Cards, Tricks and Tips

Poker hand possibilities

2012-07-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a way to calculate how much of "different hands" can be made out of 1 deck of cards. Basically you are looking for how many 5 card hands you can make out of a 52 card deck. The combination function makes use of factorials. The factorial function is defined as: n! = n X (n - 1) X (n - 2) X ... X 1 For example: 6! = 6 X 5 X 4 X 3 X 2 X 1 = 720 The combination function which determines how many sets of r objects each (combinations) you can make from a defined number of n objects is defined as follows: C(n,r) = n! / r! (n - r)! So the number of 5 card hands which can be made from a single deck of 52 cards is as follows: C(52,5) = 52! / (5! X (52 - 5)!) = 52! / (120 X 47!) = (52 X 51 X 50 X 49 X 48 X 47!) / (120 X 47!) = (52 X 51 X 50 X 49 X 48) / 120 = 311875200 / 120 = 2598960 possible 5 card hands from a deck of 52 cards

An interesting term "Dead man's hand"

2012-07-19T05:09:00.001-07:00

The dead man's hand is a two-pair poker hand, namely "aces and eights". This card combination gets its name from a legend that it was the five-card-draw hand held by Wild Bill Hickok, when he was murdered on August 2, 1876, in Saloon No. 10 at Deadwood, South Dakota. According to the popular version, Hickok's final hand included the aces and eights of both black suits. As Hickok's biographer, Joseph Rosa puts it: the "accepted version is that the cards were the ace of spades, the ace of clubs, two black eights (clubs and spades), and the queen of clubs as the 'kicker'". However, Rosa says no contemporary source for this exact hand can be found. The earliest detailed reference to the "dead man's hand" is 1886, where it was described as a "full house consisting of three jacks and a pair of tens". In accounts that mention two aces and eights, there are various claims regarding the identity of Hickok's fifth card, suggestions that he had discarded one card and/or that the draw was curtailed by the shooting and Hickok therefore never received his fifth card. Historical displays in the town of Deadwood, including one in a reconstruction of the original Saloon No. 10, also show the nine of diamonds as the fifth card. The Lucky Nugget Gambling Hall, which holds the historic site of Saloon No. 10, instead displays a jack of diamonds. The Adams Museum in Deadwood has a display that claims to be the actual squeezer cards held by Hickok. The hand is: ace of diamonds, ace of clubs, eight of hearts, eight of spades, and the queen of hearts. The Stardust on the Las Vegas Strip has used a five of diamonds in related displays and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division uses the dead man's hand in its insignia, as does the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.

Poker Terms

2012-07-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

Poker players all around the world use different phrases that might be useful. Here is a link with some of the most common phrases. Click here.

Poker hands

2012-07-18T06:29:00.004-07:00

The poker hands, ranking from the best to worst:

Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two pair
Pair
High Card

An illustration of poker hands can be found here.

Texas Hold'em rules

2012-07-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Cards used:52

Players:2-10

Most Texas Hold 'Em Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand. This is called "posting the blinds." Most often, the "first blind" -- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet.

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Betting Begins

A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating.

The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."

NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

Fourth Street

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street."

The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.

Fifth Street

The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or "Fifth Street."

Final Betting and The Winner

Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button).

After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

The player with the best hand wins.