Blackjack, poker, and craps are all variations of the card game of draw poker. In all three games, players attempt to accurately guess the number of cards that will be drawn from a deck before the hand is over. The object of each game is to either make the best possible hand (e.g., an Ace with two other cards of equal value) or to get as close to making a hand as possible without going over.
In blackjack, players also try to avoid getting caught holding cards that would give them a bad hand (e.g., three 10s).
In blackjack, each player is dealt two face down cards and then must decide whether or not to “stand.” If the player chooses to stand, the dealer then drAWS one card from the deck and sets it face up in front of the player. The remaining face down card is placed on top of the drawn card, thereby forming the player’s hand. The dealer also deals another face down card to herself and sets it aside.
The game then proceeds as follows:
Reverse Draw: After both players have decided to stand, the dealer flips over her second card (the facedown card she set aside earlier) and adds it to her original hand. This process is repeated until all five cards have been dealt.
Once all five cards have been dealt, any player who wishes may “hit.” To hit, the player flips over one of her own face down cards and reveals it.
If this card is equal to or higher than any of the dealer’s revealed cards (including any wildcards), then the player may claim her stake and continue playing; otherwise, she loses her bet and play passes to the next player. If no one hits during this round, play moves on to another round after both players have performed one more draw from their decks.
In blackjack, if a player has two identical face down cards (e.g., Two Kings), that player automatically receives a free split (i.e., pays nothing).
Aces are worth 1 point each regardless of suit; however, if a Jack or Queen appears alongside an Ace in a player’s hand, that Ace becomes worth 2 points instead (i.e., an Ace-high Blackjack). .
In poker, each player is initially dealt three cards face down – two community cards and one personal card – and must decide whether or not to “call.” To call, the player reveals either one or two of his own cards; if they choose not to reveal their personal card(s), they “pass.” If more than one person calls at once (i.e., more than one person wishes to see their own hands before deciding whether or not to pass), then each caller plays out his or her hand in turn until everyone has had a chance to see what he or she has.
If no one wishes to call at this point (or if all players pass), then play switches back over to blackjack – with both hands revealed at once – where anyone still in possession of any wildcards can use them as substitutes for any other card in their hand(s).
Poker hands are composed of five different types of cards: Community Cards (three suits – hearts clubs spades diamonds); Personal Cards; Flush Cards; Straight Cards (two kinds – straight flush and royal flush); and Three Of A Kind Cards (three different suits).
Royal Flush: A royal flush consists of five same-value flushes – e.g., four clubs followed by a spade ace).
Straight Flush: A straight flush consists of four consecutive non-wildcards – e.g., 3 clubs 4 spades 5 diamonds).
Three Of A Kind: Three different kinds of three-of-a-kind hands include three pairs (two pairs of same value together plus a singleton), two triples (three different values together), and an ace high straight (a five-card combination including an ace).
