The following are Friday’s results.
Poker will be played each Friday night at 8PM until next Spring. Entry fee is €10 and prizes will be presented on the night. Booking is through the BRS system.
The format will be 5 card draw poker and guests are welcome.
The following provides a brief list of the rules and a reminder of the ranking of the various hands.
Rules
- Players ante up (place a small bet i.e. 1 chip, in the pot).
- Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, the dealer deals each player five cards, face down.
- Everyone picks up their cards from the table and checks out what they’ve got. Openers are jacks or better, then Queens etc. Failure to produce openers requires opener to double the pot.
- There’s a round of betting, starting with the player to the dealer’s left. The options are check, bet, raise or fold. The maximum bet is half the pot. This amount includes the ‘see you’ and the ‘raise’.
- When the betting is done, those who are still in the hand get to trade in a maximum of three cards from their hand for new ones. If a player has an ace, he/she can trade in the other four cards in his/her hand, but has to show the ace.
Note: You don’t have to trade any cards – if you’ve already got good hand, you’ll want to “stand pat” and keep the cards you were first dealt. - After everyone receives their new cards, there’s another round of betting, starting to the dealer’s left.
- After the betting is completed, players show their hands and the best hand wins the pot.
(Not sure what hands beat what? Here’s a list of hand ranking.)
Traditional High Poker Hand Rank
Straight Flush: Five cards in sequence, of the same suit.
In the event of a tie: Highest rank at the top of the sequence wins.
The best possible straight flush is known as a royal flush, which consists of the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of a suit. A royal flush is an unbeatable hand.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, and one side card or ‘kicker’.
In the event of a tie: Highest four of a kind wins. In community card games where players have the same four of a kind, the highest fifth side card (‘kicker’) wins.
Full House: Three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different, matching rank.
In the event of a tie: Highest three matching cards wins the pot. In community card games where players have the same three matching cards, the highest value of the two matching cards wins.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
In the event of a tie: The player holding the highest ranked card wins. If necessary, the second-highest, third-highest, fourth-highest, and fifth-highest cards can be used to break the tie. If all five cards are the same ranks, the pot is split. The suit itself is never used to break a tie in poker.
Straight: Five cards in sequence.
In the event of a tie: Highest ranking card at the top of the sequence wins.
Note: The Ace may be used at the top or bottom of the sequence, and is the only card which can act in this manner. A,K,Q,J,T is the highest (Ace high) straight; 5,4,3,2,A is the lowest (Five high) straight.
Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated side cards.
In the event of a tie: Highest ranking three of a kind wins. In community card games where players have the same three of a kind, the highest side card, and if necessary, the second-highest side card wins.
Two pair: Two cards of a matching rank, another two cards of a different matching rank, and one side card.
In the event of a tie: Highest pair wins. If players have the same highest pair, highest second pair wins. If both players have two identical pairs, highest side card wins.
One pair: Two cards of a matching rank, and three unrelated side cards.
In the event of a tie: Highest pair wins. If players have the same pair, the highest side card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest and third-highest side card can be used to break the tie.
High card: Any hand that does not qualify under a category listed above.
In the event of a tie: Highest card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest, third-highest, fourth-highest and smallest card can be used to break the tie.
