Poker Play &
Win at
The Complete Manual
Simple guides to the most popular games Play and win!
In the casino, casino, online and at home
Welcome to
Poker Play &
Win at
The Complete Manual
Poker is undoubtedly the world’s most popular card game, played by millions of people across the globe. But whether you aspire to simply push a few chips across your kitchen table, or enter highstakes tournaments around the world, all it takes to get up and running with poker is a knowledge of the basic rules and variants, plus a general familiarity with strategy and etiquette. And that’s exactly what you’ll learn in Play & Win at Poker The Complete Complete Manual. This book covers everything you need to start playing – and raking in the cash – in no time at all. Let’s get started.
Poker Play &
Win at
The Complete Manual Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ +44 (0) 1202 586200 Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk Twitter: @Books_Imagine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines
Head of Publishing Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Production Editor Mike Hine Senior Art Editor Greg Whitaker Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed in the UK & Eire by Imagine Publishing Ltd, www.imagineshop.co.uk. Tel 01202 586200 Distributed in Australia by Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086. Tel + 61 2 9972 8800 Distributed in the Rest of the World by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
This bookazine is published under licence from Carlton Publishing Group Limited. All rights in the licensed material belong to Carlton Publishing Limited and it may not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Carlton Publishing Limited. ©2006 Carlton Publishing Limited. Play & Win at Poker The Complete Manual © 2014 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1909758858
Contents What you can �nd inside the bookazine
“To win you have to play the right hands at the right time, and learn the ancient arts of patience and discipline”
6
Le ar n t o p la y p ok e r & w in !
8
Introduction Get to know your poker history
10 Chapter one What is poker? We explain what defines poker, and what unites the variations 20 Chapter two Texas Hold’em Get started with the most popular version of the game 34 Chapter three Stud poker Discover seven-card poker 50 Chapter four Five-card Draw A great beginner’s game 60 Chapter five Betting Learn how to bet properly 74 Chapter six Poker strategy Follow our guide to playing poker like a winner 92 Chapter seven Online poker Dive into the hugely popular world of online poker 108 Chapter eight Home games Create a casino atmosphere in your kitchen 114 Chapter nine Live games A guide to real-world poker 120 Chapter ten Video poker Take on a poker machine 128 Chapter eleven Table games Some simple casino variants 140 Chapter twelve Poker etiquette How to conduct yourself like a pro at the table 7
An introduction to poker
Introduction
An introduction to poker Poker isn’t a new game and, contrary to popular opinion, it’s not even an American game, although Americans made it their own in the twentieth century. So where does it come from? The history
8
Introduction
An introduction to poker
Today
Access all areas
How to read this book 9
Chapter one
What is poker?
What is poker? That might seem like a stupid question but poker is actually an umbrella term that covers a multitude of subtle and not so subtle variations. Underpinning all of them, though, is the basic poker rule set
Hand rankings
Learning hand rankings
10
What is poker?
Chapter one
Hand rankings Royal flush
Straight flush
Four-of-a-kind
Full house
Flush
Straight
Three-of-a-kind
Two pair
One pair
High card
11
Chapter one
What is poker?
12
What is poker?
Chapter one
Advanced techniques
13
Chapter one
What is poker?
P1 (Dealer)
P6
P2
P5
P3
P4
Shuffle up and deal
Getting started
14
Warning
What is poker? Chips
Chapter one
15
Chapter one
What is poker?
Chips don’t always equal money 16
Single-table tournament (STT) or sit-and-go
What is poker?
Chapter one
P1
P10 $2,700
$4,200
Flop P9 $500
P3 $1,200
Turn River
Pot $3,000
Fold Fold
P5 $1,500
P6 $1,900
Advanced techniques you’re looking for a longer game with more play you want to start with low blinds and have longer
17
Chapter one
What is poker?
Multi-table tournament (MTT) 18
What is poker?
