Playing poker general info

General laws of poker

The following laws apply to all forms of Poker. They should be read and used with the specific laws of whatever form of Poker is being played (such as the Draw Poker laws, Stud Poker laws, etc., which are to be found on following pages).

Players

Two to fourteen. In Draw Poker, five to seven make the best game; no more than eight should play. In Stud Poker, any number from two to nine is ideal, but as many as fourteen can play.

The pack

The standard pack of 52 cards, or the 53-card pack which includes one joker, is proper for every Poker game. Fewer than five players may use a 40-card stripped deck, made by removing the twos, threes and fours from the 52-card pack; or a 32-card stripped deck, made by removing all ranks from the sixes down.

Rank of cards

A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A (low only in the sequence 5-4-3-2-A, or in certain forms of Low Poker). In a stripped deck, the ace ranks below the lowest remaining card; for example, when using a 40-card pack 8-7-6-5-A is a straight. The sequence of rank is never continuous as in Q-K-A-2-3 except when specific house rules permit such a "round the-corner straight" to be counted.

Wild cards

A wild card may be designated by its holder to represent any card in the pack he does not actually hold. (The rules of some games permit a wild card to be designated as a duplicate of another card in the hand, so that, for example, a wild card, A, and three other hearts could be called a "double-ace-high heart flush.") In all cases, a wild card may be designated as a card of a fifth suit for making "five of a kind." The most usual wild cards are:

• The joker.
• The bug. This is the joker, but its wildness is limited: It counts as an ace; or as a card of any suit for purposes of making a flush; or as a card of any rank and suit for purposes of making a straight or straight flush.
• Deuces. "Deuces wild" is a very popular form of Draw Poker. Every deuce is wild. Sometimes the joker is included as a fifth wild card.
• One-eyes. The king of diamonds and the jacks of spades and hearts show only one eye, the other face cards all two eyes. These three one-eyed cards are often designated as wild cards.

Ranks of suits

The suits have no relative rank in Poker. For example, a flush in hearts and a flush in clubs tie if their cards are identical.

Seats at the table

Players take seats as they please, giving the banker the first selection. If a player should demand it, the order is determined as follows: The first dealer deals a card face-up to each of the other players except the banker. Each player then takes his place according to the rank of the card received. The player who received the lowest card sits at the banker's left, and so on around the table. In case of ties, the card dealt first outranks the other.

Change of seats

Before any deal, any player may demand that the cards be thrown around for a change of seats, provided at least an hour has elapsed since the last resenting. The process is similar to that used for determining the initial arrangement of seats. Two players may exchange seats before any deal, provided no other player objects.

First dealer

Any player shuffles the pack and deals the cards, face up, one at a time to each player in turn, and the person to whom the first jack falls becomes the dealer for the first deal. After this, the deal passes around to the left in clockwise rotation, each player dealing in turn. A player may not voluntarily forego his turn to deal.

The shuffle

Any player has the right to shuffle the cards, the dealer last. The dealer should shuffle at least once.

The cut

After the shuffle, the dealer must present the pack to the player on his right to be cut. This player may cut the cards, or he may refuse to do so. If he refuses the cut, no other player may insist upon the cut. (Many players now insist that the proper player cut the pack, as is required hi other card games. Others permit the player at dealer's right to refuse the cut, but in that event any other player may cut.) At least five cards must be left in each packet when the cards are cut. If there is any confusion in the cut or if a card is exposed in the process, the pack must be reshuffled and cut again. After the cut, the parts of the pack must be reunited and dealt as a whole. No player has the right to demand that the cards be shuffled or cut after the deal has been started unless a redeal is required, or unless at any later time the pack and discards become so mixed that the dealer cannot separate them to the satisfaction of every player in the pot.

The deal

The cards are dealt one at a time to each player in clockwise rotation, commencing with the player on the dealer's left. In other respects the dealing procedure varies with the form of Poker being played. The rules governing a redeal and a misdeal will be found under Irregularities, and special rules for Draw Poker and for Stud Poker are given where those games are described.

Object of the game

To win the pot by having the highest-ranking Poker hand at the showdown, or by making a bet that no other player calls.

The pot

All the chips bet on the outcome of a deal go into the centre of the table and form a pool called the pot. The pot is composed of (a) an ante, or opening contribution of one or more players, as required by the rules of the game, and (b) voluntary bets of the players, each bet representing a player's assertion that he holds the winning hand.

