Basic Card Game Rules

Texas Holdem

So how do you play Texas hold'em? In Texas hold'em players are trying to make the best five-card poker hand according to traditional poker rankings. In this respect, hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw. However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker. In hold'em each player is dealt two cards face down (the "hole cards"), then over the course of subsequent rounds five more cards are eventually dealt face up in the middle of the table. These face up cards are called the "community cards" because each player uses them to make a five-card poker hand. The five community cards are dealt in three stages. The first three community cards are called the "flop." Then just one card is dealt, called the "turn." Finally one more card, the fifth and final community card, is dealt — the "river." Players construct their five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards). This can be done by using both of the hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cardsm or no hole cards and playing all five community cards — whatever works to make the best five-card hand. If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards. For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can "bluff" and get others to fold better hands. If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, then the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.

Black Jack

You need to know the card values to know how to play 21. Cards 2-10 are worth the value of the number on the face of the card. Numbered cards are worth the corresponding number indicated on the card. Face cards (those with pictures on them) are worth 10, except for the Ace, which is worth 1 or 11. A picture combined with an Ace is Blackjack (a value of 21). The most important blackjack rule is simple: beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. If you get 21 points exactly on the deal, that is called a “blackjack.” When you’re dealt a blackjack 21, it’s customary to pay out 3:2 or 2:1. That means you win $300 for ever $200 bet at 3:2, or $200 for every $100 bet at 2:1. Clearly. 2:1 is a better payout. Some casinos have moved this down to 6:5 or 7:5, however, this means you’ll get considerably less money over the long haul. A game that pays 1:1 on any kind of a blackjack is usually not even worth looking at. Whether you’re at a land-based casino or playing online blackjack, the gambling table is always laid out the same way. When you learn how to play 21, you will find each player has his or her own assigned betting area, laid out on the table for each seat position. The playing area includes a space for his/her cards, a betting area, and possibly an insurance field or location for a double down bet. The dealer, likewise, has a designated area for his or her cards, plus a “shoe” containing at least one deck of cards. A shoe is a box that might include an automated shuffler to randomly distribute a card each time the dealer removes one for the deal. Traditional land-based casinos, as well as online blackjack casinos, will use between one and as many as eight decks per game. This helps to thwart those who might be counting cards or are considered “advantage” players who know how to manipulate blackjack rules. While counting cards is legal, a casino will ban anyone it considers to be a highly skilled player capable of imposing an advantage over the house in one or more casino games.

Pai Gow

The object of pai gow poker is for a player to create two poker hands out of the seven-card hand he/she is dealt (a five-card hand and a two-card poker hand) that beats both the dealer's corresponding hands. The five-card hand's rank must exceed that of the two-card hand, and it is for this reason that the two-card hand is often called the hand "in front", "on top", "hair", or the "small", "minor", or "low" hand. The five-card hand is called the hand "behind", or the "bottom", "high", or "big", as they are placed that way in front of the player, when the player is done setting them. The cards are shuffled, and then dealt to the table in seven face-down piles of seven cards per pile. Four cards are unused regardless of the number of people playing. Betting positions are assigned a number from 1 to 7, starting with whichever player is acting as banker that hand, and counting counter-clockwise around the table. A number from 1 to 7 is randomly chosen (either electronically or manually with dice), then the deal begins with the corresponding position and proceeds counter-clockwise. One common way of using dice to determine the dealer starting number is to roll three six-sided dice, and then count betting spots clockwise from the first position until the number on the dice is reached. If a player is not sitting on a particular spot, the hand is still assigned, but then placed on the discard pile with the four unused cards. In some casinos, such as the Golden Nugget and Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, an extra "dragon hand" is dealt if a seat is vacant. After all players have set their original hand they are asked in turn if they would like to place another bet to play the dragon hand. Generally the bet on the dragon hand can be the table minimum up to the amount the player bet on their original hand. The first player to accept the dragon hand receives it; this player is effectively playing two separate hands. Rules vary from casino to casino, but generally the dealer turns over the dragon hand and sets it using the house way. This is because the player has already seen 7 cards (their original hand) which could affect the way they would set the dragon hand. The only two-card hands are one pair and high cards. Five-card hands use standard poker hand rankings with one exception: in most casinos, the "wheel" (the hand A-2-3-4-5) is the second-highest straight. At most casinos in California and Michigan this rule doesn't apply, and A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible straight. The joker plays as a bug, that is, in the five-card hand it can be used to complete a straight or flush if possible; otherwise it is an ace. In the two-card hand it always plays as an ace, except in several southern Californian casinos where the joker is wild. If each of the player's hands beats each of the banker's corresponding hands, then he wins the bet. If only one of his hands beats the banker then he pushes (ties) in which case neither he nor the banker wins the bet. If both of his hands lose to the banker then he loses. On each hand, ties go to the banker (for example, if a player's five-card hand loses to the banker and his two-card hand ties the banker then the player loses); this gives the banker a small advantage. If the player fouls his hand, meaning that his two-card hand outranks his five-card hand, or that there are an incorrect number of cards in each hand, there will usually be a penalty: either re-arrangement of the hand according to house rules or forfeiture of the hand. In casino-banked games, the banker is generally required to set his hand in a pre-specified manner, called the "house way", so that the dealer does not have to implement any strategy in order to beat the players. When a player is banking, he is free to set the hand however he chooses; however, players have the option of "co-banking" with the house, and if this option is chosen then the player's hand must also be set in the house way. California casinos typically charge a flat fee per hand (such as 5 cents or one dollar) to play, win or lose. Other casinos take a 5% commission out of the winnings, which is usually known as the rake.

Hi-Low

The game is commonly known as Higher or Lower. There are 4 cards face down and 1 card face up. During the player's turn, the player shall guess whether the next face down card has a higher or lower card value. When guessed, the next face down card is flipped over to be evaluated. If guessed correctly, the player continues, otherwise, each face up card for the player is replaced with a face down card. If the flipped card has the same value, then the player's score is reset to zero. When the player successfully guesses all 4 cards, the player gains a point, and all the cards are reset. When the player reaches 3 points, he/she has won the game.