Chapter one
Checklist are hundreds of different · There poker variants all of them are betting games · But where chips are used as collateral win the pot by making the best · You five-card hand or by bluffing your opponent into folding (giving up) chance of getting a royal flush · The is about 650,000-1, which means it’s
Skill will out
still far more likely than winning the
lottery can play ring games where chips · You mean cash, or tournaments (single or multi-table) where you pay a set entry fee and receive the same number of starting chips as everyone else is a game of skill played · Poker against real people
19
Texas Hold’em
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em Two words that are guaranteed to light up the eyes and quicken the pulse of any poker player, Texas Hold’em has been growing in popularity since 1970 and has now officially taken over the world
Pack-shuffling techniques
Getting started P1 (Dealer) P6
P2
SMALL BLIND
BIG BLIND
P5
P3 P4
20
Texas Hold’em
For your eyes only
Chapter two
The flop
THE FLOP
Flop
Turn
River
The Board
21
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
1 1) scoops the pot. The nature of the game means
Burning cards in poker
SPLIT POTS (1) Your hand
Opponent’s hand The Board
Winning hand
SPLIT POTS (2) Your hand
Opponent’s hand
Split pots 22
The Board
Winning hand
Chapter two
Tex Texas as Hold’ Hold’em em
Texas Texas Hold’em strategy
Premium starting hands
23
Chapter two
Tex Texas as Hold Hold’’em
24
Playing big pairs
Chapter two
Tex Texas as Hold’ Hold’em em
P5 12% P1 15%
Playing big pairs SMALL BLIND
BIG BLIND P4 16%
P2 12%
P3 (You) 45% P5
P1 Fold Fold
Fold
P4 20%
P2 P3 (You) (You) 80%
25
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
Position, position, position
Suited connectors
Position, position, position You P6
P2
Fold
SMALL BLIND
BIG BLIND
Fold
P5
Fold P4
26
P3
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
BOTTOM PAIR Your hand
25%
Opponent’s hand
75%
The Flop
To play or not to play
Drawing hands
Bottom pair
27
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
DRAWING HANDS Your hand
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
The Turn
28
Pot odds
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
POT ODDS Your hand
The Flop and Turn
Pot: $5,000 Bet to call: $500
Pot odds 10-1
Odds to hit flush approx: 20%
4-1
Verdict: Call
Aggression
AGGRESSION Your hand
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
29
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
Pump ’em or dump ’em
Bluffing in Hold’em
Want some more?
BLUFFING Your hand
Statistics to bear in mind Opponent’s hand
The Flop
The Turn
30
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
Omaha It is entirely feasible to play Texas Hold’em and nothing but Texas Hold’em for the rest of your days, and never get bored. But do this and you’re missing out on the game that provides action by the bucketload
The same but different
Two from four
OMAHA HOLD’EM Four hole cards
31
Texas Hold’em
Chapter two
CLOSER
P1
30%
P2
18%
P3
31%
P4
20%
Tweaking tactics for Omaha
32
Chapter two
Texas Hold’em
Premium starting hands
High or Hi/Lo
Checklist Hold’em is the most popular · Texas game of poker; it’s extremely easy to learn the basics but incredibly hard to master and selection of starting · Position hands are paramount
· You shouldn’t slow-play big pairs · Or draw to improbable hands · Aggression normally pays off knowledge of probabilities · Ais basic essential you’ve been dealt four cards · Ifyou’re playing Omaha hands are stronger and · Where maths plays a much bigger part you’re playing Omaha Hi/Lo · Ifyou’re an extremely brave person
