Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Origin of the game: Gambling poker is a game which has its root of origin by the combination of various card games and is approximately 170 years old. It was in 1834 that this game earned much popularity and was known to be as the cheaters game. During that time the game developed its own written rules and was extensively played on the river boats of Mississippi in America. Through the past few centuries the game has evolved a lot in a very fascinating and colorful manner. Today the game is reflects glamour & Ritz, as it has extensively traveled from the Wild West saloons to the glitzy night clubs of New York to the exclusive casinos of Las Vegas & Monte Carlo. May it be the puffing of cigars or a fierce conservation or an occasional strip show gamblers across the globe has been sharing the game to experience immense pleasure & nerve wrecking excitement. Types of poker and rules of the game: There are two basic forms of the game are stud poker & the draw poker both of which can be played with the help of a deck of 52 cards and sometimes accompanied with an additional joker. Even if 2 to 10 players can play at the same time the best game is said to be made of 5 players. With 52 cards a maximum number of 2598960 poker hands are possible. The player who holds the best combination of cards wins the game. The principle combination ranks in their ascending order mainly comprises of a straight flush or the royal flush which is the highest possible combination in the game. This may be a sequence in a single suit e.g. the king, queen, jack or ten. The second biggest combination is the combination of 4 cards of the same kind e.g. 4 aces. Then follows the full house comprising of 3 cards of the same kind and flush a sequence of 5 cards of one suit. The straight a sequence five cards regardless of a suit consisting of three cards of a kind or two & a single pair is the last in queue. In order to win the jackpot or the prize money as it is commonly referred to in the game, a player must have a pair of jacks to open the game.