Poker

Poker is a very popular gambling card game that has numerous variations. But no matter which variation though, the game observes a few common concepts. Essentially 2 or more players play the game with a single 52-card deck. Each player receives a set of cards and the one with the highest valued combination wins the pot. Following are the various types of hands in order of the highest valued combination to the least:

•Royal Flush - A hand with an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of a single suit. •Straight Flush - A hand with a sequential set of five cards in a single suit (ex. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, etc.) other than an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 combination. •Four of a Kind - This is a hand with four matching cards (ex. four kings or four 3's, etc.) •Full House - A hand with a set of 3 matching cards and another 2 matching pair. For example, three 8's and a pair of 5's. •Flush - Having a non-consecutive set of five cards of a single suit. For example, a two, four, seven, jack and king of spades. •Straight - A consecutive set of five cards in different suits (ex. 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, 5 of clubs and 6 of spades) •Three of a Kind - same as a full house except without the matching pair (ex. 3 kings and a 2 and 3) •Two Pairs - a set with two matching pairs (ex. two queens and 2 4's). •One Pair - a set with just one matching pair.

Another common concept is having a pot. How the pot grows varies on which variant of poker is being played. The starting bet (otherwise known as "ante") exists however. The pot grows from either a "raise" or call". Calling a bet is when a player matches another player's bet. Raising a bet is when a player bets more than the previous player's bet.

Finally, the game is most known for the concept of "bluffing". Normally, a player would bet more if he or she is confident that his or her hand is one of the higher ranked combinations. Sometimes, a bluffing player raises a bet to fool the other players into thinking that one has a superior hand. It becomes a matter of judging whether or not a player is bluffing from that player's motions or facial expressions or from a view of any cards that are seen face up.

The following are the more popular variants of poker:

•Community or Community Card Poker - In this variant, a set of cards is dealt face up for all the other players to "share" in combination with their own hand of card or cards. •Draw or Five-Card Draw Poker - Each player is dealt at least five cards (it is exactly five cards for five-card draw) face down and has the option to replace one or more of the cards in his or her hand. •Stud Poker - Each player receives at least one card face down and the rest face up.

How to Confront Cheaters in Poker

The huge pot involved in poker is a big green light for cheaters. Thus, it is always wise to know what to do when cheating in poker occurs.