33
Chapter three
Stud poker
Stud poker Before Texas Hold’em became so powerful in the world of poker, Seven-card Stud was the game to play. A very different game from Hold’em, it requires patience, a great deal of attention and an analytical mind
How to play
SEVEN-CARD STUD Round 1
Pocket/Hole
2
Door
34
4th Street
3
5th Street
4
6th Street
5
River
Stud poker
Seven-card Stud: the sequence of play
Chapter three
P1
P2
25¢ 25¢
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
25¢
25¢
P4
P3
Options:
P2
P1
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
35
Chapter three
Stud poker
P1
P2
Options:
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
P1
P2
Options:
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
36
Chapter three
Stud poker
Suit strengths
P1
P2
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
P1
P2
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
37
Chapter three
Stud poker
P1
P2 (WINNER)
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
P4
P3
A mental checklist
Decision-making
38
Stud poker
Chapter three
Fifth-street hands
Playing pairs
Calling stations
Table information
Reading the table
Table information P1
P2
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud
Fold P4
P3
39
Chapter three
Stud poker
Advanced techniques
Warning
No-limit/Pot-limit
Community river
P2
P3
P4
P1
River
P8
P5
P7
40
P6
Stud poker
Chapter three
Starting hands
41
Chapter three
Stud poker
Further strategies
Starting hand probabilities 42
Stud poker
Chapter three
Stud variants Seven-card Stud might be the most popular of the Stud games, but there are plenty of other variants you can play when you have mastered the basics
Five-card Stud
Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo
Five-card Stud P2
P1
$1/$2 Five-card Stud Bring-in
P3 P5 P4
43
Chapter three
Stud poker
P2 (WINNER)
P1
$1/$2 Five-card Stud
Fold
P3 Fold
P5 P4
Hi-Lo Player 1
Best low hand
Best high hand
44
Stud poker
Chapter three
Hi-Lo hand breakdown
Player 1
Best Hi
Player 2
Best Hi
Best Lo
No qualifying Lo-Hand
P1
P2
$1/$2 Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo
P4
P3
Player 4
Best Hi
Best Lo
Player 3
Best Hi
No qualifying Lo-Hand
45
Chapter three
Stud poker
Razz
Razz: sequence of play P1 P2
25¢ Bring-in $1/$2 Razz
P4
P3
P1 P2
$1/$2 Razz
Best low hand
P4
P3
Options: 46
Stud poker
Chapter three
P1
P2
Fold
$1/$2 Razz
P3
P4
P1 P2
Fold
$1/$2 Razz
Low hand
Fold P3 P4 P1
P2
Fold
$1/$2 Razz
Fold
P3
P4
47
Options:
Chapter three
Stud poker
Follow the Queen
Follow the Queen
P1 P2
Queen arrives
$1/$2 Follow the Queen Wild
P4
P3
48
Stud poker
Chapter three
Checklist You can still find Seven-card Stud in
live and online poker rooms But it’s probably the most
complicated poker variant you can play Giving the game your full attention
is the only way to succeed So you’d better have a good memory
Being able to lay down hands is the
most important ability Having some strict starting hand
criteria will save you money in the long run Follow the Queen is great fun to
play at home
49
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Five-card Draw Draw poker is one of the oldest and most basic of all the poker variants you can play, which makes it an ideal place to start if you’re a total beginner
Sequence of play
50
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Antes and blinds
The deal
Antes and blinds
P2 P3
$50
$50 FIVE-CARD DRAW
$50
$50 $50 P4
P1
Dealer P2 P3
Big Blind $50
Small Blind $25
