Like a house, poker requires a foundation. Only when
that foundation is solidly in place can you proceed to
build on it. When all the structural elements are in
place, you can then add flourishes and decorative
touches. But you can't begin embellishing it until the
foundation has been poured, the building framed, and
all the other elements that come before it are in
place. That's the purpose here: to put first things
first — to give you a basic understanding of what you
need before you begin to play.
Planning and discipline
Some poker players, and it's no more than a handful,
really do have a genius for the game — an
inexplicable, Picasso-like talent that isn't easily
defined and usually has to be seen to be believed.
But even in the absence of genius — and most
winning players certainly are not poker savants —
poker is an eminently learnable skill. Inherent ability
helps, and while you need some talent, you really
don't need all that much. After all, you don't have to
be Van Cliburn to play the piano, Picasso to paint, or
Michael Jordan to play basketball. What you do need
to become a winning player are discipline and a solid
plan to learn the game.
Plotting a strategy: If you aspire to play
winning poker, then you need a plan to learn
the game. While the school of hard knocks may
have sufficed as the educational institution of
choice 20 or 30 years ago, most of today's
better poker players have added a solid
grounding in poker theory to their over-the-
table experiences. You can find a slew of
information to help you learn the game — in
books, magazines, and online.
Discipline: All the strategic knowledge in the
world does not guarantee success to any poker
player. Personal characteristics are equally
important. Success demands a certain quality
of character in addition to strategic know-how.
Players lacking self-discipline, for example,
have a hard time ever winning consistently
regardless of how strategically sophisticated
they may be. If one lacks the discipline to
throw away poor starting hands, then all the
knowledge in the world can't overcome this
flaw.
Knowledge without discipline is merely
unrealized potential. Playing with discipline is a
key to avoiding losing your shirt — or your
shorts.
If you can learn to play poker at a level akin to that
of a journeyman musician, a work-a-day commercial
artist, you will be good enough to win consistently.
You don't have to be a world champion like Doyle
Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, or Tom
McEvoy to earn money playing poker. The skills of a
good journeyman poker player enable you to
supplement your income, or — better yet — earn your
entire livelihood at the game. If you go on to become
the very best poker player you can be, that should be
more than enough to ensure that you will be a
lifelong winning player.
The object of the game
The objective of poker is to win money by capturing
the pot, which contains bets made by various
players during the hand. A player wagers a bet in
hopes that he has the best hand, or to give the
impression that he holds a strong hand and thus
convince his opponents to fold (abandon) their
hands. Because money saved is just as valuable as
money won, knowing when to release a hand that
appears to be beaten is just as important as knowing
when to bet. In most poker games, the top
combination of five cards is the best hand.
Number of players
Any number of players, typically from two to ten, can
play, depending on the game. Most casino games
are set up with eight players for a seven-card game
like Stud poker or Razz, and nine or ten players for
Texas Hold'em.
The deck
Most forms of poker involve a standard 52-card
deck. For Draw poker and Lowball, a joker, or "bug,"
is sometimes added to the deck. It's not a wild card
per se, but it can be used in Draw poker as an
additional ace, or to complete a straight or flush. In
Lowball, the joker is used as the lowest card that
does not pair your hand. For example, if you held
7-6-2-A-Joker, it would be the same as if you held
7-6-3-2-A.
Poker chips
Whether you use pennies or peanuts to bet with at
home, nothing beats the feel of real poker chips.
Originally made of clay, chips now come in a durable
composite or plastic.
The plastic ones are a bit more slippery than the
composite and, thus, are more difficult to handle.
Chips are available in a wide range of colors and
patterns. The designs and "edge spots" you see on
casino chips vary because of security reasons, but
the colors generally follow a set of traditional dollar
values:
$1 White
$5 Red
$25 Green
$100 Black
$500 Purple or Lavender
If you want to add a dose of Vegas-style playing to
your home game, then try using real chips. Following
is a list of the number of chips you'll need:
3 to 4 players 300 chips
5 to 6 players 400 chips
7 to 8 players 500 chips
Large games or multiple games 1,000 chips
Buy the Book
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that foundation is solidly in place can you proceed to
build on it. When all the structural elements are in
place, you can then add flourishes and decorative
touches. But you can't begin embellishing it until the
foundation has been poured, the building framed, and
all the other elements that come before it are in
place. That's the purpose here: to put first things
first — to give you a basic understanding of what you
need before you begin to play.
