Draw Poker and Stud Poker Taken from http://www.usplayingcard.com/gamerules/poker.html The main forms of Poker are Draw Poker and Stud Poker. In Draw Poker, all the cards are dealt face down to the players. In Stud Poker, some of the cards are dealt face up as the betting progresses, so that all of the other players get to see a part of each player's hands. Unless the host, or the rule of a club, has already established the game, the players should first decide what form of Poker they will play. Two factors should influence their decision: the number of players, and whether the group has only experienced players or has some inexperienced players. The following selections are recommended: Two, three, or four players. Stud Poker in any form. Usually, with so few players, only the very experienced play Draw Poker and they will often use a stripped deck, which is a pack with cards removed, such as all the deuces (twos) and treys (threes). Five to eight players. Any form of Poker, either Draw or Stud. Nine or ten players. Five-card Stud Poker. More than 10 players. One of the games in which fewer than five cards are dealt, such as Three-Card Monte or Spit-in-the-Ocean. All of the Poker variations are described later in this chapter. Another alternative with so many players is to simply form two tables and organize two separate games. Dealer's Choice. When the Poker session is Dealer's Choice, each dealer has the privilege of naming the form of Poker to be played and to designate the ante, wild cards (if any), and the maximum limit of chips that can be wagered during each round. However, the dealer may not require one player to ante more than another. If a game such as Jackpots is selected and no one opens the betting, the same dealer deals again and everyone antes again. Wild Cards. While most Poker purists choose to play with no wild cards, in many games, especially Dealer's Choice, various cards may be designated as wild. A wild card is specified by the holder to be a card of any rank or suit, such as a fifth queen, or the card needed to combine with the other four in a player's hand to form a straight or a flush. Wild cards in a Poker game add variety, and of course, they greatly increase the chances of getting a rare combination such as a full house or a straight flush. The usual choices for wild cards are as follows: The joker. Note that most packs of cards include two jokers for use in such games as Canasta. Poker players are increasingly adding one or both jokers as wild cards. The bug. This is the joker, but its wildness is limited: It counts as an ace; or as a card of any suit for making a flush; or as a card of any rank and suit for making a straight or straight flush. Deuces. "Deuces Wild" is a popular form of Draw Poker. Every two is wild. Sometimes the joker is included as a fifth wild card. Note that the number of wild cards in a hand does not diminish it in anyway; thus, with deuces wild, five of a kind comprised of 10, 10, 2, 2, 2 (five 10s) beats 8, 8, 8, 8, 2 (five 8s). One-eyed cards. The king of diamonds and the jacks of spades and hearts show only one eye, whereas the other face cards all have two eyes. One-eyed jacks are sometimes designated as wild cards, but the king of diamonds is rarely selected to be wild. Low hole card. In Stud Poker, each player's lowest "hole" card (that is, the lowest card that is dealt face down and not seen by the other players) is wild. In Draw Poker, the wild card would be the lowest card in a player's hand. When such a card is designated, it means that every card of that rank in that player's hand is wild, but the fact that a certain card is wild in one player's hand does not make that same rank of card wild in other players' hands. Laws and Ethics. In every game, a written code of Poker laws should be used as the final arbiter for settling all questions. No Poker laws are universally followed - there are many local customs and preferennces - but the Poker laws in this book embrace the latest customs of the most expert games and are recommended for adoption. (see "The Laws of Poker," p. 79). It is a tradition of Poker that any club or group of players may make special rules, called "house rules," to suit their personal preferences. Of course, any such house rules should be written down. Time Limit. Before play begins, the players should set a time limit for when the game ends and stick to it. Violation of this principle could eventually turn pleasant sessions into unpleasant ones. Often when the time for quitting is approaching, the host or one of the players will say "three more deals" or "through Zane's deal," so that players will know how many deals are left and can gauge their strategies accordingly. Draw Poker Principal Forms. There are several methods of playing Draw Poker, and they differ mostly in the rules governing betting. The essential features of the game, common to all varieties, are as follows: Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time in rotation, beginning on the dealer's