The Straight Flush

This card hand is made of five cards, all of the same suit, in strict numerical order without any “gaps” between them. Of course, in some rare cases, multiple players may get a straight flush. In that case, the straight flush with the highest numerical value wins. The very highest straight flush is known as the royal flush, and consists of the following cards: an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, all of the same suit.

Four of a Kind

These would be four cards of a matching suit, plus any other card. In the case of multiple players having this type of hand, the winner is the player whose matched cards have a higher numerical value.

Full House

This is three of a kind, plus a pair of another value. If ever multiple players have a full house, the better hand is the one with the higher-ranking set of three matched cards.

Flush

Basically, a flush is a group of five cards, all of the same suit. When more than one player has a flush, one must then look at the value of the cards. They compare their highest cards (higher value wins, of course), then (if there is a tie), their second-highest cards, and so on down the line until a tie-breaker card is reached.

Straight

This is a group of cards all in strict numerical order. If they were of the same suit, they would be a straight flush, which is described above.

Three of a Kind

This is a group of cards in which three have the same numerical value. The other two cards usually do not matter.

Pairs

One may either have two pairs or just one. Of course, two pairs rank higher, and are in a separate category from a hand having “only” one pair. The values of the paired cards are used as a tie-breaker whenever so required.

Nothing

Basically, this is any hand other than the ones listed above. In the sad event that absolutely all the players end up with “nothing,” the player who holds the highest-valued card wins.

This is the basic information that will carry you through a lot of the most popular poker variations out there. If you are a beginner, make sure to memorize these hand types as soon as you can. Happy playing!

As fans of the show know, Maverick is about a freelance poker player cum gunslinger who wanders around the Wild West getting in and out of scrapes. The show had multiple incarnations, but many fans find its earliest seasons to be the best. Analysis and explanation of poker moves plays some part in the TV episodes, but largely disappear in the movie, which stars Mel Gibson as the eponymous adventurer. Jodie Foster stars as his love interest (quite a capable player and racketeer herself) and Alfred Molina appears as a mustachioed villain.

This movie gives a very light-hearted, nostalgic view of the Wild West. The dialogue is peppered with funny banter, and even potentially deadly violence looks playful. It captures the spirit of the original series quite well.

However, the movie, if watched today, makes the viewer nostalgic for other reasons, in particular for the personae of its two lead actors in the early 90’s. We can begin by discussing Jodie Foster. Her performance style here is by no means realistic or serious. In fact, her acting is rather stylized, even cartoonish. But she also seems very relaxed, as if she is having a ball with the ludicrous plot and her cheesy accent. Now, compare this to her grim, drab, I-am-a-serious-actress-in-worthy-pictures performances in recent years. These performances are all competent, but there is little fun or excitement n watching them. Looking at Foster in Maverick, you feel as if comedies lost a great actress once she started to focus solely on “serious” roles. Hopefully, this lost sense of fun is still buried deep inside Foster somewhere and we will get to see it again someday.

Something similar can be said for Gibson. His Maverick is charming, smart, daring, and inventive. However, he is not perpetually cool or infallible. He does sometimes get fooled by other characters, and is fine with looking like a buffoon or coward in order to get what he wants. It is a far cry from his current image, which is tainted by rumors of anti-Semitic ranting, ideologically suspect directing work, and generally nutty behavior.

Furthermore, Gibson’s portrayal of Maverick can be an inspiration to all poker players. At first, this statement makes no sense. Most players do not live in the Wild West. Besides, Maverick spends hardly any time actually playing poker on screen. What could he possibly have to say to real-life pkr poker players? Well, Maverick is inspiring because he shows how poker-related skills like being able to think on one’s feet or read people are useful in other aspects of life. In fact, these very skills help him escape from deadly situations.

Maverick may appear to be a simple comedy tie-in, but watching it is actually a very engaging, multi-layered experience. Fans of the original series, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, or poker may all find something to enjoy in it. Better yet, discussion may take place among these different/overlapping groups, thereby enriching the experience.

Indeed, many popular representations of poker portray it as being very much a man’s world. Rounders, a 1997 film that is given a great deal of credit for the current boom, centers on ale players. The few women in the film are strictly side characters, and are hardly ever shown actually playing poker. Actually, something similar can be said for poker-centric movies in general. There may be women around, but they are usually love interests or femme fatales. Even dedicated film-lovers would be hard-pressed name any poker movies where a woman is the ace-wielding protagonist, or is placed on equal footing with him as an arch-rival.

Major poker tournaments have been organized for women. (Make that strictly for women. Absolutely no male players allowed!) From one perspective, these are a great way form women to make their presence known in the world of international poker. Also, the tournament might be better organized to cater to women’s special needs, whatever those might be.

Then again, it is also possible to take the opposite view: women have to organize a separate competition because they are unable to shine with men around. In that case, women-only tournaments would actually be quite bad for the image of female poker players in general. Thus, it is quite possible to have a debate on whether to focus on organizing separate poker games for women, or rather on making a name for oneself in the world of mixed-sex tournaments.

