Pokermi is a program that allows you to play Poker or Big 2 either against the computer or other players.
There are, of course, many variations of Poker. Currently Pokermi only supports the 5 card draw variant, the rules of which may also vary. The following is an explanation of the rules as applied in Pokermi.At the start of the game, players put up an initial bet or ante to receive their cards. 5 cards are dealt face down to each player. A round of betting then begins where the players take turns to bet. A player can either call, raise or fold. The ante and maximum amount a player can raise is set before the game starts. There is no limit to the number of times a player can raise or the size of the pot. The first round of betting ends when control returns to the last person that has raised, with all other players either calling or folding. If no player raises, betting ends when control returns to the first player to bet.Each player then exchanges up to 3 cards which are dealt face down. Another round of betting then follows. The game ends when control returns to the last person to raise. Cards for all players who have not folded are shown, and the winner is the player who has the highest ranked hand among them. The whole pot is added to the score of the winner, with all other players losing their bets.
Big 2
The object of the game is to put down all of your cards as quickly as possible. The first player to finish his cards wins and the game ends when this happens. Points are given according to how many cards each of the other players has left. The total number of cards left for the other players are added to the winner's score along with a 5 point bonus. All the other players will have deducted from their score the number of cards they each have left.The player with the 3 of Diamonds or the lowest ranked card among the players will move first. He can play any card or valid combination of 2, 3 or 5 cards. Players around the table will subsequently take turns to move. To make a valid move, a player must play the same number of cards as that played by the previous player. The card or combination of cards to be played must also outrank that of the last player. If a player does not have such a combination, he must pass (i.e. not play any cards). A player can also choose to pass even if he has a valid move to make. When all other players have passed, control goes to the player to have played the last set of cards. He can then choose to play any card or valid combination he prefers.
Valid combinations
Single
Pair - 2 cards of the same value
3 of a Kind - 3 cards of the same value
Straight - 5 cards for which the value of each card increments by one. For example A,2,3,4,5; 9,10,J,Q,K and 10,J,Q,K,A are all valid. K,A,2,3,4 however is not.
Flush - 5 cards of the same suit
Full House - a 3 of a Kind and a pair combined
4 of a Kind - 4 cards of the same value plus any other card
Straight Flush - A straight where all the cards are also of the same suit.Ranking
Single cards are ranked by suit as well as value. Diamonds are ranked the lowest, followed by Clubs, then Hearts with Spades having the highest rank. Values are ranked as follows: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, 2 with 3 ranked the lowest and 2 ranked highest (hence the name Big 2). Cards are ranked by value first and then by suit. For example, 4 of Diamonds is ranked higher than 3 of Spades which in turn is ranked higher than 3 of Hearts.Pairs and 3 of a Kinds are ranked according to the highest ranked card. For example, 5 of Diamonds and 5 of Spades beats 5 of Clubs and 5 of Hearts.
5 card combinations are ranked in the following order: Straight (lowest), Flush, Full House, 4 of a Kind, Straight Flush (highest). Straights are ranked according to the card at the end of the sequence. For example, 10,J,Q,K,A beats 3,4,5,6,7 which in turn beats A,2,3,4,5. Flushes and Straight Flushes are ranked according to suit first and then value. Full Houses are ranked according the the value of the 3 matching cards. For example, A Full House with 3 Aces and 2 Threes beats one with 3 Kings and 2 Twos.
Starting a New Game
To begin a new Poker game, select Game -> New Game -> Poker. Similarly, select Game -> New Game -> Big2 to start a new game of Big 2. Alternatively, simply click on the centre panel of the table. If players have not been set, you will be prompted to select the players participating in the game and, for Poker, to set the betting parameters.Selecting Players
To set or change players, select Options -> Players.... This will allow you to set the number of players, the type and name of each player, and their positions around the table. There can be up to 4 players in a game. Players can be either "Human", "Computer" or "Remote". Selecting 1 or more remote players will initiate a multi player game. To leave a player slot empty, choose player type "None". The order in which players are listed will determine their position on the table and for Poker, the order in which they take their turns to play. The first player on the list will be seated at the "south" side of the table. In a game of Poker, this player will always move first. Changes made to the player settings will take effect at the start of the next game. Note that when you change any of the player settings the scores for all players will be reset.Betting Options
Betting applies to Poker only. To set or change the betting parameters, select Options -> Betting.... Currently, there are only 2 parameters to set - the ante and the maximum value of each raise. There is no limit to the size of the pot or the number of times players can raise. Any changes to the betting will take effect immediately.Poker
Each game will start by a round of betting, followed by exchange of cards and finally another round of betting. See Rules of the Game for more information. When it is the turn of either a Human or Remote player to bet, a dialog will appear. The betting dialog will inform the player of the current value of the bet and the pot. The number in parantheses is the extra amount the player needs to put up in order to call. To bet, select one of the 3 available options - fold, call or raise. To raise, first enter the amount to raise. This cannot be more than the limit set at the start of the game. When it is the turn of either a Human or Remote player to exchange cards, the player's side of the table will be highlighted. To exchange cards, just select the cards you want to discard and click the deck in the middle of the table.Big 2
The game begins with the player with the 3 of Diamonds or lowest ranked card putting down his first set. See Rules of the Game for more information. When it is the turn of either a Human or Remote player to move, the player's side of the table will be highlighted. The combination of cards that he has to beat are shown in the center of the table. If no cards are shown, then the player can play any card or valid combination he chooses. To move, select the cards to be played then click on the deck in the centre of the table. To pass simply click anywhere else on the centre panel of the table.
High Score Mode
In the Options -> Mode menu, you can switch between 'Normal' and 'High Score' modes. In High Score mode, you play in sets of 10 games. If, at the end of the 10 games, your total winnings are among the top 5, then your score will be added to the high score list. To ensure fairness, the settings for games played in High Score mode are predefined and cannot be changed. You play against 3 computer players with difficulty level set to 'Easy'. For poker, the ante and raise limit are also fixed. To view the High Score list, select Help -> High Scores.Other Options
Level - This will determine how "good" computer players are at playing their hand.
Animation - This option is currently disabled.
Use Dialog To Play - This applies to games of Big 2 only. By default, for a human player to play or pass, he would click on the deck or the centre of the table respectively. With this option enabled, a dialog box will be displayed when it is the turn of a human or remote player prompting him to either play or pass instead.
Status & Score Windows - Status and Score windows will automatically appear at the start of the first game. In the Options menu, there are items to show or hide these windows.
Starting
To begin a multi player game, just start a new game as you would a normal game. When the "Set Players" dialog appears, select player type "Remote" for those players who would be connecting from other computers. These computers would of course need to be either on the same network or on the internet. Once the players have been selected, and the betting settings determined, the "host" will wait until all remote players have connected.Joining
To connect to a game, the remote player should select the "Connect to Game" item in the Game menu. When prompted, key in the IP address of the host. The game will begin once all remote players have connected. To disconnect from a game, select Game -> Disconnect from Game. When a remote player disconnects, he will be considered as having folded in the current game and will be removed from the next game onwards.Chat
Pokermi has a simple chat function that allows players in a multi player game to communicate with each other. To send a message to other players, just type in your message in the text box at the bottom of the status window and it will be broadcast to all other players when your press the return key.