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Poker Basics

The game that evolved from French Poque to become Poker is today best known as the version we call “Five-Card Draw.” It may also go by the name “Jacks or Better” or “Cowboy Poker.” It is played with a standard 52-card deck by anywhere from two to eight participants, most commonly four to six.

Five-Card Draw is representative of the main division of Poker games known as “Closed Poker,” in which all of a player’s cards are unknown to the opponents. The other major division is “Open Poker,” in which some of a player’s cards are dealt face up, while others are hidden, face down (aka, “hole cards”). “Stud” Poker is a well known variation of Open Poker, and the five-card version of Stud can be played by up to ten participants.

It is customary for the initial dealer at a game of Poker to be selected by dealing one card to each player. Typically the player who gets the first Jack becomes the dealer for the first hand. Another method of choosing who deals is by “cutting the cards,” with each player selecting a card blindly from the deck and the highest ranking card indicating the dealer. Thereafter, the deal rotates clockwise hand-by-hand to the other players until each has had an opportunity to be the dealer. One full cycle of deals is called a “round.”

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Video Poker – Winning Hands

Following is a list of the ten types of hands possible when playing standard Video Poker. The ranking of Video Poker hands is the same as when playing draw poker with real cards at a table. They are listed in order from the highest possible hand to the lowest.

1. Royal Flush – This is the A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. In Video Poker, this hand produces the highest payout and is used to trigger progressive jackpots when the maximum number of credits is played.

2. Straight Flush – This is five cards in sequence in any suit, such as the 9-8-7-6-5 of spades or the J-10-9-8-7 of hearts. There can be no gaps in the sequence. A straight flush is the second highest hand in standard Video Poker, although it may be topped by exotic combinations in some double and triple bonus.

3. Four of a Kind – This hand has four cards of the same rank, one in each of the four suits, such as A-A-A-A or 8-8-8-8. The fifth card can be anything and has no affect on the hand.

4. Full House – This hand contains three cards of one rank (a “set” or “trips”) and two of cards of another rank (a “pair”), such as J-J-J-7-7 or 5-5-5-3-3.

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Types of Slots

Charles Fey’s invention has endured for more than a century, and even though it has been modified in countless ways over the years, the basics are still the same. The cost of playing can be as little as a single penny. Randomly generated symbols in winning combinations yield payouts at fixed rates. And because payouts are set at lower than true odds, the house or slot owner is assured of profits over the long term.

When you play slots in a casino today, your first decision is what type of machine to play. Although there may appears to be hundreds of options, there are really just five basic types from which to choose.

Three-Reel Slot Machines – These are the oldest and still among the most popular slots found in casinos. The “reels” spin independent of one another, and when they stop, the symbols on their faces line up in the “window” of the machine. A horizontal line across the middle the window is called the “payline,” and when certain combinations of symbols align there, a predetermined “payout” is made. The reels are set in motion by pulling down a lever or “arm,” which is mounted on the right side of the machine, or by pressing a “spin” button on the slot’s face. The arm is what earned these slots their nickname as “one-armed bandits.” If you prefer simplicity and low risk, these are the slots for you.

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Banker’s Baccarat

This last-mentioned form of the game is also called baccarat en banque, or “banker’s baccarat,” which is still played in many casinos across Europe. The biggest difference between this and most other versions is that the house is always the dealer/banker, rather than auctioning off the deal and passing the shoe. The players may wager any amount up to the table limit, with the house covering all bets.

In baccarat en banque, two different sets of Player cards (ponte) are dealt face down, a pair for each half of the table. A third hand is dealt for the Bank (banco). The cards themselves typically have no numbers on them, only suited spots appear on the valued cards, while illustrations are used for the valueless court cards.

Players are allowed to bet on either one of the two Player hands. The dealer uses a paddle called the pallet to deliver the cards to the two punters who have wagered the most for the Player hands. This gives them the right to turn the cards over. If no one wagers on a hand, it is taken out of play.

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Craps – The Table and Basic Bets

In both casinos and on online, all bets are made on a playing surface that roughly resembles a billiard table. Its face is divided into betting areas, and the five most basic wagers are clearly marked: Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, and Field.

PASS LINE – This is an even-money wager and the most common place for new players to start. Bets placed here will win 1-to-1 odds immediately if a natural seven or an eleven is thrown on the first roll by the “shooter” (i.e., the person who throws the two dice). However, if the shooter throws a combination totaling two, three or twelve, which are collectively known as “craps,” all Pass Line bets lose immediately. Any other value rolled (i.e., a total of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is called “the point.” The shooter must continue rolling until the point is obtained, in which case the Pass Line bets pay out 1-to-1. However, if a value of seven is rolled before the shooter makes the point, then all of the Pass Line wagers lose and the shooter must pass the dice to the next player in turn, clockwise.

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