Cricket Rules

The game of cricket is much more complex than many others. There are way more rules in this sport compared to many of the others that are out there. There is a much larger learning curve with this game, but because of that it is much more in depth and more rewarding. Comparing Chess and Checkers is a similar thing. Checkers is easier to learn than Chess, but because of it there are several different types of moves in chess and it is much more in depth. The same goes for Cricket and many other sports out there.

The Basics Rules Of Cricket

Cricket is a sport that is played by two teams each of which consists of 11 players. The twelfth man or reserve player is on a team to serve as a player to be substituted in should a player be injured during play. The twelfth man is solely a substitute which means he is unable to captain a team, bat, wicket keep, or bowl and merely acts as a substitute when necessary. If the original person recovers from their injury they will be permitted to rejoin the game.

The game of cricket also has two umpires that are in place throughout the game in order to make sure all of the rules are upheld and enforced. Notifying players of the decisions they make is another key aspect for the umpires. With larger and more formal games there is also a third umpire that is in charge of making decisions based upon video. Often times if a decision seems as though it is too close to call the umpire that is in charge of video can review a slow motion replay of the footage in order to make a definitive decision.

Fair and Unfair Play

There are a number of methods and incident involved in real life play that have been deemed unfair play. It is up to umpires to judge what is considered fair and unfair play. An umpire is permitted to call a ball dead if it is in play if they deem that an action not officially covered in the rules of cricket is unfair.

Ball Tampering

Ball tampering is a big issue in the game of cricket. This is because the ball is not spherical and the state of the ball determines just how difficult the delivery is for a batsman. A cricket ball is actually sewn together to form a seam. If a ball has deteriorated there can be different amounts of air resistance upon the ball will it is in play. This can greatly effects how a ball will spin, sag and seam in play. Many times cricket teams will seek to shine and rough up opposite sides of the ball as it has a very distinguished effect of how the ball travels through the air.

Since a cricket ball has so much bearing on how the game is played ball tampering has always been an issue in the sport. Using objects to deteriorate one side of the ball and a resin or something of a similar nature to shine the other is against the spirit of the game. Because of the effect this has on the game this has always been against the rules of cricket. This can be a difficult thing to spot and because of this it can be a difficult thing to try and enforce.

As television has become a bigger part of all sports it has become prevalent in the game of cricket. Since most international games have been televised from the 1990s onward one can notice a few interesting things. One noticeable thing is just how much ball tampering has been going on in the sport. Though there are punitive measures (including match suspensions) that can be enforced it has historically been an issue with the game.

Distracting the Batsman

Distracting the batsman can be an issue in the game of cricket and because of this it is against the rules. Anytime a batsman is preparing to receive a delivery or receiving one it is against the rules to attempt to deliberately distract the batsman. To enforce this the umpire informs the fielding captain, but if it happens subsequent times the batting team can be awarded five penalty runs.

Unfair bowling and time wasting are additional issues that are against the rules of fair play in cricket. Playing abnormally slow in order to wait for rain or progressing overly unnecessarily slow is considered time wasting. Further occurrences of wasting time in the game of cricket will have the opposing side be awarded 5 points. If this continues to be an issue a bowler can even be disqualified from bowling in further innings. The same goes for a striker, who should always be ready anytime a bowler is ready to start. If the striker wastes time they are at first warned and then thereafter a penalty of 5 points can be awarded which can also include other disciplinary actions.

Another issue with major sporting events is the possibility of Match fixing. This occurs in any major sport wherein specific team members are offered money in order to lose so that the person paying the money can bet on the opposing team in order be assured of winning money. As time has progressed the ability to participate in match fixing has been greatly dissipated. This is due to the fact that televised matches and instantly replays will almost immediately make it known if someone is trying to purposely lose a match. This offense is so serious that it can lead to an individual being banned from the game for live.

Understanding cricket rules are essential for anyone wanting to learn how to play cricket. One of the essential rules of cricket and newbie should learn are ways a batsmen can be dismissed in the game. Several new players ask “How many ways to go out in cricket?” However the answer is that there are several each of which require an explanation, especially for those new to the game.

HOW TO GET OUT IN CRICKET

According to the rules of cricket there are 10 different ways that a batsmen can be given out. When a batsmen gets out from a bowler it is said that said bowler gets a “wicket.”

1. Caught: In the rules of cricket if a batsman makes contact with the ball using his bat or at all with the bat or with their hand or glove holding the ball the batsman can be caught out. Catching the batsman out occurs by the wicket keepers, fielders, or bowler catching the ball prior to anyone bouncing. If this happens according to the rules of cricket the batsman is out.

2. Stumped: If a wicket keeper is out of his crease and not attempting to run and puts down his wicket he can be called out. If he is trying to run it would be considered a Run Out.

3. Run Out: If the fielding side puts down the wicket while the ball is in play and a batsman has no part of his bar or body behind the popping crease grounded he can be called out.

4. Bowled: In the rules of cricket of a batsman’s wicket comes into contract with a ball (as long as the ball removes at least one bail) the batsman is out. The ball is not permitted to have hit any other player or an umpire prior to hitting the wicket. In this case it does not matter if the ball has touched any other area of the batsman such as his glove or bat.

