As explained previously, all of the myriad of poker games can be broken down into three families: draw, stud and community card games. Here are instructions for but a few versions of poker currently en vogue with the membership of The Mile End Poker Society.

Draw Poker Games

Stud Poker Games

Community Card Poker Games

Draw Poker Games

In draw poker, each player receives a number of face-down cards from the dealer (usually five cards). A round of betting follows. Then players are permitted to discard one or more of the cards they were dealt and exchange them for new cards, in the hopes of improving their hand. The number of cards players are permitted to discard, as well as the number of discard rounds, are determined by the dealer. Each discard round (if there is more than one) is followed by a round of betting. When all discard rounds and subsequent betting rounds are complete, the remaining players showdown for the pot.

Jacks Or Better

The dealer prepares this game by including a bug in the deck before shuffling. A bug is a joker, but this particular joker may only count as an ace, a king, or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush. Players begin this draw game by anteing, followed by the deal - five cards face-down to each player.

In order for any player to place the first bet of the first round, they must be holding, at minimum, a pair of jacks. Otherwise they are compelled to check. Once a player has placed the first bet, it no longer matters what other players are holding - they may call or raise the first or subsequent bets. But if no one makes a first bet (that is to say, if everyone checks), then all cards are turned in, the dealer reshuffles, the players re-ante, and each player receives a new hand of five cards, facedown. This continues until someone is able to open the betting. It is not uncommon for players to have to re-ante two or three times before someone holds a hand good enough to permit them to open the betting.

Once an initial round of betting successful concludes, the deal asks each player in turn (beginning with the player on the immediate left of the dealer) if they would like to discard any of their cards. Players may discard none, one, two, three, four or even all of their cards, which will be exchanged by the dealer for an equal number of new cards. Once all players have had the opportunity to discard, a new round of betting ensues, followed by the showdown.

Stud Poker Games

In stud poker, each player is given a number of cards from the dealer - some will be face-down and some will be face-up (the number and order of each depends on the type of stud poker being played). Every time players are dealt new cards, a round of betting follows, with the player showing the best hand based on their face-up cards having the first option to bet. When no more cards are forthcoming and all betting rounds are complete, the remaining players showdown for the pot.

Seven Card Stud

In this rudimentary but highly popular stud game, players ante, then receive three cards from the dealer - two face-down and one face-up. The player with the highest face-up card has the first option to bet (in the case of two players with cards of the same rank, the one closest to the dealer's left will be the one with the first option to bet). After this betting round, the dealer deals out another face-up card, followed by another betting round, then two more face-up cards, with a bettting round inbetween each new card. The seventh card is dealt face down and is followed by a final betting round and the showdown.

Follow The Queen

This is played and dealt exactly the same as seven card stud, with one notable exception: all queens are wild. In addition, the rank of a card dealt face-up immediately after a face-up queen is dealt is also wild. So, if a player receives a queen face-up, the next face-up card dealt (say, for example, a three) will be wild, as will all cards of that rank (for example, all threes) in every player's hand.

However, should another queen be dealt face-up, the rank of the face-up card that is dealt immediately following will then become wild as well; and any non-queen cards that had previously been wild go back to holding their original value only. For example, if as above, queens and threes were wild, then in the next round of cards dealt a queen was dealt face-up followed by a jacks, all jacks become wild and threes go back to being just threes.

If a queen is the last face-up card dealt, the face-down card that is dealt after is not wild. Also, if no queen is dealt face-up, then all remaining players forfeit their cards and re-ante. The dealer reshuffles and redeals to all players were were alive in the previous hand.

Community Cards Poker Games

In community cards games players are dealt a quantity of face-down cards ("pocket" cards). Then, the dealer will deal out a number of face-up cards in the middle of the tablein a sequence specified by the dealer prior to the first deal. Players share the face-up cards in the middle of the table - that is, the face-up cards in the middle of the table are considered to be in the hands of each player (hence, the term "community cards"). The player who holds the most valuable hand based on a combination of his "pocket" cards and the "community" cards and who has not folded by the end of the betting wins.

Texas Hold 'Em

This immensely-popular game is what is played at the World Series Of Poker in Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's also what Matt Damon's character calls "the purest form of the game" in the film Rounders.

The game is usually played with blinds - the player to the immediate left of the dealer will place a very small "blind bet" into the pot without seeing any cards. The player to the left of this player does likewise, only doubling the amount the first player put in (this player is known as the "big blind"). The dealer then deals each player in succession two cards face-down. The first bet goes to the player to the left of the "big blind" who must at least match the big blind to remain in the game, or raise the big blind. All other players must match the big blind and all subsequent bets. The "small blind" and the "big blind," of course, will have to put in a little less than the other players (if no one raises the big blind, the small blind will only be obligated to put in half as much as the other players, having put in half the big blind at the very beginning; the big blind in this case is not obligated to put in any more money, but does have the option to raise).

After the first round of betting, the dealer deals out the flop by burning the top card (dealing it face-down into the muck, so that it is not in play - this is down in part to ensure all players that no cheating on the part of the dealer is taking place) and then dealing the next three cards face up to the centre of the table. A round of betting ensues, only this time the small blind (the player to the dealer's immediate left) goes first. The dealer then deals fourth street by burning the top card and placing the next card face-up beside the flop. Another round of betting occurs, in the same fashion as the one that immediately preceded it. The dealer then deals fifth street by burning the top card and placing the next card face-up beside the fourth street card. There is a final round of betting. Then the showdown occurs, with players making the best possible hand out of the two face-down cards in their "pocket" plus any three of the face-up cards in the middle of the table that they "share" with the other players.

Omaha

* Guts Poker

In any game of Guts Poker, the players ante, are dealt their hands, and decide whether or not they want to stay in the game. Players that do not stay in the game are out until the next deal. Of the players who stay in, the player with the best hand collects the pot. The other players who "went in" have to match the amount of moeny that was in the pot when the round started. For example, if 6 people are playing and ante a quarter each, there's $1.50 in the pot. After cards are dealt, 4 players decide to go in. The other two are out of the hand. The player of the four who has the best hand at the end of the game collects the pot. The other 3 players have to throw $1.50 into the pot. Now, there's $4.50 in the pot and the same game is redealt.

A Guts game keeps getting dealt over and over until one player decides to go in. That one player collects the pot and the game is over. As long as more than one player stays in after the deal, at least one player is going to have to match the pot and the game goes on. Players do not have to go in if they do not want to risk having to match the pot if they lose. But, a player who does not stay in has no chance of collecting the pot.

First, each player places an ante or "token bet" into the pot before the cards are even dealt. The ante can be anything from a nickel (if you're a poor college student) to thousands of dollars (if you're a Vegas high roller). You need an ante because it guarantees that someone will always win something on each hand. You also need an ante because without one, your uncle would be lonely. We'll wait . . .