FIVE-CARD DRAW
P1
P4 Dealer
51
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
P2 P3
The Deal
FIVE-CARD DRAW
P4 P1
Dealer
P2
P3
FIVE-CARD DRAW
P1
P4 Dealer
Betting in an ante game 52
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Betting in a blinded game
Discarding
Warning
Stand pat
53
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
P2
Stand pat
P3
Round 1
Round 2
BB $50
Round 1
Round 1
Round 2
SB $25
Round 1
Round 2
Round 1
P4
P1
You
Final betting round
Showdown
Showdown
P2
P3 Fold
FIVE-CARD DRAW
P4
P1 Fold P5 54
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Common mistakes
Reading your opponents’ actions
55
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Hand-ranking odds
Playing position
P4
You
P5
P2 $50 P6 $25
P1 P7 P8 56
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Advanced techniques
Drawing to straights and flushes
P5
P4 Fold
P6
Fold
P3
Call $50
$50
Call $50
$25
P2
Fold P8 You 57
P7
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Starting pairs – eight-handed
Positional pairs Player 2
Players 3, 4 and 5
P4
P3
P5 P2
BB
SB
P6 P1 P8
P7
Player 1
Player 8
58
Player 6
Player 7
Chapter four
Five-card Draw
Triple Draw You’re not always looking for the high cards in poker. In Triple Draw, the lower your cards the better
Checklist is an extremely simple poker · Draw variant There are no community cards
You get all five cards at the start
And discard and draw new ones to
improve your hand In most games of Draw you can
choose to discard any number of cards Or you can stand pat with a really
bad hand… And hope you don’t get called by a
monster A royal flush is the worst hand you
can make in Triple Draw 59
Chapter five
Betting
Betting It’s said that poker takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, and it’s the same with betting. There aren’t that many moves you can actually make but you can use them in a million different ways
Blinds and antes
Your betting moves
Keep your taps in check
60
Chapter five
Betting
page for more on the different types of game
61
Chapter five
Betting
Warning
Say what you mean
Straddle bets P3
P2
ACTION
P4
$5 BB $2.50 SB
$10 Straddle $5/$10 LIMIT HOLD’EM
You P5 P3 P6
62
Chapter five
Betting P3
P2
No-limit
P1
P4
SB $5
BB $10 Min raise $20
$5-$10 NO-LIMIT
Reraise $350 Fold You
Options:
How much can you bet?
No-limit
63
Chapter five
Betting
Warning
Limit
Side pots
You P2
All-in
MAIN POT $400
Bet $150 SIDE POT $300 Call $150
ACTION P3
P4
64
Chapter five
Betting
Limit
P3 P2
P4
BB $5
SB $2.50
$5/$10 LIMIT OMAHA
You P5 P6
P3
P4
P2
BB $5
SB $2.50
Call $5
$5/$10 LIMIT OMAHA
$10 Raise
You
P5
Options:
Fold P6
65
Chapter five
Betting
P3 P4
P2
Bet $5
Call $5
Call $5
$5/$10 LIMIT OMAHA
$10 Raise
P5
You
Fold P6 P3
P4
P2
Bet $10
Check
Call $10
$5/$10 LIMIT OMAHA
$20 Raise
P5
You
Fold P6
Options:
66
Betting
Chapter five
P3
Capping
P4
P2
Bet $10
Raise $20
$5/$10 LIMIT
$30 Raise
$40 Raise
P5
You Options:
When to bluff
Pot-limit
P6
67
Chapter five
Betting
Betting strategy: asking the question
Size is everything
Pot-limit
P2 P1
P3
SB $5 POT-LIMIT $5/$10
BB $10
$35 Raise Options: You
68
P4
Chapter five
Betting
Asking the question Your hand
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
Money talks
Player observation
Triple the blinds 69
Chapter five
Betting P2
P3
Triple the blinds Fold
Fold P4
$30 Call $10 NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
Raise $30 SB $5
BB $10
You
Fold
Fold
P5 P6
Slow-playing
Triple the blinds P3 P2
Fold
Fold
P4
$10 NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
What is beating you?
