Hollywood Poker Guide
Learn from basic rules to cunning tips and winning strategies for Poker games like Texas Holdem, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, Video Poker & more
A poker hand at the showdown consists of precisely the best five cards ranked accordingly to the following list from highest to lowest, in the order of their probability of occurrence (from rarest to likeliest):
Ranking of Hands
- Royal Flush –Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit
- Straight Flush - 5 cards of the same suit in sequence.
- 4 of a Kind - 4 cards of the same rank.
- Full House - 3 cards of the same rank and two cards of the same rank.
- Flush - 5 cards of the same suit
- Straight - 5 cards in sequence.
- 3 of a Kind - 3 cards of the same rank
- 2 Pair - 2 cards of the same rank and two other cards of the same rank
- 1 Pair - 2 cards of the same rank.
- High Card - The highest ranking card in the hand
Texas Hold'em
Before play begins, the first two players to the left of the button must post the “BLINDS”. The first player to the button’s left posts a small blind and the second player posts the large or big blind.
The dealer deals two cards (called hole cards) to each player. With blinds in place, the first player after the big blind (“under the gun”) is the first to act. That player is facing a bet equal to the big blind and can fold his hand (by throwing his hand in to the dealer), call (by betting that amount) or raise (increasing the bet up to the table maximum for that round). Each player in a clockwise rotational order now faces the same decision. The dealer will control the action around the table until the betting round is completed with all bets being met by all players still holding cards.
With the first betting round complete, the dealer burns the top card on the deck and then deals the next three cards simultaneously face up in the center of the table. These three community cards are called the “flop” and are used by all players equally. The first player to the button’s left, still in the hand, acts first after the flop. He can check, bet or fold. If he checks, the next player’s options are the same. If during the round any player bets, all players must call, raise, or fold.
With the second round of betting complete, the dealer now burns another card and then deals a fourth community card face up. This card is commonly called the “TURN” or “FOURTH STREET”.
With the third round of betting complete, the dealer burns one more card and deals the fifth and final card commonly called the “RIVER” or “FIFTH STREET”. At this point, there is the fourth and final betting round.
The “SHOWDOWN” is the final step of the game. The players will turn over their hole cards and a winner will be determined. Players may use two cards, one card, or none of the cards in their hand in combination with the five community or board cards. “Cards Speak” so any cards turned face up will be read by the dealer. The pot will be pushed to that player by the dealer. In the case of a tie, the pot will be split. All cards will be collected and shuffled by the dealer for the next round of play. The button will be moved to the next seat to the left and blinds will move around the table accordingl
Omaha and Omaha High/Low
Before play begins, the first two players to the left of the button must post the “BLINDS”. The first player to the button’s left posts a small blind and the second player posts the large or big blind.
The dealer deals four cards (called hole cards) to each player. With blinds in place, the first player after the big blind (“under the gun”) is the first to act. That player is facing a bet equal to the big blind and can fold his hand (by throwing his hand in to the dealer), call (by betting that amount) or raise (increasing the bet up to the table maximum for that round). Each player in a clockwise rotational order now faces the same decision. The dealer will control the action around the table until the betting round is completed with all bets being met by all players still holding cards.
With the first betting round complete, the dealer burns the top card on the deck and then deals the next three cards simultaneously face up in the center of the table. These three community cards are called the “flop” and are used by all players equally. The first player to the button’s left, still in the hand, acts first after the flop. He can check, bet or fold. If he checks, the next player’s options are the same. If during the round any player bets, all players must call, raise, or fol
With the second round of betting complete, the dealer now burns another card and then deals a fourth community card face up. This card is commonly called the “TURN” or “FOURTH STREET”.
With the third round of betting complete, the dealer burns one more card and deals the fifth and final card commonly called the “RIVER” or “FIFTH STREET”. At this point, there is the fourth and final betting round.
The “SHOWDOWN” is the final step of the game. The players will turn over their hole cards and a winner will be determined. Players MUST use two cards in their hand in combination with three of the community or board cards. “Cards Speak” so any cards turned face up will be read by the dealer. The pot will be pushed to that player by the dealer. In the case of a tie, the pot will be split
For Omaha High/Low the pot will be split with half going to the highest hand and half to the lowest hand. There must be at least three cards 8 or lower on the board that are not the same rank in order for the low to “qualify”. Additionally, the player must have at least two cards 8 or lower that are not duplicated on the board in order to have a qualifying low hand. The player may use the same two hole cards for both high and low. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a low. The lowest ranking hand is a “wheel”: ace, deuce, three, four and five. All cards will be collected and shuffled by the dealer for the next round of play. The button will be moved to the next seat to t he left and blinds will move around the table according
7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud High/Low
Each player is dealt two cards down and one card up beginning with the player to the immediate l eft of the dealer. The two face down cards are called the hole cards and the up card is referred to as your “door card.” If antes are required, each player must post an ante before cards are dealt
The first betting round is called Third Street and it is started by the player with the lowest card by rank and suit. Suits are ranked from highest to lowest as Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. The player with the lowest door card showing is required to make a forced bet known as the “Bring In” bet. After the bring in bet is made the next player on the immediate left of the player making the bring in bet has the option of folding, calling or raising the bet.
With the first betting round complete, the dealer burns the top card on the deck and then deals the next three cards simultaneously face up in the center of the table. These three community cards are called the “flop” and are used by all players equally. The first player to the button’s left, still in the hand, acts first after the flop. He can check, bet or fold. If he checks, the next player’s options are the same. If during the round any player bets, all players must call, raise, or fold
With the second round of betting complete, the dealer now burns another card and then deals a fourth community card face up. This card is commonly called the “TURN” or “FOURTH STREET”.
The “SHOWDOWN” is the final step of the game. The players will turn over their hole cards and a winner will be determined. “Cards Speak” so any cards turned face up will be read by the dealer. Players will use the best five cards to determine a winning hand. The pot will be pushed to that player by the dealer. In the case of a tie, the pot will be split. All cards will be collected and shuffled by the dealer for the next round of play
For 7 Stud High/Low the pot will be split with half going to the highest hand and half to the lowest hand. The player must have at least five cards 8 or lower that are not duplicated in order to have a qualifying low hand. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a low. The lowest ranking hand is a “wheel”: ace, deuce, three, four and five.
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