HowToDoThings.com Recent Board & Card Games Articles

How To Use Poker Etiquette

thedave — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:16:42 -0600

Poker is a highly competitive, and entertaining game. And when money is involved it can often create quite an adrenaline rush. It is important to remember that the main reason you are playing the game is for the entertainment aspects. Professional poker players have a passion for the game, and love what they do. You should have the same mentality. Fun first. Having this mindset is the key to successfully using proper poker etiquette. Below are some tips that will make for an enjoyable game for you and your opponents.

How To Profit in Online Poker Tournaments

jazyzjef — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:18:58 -0500

Single table tournaments are plentiful online. Making a profit on the lower stakes tables is easier than you think. Understanding and adhering to the following concepts will improve your game dramatically.

How To Play Monopoly

Shannan 596 — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:46:00 -0600

Monopoly has been a beloved game all over the world for many years. Created by Charles Darrow in 1934, the original game uses the actual street names of Atlantic City, NJ to allow players a chance to create their own real estate empire. There are a wide variety of Monopoly versions on the market today, but each uses the same set of basic rules, no matter the location or theme. Playing Monopoly together is a fun way to spend an exciting night with your friends and family. Though the game play can be long, it's quite simple to play once you understand the rules.

How To Play Backgammon

Randy436 — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 06:49:00 -0500

Of all of the board games played today, Backgammon is one of the oldest. Its origins predate Chess and the forerunners of Backgammon may even predate Go. Today Backgammon is played throughout the world and can be enjoyed by players of most all ages.

In its most common form, Backgammon is a two player games where the object is for a player to remove all of her or his pieces before the opponent can. A normal game of Backgammon usually takes less than 30 minutes to play. To play Backgammon, you will need the following:

A Backgammon board (or table): While players who enjoy Backgammon will often wish to obtain a dedicated Backgammon board, it is quite common to find Backgammon boards on the reverse side of mass-produced checker boards.
15 pieces (or checkers) per player: These can be any convenient marker.

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How To Play Magic The Gathering

Eric430 — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:16:00 -0500

I have a suggestion to make for anyone who likes card games or someone who enjoys playing strategic games such as chess. Check out Magic the Gathering by Wizards of the Coast.

Magic the Gathering was the forefather of the new collectible card game genre. The game was invented by Richard Garfield, a mathematics professor and board game creator. Many other games have come along trying to capitalize on its success. However, after all the dust has settled, it remains the most played and successful of the genre. Magic the Gathering falls under the category of "easy to learn, difficult to master." The game can seem intimidating to a new player so here is some information about how the game operates so that you won't be clueless when you play your first game.

How To Use Poker Tracker to Play Better at Online Tables

Eric430 — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 10:04:00 -0500

Anyone who plays poker with even a small degree of seriousness realizes that it is a game that you win in the long run. New players commonly win twenty or thirty games and walk away thinking that the game is easy and begin counting the millions in their heads. The flip side is that it is very discouraging when someone can't catch a card and the game just will not let them win. Among serious poker players, it is generally recognized that it takes a record of about one hundred thousand hands before a person can begin doing some real trend analysis. That's a lot of hands to keep track of and that's where Poker Tracker comes in.

How To Calculate and Apply Pot Odds in Texas Hold 'Em

Alvin121 — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 14:30:00 -0500

In poker, pot odds are defined as "the ratio of the size of the pot equal to the size of the bet you must call." For example, if a pot is $40, and your opponent bets $5, then your pot odds lay at 5:40, or 1:8. Pot odds are useful when calculating the profitability of calling a bet in Texas Hold 'Em. When the odds of making a winning hand are superior to the pot odds, a call is profitable. When the odds of making a winning hand are less than the pot odds, the call is not profitable. Let's use an example that's easy to understand:

Let's say you roll a die with your friend for money. Every time you roll a six, you win $10. Every time you roll any other number, you lose $1. Clearly, this is a profitable wager because you are getting 1:10 odds ($1 to $10) on a 1:6 proposition (odds of rolling a six). This can be applied to basic poker strategy.