The latter occurrence is quite rare, but not impossible. In recent years, the World Series of Poker has seen more women performing well at the higher rounds. Women have said that their gender is sometimes an advantage when playing in poker tournaments against men. Female players (particularly younger ones) are frequently underestimated.

BurnPoker.com rooms have an important role to play in creating an environment conducive to the flourishing of female players. Too often, online poker sites or general gambling sites that offer poker seem to assume that the site visitor is male. For instance, many of the site pages may feature photographs of attractive, coyly-posed young women. As a result, female visitors may feel unwelcome.

The owners of some gambling sites have taken note of this, and have begun to see female players as an untapped, potentially lucrative market. Therefore, many sites especially for women have been set up, particularly for bingo. We may see similar developments eventually for poker sites. However, in making these sites, it is important that the owners not stereotype or condescend to women. Perhaps the best way is to make poker sites where both genders feel welcome, and where neither a man nor a woman feels like the “default” visitor.

Many experts on the game trace its history to the 1500’s. At this time, the game was popular in England and Spain, where it was called “primero” and “primera,” respectively. The variety of “good” hands was much smaller in those days. Payers concentrated on getting three cards of the same value, three of the same suit, or pairs.

The game gradually evolved so that, two centuries later, some aspects of it “infiltrated” other games. These primero-influenced games were found in France (as Poque), England (as Brag), and Germany (as Pochen). Interestingly, the word “Pochen” means “to bluff.” Clearly, the aspects of drama and deception in these games were a large part of their appeal.

During this time, French people who crossed the Atlantic Ocean into what is now Louisiana brought poker to the New World. American pronunciation being what it is, the word “Poque” soon became “poker.” The Mississippi River was instrumental in the spread of the game out of Louisiana, as people who traveled up it taught it to others. Poker also rode in the wagons or on the horses next to pioneers who went to the West.

The 19th century also saw the institutionalization of poker. Books about card games finally recognized poker as a worthy subject. Also, a high-level American diplomat in Great Britain named Robert C. Schenk popularized the “modern” version of poker among Queen Victoria’s courtiers. Schenk is also credited with being the first person to write a book all about poker. Of course, Schenk’s book has been supplanted by other works as “the” book on poker. If you would like to find the source of the game’s official rules (i.e. the rules used in most formal casinos and tournaments) you will find that he authorities are split between two sources, both form the 1840’s. One was written by Oswald Jacoby. The other, from five years later, would be the section on poker in Official Rules of Card Games, which was released by the United States Playing Card Company.

Now, a note on the role of gender throughout the history of poker. Traditionally, the game was considered off-limits to women until the middle decades of the last century. Even now, women may still be considered a somewhat marginal force in the world of poker.

At present, most poker games can be divided into two major categories. One, called Draw Poker, includes games where dealers give out cards facing downwards, and players are allowed to try to make better hands by discarding some cards and drawing new ones from the deck. The other category is called Stud Poker, in which a few of the cards are dealt face-down and the rest are shown. Players are given five or seven cards, depending on the variant. Draw Poker has proven fertile ground for a recent online poker trend, which is the development of new varieties of Jacks or Better. Differences between variants are usually very small and superficial, having to do with bonuses and wild cards.

It will be exciting to see how the various games within the poker family continue to branch out and evolve

* Most everest poker players try to slow play their pocket aces when they’re dealt them to try and entice other players to build the pot up. This will possibly work if you’re on a table with a couple loose players, but if the table is full of tight players it’ll be hard to limp into the pot preflop. The problem with limping into the pot with pocket aces, is that if nobody else raises the pot there will most likely be a few other limpers come along for the ride.

* Some Full Tilt Poker Download players will try and raise the pot preflop, but they end up putting way to much money into the pot and nobody comes along for the ride. The worst thing you want to do is over-raise the pot preflop and have nobody else call. For instance, if the blinds are $1/$2 a common raise would be to $7-$12 depending on your table. If you come out firing $20-$25 preflop you’re most likely going to see everyone fold unless you get lucky and your opponent has pocket queens or kings or something.

* The best thing to do when you have pocket aces is make a small raise. If the blinds are $1/$2 then I would try raising to like $5-$7 depending on how you play. It’s important that the raise looks like any normal raise you’d make with a marginal hand. If your opponents are attentive they may notice the small raise and fold because they’ll feel like they’re being trapped, but if the raise seems normal you’ll tend to draw in more action.

* If you end up being re-raised on the flop then you definitely want to always re-raise your opponent. The size of your opponent’s raise will determine how much you raise, but going all-in isn’t out of the question. If you both have deep stacks on the table then I would only do a minimum raise to try and make your opponent shove all-in.

* If you end up making it to the flop you need to begin being careful with how you’re betting. You need to take a good look at the flop to determine if they’re any straight or flush draws. If the board pairs this is also a problem because now your opponent could have a set. If the flop doesn’t look that scary then you definitely want to come out firing at this point to try and take down the pot. I would make a pot-sized bet when playing at this point to find out where you stand. If you end up being raised then you might be losing the hand to either a set or two pairs.

* If you’re called or have been raised on the flop when there aren’t any draws you need to be careful on the turn and river. If you think your opponent is on a draw then you should continue betting on the turn so that your opponent doesn’t get a free card to make his hand.