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In the game of Poker, everyone is dealt five cards. All suits are considered equal. The Ace is always high, while two has the lowest value. The highest hand is a Royal Flush, consisting of a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit. Good luck getting one of those! Next in value is the Straight Flush, which is having all five cards of the same suit in numerical value, any numbers at all. Four of a Kind follows, with four cards of the same numerical value (obviously not the same suit.) A Full House consists of three of a kind and two of a kind, while a Flush is five cards of the same suit, any numbers. After this, comes a Straight: five cards in numerical order of any suit. Three of a Kind follows: three cards of the same numerical value. Next in value is a Two Pair, which consists of any two pairs, and then a One Pair, any one pair. Last – and least – is High Card, which means that the person with the highest ranked card wins.

Now that you know the value of the cards, it’s time to talk a bit about how to play Poker. Poker is almost always played for money, with or without poker chips. Each player must put an ante (bet) into the pot, even before the game begins. The amount depends of course on whether you’re just having fun with friends or are a High Roller at a Las Vegas casino. The dealer always starts with the player on his left and deals to himself last. Cards are dealt face down, so only you know your hand. Then, based on the hand you’ve been dealt, the betting begins. It helps to know some Poker language: you can either open (be the first to place a bet) or pass, and let someone else open the betting. However, if the betting is already opened, you either need to bet the same amount (see,) raise the amount (raise,) or fold (opt out of the game.) At this point, those who have not folded can get rid of three unwanted cards and take three new ones from the pot. When there is a lot of action at the table, it means that there is a lot of betting going on. If there are a lot of aggressive players in the game, players who bet high early on, there is sure to be a lot of action. On the other hand, if there are mostly conservative players, i.e. players who fold early, there’s not likely to be a whole lot of action.

While playing Poker, you can’t cheat but you can lie! That is, lie about your reactions and feelings and mislead your opponent. This is called bluffing. It gets your opponent to lay more bread down on the table under the assumption that you’ve got a lousy hand (in actuality you may have a Royal Flush!) The more you mislead your opponents, the more bread you’re going to gobble up in the end. Another way to mislead is through understatement: keep that Poker Face and don’t reveal a thing. Make them nervous!

While 5-Card Draw (described above) is the most basic form of Poker, there are many variants. Five Card Stud and Seven Card Stud require that the player uses the hand that’s been dealt. That means you can’t throw three cards out and pick new ones. In “Hold-em” each player gets two cards that are placed face down. The dealer then creates a “flop” – cards placed face up for common use until there are five cards in the flop. Players create their hands from a combination of their own two cards and cards from the flop. Then there is Lowball, a Poker variation where everything is reversed, and a High Card is worth more than a Royal Flush! Whichever form of Poker you choose to play, don’t lose your head (AND your fortune) and keep it FUN!