Poker poll

[brigdh]

In one of those weird coincidences that happens sometimes, I've happened to get into three or four conversations about poker in the last week. I'd always thought that it was one of those things that was common knowledge, like how to play checkers or Solitaire, but apparently not. Every person I've seen mention it lately either didn't know how to play at all, or was unaware of fairly simple aspects of it such as which hands beat others, or what a suicide king is.

So now I'm curious. Who knows how to play poker? In case you're interested, I know five-card draw and Texas hold-em, and the basics of five and seven-card stud. I've only played for real money a few times, but that's mainly because I'd rather play for fun than gamble. I must have learned when I was very little, because I don't remember it, though I do know I played it with friends when I was ten, if not earlier.


[Poll #728349]

Comments

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I think probably somebody tried to teach me when I was a kid, or possibly when I was being treated for something that involved lots of amusing drugs. But in either case, it didn't take. I'm familiar with all of those poker terms except for "suicide king," but I'd have to look them up to be completely sure what they all meant.

I can play bridge, though. If I have to.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*laughs* That's like me and Euchre; I've been taught three or four times now, but I have yet to actually remember any of the rules by the next day. And I've never even attempted bridge.

The suicide king is, I think, the king of hearts. The face of the card depicts him apparently sticking his sword into his own head, and so is usually used as a wild card, or just as an excuse to give one of the cards a morbid name.

[weirdquark]

Oh, I know Euchre. My friends and I used to play in character.

Playing with Loki is fun. He cheats, but in interesting and/or entertaining ways, and never to his advantage.

Like that time he dealt the cards and gave one person three extra and waited to see how long it would take them to notice.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's so neat. I've never tried to play cards in character, but it would be a lot of fun.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

I was taught how to play poker twice, in the space of several years. It didn't stick, because I only played it twice in my life time. I'm sure that if I'd run with a gambling/card playing crowd, then the lessons would have stuck.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes. It can be hard to remember the rules if you never use them. As I was saying to Phoebe, I've been taught Euchre several times, but I never remember it.

[chiasmus.livejournal.com]

I learned how to play poker off my dad, so all the money I made off of it was from him. XD; In later years none of my friends play so much, though I'd really like to pick it back up someday. I always found it odd that other people didn't know how to play, or the basic rules, since it's always been as familiar as old maid, go fish, or gin rummy to me.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same here. I'd even expect it to be more common than gin rummy. Though maybe not old maid and go fish, if just because the rules to those are so simple it's hard to forget them.

[kohakutenshi.livejournal.com]

Wan~... I'm getting an error when I try to do the poll.

I kinda know how to play the five card thingie. But I usually frustrated my parents because I would think I had nothing but in reality I had the best hand.

"Leslie, that's a full house, you moron~!"

"Is it?" *clueless* "I just thought it was cute." XD

"..." --'

X3

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Huh, that's strange. I don't know why it wouldn't work.

Hee. Yeah, the part of poker that took me the longest to learn was all the hands; I was always getting confused about if a straight beat a flush, or if two pair beat three of a kind, or what.

[childofatlantis.livejournal.com]

I didn't tick any of the terms boxes in the end, because while I'm familiar with a lot of them as _words_, I really don't know what they mean. I have no idea what cards make up Full House/Flush/Straight etc, even though I've heard of them, and I'm not sure if I've got Fold/Raise/Bluff right. -_-

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

This poll has turned out to be so interesting. Poker is apparently much, much less well-known than I'd thought. It's funny how something you thought was common knowledge can turn out to be not so at all.

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

telophase posted-- probably about a year ago-- that there should be a Saiyuki gen story called "One-Eyed Jacks and Suicide Kings." :D

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

...Dude. That really would be an awesome title.