Are You Game For Poker?:

Poker has been around for at least as long as the U.S has been independent, and its popularity only seems to increase with the passing of time.

Poker involves the use of traditionally used playing cards and over a period of time has given rise to quite a few variations. In all variations, a particular hand's outcome is usually decided by chance, but player's expectations of the game in long term are usually decided by their actions based on psychology and probability.

Listed below are brief descriptions of the more commonly known and played forms of poker.

Draw: This version of the game has each player being dealt, 'face down', a complete hand. The players can then change their hands by getting rid of cards they do not want and getting dealt new cards. The most popular form in this version is the 'five card draw'.
Straight: This version also involves each player being dealt an entire hand, 'face down'. The players then place bets and are allowed to raise and re-raise bets. This version is seen as the root of the other versions. The originally dealt hand of 5 cards is generally used for the final show down.
Stud: Stud poker involves cards being dealt in pre-arranged combinations of 'face down' and 'face up' rounds, where each round is followed by betting. The most common variant from this version is the 'seven card stud' where players are dealt seven cards (four 'face up', and three 'face down') and they have to try and get the best five card hand.
Community: Slightly varied from Stud poker, this version involves players being dealt 'face down', a partial hand; and then 'face up' cards are dealt to make a 'community' that has to be used to the players to make five card hands. 'Community' cards can be used commonly by different players. Common variants of this version include 'Texas Hold 'em' and 'Omaha'.

While playing poker at home can incorporate many different rules and forms of ranking hands, rules and hand rankings are fairly consistent when it comes to playing poker at casinos. Most forms of Poker are played with the normal 52 card deck, with the inclusion of the joker in some variations.

The Ace is ranked as the highest and the Deuce (two) as the lowest. The remainder of the cards follow the declining order in ranking. The Ace, in most cases, can also be used below Deuce's for making straight hands. Irrespective of the version you play, poker hands generally consist of five card hands. Hand rankings in poker, in order, are:
Five of a kind (if jokers are being used. e.g. 9999Joker)
Straight flush (5 same suit successive cards. E.g. 45678 of clubs)
Four of a kind (E.g. JJJJ7)
Full house (3 same ranked cards and a pair, E.g. JJJ66)
Flush (5 cards, same suit. E.g. KJ942 of spades)
Straight (five cards in a sequence, different suits. e.g. 87654 wherein the cards are of different suits)
Three of a kind (E.g. QQQ26)
Two pair (E.g. 7744Q)
One pair (E.g. 77Q42)
No pair

If you do intend to invest your time, effort and money into playing poker, sit through a few rounds and/or try playing on line versions of the game before you delve into the real thing. And, good luck.