Rank of hands

Poker hands rank, from highest to lowest:

1. Five of a kind. Possible only when there are one or more wild cards. As between two hands each containing five of a kind, the higher-ranking cards win: Five sixes beat five threes, etc.
2. Straight flush. Five cards of the same suit in sequence. The highest straight flush is A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit, called a royal flush. The lowest straight flush is 5-4-3-2-A of the same suit. As between two straight flushes, the one containing the highest card wins. When any card of the pack is designated as wild a straight flush loses to five of a kind, which is the highest possible hand.
3. Four of a kind. Four cards of the same rank. This hand loses to a straight flush or five of a kind but beats any other hand. As between two hands each containing four of a kind, the four higher-ranking cards win. When there are several wild cards, it is possible for two players to hold four of a kind of the same rank. In this case, the winning hand is the one with the higher-ranking fifth card.
4. Full house. Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. As between two full houses, the one with the higher- ranking three-of-a-kind holding is the winner. When there are several wild cards, two players may have full houses in which the three-of-a-kind holdings are of the same rank. In such cases, the higher of the two pairs determines the winning hand.
5. Flush. Five cards of the same suit. As between two flushes, the one containing the highest card wins. If the highest cards are of the same rank, the higher of the two next-highest cards determines the winning hand, and so on; so that S A K 4 3 2 beats H A Q J 10 8, and S J 9 8 6 4 beats H J 9 8 6 3.
6. Straight. Five cards in two or more suits, ranking consecutively: as 8-7-6-5-4. The ace is high in the straight A-K-Q-J-10 and low in the straight 5-4-3-2-A. As between two straights, the one containing the highest card wins, so that 6-5-4-3-2 beats 5-4-3-2-A.
7. Three of a kind. Three cards of the same rank. As between two hands each containing three of a kind, the one with the higher-ranking three of a kind wins. When there are several wild cards, there may be two hands containing identical threes of a kind. In such cases, the highest-ranking unmatched card determines the winner. If these cards are of the same rank, the higher-ranking of the fifth cards determines the winner.
8. Two pair. Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, with an unmatched fifth card. As between two hands each containing two pair, the one with the highest pair wins. If the higher pairs are of the same rank, the one with the higher-ranking second pair wins. If these too are of the same rank, the hand containing the higher of the unmatched cards is the winner.
9. One pair. Two cards of the same rank, with three unmatched cards. As between two hands containing pairs of the same rank, the highest unmatched card determines the winner; if these are the same, the higher of the second-highest un- matched cards, and if these are the same, the higher of the third unmatched cards. For example, 8-8-9-5-3 beats 8-8-9-5-2.
10. No pair. This loses to any hand having a pair or any other higher-ranking combination. As between two such hands, the one containing the highest card wins; if these two cards are tied, the next-highest card decides, and so on, so that A-8-7-4-3 loses to A-9-7-4-3 but wins from A-8-7-4-2.

Ties

If the two highest hands are in all respects the same, except for suits, they divide the pot. Wild cards rank in all respects as equivalent to the "natural" cards they represent, so that if one player holds the flush D Q 8 7 3 and joker, and calls the joker the D A; and another player holds H A Q 8 7 3; they tie and (if there is no higher hand) they divide the pot equally. (Many lay that naturals beat wild cards in hands that are otherwise identical; in any event, an odd chip in the pot when it is divided should go to the hand containing fewer wild cards.)

Local hands

In some localities, certain Poker combinations are recognized that are not included in the official rules. These hands are played only by common agreement of all players. Among the better known are Big Dog, Little Dog, Big Tiger, Little Tiger, Blaze, Dutch Straight or Skip, Skeet, and Kilter.

Rotation

The turn to bet begins with the assigned first bettor, according to the rules of the game, and passes from player to player to the left, skipping over players who have dropped.

Betting

Each player in turn, in each betting interval, must either bet his hand is the best or must drop ; however, in most forms of Poker a player is permitted to check, which is a bet of nothing, provided always that no bet of one or more chips has been made by another player in that betting interval. (In theory, a player who checks is making a bet so small that it is not worth while putting that amount in the pot.) In every case, to stay in the pot a player must put in enough chips to make the total he has bet at least equal to any other player's.

