This is a general introduction to poker, geared for beginning and medium skill level players.

Most Popular Poker Games

Thanks to televised and online poker matches, how easy it is to play, and the ever alluring possibility of taking someone else’s money, poker is a very hot game these days.

Playing poker in casinos and online is fun, but it is no easy street when it comes to winning. The truth is, there are some very seasoned players out there and novices are quickly separated from their money. The odds are even tougher when you are up against the house. Still, the game is simple enough that anyone can learn the basics very quickly.

Here are the three main types of poker:

Draw poker: Each player “draws” five cards, face down. You can improve your hand by replacing cards.

Stud poker: The dealer passes each player a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. Two main versions of this game are 5-card stud and 7-card stud.

Community poker: Each player’s incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most popular version of community poker is Texas Hold ‘em.

No matter which version of poker you play, there are two basic ways you can win: either by betting enough to convince other players to fold, or by having the best hand and besting other players at the showdown.

Casino Tip: All casino tables have defined betting stakes. For example, a $5/$10 Fixed Limit game requires a minimum bet of $5 (used on the first two rounds of betting) and a $10 (available on the last two rounds of betting). The limits go up at different tables.

Poker Rules

FIVE CARD DRAW

1. Each player puts up a forced bet, called an “ante” (i.e. $1).
2. The dealer gives five cards to each player. The first betting round begins with the player on the left. Each player has a chance to bet, call, raise or fold. If you fold, you forfeit the ante and anything you have bet.
3. Once the first round of betting is done, players have an option to “trade in” up to 4 cards.
4. With the new cards in hand, a second betting round begins with the first player to the left.
5. Players can go back and forth with their bets, calling, raising, folding, etc.
6. Finally, it is time for the Showdown. The player with the strongest 5-card poker hand wins the pot.

FIVE CARD STUD

1. All players ante up.
2. Each player is dealt one card face down, followed by one card face up (beginning with the player to the dealer’s left).
3. After the deal, whoever has the lowest face up card has to bet the “bring-in”, which is a forced bet made by that player. If two players have the same low face up card, the bring-in is decided by suit rankings (diamonds are best, then clubs, then hearts, then spades).
4. After the first betting round is complete, another face-up card is dealt to each player.
5. Betting continues with the player whose upcards make the best poker hand. On this and subsequent betting rounds, the player to act first may check or bet up to the game’s limit. The second betting round is followed by a third upcard to each player and a third betting round. A fourth face-up card and fourth betting round is followed by the showdown, which is between whichever players have not yet folded.

SEVEN CARD STUD

1. All players ante up.
2. The dealer deals one card at a time clockwise, with each player receiving two face-down cards and one face-up card. The face up card is known as a “Door Card.”
3. There are five rounds “or streets” of betting in Seven Card Stud. The first two rounds use lower limit bets and the last 3 rounds use higher limit bets.
4. Stud is usually played with either Fixed Limit or Spread Limit betting. In a Fixed Limit Stud game, the betting limits are predetermined. In a $5 / $10 game, for example, the big bet is $10 and the small bet is $5. Raising and betting is done in increments of the small bet in the first two betting rounds and increments of the big bet in the last three betting rounds. No more than three or four raises can be done in one betting round, depending on where you play. Spread Limit betting is usually only used in Stud poker. In a Spread Limit Stud game, the betting limits are determined according to a specific spread, such as $2 to $10. Players can bet any amount in this range.
5. Betting starts with the player holding the lowest Door Card. This first bet is known as the “Bring in” or the “opening bet.” If two players hold the same value Door Card then the Bring in is decided by suit, in alphabetical order (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades)
6. All players must then call, fold, or raise, following the betting rules.
7. Second round of betting: “4th Street”: Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another card face up (an up card). Betting on this round begins with the player holding the two strongest up cards. Strongest hands are determined by regular Poker hand rankings, i.e. high card, pair, two pair etc.
8. Third round of betting: “5th Street”: Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another up card. The player with the strongest up card combination starts the betting on this round.
9. Fourth round of betting: “6th Street”. Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another up card. The player with the strongest up card combination starts the betting on this round.
10. Fifth round of betting: “The River”. Each player still involved in the pot is dealt one final card face down. So, each player now holds 4 up cards and 3 down cards. Betting begins with the player holding the 4 strongest up cards and continues clockwise around the table.
11. Showdown in 7 Card Stud: Once all betting is complete players reveal their down cards and the player with the best 5 card hand wins. The player who made the last bet reveals his/her hand first. If there is no betting on the last round then the player with the highest value of up cards reveals first. In the case of players holding the same winning hands normal split pot rules apply.