left. After the deal, there is a betting interval. The player on the dealer's left has the first right or obligation to bet. When the first betting interval has ended, each active player in turn, beginning with the player on the dealer's left, may discard one or more cards, and the dealer then gives him, from the top of the undealt portion of the pack, face down, as many cards as he discarded. This is the draw. A player may, if desired, "stand pat" (draw no cards). Unless otherwise stated, the maximum number of cards a player may draw is three or, if the player shows an ace to all the other players, he may draw four. (In some games, especially in casinos, a player may draw four cards without exposing an ace, or may draw five cards - a fresh hand.) Note that, unlike some other card games, the player must always discard before taking any new cards for his draw. After the draw, there is another betting interval, followed by a showdown. HENRY CLAY AT THE POKER TABLE The great U. S. Senator Henry Clay, who lost the presidency three times, was, nevertheless, a frequent winner at Pochen, the European forerunner of Poker. John Quincy Adams, who was to become the sixth U.S. President a decade later, reported in his lifelong diary that when he and Clay were diplomats in Ghent, Belgium, negotiating the end of the War of 1812, it was not uncommon for Clay to trudge up the stairs to their quarters at 4 a.m. after an all-night card game just as Adams was waking up to write in his journal and start his day. All games of Draw Poker fall into one of two classes, depending on the betting rules: Pass and Out. Also called Pass Out or Bet or Drop. In this method, whenever it is a player's turn, and if there has been no bet before him, he must bet the minimum allowed or drop out. In most games, this rule applies only before the draw. After the draw, a player may check. In some games, however, each player must bet or drop out before and after the draw. This procedure is followed in casinos where the House runs the game. Pass and Back In. At his first turn, a player may pass (check) rather than bet, provided no previous player has made a bet. The first player to make a bet is said to open. Once the pot is opened, each player in turn has another chance to stay in or drop out. After the draw, a player may check. This procedure is common in home games and other social games, and is the one used in the versions of Poker explained later in this chapter. The Ante. The players must decide in advance which of two methods they will adopt for the ante: Either each player antes one chip before the deal or the dealer antes one chip for all the players in the game before dealing. Thus, if there are six players in all, the dealer's ante is six chips. Special Hands. To create more playable hands and enliven the game, many players give special value to one or more hands that are not among the traditional Poker hands: Skip straight (also called Dutch straight or Kilter). Five cards in an alternate sequence, such as Q, 10, 8, 6, 4, or K, J, 9, 7, 5. This hand beats three of a kind but loses to a straight. Round-the-corner straight. A sequence such as 3, 2, A, K, Q. Note that the hand 5, 4, 3, 2, A beats 4, 3, 2, 1, A, K, which beats 3, 2, A, K, Q, and so on. When both skip straights and round-the-corner straights are played, the skip straight ranks higher. Bobtail or Fourflush. A four-card flush or a four-card straight in sequence with "both ends open." An example of the latter is 8, 7, 6, 5, with the fifth card not in sequence; A,K, Q, J is not a bobtail, because only a single card, the 10, will fill it; 9, 8, 6, 5 is not, because only a 7 will fill it, this being called an "inside straight." The bobtail beats a pair but loses to two pair. "I WASN'T BLUFFING -JUST DREAMING" A famous story recounts a high-stakes no-limit, game in which a young man picked up the A, K, Q, J and 10. The betting was fierce, and when the young man ran out of money, he asked to adjourn the game momentarily while he went to locate his father to get more. His hand, and that of the one opponent remaining, were sealed in separate envelopes; a short time later, the lad was back with his father who was told that the envelope contained a Royal Flush. The father brought enough cash to call the last bet and make a very big raise. The opponent, who held four 9s, realized that this could not be a bluff, and he threw in his cards. The son raked in all the chips and the envelopes were unsealed. The young mans hand was the A, K, Q, J and 10; he had misread his hand! Standard Draw Poker This game is played as described beginning on (p. 65), and the player who makes the first bet does not need any minimum hand in order to bet. In other words, he can open the betting without even a pair. Once the betting round is complete and players have drawn their cards, the second betting round begins and the first hand again has the opportunity to bet. Some players vary this game slightly by playing a "blind opening", whereby the first hand