Poker Equipment

Written by Nigel

Though poker is one of the most popular online games – if not the most popular – the fact remains that there is nothing like playing poker for real, off line.  The ambiance, the feel of the cards, the clink of the chips, the conversation – all this and more add up to the experience as a whole.  Ask any poker player and he will tell you that this is so.

So what do you need to play poker at home?  Common sense would tell you three basic things – a table, cards, and chips.  Poker tables come in all shapes and sizes.  You can even make use of your dinner table and just get an overlay.  Cards are easy to get by.  You can get a good deck from any hobby shop.  As for chips, you can go with the cheap plastic ones or you can be a little loose with your money and buy clay ones.  There is a wide variety of poker chips available both online and in sports and gaming shops.

In choosing the equipment you need for your little home game, you would have to pick from a lot of choices.  These three things actually warrant separate posts – especially the table and the chips.  For now, let us say that anyone who wants to start a home game can do so without so much of a hassle.  If I were you, I would start hustling up some plans of getting several friends together.  That would probably take a little more planning than getting your poker equipment together.

Where Did Poker Come From?

Written by Nigel

Poker may be a big thing now and is accepted by a very wide range of people but it was not always the case.  Let’s take a step back into the past and take a look at poker’s humble roots.  Though we all know that poker has its roots a long way back, no one knows exactly how it came about.

One of the earliest mentions of poker was way back in the 1800s.  It was in fact, called the “cheating game” by J.H. Green who was referring to the card game played in Mississippi riverboats.  Though the moniker had a very negative connotation, there were a considerable number of people who were attracted to the game.

Who coined the term poker?  God knows who, really.  Some historians say that it may have originated from the French word “poque.”  Others say it is from the German word “pochspiel” while still others say it’s from the Hindu word “pukka.”  This issue has not been quite resolved as of yet.  However, no matter what language poker emerged from, the fact remains that it is one of the most popular games today.

It used to be that poker was considered to be a “bad” game.  Images of hard men, running from the law, were usually associated with this gambling endeavor.  Yet today, though there may still be a vestige of negativity associated with poker, it is generally accepted to be a legitimate activity.  With TV shows and tournaments marketed by huge institutions, poker has indeed gained wide acceptance – to the delight of its proponents.

[tags]poker, history of poker, origins of poker[/tags]

Related Link: Poker strategy for Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud is available at PokerInformation.com.

Some Basic Poker Terms

Written by Nigel

Before we get into the rules of poker (there are a lot of different varieties remember), let’s take a look at some of the most common terms that you will encounter. Though there are different variations of poker, there are some terms common to them all. Try to familiarize yourself with these terms so as not to look like a total ignoramus while you are at the table.

All in – To bet all the chips that you have left while at the table.

Ante - A nominal amount that’s placed in the pot by every player before the hole cards are dealt. Antes sit on top of the small and big blind.

Bet – To place a certain amount of money in the pot.

Check - A move wherein you do not raise nor bet but still stay in the game.

Flop - The name for the first three cards dealt, face-up on the board, in community card games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Fold - If you fold your hand in poker, you lay down your cards and stop playing the hand. You are out. You give it up. You’re done.

Freeroll – A tournament wherein you don’t have to pay anything to enter, but still provides a prize – like the PokerPlayer Grand Prix…

Pot – The collection of money that is up for grabs.

Raise – To do more than call the bet – you increase the bet by a certain amount.

River - The name for the fifth card dealt, face-up on the board, in community card games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Obviously, there are more terms used in poker than the ones above. For beginners, however, you can survive on these for a while then learn as you go along.

[tags]poker, poker terms, poker slang[/tags]

Poker Basics

Written by Nigel

Let’s start with some of the basics that everyone interested in poker must know.  Contrary to some beliefs, poker is not one single game.  It has, in fact, countless variations.  As such, rules and game play vary a lot.  However, there are certain things that are similar to the different variations of poker.

For one, poker is generally played with a standard deck of cards.  That means 52 cards in a deck.  Casinos do not make use of the Joker although some variants of poker do make use of this card but usually this happens at home games.

In general, the game play involves rounds of betting into a common fund, known as the pot.  That is, people at the table take turns making their moves and betting.  How many times people bet, how cards are drawn, and the like all depend on the type of poker that is being played.

Today, perhaps the most popular variant of poker is Texas Hold ‘Em Poker.  This is the game you see being played by celebrities on TV.  However, there are other interesting poker variants such as Draw Poker, Stud Poker, 13 Card Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Omaha Poker, and more.  As we go along this blog, we can take a look at some of the most popular poker variations.

For now, let us stick to learning more of the basics of this fascinating card game that has captured the interest of countless people.  I leave you with this quote from W.C. Fields: “Is that the game where one receives five cards?  And if there’s two alike that’s pretty good, but if there’s three alike, that’s much better?”

[tags]poker, rules, poker variations[/tags]

Introductions

Written by Nigel

As you can probably surmise from my blog’s title, I am nuts for poker.  For the uninitiated, poker is a game of many variants.  In this blog, I would like to be able to share my passion for this game.  Whether it be Texas Hold ‘em poker or 13 card poker or pai gow poker, I will not let it pass by.  Rules, tips, strategies, stories, ramblings, and everything poker – that is what you should expect from this blog.

I would like to say on the outset that I believe that poker is a mixture of skill and luck.  I know that poker is one very hot topic all over the world these days, but most especially in the US where all sorts of legislation have been created – and are being created – to stifle this game and its proponents.  Yet I also believe that there is nothing wrong with poker per se.  It is up to us, those who have a passion for the game, to stand up for it and let others know what poker is really all about.

I guess that is what I am here for.  I am just an ordinary person with an ordinary blog – a blog out of thousands and thousands out there.  Yet I do believe in the power of information and self expression.  So why don’t you join me as I discover and uncover the intricacies and nuances of poker?  I do not promise to know everything and to be right about everything.  I do promise though, that this journey will be as good as it gets.

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