Texas Hold ‘em

The three most common versions of Texas Hold ‘em are limit hold ‘em, no-limit hold ‘em and pot-limit hold ‘em.

1. Depending on the limit and betting structure, players will place out blinds and antes so there is an initial amount to get things started. This is called posting. A dealer button is used to represent the player in the dealer position; the dealer button rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position of the dealer and blinds.
2. Blinds: The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually equal to half of the big blind. The big blind, posted by the player to the left of the small blind, is equal to the minimum bet. Based on the limits, players are required to put up mandatory bets before the cards are dealt. These blinds count toward the total investment toward the first round of betting. If the pot isn’t raised preflop, the small blind will only have to put in another half a bet to call. Likewise, the big blind won’t have to put anything more in the pot, although the big will have the ability to raise his own blind. In an unraised preflop pot, this is referred to as having the option.

The amount that is put out depends on the limit. In fixed limit poker, the big blind puts up a bet equal to the small limit. The small blind puts up half that amount. So if the limit is $5/$10, the big blind is $5 and the small blind is $2.50.

3. Each player is dealt two private cards face down. These are called your hole cards or pocket cards. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only be revealed at the showdown.
4. Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down, with the player in the small blind receiving the first card and the player in the button seat receiving the last card.
5. A round of betting starts with the player to the left of the blinds. This is the preflop betting round. Players can call, raise, or fold.
6. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a burn card.
7. Note that the blinds are considered “live” in the pre-flop betting round, meaning that they are counted toward the amount that the blind player must contribute. If all players call around to the player in the big blind position, that player may either check or raise.
8. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. This is called the flop. These are communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.
9. The player to the left of the dealer starts another betting round.
10. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns again then flips another communal card onto the table. This is called the turn.
11. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many games, this is where the bet size doubles.
12. Again, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is called the river. Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card poker hand.
13. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
14. After that, the showdown begins. If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his or her hole cards. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. Players who have not folded reveal their hands, beginning with the player to the left of the last player to call. Players use a combination of their pocket cards and the community cards to form the best five card hand possible. The player with the best hand wins.
15. If the five community cards form the player’s best hand, then the player is said to be playing the board and can only hope to split the pot, because each other player can also use the same five cards to construct the same hand.

Basic Poker Strategy

One of the great things about poker is that players can use a range of strategies to win. It might be enough to simply draw the best cards, but not usually!

1. Wait for a Good Starting Hand

A good poker player only plays about 20-30% of dealt hands. This means you must sit out of 7 out of 10 hands. If you are able to wait until you have a good hand, your bets will have a much better chance of paying off. Loose players play more hands and tend to continue with weaker hands. Tight players play fewer hands and tend to fold more often.

2. Find Your Skill Level

Your ability to win is directly related to the skill (or lack of skill) of your fellow players. If you are interested in holding onto your money, find a table or game that matches your skill level.

3. Understand Pot Odds

Betting involves balancing two things—how your hand is shaping up and how much it will cost you stay in. For example, if you need to bet $5 for a chance to win a $20 pot, the pot odds are 4-to-1. To win money, a player’s odds of winning must be better than their pot odds. So, if your odds of winning are also 4-to-1 (20% chance of winning), your expected return is to break even (on average, you will lose four times and win once for every five times you play with a pot that size).

