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Bonuses in Online Casinos

staffadmin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:21:28 +0000

It is a usual practice for most brick-and-mortar casinos to offer bonuses, or comps, to their players in order to make them stay longer and play more games inside the casino. These comps may come in the form of free alcohol and liquors, free entertainment, free hotel accommodations, reimbursements for air fare, and free limousine rides. In terms of online casino sites, bonuses are commonly offered in four types: signup bonuses, sticky bonuses, cashable bonuses, and cash back bonuses. The first type of online casino bonus is the signup bonus. This is the first thing that attracts most online players, for they could receive bonuses for up to thousands of dollars just by signing up to the online casino websites and make their initial deposit. The amount of signup bonus is based on a percentage of the player’s total deposit, which can be up to 100%. So for example, if a player initially deposits $1,500, his money will be doubled ($3,000) instantly upon signing up and making the deposit. There are also online casinos that do not require deposits to claim the signup bonus, but are mostly of lower values, such as a free $10 right of the bat, or in the form of playing some online casino games without any bet, but the winnings can be kept by the player. However, a player is only allowed to withdraw or to cash out if he meets the requirements of the casino website. For example, he should make a total bet of 25 times the total of the initial deposit plus the signup bonus. In the previous example, the player must make a total of $75,000 in terms of bets in order to cash out his signup bonus. By the last quarter of the year 2009, some of the most notable online casino signup bonuses ranges from hundreds to ten thousands of dollars! Caribbean Gold Casino offers $150; Silver Dollar and Super Slots Casino offer $300 each; VIP Slots, Cherry Red Casino, Golden Casino, and One Club Casino all offer $777 each; English Harbour Casino offers $800; Rushmore Casino offers $888; Slots Oasis offers $4,000; Millionaire Casino and Online Vegas Casino $5,000 each, Crazy Slots offers $12,500; and Go Casino offers a massive $20,000 online casino signup bonus. This handful of signup bonuses is one of the main attractions for online casino gamers to make their deposits and play on the mentioned online casino sites. The second type of online casino bonus is called the sticky bonuses. This is the most common type of online casino bonus. The amount of the sticky bonus may be calculated based on a certain percentage of the player’s initial deposit, just like the signup bonus. This amount can be added to your total balance and therefore any player can use this amount to bet on any online casino game. However, if the player is making an encashment, the amount of the sticky bonus is to be subtracted to the total amount of payouts received by the player. The main advantage of the sticky bonuses for the players is increasing their chance of winning more money, by having a larger amount to bet compared to their initial deposit. This means that they can play for longer and win more (if they are aware of the casino house edges, and if they know some online casino gambling strategies) with the additional amount. The third type of online casino bonus is the cashable bonuses. This is a very valuable, but quite rare, type of bonus. These bonuses are monetary amounts which can be obtained by a player when he meets a certain requirement. For example, an online casino gives a free $200 to any player who reaches the amount of $4,000 in his total bets in the unrestricted online casino games. This means that a player can encash the bonus once he meets the required total amount of wagers in the unrestricted games. These unrestricted games are those online casino games that have high casino house edges. Online casinos mostly restricts the games online blackjack and video poker, for these games have low house advantages. However, some casino sites allow players to bet on these low-house-edge casino games, but usually with a higher wagering requirement compared to other games in order to cash out the bonus. The fourth type of online casino bonus is the cash back bonuses. This type of bonus is also rare. This is usually followed after a player’s losses within a certain span of time. For example, an online casino site offers a weekly 25% cash back bonus for any player’s loss. This means that if a player had lost a certain amount of money in playing on the online casino games within the week, he can receive 25% of the total amount of his losses. However, he will not receive the bonus if instead he had won within the week. With every freebies there comes those who abuse this opportunity. Similar to comp hustlers in land-based casinos, who are using the strategy of betting larger amounts whenever there is a pit boss around and shifting to smaller amounts if the pit boss is not watching, and taking a lot of breaks and playing more slowly, there are also the bonus abusers in online casino site. These online casino bonus abusers may register multiple accounts in the online casinos and then claim the freebies in every account. However, online casinos may also commit fraud in giving bonuses, in such a way that they may change the terms of bonus and require a higher amount of wagers to avail the bonuses. That’s why it is wise to make sure that the online casino website that you planned to sign up for is of high credibility and would not ruin their reputation by means of committing fraud to their valued players.

