What is a Poker Night at the WMSC?

We have a evening playing poker: the third Friday in the month. We can accommodate up to 30 players.

The objective is to play poker; it is not gambling.

At the start of the night, everyone pays a nominal subscription of £3. Everyone is given a number of chips; these are the value tokens used to drive the games. Everyone plays a number of games, and at the end, the person with the most chips is the winner and they get a prize (usually, some bottles of wine). So, your maximum cost is £3; on the other hand, you might win the prize.

The way in which the games are organised will be explained on the evening.

The bar is in action; table service is available.

What sort of poker do we play?

We play Texas Hold'em.

While poker itself has been a popular game since (at least) the late 1800s, recent years have seen one form of the game emerge as a clear favorite among players across the globe - Texas Hold’em. Highlighted each year by the main event of the World Series of Poker, Hold’em has become the defining form of live and online poker, shaping the way we speak (giving us phrases like "I'm all in"), and showing up in pop culture (Lady Gaga's "Poker Face") and film (2006's James Bond relaunch "Casino Royale"). The game is simple to learn but difficult to master, so it's easy to see why Hold’em is so popular.

Rules of Poker - Texas Hold'em

♣ Play of the Hand

• Each player is dealt two down (or hole) cards that only they can see. A round of betting occurs.
• Three community cards (known as the "flop") are dealt face up in the middle of the table. Another round of betting occurs.
• A fourth community card (known as the "turn") is dealt face up on the table. Another round of betting occurs.
• A fifth and final community card (known as the "river") is dealt face up on the table. A final round of better occurs.
• The player's hole cards are revealed and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.
  Your five card hand can consist of none, one, or both of your hole cards along with five, four, or three of the community cards.
  If two or more players share the same best hand, the pot is divided equally among the winners.

♣ Rank of Hands

Poker hands are ranked in the order specified below, lowest to highest. Note that only card rank (deuce through ace) matter in poker when comparing individual cards. The suits of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades are all considered equal.

1. High Card: Cards are ranked deuce (2) as the lowest to ace as the highest. If two or more players have the same high card, then the second highest card (and so on, to the fifth card if necessary) determine the winner.

   

2. Pair: A pair (two cards of the same rank) beats high card. The highest pair is a pair of aces. If two or more players have the same pair, then the highest of the three remaining cards (known as kickers) determine the winner.

   

3. Two Pair: Two pair beats a pair. If two or more players have two pair, then the highest pair determines the winner. For example, a pair of aces and sevens beats a pair of kings and queens. If two or more players have the same two pair then the fifth card kicker determines the winner.

   

4. Three of a Kind: Three of a kind (three cards of the same rank) beats two pair. Three aces is the best of these. If two or more players share the same three of a kind hand, the two remaining kickers determine the winner.

   

5. Straight: A straight beats three of a kind. A straight is five consecutive card ranks. Aces can be high or low so the lowest straight is ace through five while the highest is ten through ace. There are no kickers with straights since all five cards are needed to make the hand.

   

6. Flush: A flush beats a straight. A flush is any five cards all of the same suit (i.e., all diamonds or all spades, etc.). If two of more players share a flush then the player with the highest card (all the way to the fifth card if necessary) in the flush wins.

   

7. Full House: A full house beats a flush. A full house is the combination of three of a kind and a pair. If two or more players have a full house then the player with the best three of a kind wins. If those are the same then the player with the best pair wins.

   

8. Four of a Kind: Four of a kind (four cards of the same rank) beats a full house. If two or more players share the same four of a kind, then the fifth card kicker determines the winner.

   

9. Straight Flush: A straight flush (five consecutive cards all of the same suit) beats four of a kind. Aces can be high or low. An ace-high straight flush is called a royal flush, the best possible hand in poker.