You
Fold P6
70
Fold P5
Chapter five
Betting
Warning
Positional betting
Positional betting You
P3
P2
P4
Fold Check
Check NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
Check Fold P5
Options:
P6
71
Betting
Chapter five
P3
P2
Positional betting
P4
You
Fold Check
Check
NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
Check Check
P5 P6
Know when to fold online
72
Chapter five
Betting
Checklist is a powerful weapon · Betting in poker
· You can bet with a strong hand... · And bet with a weak one… · And both can win you the pot can only win what you · You put in can buy you valuable · Betting information betting is a winning · Position strategy
· Be unpredictable you’re playing no-limit you can · Ifpush all your chips in the middle… if you’re not careful, lose · And, them
73
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Poker strategy There are thousands of books you can buy that are dedicated purely to raising your game, but underlying them all is basic core strategy. It’s all you need to play winning poker, and it’s all here Position
Positional awareness
Under the gun
Under the gun P2
P3
P1 Fold Fold
ACTION Small Blind Call $5
Big Blind Call $10 You
Bet $30
Re-raise
Raise
Call Fold
P8
P5 P7
74
P6
Poker strategy
Chapter six
On the button
Starting hands
Advanced techniques
On the button P2 Fold You
Small Blind
P3
Fold
P4
Big Blind
Fold
Raise
ACTION
Call Fold P8 Fold
Fold P5
P7
P6
75
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Table Position
Table Position Early
P1
P2
P3
P4
P10
Early Late
Middle P9
P5
P8
Late
P7
P6
Middle
All other pairs Suited connectors
76
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Be selective
Advanced techniques
Aggression
Heads-up
Introducing aggression
77
Poker strategy
Chapter six
STONE-COLD
Your hand
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
Bluffing
What is bluffing? Types of bluff 78
Poker strategy
SEMI-BLUFF Your hand
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
Chapter six
Advanced techniques
Slow-playing
How often should you bluff? 79
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Bluffing and position
Black magic
Know your opponents
BLUFFING POSITION
Your hand
Advanced techniques
Opponent’s hand
The Flop
80
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Tells
Strength is weakness
How can you spot tells?
Player pro�le: Stu Ungar
81
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Advanced techniques
How can you eliminate tells from your own play?
Common tells
82
Advanced techniques
Poker strategy
Bad beats
Chapter six
BAD BEAT Player 1
Player 2
The Flop
The Turn
The River
Warning 83
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Tilt! 84
Beware the novice
Specific strategies
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Single-table tournaments
85
Poker strategy
Chapter six
P2
P1
Tactics for a 10-man SST
P9 P3
P4 P8
P5
P6 P1
P2
P8
P6 P1
Small Blind Big Blind
P6
86
P2
Poker strategy
Advanced techniques
Chapter six
Warning
Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) 87
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Cash games
88
Poker strategy
Advanced techniques
Chapter six
Know when to fold
Advanced techniques
89
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Advanced techniques
Pot odds Your hand
Pot odds The Flop 90
Poker strategy
Chapter six
Checklist Position is power
Selective aggression is a winning
tactic
Good starting hands are the
foundation of solid poker Bluffing is a powerful weapon
Everyone has tells – it’s just a case
of looking for them Everyone suffers bad beats
But not everyone goes on tilt
afterwards
Advanced techniques
91
Chapter seven
Online poker
Online poker Play poker whenever you want, for however long you want, without leaving your home. The beauty of the Internet is that in cyberspace there’s always someone wanting to play you at cards
The differences
92
Online poker
Chapter seven
93
Chapter seven
Online poker
Freerolls
94
Online poker
Chapter seven
Satellite qualifiers
Internet strategy
95
Chapter seven
Online poker
96
Online poker
Chapter seven
97
Chapter seven
Online poker
Advanced techniques
98
Online poker
Chapter seven
Adapt your speed
99
Chapter seven
Online poker
100
Online poker
Chapter seven
Am I going to get ripped off?
101
Chapter seven
Online poker
102
Online poker
Chapter seven
Robot wars 103
Chapter seven
Online poker
Which site should I play on?
Sign-up bonuses
Top 10 poker sites
Loyalty points 104
Online poker
Chapter seven
105
Chapter seven
Online poker
106
Online poker
Chapter seven
Checklist can play online poker 24/7, 365 · You days a year Hold’em is the most popular · Texas online game you can find Omaha, Stud and · But Draw as well
· It’s generally fast and loose you can play for free and win · And real money prizes satellites let you qualify for · Online huge tournaments for a few dollars sites don’t use rigged · Online software
· And though cheating’s possible · It’s extremely rare and easy to trace
107
Chapter eight
Home games
Home games Playing in multi-million-dollar tournaments is all well and good but nothing can beat a good home game with your mates – as long as it’s run properly. We’re here to make sure that your game is the best home game in the world
Tournament
Cash game
108
Home games
Chapter eight
Advanced techniques
The kit
Cards
109
Chapter eight
Home games
Chips
How many?