4. Raise, Call, Check or Fold?

Like the song says, you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em…etc. This is easier said than done, especially when you don’t know what the other players have!

When to raise: There are several reasons you raise the pot:

• Up the money in the pot
• Drive other players out of the hand
• Bluff others into thinking you have a better hand than you do

When to call a bet: There are several reason you call:

• See more cards
• When you have adequate pot odds, but need to keep your stakes lower
• To conceal the strength of your hand. If you have a very strong hand, you might smooth call on an early betting round to avoid giving away the strength of your hand and thereby get more money into the pot in later betting rounds.
• To manipulate the pot odds—keeping more players in the hand to build the pot.

Tip: When you finally get a hand you can bet, go for it! If you have the best hand, force out the players with worse hands.

Bluffing

Bluffing is an art form and one of the most enjoyable ways to win. Be careful with bluffing though—if someone calls your bluff, you will be exposed, lose your dough, and look a little silly!

But even if your bluff fails, it can benefit you later. If you bluff and get caught, this may make other players more likely to call you later, at which point you might have the cards to back it up.

Know when to Quit

Poker players have a term for when a player has become emotionally unable to play a good game. Its called “tilt.” If you find yourself losing too much, you should walk away or take a break.

Hand reading is when you make educated guesses about the possible cards an opponent may hold based on the sequence of actions in the pot. A tell is when a player changes his or her behavior or demeanor that gives clues about their hand.

Poker Tools and Resources

1. Card Player – Online Website and Magazine
2. Bluff Online Website and Magazine
3. Poker Pro
4. Casino Player

Poker Betting Sites

1. Lock Poker
2. Sportsbook.com
3. Cake Poker
4. Bodog Poker
5. Full Tilt Poker
6. Ultimate Bet Poker
7. Players Only Poker

Poker Site Reviews

Full Tilt Poker Review

Sportsbook Poker Review

Ultimate Bet Review

Bodog Poker Review

Players Only Poker Review

Poker players have several options to choose from at Rivers Casino. In general, the casino is geared for high rollers, with high limits, smoking in restricted areas only, and lots of high end cuisine options—not exactly calling out to the free buffet crowd.

There is no dedicated poker room, but the poker tables on the floor provide lots of action.

The poker games are:

Caribbean Stud

3 Card Poker

4 Card Poker

Mississippi Stud

Rules of Play

Minimums vary, and they change based on the crowd flow. Minimum table bets range from $5-25. High-limit games are hand shuffled, and others are machine shuffled. At the present time, there appears to be more than enough demand, so table spots are at a premium.

Caribbean Stud

This is a five-card progressive poker game played against the house on a table similar to that used in blackjack.

Play begins with each player placing an ante bet in the designated ante box. Players receive five cards face down, and the dealer receives four cards face down and one card face up. As in traditional stud poker, players will not have an opportunity to draw more cards and they must decide whether to raise or fold. When a player folds, the ante bet is forfeited. When a player plays, the raise bet is double the ante bet. After all players decide to raise or fold, the dealer’s cards are turned face up. If the dealer does not have an Ace/King or higher, the players are paid even money on their ante bet and there is no action on the raise bet. If the dealer has an Ace/King or higher, the dealer’s hand is compared to each player’s hand. In each case, the best poker hand wins. If the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand, the dealer collects the ante and the raise bet.

If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand, the ante is paid even money and the raise bet is paid a bonus amount according to the following schedule:

Bonus schedule

Hand Bonus

Royal flush 100 to 1

Straight flush 50 to 1

Four of a kind 20 to 1

Full house 7 to 1

Flush 5 to 1

Straight 4 to 1

Three of a kind 3 to 1

Two pair 2 to 1

Pair 1 to 1

Progressive Jackpot

In addition to the normal Caribbean stud game, players can win an additional $10,000 or more by placing a $1.00 chip in the betting area above the ante box before each new game begins.