must open the pot and (usually) the next player must raise. This game is played "pass and out" (described above) before the draw, but usually "pass and back in" after the draw. This is the form of Poker played in private clubs when Draw Poker is selected instead of Stud. A variant of the blind opening is English or Australian Poker, in which a player who raises can double the preceding bet. (Raising in this game is often called "doubling".) Jackpots Once all players have placed their antes and the deal is completed, each player in turn has the right to "open" (make the first bet) but may not do so unless he has a pair of jacks or better. If no one opens (that is, every player passes), everyone antes again, and the same dealer deals again. (In some games, the deal passes to the left, even when no one opens.) If any player opens, the first betting interval has begun. Each other player in turn after him (including players who passed on the first round) must drop, call, or raise, until this betting interval ends. The game then continues as in standard Draw Poker. In Jackpots, the player who opens must "show openers" before he can discard his hand. He need show only as many cards as will prove to the other players that he had the requirements. Of course, if this player is in the showdown, he must show his entire hand. Progressive Jackpots This is the same as Jackpots, except that if no one can open with jacks or better on the first deal, on the next deal queens or better are required to open. If two deals in a row are passed out and no one can open, kings or better are required, then aces or better. In some games, players will progress all the way up to two pair or better. Alternatively, they can return to jacks or better after aces or better. Jacks or Bobtail to Open Many players use a rule that the first player may open either on a pair of jacks or better, or on any bobtail. Deuces Wild This is a regular game of Jackpots, but with all four deuces wild. Naturally, Deuces Wild can be played in virtually any Poker version, but it is most common in the game of Jackpots. Double Draw This version features a second draw after the second betting round, and then there is a third (final) betting round. Obviously, because of the extra betting round, the pots will be bigger, and with two draws, the final hands of the players will invariably be better. Straight Poker This may be the original form of Poker. Each player is dealt five cards face down. The players bet, and then there is a showdown. There is no draw in this version. Cold Hands In this version of Straight Poker, each player puts up an agreed ante. Five cards are then dealt to each player one at a time, face up, and the highest hand takes the pot. There is no draw and there are no rounds of betting. The Wild Widow Five cards are dealt face down to each player. Before the last round of cards is dealt, a card is turned up in the center of the table; the other three cards of that rank are wild. There is a betting interval, then the draw, and then the final betting interval. Spit in the Ocean Only four cards are dealt to each player. The next card in the pack is turned face up in the center of the table and it is considered to be the fifth card in each player's hand. This card is wild, and the other cards of the same rank are also wild throughout the game. After a betting interval, there is a draw as in standard Draw Poker, except that each player draws to a four-card hand. A player may draw up to four cards. After a final betting interval, there is a showdown. Cincinnati Five cards are dealt to each player plus another hand of five cards face down on the table. These cards are turned up one at a time, and there is a round of betting each time a card is exposed. Each player selects a hand of five cards from among the cards in his own hand and the five on the table. Cincinnati Liz This game is the same as Cincinnati, but the middle card of the five table cards is wild, or the lowest card on the table is wild. The players must agree in advance which form of the game they are going to play. Round the World This version is the same as Cincinnati, except that each player is dealt four cards and there are four cards in the center of the table, face down. Each player selects a hand of five cards from among the four cards in his own hand and the four on the table. Shotgun Three cards are dealt to each player face down and there is a round of betting. Other rounds of betting follow the dealing of the fourth and fifth cards. Players still in the game draw to improve their hands, and there is a final round of betting. Three-Card Monte One card is dealt to each player face down and two cards face up.A round of betting follows the dealing of each card. The usual Poker rankings prevail,except that two pairs, a full house, or four of a kind are not possible. Straights and flushes do count, but they are comprised of three cards only. Two-Card Poker In this game only two cards are dealt to each player, and the highest possible