So you want to learn poker?

This game has a lot of variants and its origins are unclear. There are as many opinions on the origins of poker as there are coals in a fire. Card games are populary thought of as originating in the middle east and Europe with face cards being first used in France, and then later brought to America. The earliest authentic references to playing-cards in Europe date from 1377, but, despite their long history, it is only in recent decades that clues about their origins have begun to be understood. Cards could have been invented in China, where paper was invented. Even today some of the packs used in China have suits of coins and strings of coins - which Mah Jong players know as circles and bamboos (i.e. sticks). Cards entered Europe from the Islamic empire, where cups and swords were added as suit-symbols, as well as court cards. It was in Europe that these were replaced by representations of  kings and their attendants - knights (on horseback) and foot-servants. To this day, packs of Italian playing-cards do not have queens - nor do packs in Spain, Germany and Switzerland (among others). There is evidence that Islamic cards also entered Spain, but it now seems likely that the modern cards which we call Spanish originated in France, ousting the early Arab-influenced designs..

Modern poker was born on the Mississippi and carried up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers by steamboat, quickly spreading west by wagon and train. The Civil War increased the popularity of poker when thousands of soldiers played the game. The Civil War also brought about significant modifications, such as 'stud poker,' 'the draw,' and 'the straight.' By the war's end, poker had become America's favorite card game, played pretty much anywhere two or more men and a deck of cards could be found. By the early 20th century, the skill-based game of draw poker, in which all the cards are dealt face down, rose to prominence.

Before starting any game of poker you must know the basic hands and how they rank against each other- below are very brief examples of poker hands

 Ace High
the best of a bad lot

Pair of Aces
Best of the pairs

Two Pair
Speaks for itself

Three of a kind
Ice Cream Hand

Straight
This is a Jack High Straight

Flush
Non sequential, but same suit

Full House
Aces full of Jacks

Four Queens
“2 Pairs Queens and Queens !!”

Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit

Royal Flush
THE BEST POSSIBLE HAND

In poker all suits are equal. Therefore in the case of 2 players having the same ranked hand but differently suited winning hands the pot would be split equally between them.

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