Rules and combinations in poker

Poker is a gambling card game with the simplest rules, which can quickly master even a beginner. There are many variations of it, and among them Texas Hold’em is especially popular. Let’s take a detailed look at how to play poker of this kind, familiarize ourselves with its basic rules and card combinations.

Rules of playing poker at the table

Poker in Georgia is considered one of the most popular table entertainment. It can be played in physical casinos or on online platforms called poker rooms.

Initially, the rules of Texas Hold’em seem complicated, but in reality this is not the case at all. Before the cards are dealt, the first two participants who sit on the right side of the dealer must make mandatory bets. These two positions at the table are called the small blind and the big blind. Then two face up cards are dealt, also called pocket cards. This is followed by four rounds of dealing. During this time, the dealer places five open cards on the table, forming a common row known as the board.

Each betting round involves bets. During them, the participants can choose one of the following actions:

• Bet — the first one who makes a bet (this is the player on the position to the left of the dealer) sets the minimum amount in this round of trading.
• Call — accept the bet made by the previous player.
• Raise — increase the bet made by the previous player.
• Check — skip a move (this action can be done only if no bids have been made in the current round of bidding).
• Fold — refuse to continue the game, losing the money bet in previous rounds.

The main task in poker is to collect a combination of cards that will exceed the value of the opponents’ combinations, using any 5 cards out of 7 available (2 closed and 5 common). Pocket cards can participate in the combination partially or completely.

Card combinations in poker

There are a total of 10 combinations in Texas Poker. Let’s consider them in order, starting with the weakest:

• «High Card» — 5 five cards of different suits and denominations.
• «Pair» — 2 cards with the same face value.
• «Two Pair» — 2 different pairs of cards of the same denomination.
• «Three of a Kind» — 3 cards of the same denomination complemented by any two cards.
• «Straight» — a sequence of 5 cards of different suits.
• «Flush» — 5 cards of any suit.
• «Full House» — 3 cards of one denomination and 2 cards of another.
• «Four of a Kind» — 4 cards of the same denomination.
• «Straight Flush» — the second most important combination of five, which includes 5 consecutive cards (starting with 2) of the same suit.
• «Royal Flush» is the highest poker combination of five consecutive cards (from 10 to A) of the same suit.

If during a game of poker different players have identical combinations in their hands, the winner is determined by the value of the highest card. For example, a pair of kings beats a pair of jacks. However, if the combinations are identical (not taking suits into account), then the prize is split between the participants.

Betting Stages

There are 4 rounds of trading in Texas Hold’em: Pre-flop, Flop, Turn and River. In each of them, the bidding continues until the player who sits on the right hand of the last participant who bet or raised. When the turn comes to that player again, the next stage begins. Or, if the previous players decide to discard their cards, the game ends.

Preflop

At this stage the players are dealt 2 starting cards. Each player then chooses whether to fold, take or raise. The first to bet is the player who sits on the left side of the big blind, after which the turn moves around the table. At the end of the pre-flop round, all bets are summed up into a total prize pool for which participants will compete in later stages.

Flop

The dealer places 3 community cards face up on the table. Each player has the right to use them to form his hand. When the flop is laid out on the table, the next round of betting begins. Here the participants can bet, raise, call, check or fold. The first turn is given to the player who sits on the left side of the dealer and has not made a fold in the first round. All money bet in this round is added to the total pot.

Turn

The dealer places 4 total open cards on the table, adding them to the flop cards already laid out. Then a new round of bidding begins. It is opened by the player sitting to the left of the dealer. In this round participants can make such decisions: bet, call, raise, check or refuse to play further by folding.

River

The dealer places the fifth and final community card face up, complementing the four previous cards on the table (flop and turn). After that, as in the previous rounds, the final round of bidding starts. It is started by the player who sits on the position to the left of the dealer. In this phase, participants have the opportunity to do the same actions as in the flop and turn rounds. All funds bet in the round are combined with the current pot, and the game moves into the final phase.According to the rules of poker, players who have leveled the stakes in the previous phases participate in the final phase. In this phase, they reveal their cards to determine the winner who will receive the winnings. The one with the strongest five-card combination in hand takes the pot.