Community Card Poker: Community Cards
When it comes to a community card poker game, there is a no more vital and necessary part of the game than the community cards themselves. When dealing with community card poker, it is important to know the rules of the game, and how the community cards work.
The basic gist of community cards is that when they are dealt to the table, they are a shared commodity by all the active players. Thus, Big Tony and Fast Eddie can both use that pair of aces (the only time these two ever shared anything besides a jail cell!)
However, it’s not as simple as just using all of the community cards – certain games have specific rules that can vary about the number of cards, as well as which cards are allowed for use in the player’s hand. These community card sets are known as a “board” or “window”, though this term may not hold true for other card games.
The board in community cards is presented in one of two ways: Either as a very simple line, or as a highly intricate pattern of cards. Whether basic or elaborate, these styles come with a specific type of rule set as to which types of combinations can be used.
Let’s get a little more specific through the use of an example: For a game such as Texas Hold ‘Em, it is a simple line game. The game ends with each player holding two cards in their specific hand, and a board of five community cards for use by all players. From there, each player will then play the best five-card hand in any combination that is “valid” by the game’s rules.
In another game example, such as Omaha Hold ‘Em, a game hand is more restrictive, forcing players into using only three (no more, no less) of the five community cards to combine with exactly two of the four cards that are dealt to each active player.
In the final example, Tic-Tac-Toe, the playing board is set up exactly as the classic game (with a 3X3 setup of nine cards). With this configuration, players must form a pattern using exactly three cards from a row, column, or diagonal of the board’s layout. Challenging, but extremely rewarding.
As shown, community cards can set up a unique series of game variations that can make gameplay interesting, and the race to win even more invigorating. By learning the practices here, and applying them to gameplay, it will better round out your experience as a professional (or recreational) poker player.
