A card deck has 52 cards. Possible distinct starting hands are 52*51 / 2 = 1326. Wow, would be really difficult to learn what to do (call, check, raise or fold) with all of them. Luckily, most of them have identical value before the flop (the 3 first community cards). For example, A♥ J♥ and A♠ J♠ are identical, because both have an Ace and Jack of the same suit.

There are 169 starting hands combinations of different value. Yes they are a lot too, but they can be divided into (in order from better to worst):

• Pocket pairs, e.g. 9♠ 9♣
• 13 cards * 4 suits * 3 other suits / 2 half repeated.
• 78 out of 1326, aprox 6%
• There are 13 combinations of different values
• Suited Cards, e.g. A♣ 6♣.
• 52 cards * 12 cards (same suit different number) / 2 half repeated.
• 312 out of 1326, aprox 24%
• There are 78 combinations of different values. 13 cards * 12 other cards/ 2 half repeated.
• Unsuited Cards, e.g. K♠ J♥.
• 52 cards * 36 cards (different suit and number) / 2 half repeated.
• 936 out of 1326, aprox 70%
• There are 78 combinations of different values

Hand groups

David Sklansky proposed some pairs have a similar value, so they can be played similarly. If we put a reference number of pairs value (being the 1 the best), we could divide starting hands into:

So if you have a 7 and a 2… hey, you better fold. Or you can bluff… which will be explained in our next post.

In conclusion and making it short, here are the combinations:

First of all I want you to know: playing and watching others play is the best way to learn.

Anyway, here are the basics of No Limit Texas Hold’em:

1. There usually are about 10 people per game. There can be from 2 to millions of players.
2. Two face down random cards are given to each player. These are called starting hands.
3. In each table there is a:
• Dealer: can be a player, different in each game, or another person
• Small Blind: placed on the left of the dealer. This player has a forced minimum bet.
• Big Blind: to the second left of the dealer. This player has a forced minimum bet double the small blind.
• *The minimum pot is set depending on the payers and/or time.
4. The first person to bet is the one to the right of the Dealer. Players can fold (don’t bet nor play), call (match the previous bet, being the first time the Big Blind) or raise (increase the previous bet, as much as you want). All-in is when you bet all your money; then leftover chips will go into a side pot for remaining players.
5. When it comes to Big Blind’s turn, he can only raise or check (stay playing without paying). Call is impossible because he already has the maximum bet, and folding would be stupid because he isn’t risking any money. Bets are set until everybody has the same bet.
6. Three community cards are dealt face-up simultaneously in the middle of the table. These are called the flop.
7. Now the first to bet is the Small Blind. He can bet (as much money as he wants) or check. Others can now call, raise or fold. Bets are set again considering whichever combination considering your cards and community cards to have the best combination (see combinations here).
8. Another community card (now called Turn, there are four now) is dealt. Bets are set again.
9. Another community card (now called River, there are five now) is dealt. Bets are set again
10. Once everybody’s got the same bet, cards are shown. The best combination wins all the pot money. Sometimes only one person hasn’t fold; then the winner can decide whether to show his cards or not.

Related videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPpAhwhM1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ2QRBsJoOk

Poker 103: Basic rules

• Draw poker: games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. Most common are Five-card draw and Badugi.
• Stud poker: games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. Most common are Seven-card stud and Five-card stud.
• Community card poker: games in which each player’s incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. Most common are Texas hold ‘em (the most famous) and Omaha hold ‘em.

I’m explaining how to play Texas hold’em on next post Poker 102: Basic Rules.

Low and High-Low

There are also lowball poker games, which reward poor poker hands. Some of these are A-to-5 low, A-to-6 low (also called 6-4 low), 2-to-7 low (also called 7-5 low), 2-to-6 low (also called 6-5 low). There are variations of them, for example:

• Razz: Seven-card stud + A5 Lo
• California Lowball: Draw poker + A5 Lo, with one joker.
• Kansas City Lowball: Draw poker + 2-7 Lo
• Triple Draw: Draw Poker + either A-5 or 2-7 Lo
• London Lowball: Seven-card stud + A6 Lo

It is also common playing High-Low split poker games, where the player with the best poker hand (called high hand) splits the pot with the best low hand. Most common are Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-card stud hi-lo.

Mixed poker games

The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E poker. It is a combination of Hold’em Texas, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud and Stud 8-or-better. Every one half hour, the game mode is changed. H.O.S.E. and H.O.E. are also common.