It is best for the beginner to learn one type of Poker first, and then learn the other variants one by one. The main types of Poker are two: Draw Poker and Stud Poker. In Draw Poker, all cards are dealt face down. In Stud Poker, a player receives one or more cards face down and his other cards face up. This does not materially help the other players to know what he has; for suppose a player has two queens, a six and a four face up, and one card face down: without knowing what his face-down card is, you cannot tell how good his hand is. If it is a queen, it gives him three queens; if it is a six or a four, it gives him two pairs; if it is any other card, he has only a pair of queens.)
In Draw Poker, each player is dealt five cards. Then there is a betting Interval. After this betting interval, each active player may discard any of his cards and the dealer gives him other cards to replace them (called the draw). There is then a second betting interval, after which there is a showdown among the active players and the highest hand takes the pot.
In Stud Poker, each player is dealt one card face down, called his hole card, then one card face up. There is then a betting interval, after which each active player is dealt another face-up card. Another betting interval and another round of face-up cards. And another betting interval, and a final round of face-up cards. Each round of new cards is dealt only to players who have not dropped. Each of these players now has a full five-card Poker hand, with one card face down and the other four, face up. There is a final betting interval, and then a showdown in which each active player turns up his hole card and the highest Poker hand takes the pot.
On these two main branches of Poker have boon built a large number of variants. All are described in the following pages. The principal ones are:
Jackpots – Draw Poker In which no one may “open the pot” (make the first bet) unless he has a pair of jacks or better.
High-Low Poker – In the showdown, the highest Poker hand and the lowest Poker hand divide the pot equally.
Seven-card Stud – Each player Is dealt seven cards, two down, then one up, followed by a betting interval; then three more up, with a betting interval after each; then one more down, with a final betting interval. Now of his seven cards (of which four are face up and three are face down) each player in the showdown selects any five to be his Poker hand.
And, of course, regular five-card Draw and five-card Stud retain their popularity among the main variants.
How to Become a Good Poker Player – The first step is to learn the values of the Poker hands and to study the principles of betting until you are sure you understand it thoroughly.
Then deal out hands, face up – the hands of six or seven players, as they would be dealt in a game. Notice the Poker combinations. Decide what you would discard and how many cards you would draw, if you were playing Draw Poker. Observe how many poor hands and how many good hands show up; this will give you an idea what to expect other players to hold in an actual game.
Read the rules of the various Poker games, and the advice on skillful play.
Most important of all, play Poker in actual games. No amount of study compares with actual play for learning a game.