hand consists of two aces. There are no straights or flushes in this version. The game is usually played as in Straight Poker, with no draw. Indian Poker This is one-card poker, with an interesting twist. A single card is dealt face down to each player. On a signal from the dealer, each player simultaneously lifts his card, placing it on his forehead so that all of the other players can see it, but the player cannot see his own. There is a single round of betting and then a showdown, which at times, can be quite hilarious. In some games the suits have rank - spades (high), hearts, diamonds, clubs - so that the ace of spades would be the highest card, the ace of hearts the next highest, and so on. Lowball This is one of the most popular versions of Draw Poker, especially in the western United States. It is ideal for players who constantly complain about being dealt poor hands because in Lowball, the lowest hand wins the pot! The ace is always low, so that two aces are the lowest pair. Straights and flushes do not count, so the lowest possible hand is 5, 4, 3, 2, A, regardless of suits. This hand is called a "wheel" or a "bicycle" - named after Bicycle brand playing cards. In some games, 6, 4, 3, 2, A is the lowest hand possible, though the game really should be played with the "wheel" as the lowest. There are no minimum requirements for opening the pot, and after the draw, a player may check. The betting for this round always begins with the active player nearest the dealer's left. A satisfactory Lowball hand is 9-high (such as 9, 7, 5, 4, A), and a good low hand is 8-high. It is rare for a good player to have to draw two or three cards; most of the time, the winner will have stayed pat or drawn just one card. Lowball can also be played as a version of Stud Poker. THE DEAD MAN'S HAND From New Orleans and the Mississippi riverboats, Poker spread to the West, and cowboys thoroughly embraced the game. Among the colorful enthusiasts the game attracted was Wild Bill Hickok, whose last residence was in Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. Hickok came to Deadwood to prospect for gold, and he spent his leisure hours playing Poker at a saloon. Wild Bill had killed 36 people; gunslingers considered him a challenge, and several made threats on his life. On August 2, 1876, Hickok and three other men were playing Draw Poker at Carl Manns saloon. Author Frank Jennings Wilbach reports that "for the first time known, Wild Bill was sitting with his back to a door...Jack McCall, the assassin,...sauntered around to a point a few yards behind Wild Bill. He then swiftly drew a .45-calibre Colt and fired." Wild Bill Hickok died holding two pairs: aces over eights. This holding has come to be known as the Dead Man's Hand Stud Poker In Stud Poker, each player is dealt one or more hole cards, face down. The remainder of his cards are dealt face up. The two most popular standard Stud Poker games are Five-Card Stud and Seven-Card Stud. After each player is dealt at least one card face up (upcard), and after each subsequent deal, there is a betting interval before dealing is resumed. Stud Poker has cut into the popularity of Draw Poker because there are more betting rounds (and thus, bigger pots), and there is a fascination about seeing some of the opponents' cards and trying to fathom what the hole card or cards may be. Five-Card Stud Two to ten people may play, though the game is best for five to eight players. There is no ante in some Five-Card Stud games, but the players agree in advance on the minimum that must be bet. The dealer gives each player one card face down, and then each one card face up. The player with the highest upcard makes the first bet of at least the agreed-on minimum. In any later betting interval, the first bettor and players after him may check, unless and until a bet is made. The first bettor in each betting interval is the player with the highest card or the highest Poker combination showing. If two or more players are tied for highest, the one nearest the dealer's left is the first bettor. Following the first betting interval, the dealer gives another card face up to each active player in rotation; there is another betting interval, another round of face-up cards to the remaining active players, another betting interval, and then a final round of face-up cards and a final betting interval. Thus, each active player who is still in the game at the last round will have one card face down and four cards face up. If two or more players remain after the final betting interval, there is a showdown in which each player turns up his hole card. If a bet or raise goes uncalled in any betting interval by all the other remaining players, the pot is taken by the bettor. A player who drops must immediately turn all of his cards face down. It is the dealer's duty, after each round of cards is dealt, to designate the first bettor (as by saying, "First king bets," or "Pair of sixes bets"). Also, after the third and fourth face-up cards are dealt, the