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t is, raise the stake further. When all are equally in, each of the players can throw out any of his cards, and draw as many more, to improve his hand. This done, the real business begins. In due rotation the players left in raise the stake, or follow in ' seeing' it that is, in bringing up their stakes to the increased Value. This may go on, and generally does go on, till each has staked a large sum. If a sum is named which a player is unwilling to 'see,' he lays down his hand. If all the other players are unwilling to 'see' a bet, they all throw down their hands, and the bettor takes the pool without showing his hand. But when the bet goes round to the last player remaining in, and he does not-wish to go better, he may simply 'see it' and ' call'; on which all playing must show their hands, and the best hand wins the pool.
On the rules which determine the value of the several hands depend whatever qualities the game of
poker has as a game of skill. Just as in vingt-et-un, hazard, and like games, there are certain rules of probability which ought to guide the player (if he must gamble), so also in poker there are rules, though they very little affect the play of the average poker-player, while the really skilled professors of this cheerful game pay no attention to them whatever.
The points which give a hand value are the presence of cards of the same denomination (as a pair, or two of the same denomination; trip1ets, or three of a kind; and fours, or four of a kind); a sequence--that is, all the cards in the hand being in sequence, as 9, 10, knave, queen, king; a flush, or all the cards of the same suit. The lowest kind of hand is one which has none of these points; such a hand is estimated against others of the same kind by the highest card in it (the value of the cards being as in whist). Next in value is a hand with one pair in it; next a hand with two pairs (different pairs, of course); next a hand with three cards of the same denomination, called ' threes'; next a sequence hand; next a flush hand; then a full hand that is, a hand containing one pair and one triplet; then fours, a hand containing four cards of the same denomination; and, lastly, that is highest and best of all, a flush sequence-that is, a sequence of high cards all of the same suit. In every case where two hands are of the same kind, the cards of highest denomination in the pair, triplet, four, flush, or sequence, wins. Thus a flush sequence of knave, 10, 9, 8, 7, beats a flush sequence of 9, 8, 7, 6, 5; four aces beat four kings or four queens;
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