Poker

Poker (ポーカー, Pōkā) is a minigame featured in the Like a Dragon series first appearing in Yakuza 3.

Overview

Description

Poker is a card game which uses a standard 52-card deck, where players make wagers over whose hand is best compared to the rest. Players use two cards in their hand ("hole") and the five community cards in the center of the table to form a hand.

Variants

Texas Hold 'em - The standard variant played across the series. Players are dealt two cards.
Pineapple Hold 'em - A variant available in Yakuza 5, Yakuza 0, and Yakuza Kiwami. Players are dealt three cards and must discard one before the game begins.
Omaha Hold 'em - A variant available in Yakuza 5, Yakuza 0, and Yakuza Kiwami. Players are dealt four cards, and their hand must consist of two of their four hole cards and three of the five community cards; no more, no less from each.

Betting

Poker can be played with either low-stakes or high-stakes betting, which decides the per-round betting amount.

Low Stakes: 5 chips per bet in the first and second rounds, 10 chips per bet in the third and fourth rounds. Minimum 100 chips required in inventory to play.
High Stakes: 50 chips per bet in the first and second rounds, 100 chips per bet in the third and fourth rounds. Minimum 1,000 chips required in inventory to play.
Ultra-High/VIP Stakes: 500 chips per bet in the first and second rounds, 1,000 chips per bet in the third and fourth rounds. Minimum 10,000 chips required in inventory to play. Available in Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

All players' bets are placed into a "pot", which goes to the winner of a game.

Gameplay

At the start of a game, one player is selected to be the "dealer". Players take turns in clockwise order, and the player who moves first in each round is the player whose turn immediately precedes the dealer's. At the start of a game, two players make mandatory bets. The "Little Blind", equating to half of the initial betting amount (2 chips for low-stakes), is paid by the player immediately after the dealer, and the "Big Blind", equivalent to the initial betting amount, is paid by the player immediately after the Little Blind.

In the first round, there are no community cards. Three community cards are revealed at the start of the second round, with one additional card at the start of the third and fourth rounds, totaling five community cards at the end of the fourth round.

Each turn, a player has three choices: Raise, Call or Check, and Fold.

Raise: Raise current bet by a number of chips equivalent to the betting amount. Causes a round to extend.
Call: Raise current bet to match the previous player's bet.
- Check: Do not bet. Only usable if player's current bet already matches previous player's bet, or when they are first to bet.
Fold: Back out of a game, ending betting for the player. Chips already bet are not returned.

A round ends when all players' current bets match. A game ends if three players fold; in such case, no player's hole cards are revealed and the pot goes to the player who has not folded.

At the end of the fourth round, if two or more players are remaining, they will have a showdown. The players have their hole cards revealed, and the pot goes to the player with the most valuable hand. In the event of a tie, the pot is divided evenly among the winners.

Hands

Hands are listed from least valuable to most valuable.

Pair: Two cards of the same rank.
Two Pair: Two pairs of cards of the same rank, with a different rank for each pair.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank.
Straight: Five cards of sequential rank.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
Full House: Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank.
Straight Flush: Five cards of the same suit in sequential ranks.
Royal Flush: An Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suit.

If no hand is made by any player, the winner is decided by whoever has the highest-ranking card, with the ranking as follows: A > K > Q > J > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2.