110
Assigning chip values
Blinds
Chapter eight
Home games
Starting stack: $2,000
Tables
Starting stack: $2,000
Prize pool
Housekeeping 111
Chapter eight
Home games
Rounding-up the chips
The buy-in
Blinds in empty seats
The gene pool
Errors
112
Home games
Warning
Misdeals
Chapter eight
Checklist a decent poker set – cards and · Buy chips are a must
· As is a decent surface and seating on the format – cash or · Decide tournament the blind structure to suit the · Set length of the game required make the buy-in so big your · Don’t friends hate you when they lose
all the rules clear to everyone · Make before you start
· Drink, but not too much sure everyone you’ve invited · Make gets on
not so well they go soft on each · But other
Preventing cheating
113
Chapter nine
Live games
Live games Perfect your poker face, pack your sunglasses and make sure you’ve got Kenny Rogers’s The Gambler on your iPod. It’s time to take your new-found skills out into the real world
Casino and card room memberships
In the card room 114
Chapter nine
Live games
Keeping up appearances
Live games
The comfort zone
Self-dealing
Chips 115
Chapter nine
Live games
Warning
The buy-in
The colour-up
In-game customs
Cards 116
Live games
Warning
Chapter nine
Dealers
Table talk
Waitresses
Leaving the table
Tips for tipping
117
Chapter nine
Live games
Advanced techniques
Take notes
Table toys
Wait your turn
Mind games
118
Tells
Chapter nine
Live games
Ask for help
Checklist Live Liv e poker is a brilliant and social
experience You can now walk into a casino or
card room and play instantly Watch a game in progress before
taking the plunge Make Mak e sure you can shuffle, deal and
handle chips properly Etiquette Etiqu ette and courtesy will win you
as many friends as pots Police your behaviour and eradicate
as many tells as possible Talk as little or as much as you like
at the table, but always be polite Take as many toys to the table as
you want, but always consider your fellow players Look beyond the obvious places to
find good live games If in doubt, ask
Finding games 119
Chapter ten
Video poker
Video poker You might have seen the rows of people sitting at the casino bar, feeding dollars into bar-top machines, taking advantage of the free drinks and occasionally whooping with delight. This is what they’re playing…
120
Video poker Pay to play
The rules
Payouts and game types
Chapter ten
121
Chapter ten
Video poker
Strategies
What are you playing for? 122
Video poker
Chapter ten
Wild-card strategies
123
Video poker
Chapter ten
Loyalty schemes
Is it fixed?
Flexing your poker skills 124
Chapter ten
Video poker
Understanding variance
Other types of video poker
Selecting a machine
125
Chapter ten
Video poker
Multi-hand games
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
H OL D
HOLD
HOLD
Two-pair
Full house
Two-pair
Three-of-a-kind
126
HOLD
HOLD
Three-of-a-kind
Video poker Slot poker
Chapter ten
Checklist poker can be a fun diversion · Video from the card room though you’re playing against · Even the house you can find machines with a pretty healthy return with wild cards increase · Machines the number of big hands you’ll hit they also reduce the payouts · But you’ll get that if you’re playing · Remember video poker you’ll get a few free drinks from the casino. It’s the least you deserve
127
Chapter eleven
Table games
Table games Sick of chucking good money at the roulette table? Most casinos offer a variety of poker-based table games that can provide a fun diversion from the card-room. Just don’t expect to beat the house
Caribbean Stud Poker
128
Chapter eleven
Table games
Caribbean Stud Dealer
0
C
A R I
B B E A
N S TU D
R a i s e A n t e
5 M I N $
X
M A
0 $ 5
.
e i s a R
.
t e n A
Raise
Ante $5
YOU
Dealer
0
C
A R I
R a i s e A n t e
B B E A
N S TU D
M I N $ 5
X
M A
.
