POKER

The origin of this card game isnt clear. Some people believe that it was invented in France;
other people argue it was from England and later it reached the whole continent, and it spread
across the Atlantic Ocean as far as America.
Whatever the case may be, certainly 100 years or more ago people played similar games to
modern poker. It was played by citizens of every social status.
In the XVIII century, in Hannoverian England rich knights and poor aristocrats played with
cardsharps and hustlers.
The so-called golden age of the game was the Wild West of the US in the XIX century, where
the violence around the game was extreme. One of the most famous anecdotes of that time,
still alive in the game, is the dead mans hand. This is the name given to the hand A8 because
the famous player Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed by Jack McCall during a game and when
his cards were turned face up, he had A8, which would have won the hand.
In Spain, poker has been increasing in popularity day by day for the last 4-5 years, as a
consequence of internet casinos. Nowadays there are plans to build Eurovegas, a casino city
in Madrid.
The cards.
The history of the deck of cards began in the ancient times. The origins are not well-know, but
the transformation from a deck of 72 cards to the 52 card deck happened in the Middle Ages.
The 52 cards fit with the weeks in a year, and the four suits symbolize the four seasons. Each
season has 13 weeks, so each suit has 13 cards. If we take the value of the cards from 1 to 13
(A to K), the sum of its values is 91. As we have 4 suits, the total value is 364; the days of a year
minus one.
The 4 suits of a deck of cards are diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. In each suit we have a
king and a queen. The most commons names for the kings were:
King of Diamonds: Caesar (presumably after Julius Caesar, emperor of the Roman
Republic)
King of Spades: David (the biblical king famous for killing Goliath with a slingshot)
King of Clubs: Alexander (king of Macedonia and ruler of one of the largest empires of
the ancient world who cried salty tears when there were no more worlds to conquer.)
King of Hearts: Charles (presumably after Charlemagne, a Holy Roman Emperor and
the most powerful man in the World.)
Here in Spain we have the Naipes deck, that is a different deck with 40 cards. And the most
common card game here is Mus, but it has difficult rules and you have to learn gestures to
play and win.
Texas Holdem.
The main types of poker are Texas Holdem, Omaha, Stud, Draw, and Razz although the most
popular is Texas Holdem. Being the most popular, and the one that I play, Im going to
summarise how to play it.
Two cards are dealt face down to each player. Before or while they are being dealt, the player
to the dealers left makes the pre-determined small blind bet. This is immediately followed

by the player to the left of the small blind making the big blind bet, which is double the
small..
The player to the left of the Big blind is the 1st player permitted to look at his or her hand
before making a betting decision.
After him, all players in sequence have the choice to call, or see the Big Blind. This means to
equal the amount. They can also raise, which is to increase the amount bet. The last option is
to fold, or throw away your cards, which means you dont play again until the next hand.
After the betting round the dealer shows the 3 first cards, called the flop, by putting them
face up in the middle of the table. Then the SB opens a 2nd betting round.
After that, the dealer shows the turn, the 4th community card opening a 3rd betting round.
The top card from the deck is flipped face up in the centre of the table as the fifth and final
community card. The SB opens a 4th and final betting round. After that, the players show their
cards and he who has the best hand wins.
The ranking of poker hands is as follows, from lowest to highest
High card (Ace has the most value)
Pair
Two pairs (two separated pairs)
Three-of-a-kind
Straight (5 cards in sequence)
Flush (all 5 cards of the same suit)
Full House (A pair and three-of-a-kind
Four of a Kind (All four of any card)
Straight Flush (a sequence all of the same suit, for example 4,5,6,7,8 diamonds)
Royal Flush (Straight flush which ends with A)
Poker: Entertainment or addiction.
Poker is a game in which money is involved. But, like other games in which money is used,
there is a risk of compulsive gambling or even addiction. That is the potential dark side of the
game.
Is clear that poker is gambling, but the target doesnt have to be to win money. Its possible to
play for fun with your friends. In fact, this is the way I play; instead of going out to a bar or
other form of entertainment, I go to a friends house and have a cheap, fun evening. This is
very different from poker in casinos and professional environments.
At a poker table any player could win. Everyone has the same possibilities to win at the
beginning of the game. Luck plays a part, but your skills have an influence too.
Players study their opponents, trying to identify the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of
the other players; if they are aggressive or play safe, if they like to bluff or play weaker hands,
or even if they have a tell. This is where a player has an unconscious bodily reaction to good
or bad cards and situations.
The cards have an influence, but the player has to know that he can win with bad cards or even
lose with good cards. From this point of view poker is similar to any sport, where self control,
discipline, intelligence, and the study of the opponents affect the results. In poker you can win
with cards like 7 and 2, which is very difficult, but not impossible, or lose with AA, which
happens more often than you would think.

More names of hands: