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Card Game Rules Video Poker, Poker, Baccarat, Blackjack
- By Jason Szova
- Published 10/6/2008
- Gambling
- Unrated
Jason Szova
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Whether you're online or in a brick and mortar casino, you need to know the rules of the game before you play. Although rules vary from casino to casino, many of them remain the same for all.
Video Poker
When you play video poker in a casino, it's a great deal like playing poker against the house. You don't
have to beat anyone, you just have to win. Each machine tells you what the lowest winning combination is and the amount of pay. These vary. Some machines have jacks or better as the lowest winners, others go with 10's or better. If you play a machine with a wild card like deuces wild, usually three of a kind is the low-end winner.
When you play video poker, you simply choose the amount that you want to bet on each hand. The denomination of the machine decides the minimum bet and most machines go up to five units of that bet, although some now let you bet as much as ten. You press the deal button if your bet is lower than maximum and select the cards you wish to hold. The lowest payment is the pair of jacks or better on most machines.
Next are two pairs, these don't have to be jacks or better. Three of a kind follows, then a straight (Cards all in a row like 5,6,7,8,9,10.), a flush (five cards of the same suit), a full house (three of a kind with a pair, a straight flush (combination of a straight that is all one suit) and finally the biggest payout always comes from a royal flush which is 10-ace of one suit. When the first cards hit, select the ones that you wish to keep to get the maximum payout and then hit deal again.
Poker
Regular poker is a group of people sitting around the table and quite different from video poker. Everyone plays against others at the table. The winning hands are just like video poker but the rules for poker are a little different.
Depending on which game you play, the amount of cards dealt and the way the players receive the cards vary. Three games are most common in casinos, although there are a great deal more variations that are possible.
Texas Hold'em
In the poker game Texas Hold'em, every player gets two cards. The player on the immediate left of the dealer (The dealer in casino games isn't really the dealer but the button that moves around the table to the left.) puts up a small blind, that's half of the money for the minimum bet.
To the left of that player is the big blind, which antes one full unit of the minimum bet. The players receive, then look at their cards and make a decision to play, raise or fold. If a player raises the others that decided to stay, have to now decide whether they want to add the raise to their bet or drop. Depending on the game, the wager can be up to all the money that the player has, which is an all-in wager.
The dealer turns over three cards, the flop, and again each player bets or passes. The bets may have a limit or can be an all in bet, meaning they bet everything that they have. As the players bet, some drop and some match or increase the wager. The dealer turns over the turn card and again, the players make their wagers. Finally, the dealer shows the last card, the river card, and the players make their final wagers. The winner has the highest five-card poker combination using his cards and the dealer's five cards.
Seven Card Stud
The dealer passes out the first two cards face down and the third face up. The person with the highest card showing starts the round and either passes or bets. The betting is clockwise from there on.
As the dealer passes out each card, betting also takes place. The dealer burns a card and deals another face up. There are two more rounds where the dealer passes out cards face up and betting takes place on each round. Finally, the dealer hands out the last round of cards face down and the players make their wagers. The player that has the best five-card hand wins.
Five-Card
Draw
Each player ante's the designated amount and gets five cards. They can stay, ante more and exchange up to three cards by throwing away and receiving the same number. After a round of betting, the highest hand wins. Often there are rules about an opening ante which require a minimum hand such as a pair of jacks or higher.
Baccarat
In Baccarat, you have two hands. The player's hand and the dealer's hand. You place your chips on the one you believe will be the highest. Face cards count as zero and numbered cards, except ten, are worth their face. When you add the cards, only the last digit is the value of the hand.
If the player has 6 or more, they take no more cards. If they have less they have to draw one more card.
If the banker has 7 or more they must stand. If they total 0, 1, or 2 then they must draw. If the total of the banker's cards is 3,4,5 or 6 then it depends on whether the player had to draw or not.
The banker draws on all cards that the player draws except 8 if they have a 3. If the banker has a 4 they draw on 2-7, a 5 draws on 4-7 and a six only draws on 6-7.
You can bet on the banker and get paid one dollar for each dollar bet, less a 5% commission, bet on the player and get one to one but no commission, or bet on a tie and get paid 8:1 or 9:1 depending on the casino.
