The Game Of Poker

Poker is played with a pack of fifty-two cards and by any number of persons from two to seven, five being considered the most proper and agreeable. Each plays against all the others, and every card counts for its exact face value as in whist. The five main operations of the game of poker are anteing, dealing, coming in or passing out, discarding, and drawing and betting. The routine of the game may be readily gathered by a neophyte from the accompanying diagram, showing a table with positions for five players, A, B, C, D, and E. Any one of the party may first shuffle the cards, which he then proceeds to throw around, face up, one to each of the others and to himself. The first jack is the signal for deal, as a matter of convenience. The person before whom it falls gathers up all the cards. Before dealing, this player, who for diagram uses may be designated A, must shuffle the cards in the sight of every one at the table. Any player may now demand to shuffle the pack, the dealer, A, shuffling last, as a matter of course. The cards must now be cut. It is by no means essential that they be shuffled by any one but A. But cut they ought invariably to be, and the player upon whom this duty falls is always in E’s seat, at the dealer’s right. The portion cut from the top must be placed at the bottom of the pack, and the dealer must hold the entire pack in his hands. The portion cut from the top must not be allowed to lie on the table while the cards are being dealt. Dealing one card at a time, face down and to the left, A now proceeds to give to each player at the table five cards. Should a faced card appear in dealing, a new deal is required and the pack must be re-shuffled and re-cut as at first. The reason is evident: every player has a right to his chance of drawing any card in the pack. The sight of any card before the draw may alter the draw he would otherwise make. For more information on the game of poker, visit: http://www.tops-poker.net