Home Poker

Home poker tournaments are quickly replacing the traditional home poker games that many have been playing for years. Texas Hold’em has become the game of choice for most players around the country and suddenly all those crazy variations of seven card stud have lost their appeal for many who prefer the challenge of a online poker tournament . There are several advantages to playing in a home poker tournament.

One advantage to a home poker tournament is that it has a fixed cost. The players know ahead of time the amount of money that they could possibly lose. Many newer players are willing to sit down at the table when they know that the most they can lose is predetermined. They look at it as a fixed “entertainment” cost. Another advantage is that home poker tournaments are also a great way to introduce new players to the game without them feeling intimidated as they would sitting down with a group of strangers in the card room.

Limit vs. No Limit Many players want to hold no limit tournaments because of the excitement they see on the televised events. In a no limit tournament one mistake could knock you out. In a limit tournament players can make a mistake and it will only cost them a bet or two. If you have are having the tournament as a “social” event or have newer players with little experience you may find it better to hold a limit tournament. This way players can last longer and enjoy the evening.

Stud Poker

The basic principle of Stud Poker is that some of your cards will be face-down, and only you are allowed to see them, while the rest will be face-up for everyone at the table to see. The popular Stud Poker games are Seven-Card Stud and Five-Card Stud.

Typically in Seven-card Stud, two cards are initially dealt face-down to each player, followed by four cards dealt face-up to each player, followed by the seventh card dealt face-down to each player. This adds up to three cards in each hand that only the player can see, and four cards in each hand that everyone at the table can see. As a result, you can see how close other players are to making a hand, or you can pretend you have a better hand than you really do. For example, if my four face-up cards are 4-5-7-8, I can bet high to convince the others that one of my face-down cards is a six, completing a Straight.

Poker hands consist of five cards, so in any seven card poker game, each player makes the best five-card hand from their seven cards. For example, three pairs is not a valid poker hand, even though you might have the cards.

Five Card Stud is similar, with some cards dealt face-down and some face-up. The popular method is to deal one card face-down, followed by four cards face-up.

Although the specifics are left to the dealer, Stud Poker is typically played along the principle that the initial face-down cards are immediately dealt to each player, followed by one face-up card at a time. After each round of face-up cards are dealt, there is a betting round before the next round of face-up cards. These betting rounds are opened by the player who has the best hand showing of his or her face-up cards. For example, if I have a pair of Eights showing, and no other player's face-up cards can beat that, then I would open the betting round.