Planning and discipline
Some poker players, and it's no more than a handful,
really do have a genius for the game — an
inexplicable, Picasso-like talent that isn't easily
defined and usually has to be seen to be believed.
But even in the absence of genius — and most
winning players certainly are not poker savants —
poker is an eminently learnable skill. Inherent ability
helps, and while you need some talent, you really
don't need all that much. After all, you don't have to
be Van Cliburn to play the piano, Picasso to paint, or
Michael Jordan to play basketball. What you do need
to become a winning player are discipline and a solid
plan to learn the game.
Plotting a strategy: If you aspire to play
winning poker, then you need a plan to learn
the game. While the school of hard knocks may
have sufficed as the educational institution of
choice 20 or 30 years ago, most of today's
better poker players have added a solid
grounding in poker theory to their over-the-
table experiences. You can find a slew of
information to help you learn the game — in
books, magazines, and online.
Discipline: All the strategic knowledge in the
world does not guarantee success to any poker
player. Personal characteristics are equally
important. Success demands a certain quality
of character in addition to strategic know-how.
Players lacking self-discipline, for example,
have a hard time ever winning consistently
regardless of how strategically sophisticated
they may be. If one lacks the discipline to
throw away poor starting hands, then all the
knowledge in the world can't overcome this
flaw.
Knowledge without discipline is merely
unrealized potential. Playing with discipline is a
key to avoiding losing your shirt — or your
shorts.
If you can learn to play poker at a level akin to that
of a journeyman musician, a work-a-day commercial
artist, you will be good enough to win consistently.
You don't have to be a world champion like Doyle
Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, or Tom
McEvoy to earn money playing poker. The skills of a
good journeyman poker player enable you to
supplement your income, or — better yet — earn your
entire livelihood at the game. If you go on to become
the very best poker player you can be, that should be
more than enough to ensure that you will be a
lifelong winning player.
The object of the game
The objective of poker is to win money by capturing
the pot, which contains bets made by various
players during the hand. A player wagers a bet in
hopes that he has the best hand, or to give the
impression that he holds a strong hand and thus
convince his opponents to fold (abandon) their
hands. Because money saved is just as valuable as
money won, knowing when to release a hand that
appears to be beaten is just as important as knowing
when to bet. In most poker games, the top
combination of five cards is the best hand.
Number of players
Any number of players, typically from two to ten, can
play, depending on the game. Most casino games
are set up with eight players for a seven-card game
like Stud poker or Razz, and nine or ten players for
Texas Hold'em.
The deck
Most forms of poker involve a standard 52-card
deck. For Draw poker and Lowball, a joker, or "bug,"
is sometimes added to the deck. It's not a wild card
per se, but it can be used in Draw poker as an
additional ace, or to complete a straight or flush. In
Lowball, the joker is used as the lowest card that
does not pair your hand. For example, if you held
7-6-2-A-Joker, it would be the same as if you held
7-6-3-2-A.
Poker chips
Whether you use pennies or peanuts to bet with at
home, nothing beats the feel of real poker chips.
Originally made of clay, chips now come in a durable
composite or plastic.
The plastic ones are a bit more slippery than the
composite and, thus, are more difficult to handle.
Chips are available in a wide range of colors and
patterns. The designs and "edge spots" you see on
casino chips vary because of security reasons, but
the colors generally follow a set of traditional dollar
values:
$1 White
$5 Red
$25 Green
$100 Black
$500 Purple or Lavender
If you want to add a dose of Vegas-style playing to
your home game, then try using real chips. Following
is a list of the number of chips you'll need:
3 to 4 players 300 chips
5 to 6 players 400 chips
7 to 8 players 500 chips
Large games or multiple games 1,000 chips
Buy the Book
More From Dummies.com
Unhealthy Foods to Avoid at All Costs - For
Dummies
Seven Foods That Fight Inflammation and Belly Fat -
For Dummies
The Seven Deadly Sins of the Catholic Church - For
Dummies
Promoted Stories
Recommended by
Newsletter Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
Full Site
Copyright © 2016
Poker
Poker For Dummies
UserVoice Blog » Blog
9 Proven Customer Feedback
Strategies for SaaS Growth
Plane Stories
Today's jetsetters share what
air travel means to them
Front Page
How India Consumes Content
Online, According To Outbrain
Source :dummies
