Historically, card games have been a go-to way for men to relax, bond and take part in friendly competition. When it comes to the culture of men, cards are invaluable. Card games complement any get-together or outing. For instance, you can follow up your next dinner party with a round of blackjack or Texas Hold ’em.
Top 3 Card Games Every Man Should Know
While there are a lot of games out there, three particular games have a special place in male culture.
1. Blackjack
To play blackjack, start with a 52-card deck. The purpose of blackjack is to beat the dealer’s hand and to score 21 or close to 21 without going over that number. You lose the game if the dealer scores closer to 21. While originally called “21,” American gambling houses wanted the game to appeal to more players. They began offering bigger payouts for specific hands, particularly the ace of spades with a jack of clubs. The hand resulted in the name “blackjack.”
The dealer shuffles cards first. At casinos, a dealer may have as many as six decks, but you can play blackjack with one deck. The dealer deals two cards to each player; those cards should be face-down. The dealer deals himself one face-up card and one face-down card called the hole card.
Each player looks at his cards and the face-up card to determine if he should take another card without exceeding 21. In blackjack, the aces are worth 1 or 11 points, face cards are 10 points, and if you have one ace card and a card with a 10-point value, you have a blackjack.
2. Texas Hold ‘Em
Texas Hold ’em is one of the most popular card games and forms of poker. The goal is to make the best bets to win as many chips as possible over multiple hands. In private games, the dealer is one of the players, but in casinos, the dealer is separate from the other players. Before the players receive any cars, two players make mandatory bets. One player (usually the player to the dealer’s left) posts a small blind and then the player to the left of the first posts a big blind. The big blind is typically double the small blind.
Following the blinds, two cards are dealt to each player face down. Do not show your cards to other players. The two cards are called hole cards and are only revealed during a showdown. When it comes to Texas Hold ’em, there are several betting options, including:
- Call: Call means to match the other player’s bet.
- Fold: To fold is to withdraw from the hand and sacrifice your bets.
- Check: Players can check or decline to make a bet if no one makes a bet in a round. However, they can bet later in the round.
- Raise: To raise is to increase the size of your bet in the same round.
- All in: When you do not have enough chips left for a bet, you may choose to play all of your chips.
Like many card games, poker has several rounds. Players decide what type of bet to make during the first round based on their hand. The rounds continue until all players fold, put in their chips or match the amount in the pot and check.
Following the first round, the “flop” happens. The flop occurs when the dealer deals three face-up cards, called the community cards. The players in the hand determine their next move based on the quality of their hand including the three flop cards and two hole cards. All players can check, call, raise or fold during the second round.
After the second round, the “turn” occurs. The dealer burns a card and adds another from the deck to the three community cards. Next is the third round of betting, followed by the “river.” During the river, the dealer adds the fifth community card. Following the river, there is another round of betting before the showdown.
A showdown can occur anytime in the game if only two players exist. However, if there are more than two players, it happens after the fourth betting round. During the showdown, each player plays a five-card hand based on the seven available cards, and the best one wins.
3. Gin Rummy
The object of gin rummy is for each player to form combinations of three cards or more to receive more than 100 points before their opponents do. Players use a 52-card deck but omit the jokers. Aces are worth one point, and face cards are worth 10 points each.
In card games such as gin rummy, the player takes a card from the deck spread on the table. The player with the highest card can choose where to sit and then deals 10 cards to every player. The remaining cards stay in the center of the table. The stock deck has the top card face-up for the discard pile.
To play the game, players must decide whether to take the face-up card and discard one of their own or to keep their hand. Players must make a minimum combination of three cards of the same rank or suit. Players can couple aces with deuces but not with kings.
To go out, you either go gin or knock. To go gin, pick up a card from the stock pile or discard pile. You can only go gin if you create a meld from all of your cards. You automatically receive 25 points and the total of all uncompleted melds in your opponent’s hand.
You can knock if you have unmatched cards worth less than 10 points. Once you knock, you reveal your cards. At this point, your opponent can hit your cards with his unmelded cards. For instance, if you have cards of the same suit, but your opponent has a missing one, he can hit the run and his card no longer counts as unmelded.
Learn More Than Just Card Games With The Rugged Standard
When you’re looking for hobbies that complement your masculinity and keep you in touch with your rugged personality, card games are among the activities you should explore. Check out Rugged Standard for more tips on fitness, travel, leisure and family.
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