How To Play Euchre

Mariya279 — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:44:00 -0500

Euchre is a Dutch game dating back to the 1800s. It is popular in Canada and New England. The type of euchre that will be explained below is the four hand game, which involves two sets of two partners (four players).

From the deck, the dealer should discard all cards from twos to sixes, leaving 32 cards in the deck.
Cards: The highest card is the jack of the trump suit, which is called the right bower. The other jack of the same color is the second highest, called the left bower. The value of cards from here begins highest at the trump suit, which is ranked A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7. The nontrump suits rank: A, K, Q, J (if not left bower), 10, 9, 8, 7.

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How To Play Pinochle

Tonya249 — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:15:00 -0500

Pinochle is a fast-paced, somewhat complex card game, but once you've learned it, you'll be hooked! There are many variations of Pinochle, but here's a standard one to get you started.

How To Play Online Poker

Kyle240 — Wed, 10 May 2006 15:26:00 -0500

Online poker is sweeping the world. If you want a piece of the action, follow these steps.

Learn the game. Before you even turn on your computer, read a book or two on poker strategy. This gives you an advantage because many online players don't know the game and depend on luck. Read anything by David Sklansky. He's the dean of poker strategy, but his approach is didactic. Balance it with the breezier style of a writer like John Vorhaus or Andrew Glazer.
Adjust to online play. Traditional strategy needs to be tweaked for online poker, mostly because you can't see your opponents, thus can't read them. However, there are some tells--things that a player does that tips his hand--that can come across:

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How To Play Omaha 8 or Better

Ann110 — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:23:00 -0500

As variations of poker continue to gain in popularity both online and in casinos, more people are discovering the game called Omaha 8 or Better. This poker game, similar to the more well-known Texas Hold'em, is also sometimes called Omaha High-Low (or Omaha Hi-Lo). Here are the basics of this gambling card game.

Before any cards are dealt, the player sitting to the left of the dealer is required to wager an amount equal to half of the minimum bet established for the game. This is called the "small blind".
The next player to the left then must bet the "big blind" which is equal to the minimum bet for the game.
Once these wagers have been made, the dealer distributes four cards, face down, to each player at the table.

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How To Play the Early-Game in Chess

Alvin121 — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 08:21:00 -0500

Chess is a slippery-slope game. Barring major mistakes, once a player gains an advantage, that advantage magnifies slowly until it becomes a game-winning edge, usually in the form of a promoting pawn. Though there are thousands of openings to memorize, adhering to some fundamental tenets can guide you through the early stages of play.

A quick primer on standard chess notation:

Squares are each assigned a letter and number for quick and easy reference. The letter refers to the "File," or vertical column, starting from White's left (the A-file) to the right (the H-file). The number refers to the "Rank," or horizontal column, starting with the column closest to the White player (Rank 1), and ending with the farthest column (Rank 8). The square in the lower left is the square A1, and the square in the upper right is H8.

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How To Play Scrabble

Carlo204 — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:37:00 -0500

The game of Scrabble has been around for decades even though it wasn't nearly as popular when it was first invented as it is today. Nonetheless, the game is now a very recognizable part of American culture.

The game is played on a board made up of 225 squares (15 rows by 15 columns) and can be played by 2 to 4 players. The objective of the game is to have the highest score at the end of the game by making as many words as you can. There are 100 tiles with letters on them, which are used to make the words. Each tile has a letter and a number shown on it. The number represents the point value of that letter. Points range from 1 to 10 with one exception--the blank tiles. There are 2 blank tiles that may be used to represent any letter when making a word, but they are not worth any points. All tiles are kept in the pouch that is included with the game.

How To Play Chess

Carlo204 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 10:30:00 -0500

Chess is one of the oldest games of skill played today. It is believed that the game of chess originated in northern India or Afghanistan but there is no concrete proof to that. However, it is a known fact that the game was played centuries ago in countries like China, India and Persia.

The game is played by two players on a chessboard, which consists of 64 squares - eight rows and eight columns. Typically, the squares on the chessboard are black and white alternatively but the colors of the squares can vary slightly. There are two sets of pieces containing 16 pieces in each. Generally, one set is black and the other is white, but again, these colors can vary as well. Each set of 16 pieces contains eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king.

