Since the times of the ancient Chinese, Persians, and Egyptians, playing cards has been a part of culture.
This is not only because it is a worthwhile pastime, but because some cards hold symbolic meanings to their religions.
As sources narrate, some of the first documentations of poker in America were found to date back to the 1830’s. River boats traveling the Mississippi would house various types of card games for gambling and entertainment, and poker became one of the favorites.
Poker is a game that can be played in casinos, in online poker rooms, as well as in the comforts of home. It is said to be fun and challenging for many, and even financially rewarding if one plays his cards right.
There are many variations of poker known today. Examples or which are Omaha poker, Texas Hold’em poker, Razz poker, Pineapple poker, and Seven Card Stud poker, to name a few. Generally, all games of poker involve betting and evaluation of the best hand of five cards to determine the winner.
In most variants of poker, like Seven Card Stud High, Omaha poker, and Texas Hold’em poker, the winner should be the player with the highest hand. This means that a full house is better than a flush, and that a straight flush is better than three of a kind, as examples.
The player may get to pick the best combo from two of his own cards plus three from the community cards (as in Omaha and Texas Hold’em) or any five cards from his hand plus the street cards (as in Seven Card Stud poker).
Now, you probably have seen on websites or heard on TV about “eight or better in poker.” What does this mean? There are variations of poker wherein more than one hand is determined as the winner.
These are the Hi-Lo or High Low games. Some examples are Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo or High Low, and Omaha Hi-Lo or High Low. Some notations from other sites call it Hi/Lo. These mean that both the highest hand and the lowest hand can be the winners.
The pot will then be split between them.
To qualify for a low hand in an eight or better game, none of your cards must be more than eight.
The best sets must include 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and A. In some cases, the player with the combo 5-4-3-2-A, which is called the wheel, is declared as the only winner in a Hi-Lo eight or better game.
Straights and flushes are disregarded when the low hand is being determined. |