Preparation For A Casino Game

staffadmin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:31:50 +0000

With the proliferation of online casino, thousands of casino players around the world like to play online casino games in their leisure time. However, in the increasingly busy routines that most people have coupled with the distances they need to travel, they no longer like to visit casinos physically. Rather, they want to enjoy the fun of online gambling in the luxury of their homes with the help of the Internet, just by logging on to their favorite online casino sites.

A wide variety of online casino games are featured including, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and video poker. The most exciting and exceedingly popular of our free casino games online are our outstandingly sophisticated and super high-tech video slot machines. They are provided to us by a secure software developer, they are all in Flash so no download is required, and they are all a ton of fun to play. No where else on the internet can you find such high quality free casino games online. Online casinos have brought gambling to the home and is now a multi-billion dollar industry. This profitability is a testament to the rising demand for online casino games.

Whether you want to play for real or whether you want to have some free fun, the games at Online Vegas can be played by you. This top online casino features hundreds of online games. Players can sign up easily and quickly start playing the flash version of their casino. No hefty download is required.

However, in the increasingly busy routines that most people have coupled with the distances they need to travel, they no longer like to visit casinos physically. Rather, they want to enjoy the fun of online gaming in the luxury of their homes with the help of the Internet, just by logging on to their favorite casino websites. These websites not only act as good source of entertainment but help you win good bonuses too.

You also need to understand the game thoroughly. This can be done by understanding the various facets of the game by performing a research on the Internet. You can also learn the various strategies of playing the games from the experts in this field or from members of the syndicate you are part of. Not only this, join a good lottery website to win the game and earn good bonuses.

Apart from this, you also need to understand the type of bonuses offered on the different casino web sites to promote the online games. Here the cash bonus is one such bonus that is the most common. However, before playing and gambling large money to earn this bonus be sure to read the terms and conditions completely. Also, start playing the free games offered on the casino websites to become a pro in playing online games.

By learning the rules of a certain online casino game, you’ll develop strategies to maximize your chances of winning. Online casinos has something for everyone – play free online poker, free blackjack, free roulette, slots and more and experience the finest in online casino world.

Baccarat Basics

staffadmin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:52:51 +0000

Baccarat is one of the most popular card game which is found in casinos worldwide, with its own playing area in the casinos. Baccarat as an online casino game is also still popular at most online casino websites. The game is played similarly both on online and brick and mortar casinos. It is usually played by two persons, and casino customers can bet on three options: the “Banker”, the “Player”, and the “Tie”, which is checked by a croupier.

Baccarat Objective

The winner of a single deal is determined by the values of the two players’ hands. In order to win, the hand value must be as close to 9 as possible. If you have a value of 9, then the only option is either to win or tie.

A hand value can be obtained by adding the values of all the cards in hand modulo 10 (the commonly used operator for modulo is %). This means that after adding the values, the result is divided by 10 and then the remainder will be the result. For example, 8 + 6 = 14, and 14 % 10 = 4 (if we divide 14 by 10, the answer is 1 with a remainder of 4). This also means that the tens digit is dropped, leaving only the ones digit. Therefore, the highest value which can be obtained is 9, and the lowest is zero which is termed as “baccarat”. Oddly enough, the game is named after the worst value of a hand.

How to Play Baccarat

Here is the most common way on how to play the game. Cards 2 to 9 have values according to their numbers. Cards 10 and the face cards (J, Q, K) are all worth zero, while an Ace card is equivalent to 1. A hand can only have two or three cards. For example, a hand consisting of 6 and an Ace is equivalent to 7 (6 + 1 = 7). A hand with 3, 9, and 5 has a value of 7 (3 + 9 + 5 = 17, 17 % 10 = 7). These two hands have similar values.

The banker will deal one face-down card to the player, then one to himself, then another one to the player, and then another one to himself, resulting to both of them having two cards each. Depending on the value of their hands, each of them can either draw an additional card or stand pat. Basically, the player can draw an additional card if his initial hand value is 5 or less. If the initial value is 6 or 7, then he makes a stand. If either one or both of them have a hand value of 8 or 9 on the initial deal, then no further cards are drawn. This situation is called “natural”.

Baccarat Betting Options

Players other than the ones playing as “banker” and “player” can also place their bets. The options are “Banker”, “Player”, and “Tie”.

The term “banker” does not refer to the one who deals the cards nor the house. It is the situation in which the one who deals the cards wins. Even payout, or 1:1 is applied if this situation wins. However, there is a 5% deduction for the house commision.

The term “player” is not the player who plays against the dealer but the situation in which he wins against the dealer. Even payout is also applied for those who win this bet.