dealer should indicate holdings that may become straights or flushes, as by saying "Possible straight" or "Possible flush." A possible straight or flush in no way determines the first bettor, however, except that in some games players agree that a fourflush will beat a pair in the showdown, and in these games a fourflush showing in the final betting interval bets first against a pair showing. In a very large game, if there are not enough cards left in the pack for a final round of dealing, the dealer may flash a card from the top of the pack (turn it face up on the table), and this card serves as the common fifth card for all the hands. Last Card Down This is regular Five-Card Stud, except that the fifth card dealt is face down instead of face up. Last Card Optionally Down This game is similar to standard Five-Card Stud Poker, except that the player may turn up his hole card before the last round is dealt and ask for the fifth card to be dealt face down. Mexican Stud In this version of Five-Card Stud the first two cards are dealt to each player face down. Players look at their cards and select one to be placed face up. The concealed card is then wild for each player. After a round of betting, another card is dealt around face down. Each player then decides which of the two concealed cards to turn face up, and which to keep in his hand for a wild card. Another round of betting follows. The process continues until each player has four cards exposed and one wild card concealed. This card is wild only for the player who holds it; also wild for that player are all other cards of the same rank as the concealed card. After the final round of betting, all players still in the game show their concealed cards and announce the value of their hands. Seven-Card Stud The game of Seven-Card Stud is extremely popular, especially where the version of High-Low Poker is played (see p. 74). In High-Low games, the highest hand and the lowest hand split the pot. Two to eight people may play, though the game is best for at least five players. In the initial deal, each player receives two cards face down and then one card face up, all dealt one at a time in rotation. There is then a betting interval. Each active player receives three more face-up cards and one more face-down card, in that order, with a betting interval after each round of cards that is dealt. In the showdown, each player turns up all his hole cards and selects five of the seven cards as his hand. The player must separate these five cards from the other two, which he discards. The cards then speak for themselves, as in any other form of Poker, and the player may not reclaim his two discards upon finding that a better five-card combination could have been made. In other respects the procedure is the same as in Five-card Stud. Seven-Card Flip Four face-down cards are dealt to each player. After examining them. the player turns up any two of the four. There is a betting interval, then play proceeds as in regular Seven-Card Stud. Three more cards are dealt, two up and one down, and there is a betting interval following each. In another version, each player first receives two cards, one up and one down, followed by a betting interval; then another two cards, one up and one down, and another betting interval; then two cards a third time and a betting interval; then a seventh card face down. Each player then discards one face-down card and one face-up card, leaving a hand of three concealed cards and two exposed cards. The final betting interval and showdown follow. Baseball In this version, all nines and threes are wild, but when a three is dealt face up, the player who gets it must either match the pot (put into the pot as many chips as are already in it) or drop. If a four is dealt face up, it entitles the recipient to an additional hole card, which the dealer immediately provides, face down from the top of the pack. Football The same as Baseball, except that sixes and fours are wild. A four requires a player to match the pot or drop, and a deuce entitles a player to an extra hole card. Heinz Fives and sevens are wild, but a player dealt one of these cards face up must match the pot or drop. Woolworth Fives and tens are wild. A player dealt a five face up must pay five chips to the pot or drop, and a player dealt a ten face up must pay 10 chips to the pot or drop. Six-Card Stud The first five cards are dealt as in regular Five-Card Stud, but after the fourth betting interval, each player receives a second hole card. Then there is a final betting interval, and each player selects five of the six cards as his final hand. Eight-Card Stud The game is identical to Seven-Card Stud, except that each player receives an eighth card, dealt either up or down, as the dealer may decide in advance. Coming up Next! High-Low, Omaha, Hold-Em and Bullshit PokerPartyProducts.com Top100pokerwebsites.com Top10pokerwebsites.com Top10pokerproducts.com Top100pokersites.com Top100pokerproducts.com

Source: Poker Rules - For Beginners!