Tag Archives: flush
The First-Timers Guide to Playing 5 Card Draw Poker
Card Value Start by familiarizing yourself with the order of card values. The card with the lowest value is 2 and this goes all the way up till you reach the suits. Aces are the cards with the highest value.
Types of Hands The next thing to familiarize yourself with is the different card combinations you make, often referred to as hands. A single pair of cards is the easiest to make, but it also ranks the lowest in the hierarchy. Next in line would be two pairs, followed by having three of a kind.
The lowest five-card-hand would be a Straight. This is composed of 5 unsuited cards of consecutive value, such as 9, 10, J, Q, K. A Flush is higher than a Straight, and its composed of 5 cards of the same suit. A Full House is composed of a pair and three of a kind. Four of a Kind is the third highest hand you can have. Next would be a Straight Flush, which is simply a combination of two hands. And finally, you get the Royal Flush this is composed of the cards A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
Judging Hands If you and your opponent/s are holding the same hand, the one with the higher value or suit of cards wins.
Card Exchange In 5 Card Draw, players are allowed to exchange their cards even after the first betting round. How many cards theyll be able to exchange will, however, depend on the playing rules predetermined in your table. Of course, you also have the option of not exchanging your cards, and this is referred to as “staying”.
When a player opts to have his cards exchanged, he can get the same number of cards from the deck.
Placing Your Ante 5 Card Draw starts with each player placing his ante or bet into the pot; antes are simply the initial bets made by the players on the table.
Dealing of Cards Unlike other poker variants, 5 Card Draw allows players to have five cards each in their hand.
Betting Rounds Each player is allowed to bet or pass. When the round is completed, the cards should then be gathered from the players. After this, players will be asked to place their antes again into the pot.
Winning The rounds will continue on until all players had either exchanged their hands or have chosen to stay. When the rounds had been completed, each player will then be asked to reveal his hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot.
See? Didnt we tell you it was easy to play 5 Card Draw?
Advanced Texas Holdem – Why Check-Raising Is For Losers
It’s a confusing advanced Texas Holdem strategy to implement. Read this article now to find out why check raising is for losers, unless your a WPT champion.
I know that advanced Texas holdem poker professionals, WPT champions and the mysterious ‘Texas Poker Gods’ all tell you to check raise, check and raise, check first and raise later. However, for the most part I advised against this strategy. If you have followed my blog or articles for sometime you’ll know this. The bottom line is this:
– When you check, you can only win by one way. That is to have better cards then the other players.. – When you raise, there are two ways you can win. That is to have better cards then the other players.. and the players can fold.
I would much prefer two ways rather than one.
Check raising is for losers. It doesn’t work most of the time. It’s a weak, wimpy play. It’s bred from the poverty mindset of ‘I have to save my chips. My precious chips!’. “I can see the flop for free and raise if I hit!”. Or the even worse (in my books) overt-trickster mindset ‘heehee I’m gonna trick him. Hehe’
You can’t save your way to wealth. You can’t trick your way into success. Hard work, consistent practice and a never ending desire to learn is what you need.
There is no replacement for a solid aggressive betting strategy. And you can’t be aggressive when you are checking all the time. If you had pocket aces, why would you check? If you’ve hit a flush or have a nice flush draw, why would you check? If you’ve got a set and have an open ended straight draw, why would you check?
So unless you are so absolutely awesome at your pre-flop reading ability, and without a doubt know that your cards are better than your opponents, and that you will most likely flop a better hand then him, and that he will have a hand that’s good enough to bet but still just worse then yours so you take the pot, then I wouldn’t bother check-raising.