Therefore a player has these options when his turn comes:

1. He may drop, discard his hand, and forego any further interest in that pot. Once a player has discarded his hand, or in turn has announced that he drops, he may not change his mind and remain in the pot.
2. He may check, or may bet any number of chips up to the limit, if no other player has bet during that betting interval.
3. He may call the bet of any player before him, by putting into the pot exactly enough chips to equalize that player's bet. (For example, A bets 2; B bets 4, representing a 2-chip raise; A may call by putting in 2 more chips, for then his total contribution will be 4 chips, the same as B's.)
4. He may raise by putting in more chips than he needs to call, up to the limit. The excess over the number of chips needed to call constitutes the amount of his raise.

Betting interval

A betting interval begins when the assigned first bettor checks or bets; it ends when all bets have been equalized (including a case in which all players have checked) or when all players but one have dropped.

A player may not raise his own bet, or reraise his own raise, if no other player has raised after him; for in such case the bets must have been equalized and the betting interval is ended. For example: A is the first bettor and bets 2; B, C and D each call, putting in 2 each; all other players drop. A may not increase his 2-chip bet. But: A bets 2; B raises, making it 4o C and D call for 4 each; the others drop. A may raise again, putting in 2 chips to call B's raise plus as many more chips as the limit allows. Suppose A raises 2 more chips, putting in 4 altogether; B calls, C and D now drop. A may not raise again, for the bets have been equalized and the betting interval is over.

At the end of the betting interval: If all players but one have dropped, the surviving player takes the pot; if two or more players remain, the dealing is resumed in accordance with the rules of the game; or, if it was the final betting interval, there is a showdown.

The showdown

Whenever two or more players remain after the final betting interval, each must show his full hand face up on the table. The player with the highest-ranking Poker hand then takes the pot. It is not necessary for a player to announce what hand he has; and if he does so announce, and makes the wrong announcement, it does not affect the result of the pot: "The cards speak for themselves." But if a player discards his hand after another player's announcement, he may not later claim the pot even if the announcement is proved to have been incorrect, for a hand once discarded may not be reclaimed and a player without a legal hand cannot win a pot.

In the showdown a player who concedes victory to another player may not discard his hand without showing it The right to see every hand at the showdown belongs to all players at the table, including those who have previously dropped. But if a player makes a bet that no one else calls, he takes the pot without showing his hand; and a player who drops at any previous time need not show his hand.

Irregularities in poker

The following rules govern irregularities that are common to all forms of Poker. Special rules governing irregularities that occur only in Draw Poker, Stud Poker, etc., are covered under the respective rules of those forms of the game.

Misdeal, redeal

A distinction is drawn between a misdeal, which is deemed to be the dealer's fault; and a redeal, in which the error necessitating another deal is not necessarily chargeable to the dealer.

A misdeal loses the deal (the deal being an advantage in Poker) ; the next dealer in turn deals. Any ante made by the dealer or antes made by all players, if all ante equally, remain in the pot; in Blind Opening, however, the age and straddle withdraw their antes. A misdeal may be called only by a player who has not intentionally seen any face-down card dealt to him, and only if :

1. The pack was not shuffled, or was not offered for cutting, provided the dealer has not begun dealing the second round of cards;
2. The dealer gives two face-up cards to the same player in Draw Poker (or any other form of closed Poker), provided the misdeal is immediately called by the player in question;
3. The dealer gives too many cards to more than one player. However, the dealer may withdraw surplus cards dealt if he can satisfy the players that he has restored the pack to the proper order of cards, as it would have been had there been no irregularity.

A redeal requires a new shuffle and cut and a new deal by the same dealer. It too may be called only by a player who has not intentionally seen a face-down card dealt to him, and (with one exception) only before the dealing of the second round of cards begins: if-

1. A card was exposed in cutting, or the cut left fewer than five cards in either packet;
2. Two or more cards are faced in the pack;
3. The pack is imperfect; but if the pack is incorrect, the deal is void if it is discovered at any time before the pot has been taken in;
4. A player is dealing out of turn (in this case, the deal reverts to the proper dealer and, in Blind Opening, the age and straddle withdraw their chips from the pot).

If no misdeal or redeal is called within the time limits above, the deal stands as a regular deal in turn.

