Poker is a card game, it`s mission is to win the bets, collecting the highest of possible poker combinations, using 5 cards, or to force all opponents to fold. The game can be played with completely or partially closed cards. The specified rules of the game may vary depending on the variety of poker you desire to play. The common elements for all the varieties of poker are the combinations and the possibility of betting during the game. Considering that the poker players cannot use the results from previous games people say that poker is a game with incomplete information. Many saloon games are games with incomplete information and for example in comparison with chess, where players can see the previous move of their opponent.

Game rules
Poker is played with different decks – with 32, 36 or 54 cards, but usually is the standard deck of 52 cards used with equivalent suits. Some players can take part in the game (2 and more, usually until 10). The value of the cards decreases from the ace and then comes the king, queen, etc. The ace can be considered as the lower card to form a straight until 5, inclusively, and as the higher also for the straight. The game (another name is hand) consists of some phases (depending on the type of poker), the so called rounds or streets. Every one of them begins with the delivery of new cards. When the cards are delivered every player has the chance to bet or fold. The winner is the player that collects the best combination of five cards, or the one who can force the other players to fold using high bets or bluffing or who remains alone before showing the cards.

There’s also a version of this game for gambling machines – video poker. But many betting experts do not consider video poker as a variety of poker at all.

Combinations in poker

Possible poker combinations in descending order:

*royal flush: the highest (ace, king, queen, jack, ten) five cards of one flush, for example: A|K|Q|J|10|.

*straight flush: any five cards of one suit in order, for instance: 9|8|7|6|5|.

*Four of a kind: four cards with the same value, example: 3|3|3|3|10|.

*full house, full boat: three cards of the same value and a pair, example: 10|10|10|8|8|.

*flush: five cards with the same suit, example: K|J|8|4|3|.

*straight: five cards of any suit in order, example: 5|4|3|2|A|. The ace can start or finish a straight. In this example the ace is considered as the lowest card and the 5 as the highest.

*Three of a kind: three cards with the same value, example: 7|7|7|K|2|.

*Two pairs: two pairs of cards, example: 8|8|4|4|2|.

*One pair: two cards with the same value, example: 9|9|A|J|4|.

*high card: none of the mentioned combinations, example (this combination is called high ace) A|10|9|5|4|.

When the players get equal combinations, the strongest is considered the one with higher cards, example: 8|8|4|4|2| is stronger than 7|7|5|5|K|. The combination 6|5|4|3|2| is stronger than 5|4|3|2|A|.

When combinations and kicker match (within the 5 opened cards) the prize is equally divided between the players with equal combinations. Only one card can be the kicker.

In some varieties of poker (called Hi-Lo, from High-Low), the prize can be divided between players, that have the strongest combination of cards of any value in their hands and the weakest combination of odd cards with values not higher than 8, example: A|7|2|4|8| (In weak combinations the ace is considered as the lowest card). In this case, one player can have the strongest and the weakest combinations of cards at the same time.

In games with the joker, the highest combination is considered the five of a kind – four of a kind and joker, example: 4|4|4|4|2| in case when 2|is considered as joker.

Betting
In all variations of poker, every game has various betting rounds.

*in some poker variations, before the delivery, all the players make equal initial bets (ante)

*in other poker variations some players make their first bet blindly (blinds)

*during the game the player can do the following moves:

^ Bet - make a bet.

^ Call – bet the same sum like the opponent.

^ Raise – increase the bet, make a higher bet than your opponent.

^ Fold – refuse to continue the game.

^ Check – in situations, when the bet was already made blindly or the bets were made by the opponents – do not increase the bet, just leave it “as it was”.

*the betting round ends, when all players have made equal bets or fold.

*all the bets are kept in the pot.

*if during the last round of betting more than one player is still in play, the cards are opened and the combinations are compared. If there’s only one player in game, he gets the whole pot.

* When you play in a casino, part of the pot is kept by the casino as payment for the game (rake).

*if more than one player won, the pot is divided among the winners.
There’s a rule in poker, when a player takes part in the game only with the money, he putted on the table – stack. Filling up the stack is possible only in game breaks. You may not take the stack without leaving the table. In case if a player runs out of money during the betting rounds, a side pot or pots are formed on the table, they can be taken only by the players left.

There are different variations of one game, and the difference between them can concern the betting sum, that the players can make:

* Limit – the players can make only fixed bets or raise the sum of only the fixed bet.

* Pot limit – players can make bets from the minimum and up to the size of the pot.

* No limit – players can make bets from the minimum and up to the size of their stack.

Game strategies

In club poker, as well as in any other gambling, the optimum strategy doesn’t exist. This can be explained through high level of ambiguity: players don’t know each other’s cards. They have access to limited information – their own cards, general cards and bets, too. To confuse the opponents and get the advantage, the players use different strategically tricks, like bluff, receiving the free card, check – raise, stealing blinds. Under conditions of uncertainty when taking an optimal decision in poker a probability approximation is used with the definition of the mathematical expectation of probable actions. Usually during the game the possibility of winning the pot is relevant and it is compared with any chances to make the best decision.

Besides the so called “fundamental theorem of poker” by David Slansky and Mason Malmuth known: “Anytime you play a combination no matter how you were playing, if you would be able to see the cards of your opponents, they win; and anytime, when you play the combination as you would do it, seeing their cards, they lose. And the other way: when the opponents play their combinations no matter how they would do it, seeing your cards, you would win; and anytime, when they play their hands that way, as if they can see your cards, you would lose”. This theorem is hardly to use during game play, but it emphasizes the importance of two aspects: a good qualification of the opponent’s cards, make optimal decisions considering that qualification.