Poker Games

In poker games you face computer-controlled opponents, deal and bet with play chips, and the winner is whoever makes the best hand or gets everyone else to fold. There's no real money: you neither win nor lose any. There are about 20 games.

Texas Hold'em and company

The most popular type is Texas Hold'em (Texas Holdem Poker, Poker World, Governor of Poker and Governor of Poker 2). Each player gets two private cards and five community cards go on the table; your hand is the best five of the seven available. There are four betting rounds, and you can raise, call or fold. It's the kind of poker you'll see most.

Governor of Poker and its sequel mix the games with a small trip through different locations. Western Poker, Mafia Poker, Banana Poker and Mario Poker use poker with a different theme. Caribbean Poker and French Poker have their own rules, and Poker 5 Dados swaps the cards for dice. Classic Video Poker and Video Poker are something else: you play alone, against the machine, aiming to form the best combination you can.

The hands, lowest to highest

• High card and pair.
• Two pair and three of a kind.
• Straight (five cards in a row) and flush (five of the same suit).
• Full house (three of a kind plus a pair) and four of a kind.
• Straight flush and royal flush, the best hand.

Where to start

Before you play, learn the order of the hands: it's the most important thing, and almost every game shows it on screen. If it's your first time, start with a game like Governor of Poker, which has a relaxed pace. One general tip: don't get into every hand just to play. Folding in time is part of the game, and the players who win most are the ones who choose best when to bet. And remember that bluffing, tempting as it is, works much less against a computer than against people.

You use the mouse or a finger, with buttons to check, call, raise or fold.