The term “tie”, as it suggest, is a situation when both have the same amount of card value at the end of the deal. If this situation wins, then the bettors are paid at 8:1 ratio.

Baccarat Banker Strategy

Playing Baccarat mostly requires luck. When you are at the player position, you should definitely draw a card if your hand has an initial value of 5 or lower. If it is 6 or 7, then make a stand. However, this doesn’t guarantee your win though. But when you are playing as the banker, then strategy is required in order to win. Here are some pointers depending on the situation of the opposing player:

– The player did not draw a card – stand if his hand value is 6 or 7, or draw if it is 5 or lower — The player drew a 2 or 3 – stand if his hand value is 5 to 7, or draw if it is 4 or lower — The player drew a 4 or 5 – stand if his hand value is 6 or 7, or draw if it is 5 or lower — The player drew a 6 or 7 – stand if his hand value is 7, or draw if it is 6 or lower — The player drew an 8 – stand if his hand value is from 3 to 7, and draw if it is 2 or lower — The player drew an ace, 9, 10, or any face-card – stand if his hand value is from 4 to 7, or draw if it is 3 or lower

Baccarat Variations

* The one discussed above applies to the Punto Banco, or the North American Baccarat variation. Punto refers to the Player and Banco refers to the Banker. Bettors will declare “Punto” if they are betting on the player, and will declare “Banco” if they are betting on the banker. The term applied for a tie is “Egalatie”. This is also termed as the “regular” baccarat. Most online casino baccarat applies this variation.

* Mini Baccarat is a variation which is played on a smaller table, the size of a Blackjack table. Up to seven players can play against a croupier who also acts as the banker. Regular baccarat tables has three dealers who take the bets to ensure that the rules are followed. The betting limits are lower in this variation.

* Chemin-de-fer is a French version. Its rules are almost the same as the regular baccarat, except when the player acting as the Banker loses a hand, the next player will become the banker. This continues on and the state of the “Banker” travels around the table, similar to a train running on a railroad, which suggest the name of the variation. Chemin-de-fer means “railroad” in French.

* Baccarat en Banque is another French variation. Unlike in the regular variation, a player is dealt with two hands, and the bettors are allowed to choose from the two hands on where to place their bet. However, they can’t place their bet on the banker. Another difference is that only the casino can handle the position of the banker.

* Private Baccarat is a variation in which the banker has the option to deal the player with either one or two hands. The player will decide whether he will be dealt with one hand, like in regular baccarat, or he can play two hands. If the player chooses two hands, this is termed as a cheval, and he must win both hands in order to win the deal. If he can only win one of the two, then it is a tie.

* Super Pan Nine is a variation in which all the cards with values of 7, 8, 9, and 10 are removed from the deck. Both the banker and the player are dealt with 3 cards each. Either of them can make a choice whether to draw an additional 4th card or to stand with just the 3 cards. It is common that they will draw a 4th card if the initial hand value is 4 or lower.

Baccarat is used on so many popular culture. Did you know that the first version of the James Bond movie Casino Royale in 1967 features the game Baccarat? It is only replaced by Texas Hold’em poker in the recent 2006 movie version because of the currently great popularity of Texas Hold’em at the time of filming. In the film Rush Hour 3, Detective James Carter (portrayed by Chris Tucker) attempts to play baccarat in a casino in Paris, but he mistook the card game to be a Blackjack game. The dealer warns him that the game is Baccarat when he asks for a third card. Later on Carter got a hand with three Kings and he cheers happily because he again mistook the rules to be of poker. The value of his hand only evaluates to zero, which causes him to lose.

Baccarat is a very exciting game, and the rules are simple and easy to remember. You must be lucky enough to obtain the lucky 9 and win the deal.

How To Choose An Online Casino Game That Suits You

staffadmin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:15:22 +0000

Many people may have had difficulties whether to play a certain online casino game or not. Whether a player is an experienced one or just a newbie, he must know what area in online casino game he will excel. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any growth for him in this field.

In a casino en ligne, a player’s options are not so many unlike in real casino settings. Land-based casinos offer countless games that can blow anyone’s mind away. There are three categories in a usual land-based casino; cards, dice/tiles and random numbers. Blackjack, Spanish 21 and poker are just few of the many card games that can usually be seen in a casino table games while craps and chuck-a-luck are examples for a dice/tile game and roulette is an example of a game that can be found in the random numbers category. These are just some of the many options that a player can do.

In a casino ligne however, things are narrowed according to your choice. No more walking around tables, watching people play and waiting for your turn to sit on the table and play. With the latest computer trends nowadays, things may have gone simpler this time.

The basic jeux casino that can be seen in a usual casino websites are baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, slot games and poker. Each jeux casino has its unique features. If a player is very logical, blackjack or poker suits him better than any other. However, if a player is just playing around for fun, craps or roulette is best for him. If a player is just a newbie and has a little knowledge about gambling then slot games are for him. Each game varies depends on a person’s preference. Each game has its level of difficulties and skills. Selecting the right casino en ligne game is like doing a trial and error method. If it doesn’t work, then look for another game to try and check if it will work, if not, let’s go back to step 1.

Things are simpler when people try to innovate things from its usual form. It makes complex things simple and very much easy to understand for people who need help on understanding things. Choosing a jeux casino may or may not be easy. However, realizing its complexity and understanding the beauty of its craft make it possible to say that everything has the possibility of being suited for everyone.

Some Reminders When Looking For The Best Casino

staffadmin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:00:01 +0000

The online casino is one of the fastest growing forms of gaming in the world today. In fact new casino websites are being created and opened in the Internet every day.

Wilt the myriad of choices available, however, a prospective casino player may find it hard to locate a good casino. He is also very vulnerable to several unscrupulous casino operators. Thus the casino player must some things that he can use to narrow down his choices to the best ones.

Look at the payouts

Perhaps the most important thing that a player should look for in a casino is the payouts, especially since it’s the money he is after. Casinos have different payouts for different games. He should therefore survey first the different casinos online before he makes his choice. A casino directory or a review portal can be very helpful, as these provide detailed information on the payouts of various sites.

Generally, what he is looking for is the one with the highest payouts. Remember, however, that betting amount increases with payouts, meaning the higher the prizes are, the higher the bets also become. Thus he should take into consideration the amount of money he is willing to spend on the casino. For beginners, it would be good to go with the small casinos first, as they offer a small bet for fairly good payouts.

One reminder though, be weary of casinos offering large sums for relatively small bets. These are rather very dubious and might event have hidden strings attached. You don’t want to end end up being cash strapped from playing just one game.

Choose your game

Knowing which game you want to play is also important when you are looking for a good casino website. If you are more of a casual gamer and want to try different games, many sites offer a full listing of different game. For those who want to focus on a specific games, on the other hand, there are sites that cater solely for that game. To add variety, some also offer different versions of the game for the player’s enjoyment.

As with any other computer games, game play is also important. The game should be easily playable and the game controls easy to use and master. For player convenience, many casino game packages now come with standard interfaces for all their games. This makes it easier to play the games, as you only need to learn one console.

The casino should also provide ample player support for their games. The games themselves should have a fairly good connection with the casino’s servers to protect the betting transactions you make. The casino should also provide a thorough costumer care service that the player can access every time a problem arises. Lastly, the casino must provide a regular game software update to ensure that the game suite is working in good condition.