0 $ 5
.
e i s a R t e n A
Raise $10 Ante
129
Chapter eleven
Table games
Dealer
0
C
A R I
B B E A
N S TU D
R a i s e
X M A
0 $ 5
.
5 M I N $
e i s a R
.
$5 Ante
A n t e
Matched
e n t A
Raise Returned Ante
You
Dealer
0
C
A R I
R a i s e A n t e
B B E A
.
N S TU D
5 M I N $
$5 Ante Matched
X M A
0 $ 5
Raise Paid of 2-1
.
e i s a R e n t A
Ante
You
Payout odds 130
Chapter eleven
Table games Strategy
Progressive side bets
Guidelines
Advanced techniques
131
Chapter eleven
Table games
Pai Gow Poker
Advanced techniques
Pai Gow 1
Pai Gow 2
You are dealt
You are dealt
Arrange them in decending order
Arrange them as
Present as
Present as
5-Card Hand
2-Card Hand
132
5-Card Hand
2-Card Hand
Table games
Chapter eleven
Advanced techniques
Pai Gow win
Pai Gow push
Dealer shows
Dealer shows
5-Card
2-Card
You show
5-Card
5-Card
2-Card
You show
2-Card
5-Card
2-Card
Pai Gow lose Dealer shows
Selecting your hand
5-Card
2-Card
You show
5-Card
2-Card
133
Chapter eleven
Table games
Let It Ride
Warning
134
Chapter eleven
Table games
Warning
Let It Ride Dealer
L ET I T R I D E
Bet3 $5
Bet2 $5
Bet1 $5
Bonus slot
YOU
135
Chapter eleven
Table games
Three-card Poker
Three-card poker
Dealer
A n t e
T H
R E E
e i s a R
E R C A R D P O K
-
+ i r a P
P a i r + e n t A
R a i s e Ante
Pair+
YOU
136
Raise
Chapter eleven
Table games
Dealer
Three-card poker
A n t e
e i s a R
T H
E R R E E C A R D P O K -
P a i r +
$5
$5
+ i r a P
$5 e n t A
R a i s e $5
$5
YOU
Dealer
A n t e
T H
R E E
-
P a i r +
e i s a R
E R C A R D P O K
+ i r a P
$20 R a i s e
Lose
$5
e n t A
Lose
$5
$5
YOU
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
137
Chapter eleven
Table games
Strategy
Ultimate Texas Hold’em Dealer
T r i p s A n t e P l a y
U L
T I M
B l i n d
T r i p s A n t e
P l a y
B l i nd
’
A TE T EX A S H O L D
Ante $5
Blind $5
You
d i n B l e n t A y a P l
p s T r i
Trips $5
Play $5
138
s i p T r
E M
e A n t y P l a
d B l i n
Chapter eleven
Table games
Checklist much more to casino games · There’s than first meets the eye them as a quick fix if you’re · Use short on time them will net you the · Playing minimum of a few free drinks… with a little strategy you can · But vastly increase your return which game suits · Understanding your goals best is paramount… ultimately you have to treat · But them as a fun diversion and expect to lose
139
Chapter twelve
Poker etiquette
Poker etiquette Like any other game poker comes with its own set of rules – spoken and unspoken. They’re not hard to learn though and in this chapter we’re going to show you how to act like a pro at the table
140
Chapter twelve
Poker etiquette
Don’t argue with the boss
141
Poker etiquette
Chapter twelve
142
Need for speed
Poker etiquette
Chapter twelve
143
Chapter twelve
Poker etiquette
144
Warning
Chapter twelve
Poker etiquette
The right attitude
Checklist · Learn the rules of the game · Post your blinds promptly · Don’t splash the pot · Act in turn · Don’t talk about hands until they’re over · If showing your cards, don’t just show one player, show everyone · Act in a reasonable time · No mobile phones · No bad language · Be a good winner · And take defeats with dignity · Don’t tap on the aquarium · Use your common sense
145
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