards,
  2. Money in the pot and
  3. Place at the table.

The Cards

In Poker it is important to know the probabilities of getting the cards straight from the deal. Basically higher cards are better: Aces are better than Kings, Kings are better than Queens etc. If you are dealt a strong hand, it is unlikely for other players to get it too.

However it is far more important to know the chance to improve your initial hand as, after the trade of cards or the deal of additional cards, the situation can change dramatically. The key to success is to keep the Money to pot ratio described in the following chapter.

Money to Pot Ratio

The chances against improving the hand are not purposeless. The player must know whether he or she shall take the risk associated with obtaining a stronger combination – the sum of money in the pot will help.

Imagine that you have got Two Pairs and you have already bet 10 dollars. The chance against improving your hand to Full House is 11:1. If there is 110 dollars in the pot, then you are in the right Money to Pot ratio.

But if you have already bet 20 dollars, because another player had raised bets, then you have got the chance to win the pot in the ratio 110:20. That is only 5.5:1, which is apparently disadvantageous, since you should require the chance to win in the ratio of 11:1. The sum of money in the pot should correspond to the winning chances. Keeping this Rule is one of the keys to success in Poker!

Place at the Table

An important factor for player's decision is the place at the table. The player next to the dealer's left hand (the first to turn) shall be making decisions in a different way than the last player on turn.

If you sit close to the dealer and open bets, you actually signalize that you think you have a better card combination than your opponents. Opening of bets may be useful as you might discourage opponents with incomplete Straights or Flushes. There is a golden rule in Poker to be kept – if you started with the best hand, you should also finish with the best hand!

If any player checks, it means usually that he or she has got a weaker combination (if not bluffing) and will be trying to improve it. Generally the more players check, the more possible it is to open bets with weaker combinations.

It is absolutely crucial to diversify your game over and over again to keep your opponents insecure! If you keep up to the same style of play, your opponents will soon see through you just as you showed them your cards directly.

Sometimes it pays off to only check with a good hand. It may happen that you will win Ante bets only, but you will encourage your opponents to braver bets in upcoming rounds, which should compensate it more than enough.

Psychology in Poker

Poker is played by people. Each player is a different personality. While it is quite simple to manage the three poker principles with a little practise – cards, money to pot ratio and place at the table – assumption of poker psychology is much harder and the true mastership.

It may be said that knowing the opponents is far more important than knowledge of mathematical odds and calculations. The players reveal a plenty of helpful details during the game – behavior when winning, under pressure, intonation of voice, managing losses etc.

A good player should try to read his or her opponents, their style of play and mask his or her own intentions at the same time. It is proven that experienced players will finally see through you if you express yourself too much.

Therefore the best strategy seems to be the Poker Face as you can see it in the broadcasts of poker tournaments. However even strong players taunt their opponents with questions during the game trying to untune them.

Poker Bluffing

Bluffing is a standalone chapter. Bluffing denies all principles and mathematical calculations. Again, the knowledge of opponents and their intentions comes into play. However it may be very difficult.

Even if you are a sort of conservative player, sometimes it is necessary to bluff to keep you opponents insecure!

Poker Rules in Czech.

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