| The Tension of Uncertainty |
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| White and Blue News - Sports News | |
| Written by Noelle Rillon | |
| Thursday, 13 March 2008 | |
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What is luck? Swerte would be the immediate response, but one cannot really define it. It is as abstract as love, yet winners have it; justified by the winner’s statement of: "pure dumb luck”, “lucky” or in Filipino, “tsamba”. It is even given to competitors or anyone undergoing a challenge- justified by the saying of “good luck” or “break a leg”. It could also be all you need, especially to win the lottery. Whatever luck is, man needs it in a game called poker.
Upon hearing the word gambling, the usual response is negative. Well, it is. However, it is human nature to bet on things to prove their point or just to make a game more thrilling, especially for card games. One It is quite hard to comprehend, and it requires a great deal of keen observation, faith on you and your cards, powerful strategies and tactics, and luck. However, just like what Tiger Woods inspiringly said, “There is no such thing as luck; the harder you work, the luckier you get.”
BirthThis game’s origins are blurry, but its principles resemble the betting game of Persia known as às nàs; the English game, called brag; the bluffing game of Germany, named pochen, which is the French for “bag” or “pocket”. Brought to America, it became popular in Mississippi and the Western frontier. And since gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada, poker became a huge hit. Today, there are various poker tournaments all over the world whose grand cash prize ranges from US$100,000 - US$1M. Aside from betting, poker is popular since it consists of psychological ploys like bluffing. One can bet on a weak hand a n d make it appear strong, with the proper confidence and facial expressions. The players of poker also develop their observation skills by noticing the betting patterns of their opponents. Like any other aspect of life, poker requires patience to be perfected.
Rules of PokerTwo or more players may participate in a poker game, but the typical number is four to seven. To begin with, a standard deck of 52 cards is typically used. Larger games require two decks to play. Depending on the dealer or the players, wild cards are used. These cards can represent any suit or value and they are selected by the dealer, but they’re not necessary. They just makes the game more exciting. The various ranking of cards is similar to the more familiar card game called pusoy. According to suits, from highest to lowest, the ranking is diamonds, hearts, spades and clovers. From the 13 cards per suit, the ace is the highest and the deuce or two is the lowest. The value of each player’s five-card hand is also ranked from highest to lowest, starting with five of a kind, which is only possible when wild cards are being used; royal flush or the A-K-Q-J-10 in the same suit; straight flush which is any five cards in the same suit in the sequence; four of a kind; full house or three of a kind plus a pair; flush or any five cards of the same suit but not in sequence; straight which is any five cards in a sequence but not all of the same suit (The ace may be counted as high or above king, or low or below the two.); three of a kind; two pairs; one pair and the high card or highest card in hand.
The Fun BeginsBetting is a very risky thing, that’s why certain regulations must be followed. There are variations of rules, such as the minimum and maximum amounts for raises. These variations depend on the dealer or an agreement among the players. The first bet is called the ante, which all players must put in the pot. After this and the initial deal, the player to the left of the dealer begins the first round of betting. He/she can check or make no bet, make a bet, or fold. The next players must call or match the current bet, or raise or increase the total bet. The round ends when the limit of turns has been reached or when there is no further betting. If two or more players remain, the showdown begins. Their hands are revealed and the winner takes the pot. The next round begins with the player to the left of the bettor who started the last round of betting.
Draw, Stud and SharedThese are the different types of poker games. There is no best type so just take your pick. In draw poker, five cards are dealt at one time to each player. After a round of betting, they are then allowed to exchange their cards for new ones from the deck, but still retaining five cards in hand. Sometimes, the number of cards a player may trade in is limited. Players can fold at any time during the game. Stud poker involves the dealing or revealing of cards in stages, with rounds of betting between stages. This poker has two kinds, the five-stud and the seven-stud. In five-stud, each player first receives one card face down and one card face up. The next three cards are dealt face up one by one with betting after each card. The remaining players reveal their cards and the winner is determined. Seven-card stud features a first deal of two cards facedown and one card face up, with a total of seven cards dealt. Players then select the five best cards to make up their hand. In shared cards power, players have their own cards and some cards are shared by all players. These cards are called community cards. Players then combine their cards with the community cards to form the best five-card hand. One popular form of this kind of poker is Texas Hold ‘Em. Here, each player receives two cards facedown then five community cards are dealt in intervals. The first three cards are dealt at once, then the last two one by one. Betting occurs after each deal. Since poker involves gambling, which is another human aspect of life, it has its cons. The desires for profit and tension of uncertainty have huge chances to be abused. Cheating or betting excessively is a likely result of this abuse. These would in turn lead to financial deprivation, loss of dignity and reputation, or new enemies. One cannotdepend on luck alone to win the game of poker. A man named John Hay said: True luck consists not in holding the best of the cards at the table; Luckiest he who knows just when to rise and go home.
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