Early Poker on the River Boats
There is a record of poker being played in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1800s. It soon spread to become the favourite gambling game aboard the Mississippi casino river boats, and as such became the subject of many of the stories and movies about that period of American history. The game of poker spread north along the Mississippi to the West during the gold rush. Gambling at poker has become part of the frontier pioneer ethos.
A Family of Different Card Games
Poker is today not only a card game, but a family of card games. All forms of poker involve betting as part of the game. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt and the number of cards that remain hidden, the role of the dealer and the betting procedures. Players bet on their own card combinations and then compare them with others to see who has the hand with the highest value. This basically means that there is no house edge, as it is the player and his cards who control the game. The players govern whether to bet high, low or not at all. This makes winning a lot more exciting as it is up to the player to determine what is and is not worth wagering on.
The value of the cards in players’ hands in this game have the same rank as they have in most other card games. Two is the card with the lowest value and Ace the highest. Players, regardless of which version of poker they are playing, form combinations of the cards in order to trump their opponents.
Value of Poker Hands
The value of the card in the hands of poker players are easy to learn. The lowest value is a pair of cards, which is two cards of the same value. The next in value is three of a kind, and the next in value is a straight, which is five cards in consecutive order. A flush follows that, which is five cards of the same suit, and next comes a full house, which is three of a kind and one pair. Four of a kind is next in value, followed by a variety of straight flushes, which are five consecutive cards of the same suit. The ultimate hand in Poker is the royal flush, which is a straight flush, with the five cards of the highest value in the pack, Ace down to Ten.
Poker Needs Some Skill As Well As Luck
Certain forms of poker have a bluffing element, but poker can be one of the more technical of the classic card games. Poker combines luck and skill, and the ability to read opponents, as well as a memory for the cards dealt and an understanding of the odds involved in playing poker.
Aus Online Poker is one of the most popular of all card games. These days, thanks to the advance in modern technology, anyone can play poker online as well as in the land based casinos. There is a wide variety of poker games, and most are offered at online poker rooms. Most variants of poker are fairly easy to understand and play, and some can offer huge rewards. Many casinos, whether land based or online, offer lucrative poker tournaments as well. Every country also has professional poker players too, who engage in poker competitions daily. But one of the advantages of poker, and one of the best loved attributes of this game, is the fact that anyone can play and enjoy this game.