The Setup

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How To Play Gin Rummy

Carlo204 — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 11:40:00 -0500

Gin Rummy is a very popular card game. The game first appeared in the early 1900s but it did not become part of American culture until the 1930s. The popularity of Gin Rummy is likely due to the fact that it's very simple to learn and it's also a fast-paced game.

The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The point values of the cards are pretty straightforward. The Ace through to the 9 are worth 1 to 9 points respectively while the 10, Jack, Queen and King are all worth 10 points each. The premise of the game is to make as many melds or sets as you can with the 10 cards you are dealt before your opponent does the same.

There are only two types of melds or sets--sequences and groups. A group is three or more cards of the same rank such as 4, 4, 4. A sequence is three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order such as 6, 7, 8 or 10, J, Q, K. Each card in your hand can only be used as part of one meld or set.

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How To Plat Aggressively on the Flop in Limit Texas Hold 'Em

Alvin121 — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:02:00 -0500

Selective aggression is the key to effective poker play, and Limit Texas Hold'Em is no exception. Playing an attacking style is much more effective than a defensive one, allowing you to win much more often than the cards will allow you to. However, playing a wild, jackal style can also be your downfall, so there are some guidelines to keep in mind as you reach for your chips. It is recommended that you have a basic knowledge of competitive play before proceeding.

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How To Play Hearts

Brian197 — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:08:00 -0500

Hearts is a traditional popular game played between four players. Hearts requires an entire deck of cards aside from jokers. Similar to golf, the goal is to obtain the least amount of points possible, which is achieved by avoiding picking up any heart card, or the queen of spades.

Hearts is played in individual rounds called tricks; there are 13 tricks per game. Each trick consists of all players laying one card in turn, and the player who laid down the hghest card of the suite picks up all four cards, adding them to his score if the trick includes any hearts or the queen of spades. Each heart counts for one point. The queen of spades, however, counts for 13 points in total, so this card is definitely the one to avoid at all costs, as it can single-handedly destroy a good game.

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How To Play Blackjack

Michael 129 — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:48:00 -0500

Blackjack, also known as 21, is one of the few casino table games wherein the player actually has a slight advantage over the House in the long run. This may help to explain why most casinos place an extraordinary number of restrictions on betting and payouts. Winning hands usually pay out at 2/1, which means a successful blackjack player will either have to bet big or play at the same table for hours.

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How To Play Solitaire

Alvin121 — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 07:49:00 -0500

Solitary is a one-person game played with a standard deck of cards with jokers removed. The objective is to accumulate the cards into four piles arranged by suit, starting with Aces and finishing with Kings, in the manner described below.

Setting up. Deal a single face up card onto the table, and then deal six face-down cards so that all seven cards are in a horizontal row. Deal a face-up card onto the second pile, and then a face-down card on all the remaining piles (6 cards total). Continue from the third pile to the seventh, so that the seventh row has six face-down cards and one face-up. The remaining cards are set aside in a stockpile.

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How To Play Checkers

Alvin121 — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:07:00 -0500

Checkers is a board game between two players, played on an 8 x 8 black and red tiled grid with black and red cylindrical pieces, called checkers. The object of the game is to capture all of your opponent's pieces or block all their pieces from moving. If one side does not have enough force to capture or block the opponent's remaining pieces, a draw may be agreed upon by both players.

Setup: With a red square in the lower right hand corner of the board, both players place pieces on the black squares in the closest three horizontal rows (12 total).

The red player, who always moves first, moves a checker diagonally-forward from one square to a adjacent, vacant square (note that pieces only move from black square to black square). The black player then moves, with play alternating between the red and black player until the end of the game.

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How To Play 5 Card Draw Poker

Alvin121 — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 18:23:00 -0500

5 card draw poker is the most popular form of poker played in home games across the country. It is a game played between 2 to 10 people with a standard 52-card deck, which has four suits and thirteen numerical values, twos through aces. The objective of the game is to show the best hand after all rounds of betting have completed, using the standard poker hand ranking chart. For reference, the chart is located below, from weakest hand to strongest.