The progressive meter increases as more players bet the jackpot bonus option. Progressive winnings are paid according to the schedule below, regardless of whether or not the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand.

Hand Progressive payout

Royal flush 100% of the meter

Straight flush $5,000 bonus

Four of a Kind (Aces or 8’s) $1,000 bonus

Four of a kind (except Aces or 8’s) $500 bonus

Full house $75 bonus

Flush $50 bonus

Caribbean Stud Guidelines

• Players are responsible for ensuring that the indicator light is on when a chip is placed on their progressive jackpot betting area.
• Players are not to exchange or communicate information regarding their hands.
• If an incorrect number of cards are dealt to a player or the dealer, the entire round is void.
• Progressive jackpots are paid from the dealer’s leftside to the right side. There is no split on a progressive jackpot. If seat 2 and seat 3 hit royal flushes in the same hand, seat 2 receives the progressive jackpot and seat 3 receives the reset amount ($10,000).

Three Card Poker

With two betting methods, this game offers two games in one. A person can bet one method or the other, or
both, giving three ways to play. Plus, a unique extra bonus feature allows the player four ways to win.

Wagers

• Bet the ante to play against the dealer.
• Bet the pair plus to play the hand value only.
• Bet the ante and the pair plus to play both.

Ante and pair plus may be different amounts. Ante and pair plus must be placed before cards are dealt.

Action

Each player and the dealer are dealt 3 cards. Players with an ante will either:

• Fold and forfeit the ante, or
• Place a play bet equal to the ante

Ante and play are bets against the dealer. Dealer plays with queen high or better.

Four Card Poker

Four Card Poker has three ways to play. The game allows the player to wager against the dealer, to wager only on the value of his own hand against a paytable, or to wager both against the dealer and on the value of his own hand.

Playing Against the Dealer

The object when playing against the dealer is to beat

the dealer’s four-card poker hand with your own fourcard

poker hand. The dealer always qualifies. Players place an Ante wager. After looking at their hand, players may fold or, if they believe their hand is high enough to beat the dealer’s hand, they will make the Play wager. This wager must be from one to three times the Ante wager.

Note: The player wins ties. Consider the entire four-card hand when declaring a tie.

Playing vs. Paytable:

ACES UP

The object of betting the Aces Up wager is to receive a pair of Aces or better. If the player’s hand contains a pair of Aces or better, the player wins the Aces Up wager Players receive Aces Up payouts regardless of the dealer’s hand.

Playing Both: ACES UP and ANTE

When a player bets both the Aces Up and the Ante (including Play), he is playing against two separate paytables with two different criteria for payouts. In playing the Ante wager, the object is to get a four-card poker hand that beats the dealer’s best four-card hand. In playing the Aces Up wager, the object is to receive a pair of Aces or better. The Ante and Aces Up wagers do not have to be the same amount. Players receive the Aces Up payouts regardless of the dealer’s hand. Players can wager anywhere from the table minimum to the maximum allowed bet on either spot. However, the Play wager must be from one to three times the Ante.

Side bets between players are prohibited.

Texas Hold em Bonus Poker

Texas Hold’em Bonus is an exciting hold’em style game that features head-to-head play against the dealer and
an optional Bonus bet that pays odds if the player’s initial two “hole” cards are a pair of 2s or better.

Play

Players make an ante wager prior to the deal. After being dealt their first two cards, players can either fold or make
another wager equal to twice their ante bet to continue playing. Then comes the flop – three community cards face up. Players can check or wager again to continue playing. That’s followed by the 4th and 5th community cards – the turn and the river – with a round of betting before each card is turned. The player must check or make a wager equal to the ante bet on the turn and river rounds. Only the flop bet is twice the ante bet.

