The Big Picture of Poker
Poker is truly an amazing game. There are so many variations with twists and turns that make each game a unique and rewarding experience. It is the magic of poker to bring together a group of individuals and each time you play a hand of poker it will be different depending on odds, luck, and skill of the various players as well as the personalities of the people playing.
There are some very minimal standards to be followed which all poker must be played and these will be discussed here.
First of all poker is played with a minimum of two people. While some tables can get up to 7 or 8 players, for a real hand of poker there is a minimum of two people involved. This interaction is a major part of poker and can not be over stated. Poker is not simply a card game. Oh no, it is about relationships and interaction. Never forget this, it will serve you well.
Another factor of poker is risk. In other words there must be something to be won or lost. This can be the traditional money but it can also be respect, or some sort of barter situation. I once played a tournament of poker once where the winner got an autographed picture of James Earl Jones on a Darth Vader picture. In this group of Star Wars fans this was no simple prize but highly coveted and one of the more serious poker games I sat in.
It is this risk that defines the aspect of poker. Without risk poker is simply another card game. One more reason the free tables are bad habit forming as players will not play the same if there is nothing at stake.
The final thing that is common in all brands and style of poker is of course the cards in which to play your game of choice. While the cards can be different such as adding jokers for a wild card game, the deck must be standard and recognized for all players with a structured winning and losing hands set up prior to play.
That’s about it! Everything else are factors and variations to those basic principles. And there are so many variations; from Texas Hold’em, to Omaha, to 7 card stud, to 5 card draw... there are as many variations as could ever be dreamed of and more being invented every day.
But to be a successful poker player one should always stay in the big picture and remember that the basics are always the same and the relationships and interaction while understanding the risk that is involved form the game of poker. Recognize this and you can be successful no matter what the poker game called.
|