When you bet on this simple game, you simply put your money on the bet you think will win. It favors the house.
Blackjack
Probably one of the favorite games in the casino, once almost died out, until Dr. Edward Thorp wrote the book Beat the Dealer that outlined a system of Blackjack card counting turning the odds in favor of the player rather than the house.
Since this did favor the player, most casinos took counter measures to reduce that favor, by putting multiple decks into the game and not using the entire deck. Card counting is not illegal but it is the casino's right to ask a card counter to leave if they choose.
The basic game rules vary from casino to casino but most of the play is similar with slight twists.
The ultimate goal of the game blackjack is to beat the dealer and get a hand that is 21 or at least closer to it than the dealer's hand without going over that amount.
Each person receives two cards face up at most tables, and the dealer gets a card face up and one face down. The basic strategy for the player is to pretend the dealer has a ten card buried. Face cards and the number ten count as ten, all the other numbers count for their respective amount except an ace that can be one or eleven, whichever is most beneficial.
Once the original cards are out the dealer asks each player whether they want another card. If the player indicates a hit, by tapping their fingers on the table or pointing on the cards (for the benefit of the eye in the sky), the dealer gives them a card. Someone with a two and a five would take a hit.
If the dealer has a face card showing, the player assumes they have 20. If the two and five hit was a four, then the player takes another hit. If the hit is a three, they still need to take more, at least until they are 17 or higher. If, however, the dealer's up card was a six, the player assumes they have a 16 and don't hit on anything 12 or above.
The rules allow for the player to double down after the first two cards. That means you put the same amount as your original bet down and only take one card. Most casinos allow doubling on any cards but some require that they equal 10 or 11. Most casinos allow you to double for less, that means if your bet is $25, you can double down (Not really doubling) for $10 more.
All casinos require that the dealer continues to hit until they bust (go over 21) or hit 17 or more. Some casinos make their dealers continue to hit if they have a soft 17, an ace and any card combination of six.
You can split any two like first two cards to form two hands. Some casinos allow resplits, that's another split if you get the same card as the first two on the first hit of one of your splits, others don't allow it. If you split aces, most casinos only allow one card hit after that, regardless of what you get.
Video Poker
When you play video poker in a casino, it's a great deal like playing poker against the house. You don't
have to beat anyone, you just have to win. Each machine tells you what the lowest winning combination is and the amount of pay. These vary. Some machines have jacks or better as the lowest winners, others go with 10's or better. If you play a machine with a wild card like deuces wild, usually three of a kind is the low-end winner.
When you play video poker, you simply choose the amount that you want to bet on each hand. The denomination of the machine decides the minimum bet and most machines go up to five units of that bet, although some now let you bet as much as ten. You press the deal button if your bet is lower than maximum and select the cards you wish to hold. The lowest payment is the pair of jacks or better on most machines.
Next are two pairs, these don't have to be jacks or better. Three of a kind follows, then a straight (Cards all in a row like 5,6,7,8,9,10.), a flush (five cards of the same suit), a full house (three of a kind with a pair, a straight flush (combination of a straight that is all one suit) and finally the biggest payout always comes from a royal flush which is 10-ace of one suit. When the first cards hit, select the ones that you wish to keep to get the maximum payout and then hit deal again.
Poker
Regular poker is a group of people sitting around the table and quite different from video poker. Everyone plays against others at the table. The winning hands are just like video poker but the rules for poker are a little different.
Depending on which game you play, the amount of cards dealt and the way the players receive the cards vary. Three games are most common in casinos, although there are a great deal more variations that are possible.
Texas Hold'em
In the poker game Texas Hold'em, every player gets two cards. The player on the immediate left of the dealer (The dealer in casino games isn't really the dealer but the button that moves around the table to the left.) puts up a small blind, that's half of the money for the minimum bet.
To the left of that player is the big blind, which antes one full unit of the minimum bet. The players receive, then look at their cards and make a decision to play, raise or fold. If a player raises the others that decided to stay, have to now decide whether they want to add the raise to their bet or drop. Depending on the game, the wager can be up to all the money that the player has, which is an all-in wager.
