What It Takes to Win

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From movies, television, books, home games, military or college exposure, and illegal backroom games, practically every American has learned a little something about poker.

And though each version of the game boasts something special (requiring strategy changes), the basics of play for all are similar.

1. It takes five cards to make a winning hand -- no matter which version of poker you're playing (unless of course you're playing 3-Card Poker.

2. The game is commonly played with a 52-card deck -- although more obscure and less frequently played games include an extra card in the form of a joker.

3. The goal is to win the pot (jackpot) with the best hand -- although the best hand doesn't always win because of factors such as bluffing, semi-bluffing, and individual style of play.

4. There are four suits to each deck of cards -- diamonds, clubs, hearts and spades.

5. Each suit is divided into 13 cards: ace (both the highest and lowest card in the deck, for most games), king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, and two.

You cannot expect to win at poker without knowing the hand rankings. These are listed here, from the highest -- royal flush to the lowest (no pair). Naturally, the higher the ranking, the more difficult it is to get, thus its strength.

1. Royal flush: Consists of five cards from the ace to the 10 (ace, king, queen, jack, 10), all the same suit. (There are just four possible royal flushes -- also known as a royal straight flush -- in each 52-card deck.)

2. Straight flush: Five cards in order all the same suit (six-seven-eight-nine-10 of spades, for example).

3. Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank (ace of spades, ace of clubs, ace of diamonds, and ace of hearts, for example).

4. Full house: Three cards of the same rank plus two cards of their same rank (10 of clubs, 10 of hearts, 10 of spades, eight of diamonds, eight of clubs, for example).

5. Flush: Five cards of any rank, all of the same suit (ace of diamonds, 10 of diamonds, nine of diamonds, seven of diamonds, four of diamonds, for example).

6. Straight: five cards in ranking (numerical) order of any suit. (two of clubs, three of hearts, four of diamonds, five of clubs, six of hearts).

7. Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank (king of spades, king of diamonds, king of hearts, for example).

8. Two pair: Two cards of one rank plus two of a different rank (three of spades, three of hearts, 10 of diamonds, 10 of clubs, for example).

9. One pair: Two cards of the same rank (three of spades, three of hearts, for example). 10. High card: No pair or any other combination above. Often called the no-pair hand, its strength is determined by the highest card present (ace, king, nine, six, two, any suits, for example is an ace-high hand. If the ace were a three, the hand would be a king-high hand.)

Casino poker takes place around an oval table that seats from seven to 10 players, depending on the game. Unlike other table games in the casino, you cannot walk into a poker room, pick any seat, sit down, and start to play. You must first contact the brush (official poker greeter), floorman, or supervisor, who will tell you what kind of games are in action, what limits they have, and whether or not there's an available seat in the game of your choice.

If you've never played in this casino (or any casino) before, let the brush know and if he or she doesn't explain the house rules, ask (house rules, while similar, vary a bit from room to room.) You can also ask the dealer for house rules, but then you're letting yourself wide open by telling everyone at the table that you're a neophyte. You don't want to do this, so if you have to ask the dealer, do so with words like, "I've never played here before; will you give me a quick rundown of the rules?"

If there isn't any room at your preferred game and limit, the brush will put your name on a list and call you when a seat becomes available. You shouldn't wander too far from the card room, however, as the paging system for poker doesn't go over the public address system. In crowded rooms, they don't wait very long before going to the next name on the list.