Playtech Software in Online Casino Sites

staffadmin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:05:23 +0000

The online casino gaming software company, Playtech Limited, began their franchise in the year 1999. It was founded by Teddy Sagi in the United Kingdom. Though they came relatively late in the industry, they quickly grew up into one of the world’s largest online casino game developer and overtook the competition with their innovative thinking. Their most notable casino games creations consist of online poker rooms and online bingo games. They also supported mobile gaming, arcade games, and live gaming. Mor Weizer is the current CEO of the company, and they employ more than 700 people in different countries. Playtech was known to be the first online casino gaming software to introduce cutting-edge features as VIP ratings, comps schemes, real-time access to game and transaction histories, tools to prevent fraud, and a unified platform technology, in which using only a single user account can access several gaming activities, such as playing multiple online casino games at once. Playtech technology also allows the operators to monitor the players’ activities easily and provides support directly through a live chat system. Playtech also offers a live player video streaming, Random Number Generators, and as well as superb graphics and high quality sound effects. They also support separate accounts for playing with real money and play money. Certified by BMM International, which is an Accredited Testing Facility, Playtech’s gaming software has been known for its reliable and secured gaming, and for its superb graphics and high gaming speed. It also offers multi-lingual platforms, and it supports a huge network of progressive jackpots. Playtech is a trusted and reputable provider of online casino gaming software to most online casino websites. Examples of these sites are Bet365, BetFred, Casino Plex, Casino Tropez, Centrebet, City Club Casino, Europa Casino, Golden Palace Casino, Jet Casino, Mansion Poker, Poker Plex, Prestige Casino, Titan Poker, ToteSport, VCPoker, and Vegas Red Casino. One of the most notable games that Playtech provides is online casino bingo. Playtech is known to be one of the leading providers of online bingo gaming software. Its bingo software is easy to install, and it offers high quality graphics. They also offer a very wide variety of card and game configurations. There are bingo sites that are mainly powered by Playtech, and most of them are Bingoland network members. These member sites share a common gaming and jackpot system, chat, and backend. However, each of them offers different aesthetics in order to differentiate one site from the other. Some of the sites that are using Playtech Bingo are Ruby Bingo (rubybingo.com), Prestige Bingo (prestige-bingo.com), Mapau Bingo (mapaubingo.com), and Kiwi Bingo (kiwibingo.com). Some sites, however, have opted for a licensed network model in which the only players they have on their sites are registered to their own sites. They are called “Independent Licensees”. Examples of these sites are Golden Palace Casino and BetFred. Playtech also powers a network of online casino poker room, known as iPoker. Sites that are members of this network share the same software and backend. However, each poker site offers a different and unique look and ambiance from the other member sites. Players enjoy the experience of real-life poker gaming, thanks to Playtech. Other variations of online poker are also available through Playtech, such as video poker, Pai Gow poker, Tequila Poker, and Caribbean Poker. Playtech is also a reputable provider of other casino games such as online roulette, keno, craps, blackjack, and slots. Aside from online casino games, they also offer other games such as the Derby Day Horse Racing, Around the World, Bonus Bowling, and Jackpot Darts. No matter what online casino game you are searching for, your search will definitely end up to a number of sites powered by Playtech. As an industry giant, Playtech games are not hard to find, and they provide players with unforgettable online casino gaming experience.

Handy Poker Hand Ranking Guide

staffadmin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:10:43 +0000

Poker is one of the most popular casino games, both on brick-and-mortar and on online casino websites. It is also a very complex games with lots of betting and winning rules, and the game itself has some variations on how to be played. However, most of these variations follow only one pattern of poker hand rankings.

The major variants of poker include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Five Card Draw, and Seven Card Stud. If there are two or more poker players that have not folded until the end of the card dealing and betting on their hands, there will be a showdown among them, and depending on the rank of their hands, there is one, and possibly more than one, winner. How are the hands ranked? There are nine (9) poker hand categories, and starting from the lowest ranked, they are as follows: High Card, One Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, and Straight Flush.

In all variants of poker, each of the cards are ranked individually, with 2 having the lowest rank. The rank goes up with the number until number 10, then followed by Jack, Queen, King, and the Ace card with the highest rank of all individual cards. Card suits have no effect in ranking though, such as an Ace of Diamonds is ranked equal with an Ace of Spade. Likewise, card suite also have no effect on the rankings of the poker hand categories.

The lowest hand category that a poker player can get is the High Card, in which no two or more cards have the same rank, the five cards do not form a consecutive sequence, and all five cards contains more than one suit. The winner between two or more High Card hands is determined by the card with the highest rank. If they have the same highest ranked card, the next highest is compared, and so on until there is a difference. If there is no difference, then they are tied and the pot is divided among them. High card is also termed as “no-pair”, and it is described by the highest ranked card (such as a “King high” if the highest rank is a King). It has the highest probability (approximately 50%) of being dealt to a poker player.

When a poker player obtains one pair of cards that have the same rank and the other three are all non-paired (called the kickers), then his hand falls to the One Pair category, in which it beats any High Card poker hand. The winner among more than One Pair hands is determined by the rank of the pair. If more than one have the same pairs, then the kickers in each hand will determine the winner, applying the same rule as the High Card poker hand. The probability that a poker player is dealt with a One Pair hand is approximately 42%.

If a poker hand contains two cards of similar rank, and two cards of another similar rank, and one kicker, then the hand is classified as a Two Pair, and it beats any One Pair poker hand. It is described by the higher of the two pairs, which can be followed by the other pair optionally. For example, a Two Pair hand which has a pair of Aces and another pair of Queen and any kicker can be described as “Aces and Queens”, “Aces over Queens”, or just “Aces up”. The higher-ranked pairs in each hand will be compared to determine the winner among the other Two Pair hands. If the higher-ranked pairs of the players are similar, the other pair will be compared, and if they are still similar, then the kicker will determine the winner. If there are still no differences, then they are tied. The probability of a poker player being dealt with a Two Pair is approximately 4.8%.

