Rules and etiquette

It doesn’t take a World Series of Poker champion to know that poker is enjoying life in the limelight right now. Though the Travel Channel projects the image that Texas Hold’em is the only game for the table, there are a variety of games, easy enough for any eager amateur to learn and master.

Before calling five pals over and emptying your bank account to cash in, it’s best to familiarize oneself with the fundamentals. No matter what game is being played, cards are always dealt to the left of the dealer. A cut is traditionally offered to the player right of the dealer — skipping that would get you shot in the Old West. While some players prefer antes — where everyone adds to the pot before any cards are dealt — most tables will enforce blinds to ensure betting. This way, only two players have to bet before seeing their cards. Small blind, immediately to the left of dealer, puts in half the amount of the big blind, who is to the left of the small. Upon seeing their cards, all players who wish to remain in the hand match the Big Blind. The blinds rotate with the deal. In games with blinds, the minimum raise is the amount of the big blind.

 

Poker Hierarchy

In order from best to worst, the possible hands in poker are:

Royal Flush – 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit

Straight Flush – five cards of the same suit in order

Four of a kind

Full House – a pair and three of a kind combined (ex: 3-3-K-K-K)

Flush – five cards of the same suit in no order

Straight – five cards in order but not of the same suit

Three of a kind

Two pair

Pair – two cards of the same number

 

When to bluff...

Bluffing is an important part of card strategy and is used almost as commonly as straight betting. Equally as crucial to knowing how to bluff is learning when to bluff. Here’s a quick, though not foolproof, guide. Bluff when:

— There aren’t many other players in the pot. As a general rule, it’s easier to fool a few people than a lot.

— You’re playing with conservative players. Conservative players generally only play when they have good hand, so if they stay in after a raise or two, it’s a good indication of a strong hand.

— You’re the last player to act on the river, especially if possible straights or flushes did not pan out on the table. Most players follow the primary rule of cards, fold the cards as soon as they can’t win, and will be likely to fold if a bet is placed.

— Other players are afraid of you. This one is dependent on other players’ perceptions of you as a player and a better, so pay attention to how they react to you when you win big pots.

 

Euchre

Cards is not all poker, as any Michigan native will attest to. Euchre (pronounced YOO-ker) is a fun game for four players, especially the non-gambling variety. Half the deck is needed, consisting of only cards nine through Ace, plus the fives to be used as score cards. Players sit in a square, facing their partner. Each player is dealt five cards, but the deal must be completed in two rounds; common dealing is 2-3-2-3, 3-2-3-2. After the cards have been dealt, the kitty, or remaining cards, is placed face down and the top card is flipped up. Players then go around, either passing to the next player or telling the dealer to pick it up. If it is picked up, the dealer replaces a card in his hand with the up card, the suit of which is now trump. Here’s where euchre gets tricky. In the suit of trump (example: clubs), the highest card is the Jack of that suit, called the right bauer. The second highest is the Jack of same color (example: spades), called the left bauer. Then the order is A-K-Q-10-9. In the non-trump suits, card order is the traditional A-K-Q-J-10-9.

If all players pass, the dealer can either pick it up to order trump, or pass. At this point, players have the option of calling any suit trump. A specialty rule usually enforced is called screw the dealer; if no players call trump, the dealer must do so on his second turn.