Irregularities in betting

1. Betting out of turn. Any player who bets out of turn, whether it is to bet, raise, check or call, must leave in the pot any chips already contributed. Play is resumed at the proper place and the player in error may make the same bet and meet any raise, or else contribute the amount that he put in, and drop; and he may not raise, except to the extent of the chips he has already put in.
2. Passing out of turn. A player who passes out of turn is out of the play for that hand. A penalty may be fixed for this offence.
3. Improper betting. Chips once placed in the pot, even by mistake, may not be taken out again. There are minor exceptions to this rule: When a player is dealt out (receives no hand, in which case he may retract his ante) ; when someone else has opened a pot without openers; and occasionally in case of a misdeal.
4. Looking at discards. No one may look at another player's discards (including the hand of a player who drops or of a player who wins the pot without a showdown). A penalty should be fixed for this offence.
5. Improper placing of chips. Chips should be deposited in a total amount and no later additions or deductions may be made unless the amount was insufficient for a call or raise clearly announced in turn, in which case the player may add enough chips to conform to his announcement Once a bet is both announced and made in proper turn, it may not be changed.
   Other rules governing the play:
6. Refusing to show. If a player who is in the call refuses to show his hand or a part of his hand, he should be subject to a penalty.
7. Foul hand. Any hand with more or less than the correct number of cards, or the hand of a player who opened without openers, is foul whenever discovered, and cannot win a pot. If a player has a foul hand at the showdown and there is another player with a fair hand with which to contend it, the player with the fair hand gets the pot, regardless of the value of his hand. If there are two such players, the one with the higher hand gets the pot. If there are no players with legal hands at the showdown, the pot remains on the table and is added to the next pot.
8. Incorrect pack. When an incorrect pack is discovered, play should be abandoned immediately and all bets in that pot returned to the players. This rule does not apply to previous deals, played before the incorrect pack was discovered. An incorrect pack contains the wrong number of cards or a duplication of cards.
9. Cards exposed by players. There is no penalty when a player exposes his own hand, nor any redress. The player may continue in the play.
10. Dealing the last card. Under no circumstances may the last card be dealt to a player. If, because of the large number of players or the type of game played, the dealer finds that all cards but one have been dealt, this card must be placed among the discards. The discards are then shuffled and cut for further dealing. (In Jackpots, the opener's discards are omitted if they have been put in the pot; in any form of Draw Poker, the discards of a player who has been only partially served in the draw are omitted.)

Optional poker paws

The following optional laws are not traditional in Poker, but they accord with the spirit of the game and are recommended for adoption.

1. The cut by the player at the dealer's right is obligatory.
2. If too many or too few hands are dealt, the dealer may shift the cards to restore the pack and hands to what they would have been had no irregularity occurred, if this can be done to the satisfaction of the players. If it cannot, the dealer must give his own hand to the player nearest his left who was dealt out; the dealer must place any surplus hand among the discards.
3. The dealer (in the absence of any impartial referee) is the arbiter of all disputes in which he is not concerned, but he may be overruled by a majority of two or more inactive players, or by a majority of all players if more than one has dropped.
4. A player who holds fewer than five cards may play on, but cannot make a straight, flush, or straight flush.
5. The dealer may correct a four-card hand by dealing it a card from the top of the pack, and a six-card hand by drawing one card from it and discarding it face down.
6. In Draw Poker, an active player may ask for and receive correct information as to the number of cards each player drew, at any time before a bet is made in the final betting interval.

Penalties for irregularities

Penalties paid in chips are unpopular with many players, and the adoption of these penalties is optional; but they are the best method of assuring orderly procedure in a serious game.

• The kitty. By unanimous agreement players may establish a common pool known as a "kitty." One white chip may be "cut" from each pot and put in the kitty, and penalties for infringement of laws may be paid to the kitty. When the number of chips in the kitty reaches some agreed maximum, pots are no longer cut and subsequent penalties are paid into the pot. The kitty belongs equally to all players.
• Pass out of turn. 2 chips prior to last betting interval, 5 chips on last betting interval.
• Examining another player's discard. 3 chips. This includes examining the hand of the winner of a pot when he has not been called and has thrown in his hand without showing it.
• Failure to show hand after calling the final bet. 10 chips. Every hand in the showdown must be shown, whether it wins or loses.
• Causing dealer to expose a card (by touching the card while it is being dealt). 2 chips.
• Mixing pack and discards. 5 chips, if the offence necessitates reshuffling before the deal can continue.
• Failure by dealer to announce number of cards drawn. 2 chips.
• Prematurely exposing one's own cards. No penalty for first or accidental offence; 2 chips each for repeated or intentional offences.
• Failure to turn down cards, when dropping. 2 chips.
• Dealer's failure to give player a hole card. If a player receives all five cards face up, in Stud Poker, through the dealer's neglect to deal him a card down on demand, that player may withdraw his chips from the pot and drop out, and the dealer must supply that number of chips, up to a limit of 20 chips.