Any player with a poker hand that beats the dealer’s wins. Players who win retain their ante bets and are paid even money on the total of their flop, turn and river wagers. If the player’s hand is equal to the dealer’s, it’s a push. When the player’s winning hand is a straight or better they are paid an additional amount equal to the ante.

There is also an additional Bonus wager that can be made before the start of the hand in which the player can win regardless of how their hand matches up to the dealer’s. This bet is based on their original two card hand.

Mississippi Stud Poker

Mississippi stud is an exciting five card poker game with payouts as high as 500 to 1 and players compete against a pay table, not against the dealer or other players.

Play

Each player receives 2 cards which they will use in addition to 3 community cards to make their traditional poker hand. Players must wager an ante to play. The dealer will deliver 2 cards to each player. Each player in turn will decide to either fold or buy the first community card (called the 3rd street) by betting 1x, 2x or 3x their ante.

When that card is revealed, they either fold or buy the second community card (the 4th) at 1x, 2x or 3x their ante. After that card is revealed they either fold or buy the third and final community card (the 5th) at 1x, 2x or 3x their ante.

After all three community cards have been shown, the dealer compares the player’s hand (the player’s two cards plus the community cards) to the posted pay table and pays, takes or pushes in accordance to the pay table.

Pay Table

Royal flush 500 to 1

Straight flush 100 to 1

Four of a kind 40 to 1

Full house 10 to 1

Flush 6 to 1

Straight 4 to 1

Three of a kind 3 to 1

Two pair 2 to 1

Jacks or better 1 to 1

Pair of 6s to 10s Push

Let It Ride Bonus

Getting Started

Each player places three equal wagers as indicated on the layout and is dealt three cards.

Play

Players do not play against the dealer or the players. Simply try to get the best possible poker hand by using three player cards and two community cards.

After looking at the first three cards, the player may ask for their first bet back or “Let it ride.” The dealer then turns up one community card. The player may then ask for their second bet back or “Let it ride.”

The second community card is then turned over by the dealer and all winning hands are paid according to the posted pay table (pair of 10s or better, two pair, etc.)

Players cannot show their hands to other players.

Bet the buck. Win a Bundle.

The player may put a bet on the red circle, and if they hit a bonus hand, a bundle of cash is theirs instantly.

*Check with the nearest Let it Ride bonus table for details on winning hands and payouts.

Bonus Side Bet

Players may make the optional 3 card bonus bet in addition to the standard Let it Ride wager. At the casino’s discretion, players may bet more on this bonus than on Let it Ride wager. The bonus is based on the cards the player holds when playing Let it Ride bonus. If the player’s cards contain a pair or better, their bonus bet wins.

Pai Cow Poker

Pai gow poker is an exciting combination of regular poker and the game of pai gow. A regular deck of playing cards is used, including a joker. Players make regular poker hands (pairs, straights, flushes, full houses, etc.). From the game of pai gow comes the concept of two hands (a high hand and a low hand) as well as a 5% commission paid to the house. In this game, the joker is not a wild card, but may be used as an ace or to complete a straight, flush, royal flush or straight flush. In this game, the 2nd highest straight or straight flush is 5, 4, 3, 2 and Ace (only after Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10). The lowest possible straight or straight flush is 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

Rules

Each player is dealt seven cards of which the player creates two hands, a two card hand (top hand) and a five card hand (bottom hand). The rankings in each of the hands are that of regular poker, the highest ranking two-card hand being a pair of aces, and the highest ranking five-card hand being five aces (using the Joker as a fifth Ace).

The five-card hand (bottom hand) must be of higher rank than the two-card hand (top hand). The object
of the game is for both of the player’s hands to be of higher rank than both of the dealer’s hands. If the player wins one hand and the dealer wins the other, the bet is considered a push or tie. If both of the dealer’s hands are equal to or higher than those of the player, the bet shall lose. Winning hands are paid even money and a commission of 5% is collected immediately.