When three cards in a poker hand have similar ranks, and the other two are non-pair, then the player’s hand is called a Three of a Kind, or Trips in other terms. It beats any Two Pair hand and ranks lower than Two Pair. The ranks of the cards that appear thrice in each hand are compared to determine the winner. The possibility that there can be two Three of a Kind poker hands with the same rank of their triples is only available to poker games with wild cards or community card games such as Texas Hold’em, and the winner will be determined by the ranks of the kickers of each hand. A poker player have an estimated 2.1% chance of being dealt with any Trips poker hand.

A poker hand that contains five ranks of consecutive sequence in more than one card suit is classified as a Straight, and it beats any Trips and lower hand ranks. In this poker hand, an Ace card can play either a high (such as Ace-King-Queen-Jack-10) or a low (such as 5-4-3-2-Ace, a “5-high straight” or commonly known as a “wheel”, which is lower in rank compared to a Straight consisting of 6-5-4-3-2), but not both at the same time (such as 3-2-Ace-King-Queen, which in this case is just an “Ace-high high card”). The highest-ranked card is used to describe a Straight, such as “King-high straight” or “straight to King” if the hand consists of the cards King-Queen-Jack-10-9 of more than one card suit, and is compared with the other Straight’s highest-ranked card to determine the winner among more than one Straight hands. If the ranks are similar, then they are of equal value, and card suit is not used to separate them. There is an estimated 0.39% possibility of a poker player being dealt with a Straight hand.

If all five cards of a poker hand belongs to only one suit (either spades, clubs, diamonds, or hearts), and if they do not form a consecutive card rank sequence, then it is classified as a Flush, and it beats any Straight poker hand and those lower than Straight. It is also described by the highest-ranked card, which can also be followed by the next-ranked card if necessary. For example, a Flush which contains the cards 10-7-6-4-3 of clubs can be described as “10-high flush” or “10-7-high flush”. The highest-ranked cards in more than one Flush poker hands are compared to pick the winner. The next highest ranks are then compared if the highest cards are similar, and so on until there is a difference. If all five ranks are similar with the other Flush, then they are tied. Card suit is not used to differentiate their rankings. A poker player has a chance of approximately 0.20% to be dealt with a Flush.

A Full House (also termed as Full Boat) is a poker hand that contains three cards of similar ranks and a pair. It beats any Flush and lower hand rankings. It is described by the rank of the triple followed by “full”, or the words “full of” and then the rank of the pair (such as “Aces full of Kings” or “Aces full” in case of a hand which contains triple Aces and a pair of Kings). The rank of the triple determines the winner among more than one Full House poker hands. In case of poker games with wild cards and in Texas Hold’em, it is possible for two Full House hands to have the same triple, and the pair is used to pick the winner. A Full House poker hand has approximately 0.14% chance of being dealt to a player.

If a poker hand contains four cards all in one card rank, and a card kicker of another rank, it is known as a Four of a Kind or Quads, and it beats any Full House or lower poker hand ranks. Quads with higher ranks beats other lower-ranked quads. It is possible in Texas Hold’em and poker games with wild cards to have more than one players with similar-ranked quads. Therefore, their kicker will be compared, and if they are also equal in rank, then they are tied. A poker player has only 0.024% estimated chance of obtaining a Four of a Kind hand.

The highest ranked poker hand category is the Straight Flush. As the name suggests, it is a combination of a Straight and a Flush, in which the hand consists of all five cards in one suit and forms a consecutive sequence of individual card rankings. Similar to a Straight poker hand, the Ace card can play either high (such as Ace-King-Queen-Jack-10 of spades, an “Ace-high straight flush”) or low (such as 5-4-3-2-Ace of hearts, a “5-high straight flush”, or commonly called as a “steel-wheel”) and not both at the same time. Any “Ace-high straight flush” is also called a “royal flush”, and has the highest rank of all standard poker hands. The highest ranked card of a Straight Flush hand is compared with the others, and if they have similar ranks, then they are tied and the pot money is divided among them. Being the highest ranked poker hand category, a Straight Flush is the rarest poker hand that can be dealt, with only 0.0015% of appearing.

Luck in obtaining high-ranked poker hands is vital in your gameplay to ensure a win. But strategy plays the most important part in winning your poker games, for you can still win even though you have the lowest-ranked poker hand of all. Just stay cool, do your best in bluffing, and most of all, always keep wearing your poker face.