The dealer turns over three cards, the flop, and again each player bets or passes. The bets may have a limit or can be an all in bet, meaning they bet everything that they have. As the players bet, some drop and some match or increase the wager. The dealer turns over the turn card and again, the players make their wagers. Finally, the dealer shows the last card, the river card, and the players make their final wagers. The winner has the highest five-card poker combination using his cards and the dealer's five cards.
Seven Card Stud
The dealer passes out the first two cards face down and the third face up. The person with the highest card showing starts the round and either passes or bets. The betting is clockwise from there on.
As the dealer passes out each card, betting also takes place. The dealer burns a card and deals another face up. There are two more rounds where the dealer passes out cards face up and betting takes place on each round. Finally, the dealer hands out the last round of cards face down and the players make their wagers. The player that has the best five-card hand wins.
Five-Card
Each player ante's the designated amount and gets five cards. They can stay, ante more and exchange up to three cards by throwing away and receiving the same number. After a round of betting, the highest hand wins. Often there are rules about an opening ante which require a minimum hand such as a pair of jacks or higher.
Baccarat
In Baccarat, you have two hands. The player's hand and the dealer's hand. You place your chips on the one you believe will be the highest. Face cards count as zero and numbered cards, except ten, are worth their face. When you add the cards, only the last digit is the value of the hand.
If the player has 6 or more, they take no more cards. If they have less they have to draw one more card.
If the banker has 7 or more they must stand. If they total 0, 1, or 2 then they must draw. If the total of the banker's cards is 3,4,5 or 6 then it depends on whether the player had to draw or not.
The banker draws on all cards that the player draws except 8 if they have a 3. If the banker has a 4 they draw on 2-7, a 5 draws on 4-7 and a six only draws on 6-7.
You can bet on the banker and get paid one dollar for each dollar bet, less a 5% commission, bet on the player and get one to one but no commission, or bet on a tie and get paid 8:1 or 9:1 depending on the casino.
When you bet on this simple game, you simply put your money on the bet you think will win. It favors the house.
Blackjack
Probably one of the favorite games in the casino, once almost died out, until Dr. Edward Thorp wrote the book Beat the Dealer that outlined a system of Blackjack card counting turning the odds in favor of the player rather than the house.
Since this did favor the player, most casinos took counter measures to reduce that favor, by putting multiple decks into the game and not using the entire deck. Card counting is not illegal but it is the casino's right to ask a card counter to leave if they choose.
The basic game rules vary from casino to casino but most of the play is similar with slight twists.
The ultimate goal of the game blackjack is to beat the dealer and get a hand that is 21 or at least closer to it than the dealer's hand without going over that amount.
Each person receives two cards face up at most tables, and the dealer gets a card face up and one face down. The basic strategy for the player is to pretend the dealer has a ten card buried. Face cards and the number ten count as ten, all the other numbers count for their respective amount except an ace that can be one or eleven, whichever is most beneficial.
Once the original cards are out the dealer asks each player whether they want another card. If the player indicates a hit, by tapping their fingers on the table or pointing on the cards (for the benefit of the eye in the sky), the dealer gives them a card. Someone with a two and a five would take a hit.
If the dealer has a face card showing, the player assumes they have 20. If the two and five hit was a four, then the player takes another hit. If the hit is a three, they still need to take more, at least until they are 17 or higher. If, however, the dealer's up card was a six, the player assumes they have a 16 and don't hit on anything 12 or above.
The rules allow for the player to double down after the first two cards. That means you put the same amount as your original bet down and only take one card. Most casinos allow doubling on any cards but some require that they equal 10 or 11. Most casinos allow you to double for less, that means if your bet is $25, you can double down (Not really doubling) for $10 more.
All casinos require that the dealer continues to hit until they bust (go over 21) or hit 17 or more. Some casinos make their dealers continue to hit if they have a soft 17, an ace and any card combination of six.
You can split any two like first two cards to form two hands. Some casinos allow resplits, that's another split if you get the same card as the first two on the first hit of one of your splits, others don't allow it. If you split aces, most casinos only allow one card hit after that, regardless of what you get.