17.4.8 POKER

To play poker in Achaea, find a table (there are two in the Ace of Spades
Casino in New Thera), and then simply buy in (POKER BUYIN FOR <amount>) when
there isn't an active game. At least two players and no more than six are 
required to play.

There are two different types of poker: Draw Poker and Lost Luck Hold 'Em (or 
simply "Hold 'Em"). To find out which sort of game the table is playing,
amongst other details, use POKER VIEW TABLE. This will show you what type of
game is being played, the minimum and maximum buy-in amounts, and the minimum
bet amount. If a game is presently in progress at the table, this will also
tell you the status of the game and who is currently playing.

On your turn, you have a number of options (which can all be referenced by
using the POKER command with no arguments):

  POKER CALL                    To call is to match a bet or match a raise.
  
  POKER CHECK                   Checking is the equivalent of betting zero. If
                                a subsequent player bets in the same round, 
                                you will still be able to bet/raise/call.
  
  POKER RAISE TO|BY <amount>    Raise the current max bet by or to a given 
                                amount.
  
  POKER FOLD                    Give up on this hand. You will not win any of 
                                the pot/sidepots.
  
  POKER ALLIN                   If you do not have enough funds in your stack
                                to call a bet/raise, you can go "all in." If 
                                you win the hand, you are only eligible to win
                                as much of the pot as your allin bet covered.
                                Any remainder in the pot goes to the second 
                                highest hand, then the third highest, and so
                                on, depending who went all in.

  POKER DISCARD <cards>|NONE    For draw poker only. You may specify up to five
                                cards to discard, based on the order in which 
                                they are displayed in your hand. For example,
                                to discard the first, second, and fourth cards
                                in your hand, use POKER DISCARD 1 2 4.


PLAYING DRAW POKER
------------------
All players automatically contribute 10% of the minimum bet amount to the pot 
(this is the "ante"). In addition, two starting bets will be made: the big 
blind pays the minimum bet amount, and the small blind pays half the 
minimum bet amount. The big and small blinds are rotated throughout the game.

Each player is then dealt five cards, followed by a round of betting. Next, 
players may choose to discard any, all, or none of their cards and are dealt 
replacements. There is one more betting round, followed by the showdown. The 
winner is determined by the best hand possible from the five cards each player 
individually holds.


PLAYING LOST LUCK HOLD 'EM
--------------------------
All players automatically contribute 10% of the minimum bet amount to the pot 
(this is the "ante"). In addition, two starting bets will be made: the big 
blind pays the minimum bet amount, and the small blind pays half the 
minimum bet amount. The big and small blinds are rotated throughout the game.

Each player is dealt two cards, followed by a round of betting. Then, three 
community cards are dealt to the table (this is referred to as "the flop"), 
followed by another round of betting. Next, a fourth community card is dealt 
(this is referred to as "the turn"), followed by another round of betting. A 
fifth community card is dealt (this is referred to as "the river"), followed by
a final round of betting, and then the showdown. The winner is determined by
the best five card hand each player can form from any combination of their own 
two cards and the five community cards on the table.

In the case of matching hands, the pot will be shared equally amongst the 
winners. If there is a remainder (e.g. sharing 50 gold between 3 people), it is
paid to the dealer.


THE HANDS
---------
In order of highest to lowest, the hands rank as follows:

  Royal Flush           A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
  Straight Flush        Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
  Four of a Kind        Four cards of the same rank.
  Full House            Three of a Kind and a pair.
  Flush                 Five non-consecutive cards of the same suit.
  Straight              Five consecutive cards of any suit.
  Three of a Kind       Three cards of the same rank.
  Two Pair              Two pairs of cards of the same rank.
  One Pair              Two cards of the same rank.


OTHER COMMANDS
--------------
At any time during the game, you may also use the following commands:

  POKER VIEW HAND               Show the cards currently in your hand.
  
  POKER VIEW TABLE              Show the current state of the table and
                                any cards on it.
  
  POKER VIEW POT                Show the current value of the pot and what
                                the current max bet is.
  
  POKER VIEW STACK              Show how much you bought in for and how
                                much you have left.
  
  POKER SHOWCARDS ON|OFF        Choose whether to display the picture
                                of the card as well as the name. You will need 
                                to set this each time you buy-in to a table.
  
  POKER LEAVE TABLE             Collect your remaining stack and leave the 
                                table. If you leave the table after the ante
                                and before the hand is finished, you forfeit
                                any ante or bets you have made.


MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
-------------------
There is no scoring value applied to the suit of the cards (i.e. hearts are no 
different to diamonds).

Aces can count for either low or high.

There are no jokers or other "wild" cards.

As with blackjack, poker is implemented so that counting cards will be of no
use to you.