First Poker Game Live

Hitting The Draw

In reality, Poker has two fundamental forms, from which all the variations stem.

In Closed Poker, all the cards are dealt face down; in Stud Poker, some cards are dealt face down, some open.

Only the holder of a hand may look at the faces of the closed cards in it, prior to the showdown.

A player who drops out prior to the showdown is not required to show his closed cards.

The classical form of Closed Poker is Draw and the most enduring variation of Draw is Jackpots, which will serve as a prototype.

Jackpots is played under these rules:

Five cards, constituting the 'original hand', are dealt to each player, and the betting begins. To open the betting, a player must hold 'Jacks or better', that is, a hand which contains one pair of J's or a higher ranking combination.

The holder of such a hand is not compelled to open; he may check, that is, decline to bet, while retaining the privilege of staying if an opponent should open.

All the action is clockwise: the player immediately to the dealer's left must act first and is said to be 'under the gun.'

If the player under the gun does not open, the next player must act, and so on.

If every player checks, the deal is passed out; then there is usually an additional ante, and the same variation is dealt again.

When the betting has been opened, each following player must in turn raise or call or drop out.

If a following player raises, the opener may reraise. If, after a raise, the opener drops out, he may be required to show his opening combination: the exception to the rule about concealing closed cards.

The betting continues until equalized.

Now comes the 'Draw'. In turn, each stayer may try to improve his original hand by discarding from it and getting, from the undealt portion of the deck, replacements equal in number to his discards.

A player may stand pat, may play the original hand as is, without drawing. With less than six players at the table, a stayer may draw as many as five cards. With six or more at the table, the draw is usually limited to three cards.

If the opener discards from his opening combination, he must put those cards face down in the pot so that they may be inspected, if necessary, after the showdown.

The card at the bottom of the deck is never dealt. If the draw exhausts the deck, the discards and bottom card are shuffled and cut; then the draw continues from those cards.

After the draw comes the final betting round, under the same rules as the betting before the draw, except that the opener is under the gun.

If the opener has been driven out by a raise, the next player still in the action must bet or check. Most groups increase the limit for this betting round.

The deal ends with the showdown--- and the closing ceremony in which the winner hauls in the pot.