Standard Poker Ranking Chart

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How To Play Omaha Hi/Low

Alvin121 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 15:35:00 -0500

Omaha Hi/Low is a form of Omaha poker played between 2 to 10 players, and can be played as a Fixed Limit or No Limit game. In Omaha Hi/Low, players are dealt 4 face-down cards (called "hole cards"), and 5 cards are dealt in the center of the table (called "community cards"). Players may use any 3 community cards and any 2 hole cards to form the best, or worst, possible 5 card hand.

In a Fixed Limit game, bets are restricted to a predetermined size. Before the flop and on the flop, bets and raises are made in increments equal to the small bet, and on the turn and river, bets are made in increments equal to the big bet. The value of small and big bets are usually found in the name of the game ($2/4 stud, $5/10 Omaha, etc), with the first number being the small bet, and the second number being the big bet.

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How To Play Spades

Michael 129 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 14:51:00 -0500

Spades is a contract bidding card game, very similar to other games such as Hearts or Rook. The ultimate object of Spades is for one team to reach a certain number of points first, usually 500 or 1,000 for casual play. Points are earned by accurately estimating how many tricks (or books) the team will win during each round of play. Failure to make the number of books results in a penalty, while overestimating the books will prevent players from making maximum scores.

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How To Choose Starting Hands in Limit Texas Hold 'Em

Alvin121 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 10:44:00 -0500

Experts agree: having a tight pre-flop strategy is the fastest way to put an amateur on the road to success when playing Limit Texas Hold'Em. This is not a primer of the rules of the game, it's a guide for those who are already pretty familiar with it and want to improve their play, so please be familiar with basic vocabulary before proceeding.

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How To Play Omaha Poker

Alvin121 — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:19:00 -0500

Omaha is a form of poker played between 2 to 10 players, and can be played as a Fixed Limit or No Limit game. In Omaha, players are dealt 4 face-down cards (called "hole cards"), and 5 cards are dealt in the center of the table (called "community cards"). Players may use any 3 community cards and any 2 hole cards to form the best possible 5 card hand.

In a Fixed Limit game, bets are restricted to a predetermined size. Before the flop and on the flop, bets and raises are made in increments equal to the small bet, and on the turn and river, bets are made in increments equal to the big bet. The value of small and big bets are usually found in the name of the game ($2/4 stud, $5/10 omaha, etc), with the first number being the small bet, and the second number being the big bet.

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How To Play 7 Card Stud Poker

Alvin121 — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:35:00 -0500

7 Card stud is a form of poker played between 2 to 8 players, and can be played as a Fixed Limit or No Limit game.

In a Fixed Limit game, the amount you are allowed to bet during each round is limited to a fixed size. For the first four cards, bets are made in increments of the small bet, and for the 5th, 6th, and 7th cards, bets are made in increments of the big bet. The small and big bets are predetermined and usually found in the name of the game ($2/4 stud, $5/10 Omaha, etc), with the first number being the small bet, and the second number being the big bet. Commonly, there is a cap of 4 bets to each betting round, though house rules can allow for higher or unlimited caps.

In No Limit, players are allowed to wager as many chips as they like during each betting round.

Hands are ranked using standard poker rankings.

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How To Play Blackjack

Alvin121 — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 21:21:00 -0500

Blackjack is a game of chance where the objective is to accumulate cards worth 21 points without exceeding it (called "busting"). Aces are worth 1 or 11, and all face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are worth 10. Having an ace and any 10 in the first two cards is called "Blackjack," which means a player wins automatically unless the dealer also has Blackjack. Blackjack pays 3 to 2 on the initial wager.

If playing at a casino, you are playing against a house-assigned dealer. If you are playing with friends, you are playing against whoever dealt the cards. Commonly, players agree to rotate dealership with every game, or to have one player be the dealer for an entire session's worth of play. In casinos, the dealer usually plays with a 6 to 8 deck "shoe." In home games, one deck is more than enough.

Before any cards are dealt, each player places their wager.

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