5. LBW: LBW or Leg Before Wicket is another way a batsman can be given out. A decision of Leg Before Wicket can be made if a bowled ball comes into contact with a batsman prior to the bat hitting it. The umpire then needs to make the decision of if the ball would have made contact with the wickets if there was no batsmen in the way. As long as the ball was not upon the leg side of the wicket the umpire can usually safely determine that it would have been the case and the batsman can be called out.

6. Handled the ball: If a batsman willing touches and handles the ball with the hand that is not holding the bat without the consent of the opposition they can be called out.

7. Hit Wicket: If a bowler has done their delivery stride and the ball is in play and a batsman uses his body or bat to hit his wicket down he can be called out. If the wicket is hit down while the striking batsman is setting off for his initial run he can also be called out.

8. Hit the Ball Twice: The rules of cricket dictate that for any reason other than protecting his wicket a batsman may not hit the ball twice or he shall be called out.

9. Timed Out: There are 3 minutes after an outgoing batman has been dismissed for an incoming batsman to be ready to face a ball or be at the end of the non-strikers or he may be called out.

10. Obstructing the Field: If any words or actions of a batsman knowingly obstructs the field than that batsman may be called out.

Poker has exploded over the years in popularity, and it seems that these day's everyone is playing the game. One of the key reasons for the popularity of poker is the ease at which it can be learnt.

A common saying about poker is: "It takes 5 minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master"

This saying is very true, as poker is a very simple card game to learn. The complexities of the game are based around the many different situations that arise during game play combined with the fact that the game is played between players at the table and not versus the house. Other popular casino games such as blackjack and roulette are played vs the house, whereas poker is a game played between players, commonly referred to as a peer-to-peer gaming.  When playing against other people, complexities arise from the different personalities and styles of the individual people that you play against. While this factor is the one that makes it infinitely difficult to master, it is also the factor that makes it infinitely enjoyable to play.

The first step to learning poker rules is to learn the hand rankings of poker. Poker Rules for almost all variations of poker are based on the same universal hand rankings. Games such as Texas Holdem, 7-Card Stud, Omaha and Draw Poker all use the same hand rankings in regards to their poker rules.

With all common poker variations, hands are calculated based on their 5 card total. While many poker variations allow for a different number of cards dealt to the players, the winning hand is always determined from the best 5 card poker hand at the end of the day.

Below are the hand rankings for poker.

1. Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is the best hand in poker. If you have this hand, you cannot lose. A Royal Flush is comprised of the Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in the same suit. The odds of being dealt a Royal Flush on the flop in Texas Holdem using both of your cards is 1 in 649,740. In some variations of poker it is possible for more than one player to hold a royal flush, in this instance the pot would be split between those that hold a royal flush. A Royal Flush is the same rank no matter what suit it is in.

2. Straight Flush

A Straight Flush is the second best hand in poker. A Straight Flush is comprised of any 5 cards making a straight that are all the same suit. The lowest possible straight flush is an Ace, Deuce, Three, Four and Five all of the same suit. The highest straight flush is a Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace all of the same suit (Royal Flush). It is possible in many forms of poker for more than one person to have a straight flush. In the instance where two or more players are dealt a straight flush, the winning straight flush will be the one that has the highest card as part of their straight. For example, a 7 high straight flush (3-4-5-6-7 same suit) is ranked higher than a 6 high straight flush (2-3-4-5-6 same suit)

3. Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind is the third best hand in poker. Four of a kind is comprised of 4 of a kind as well as one other random card making a 5 card hand. The highest four of a kind is four aces with the lowest four of a kind being four deuces. It is possible in some variations of poker for more than one person to have four of a kind. In the instance where two or more people have the same four of a kind, for example in texas holdem there may be 4 aces on the board, the player with the higher kicker would be the winner of the pot. Example, one player may hold KQ while the other may hold JQ and the board may be J - A - A - A - A. In this example, the KQ would be the best hand, four aces and a king vs four aces and a queen.

4. Full House

A Full house is a five card poker hand that is comprised of three of a kind and a pair. The ranking of the full house is determined by the size of the three of a kind whereas the highest full house would be aces full and the lowest full house would be deuces full. If two players have the same three of a kind in their full house, the ranking would then be determined by the size of the pair. For example, in a game of texas holdem where the board is A - A - A - 4 - 6 and player (a) has a pair of Jacks and player (b) has a pair of Tens then player (a) would win with Aces full of Jacks vs Aces full of Tens.

5. Flush

A Flush is a five card poker hand comprised of the same suit. The ranking for a flush is dependant on the highest card in the flush. It is often possible for more than one player to hold a flush of the same suit, and in this case, the player with the higher ranking card as part of their flush would be the winner. The highest possible flush is an ace high flush and the lowest flush possible is a 6 high flush (A 5 high flush would be a straight flush).

6. Straight

A Straight is a five card poker hand featuring five cards in a row. The ranking for a straight is based on the highest card that makes up part of the straight. The highest ranking straight is an Ace high straight - Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The lowest possible straight is a five high straight - Ace, Deuce, Three, Four and Five.

7. Three of a Kind

Three of a Kind is made up of any five card poker hand comprised of three of a kind and any random two cards. The highest three of a kind is three aces while the lowest three of a kind is three deuces.

8. Two Pair

Two pair is any five card poker hand comprised of any two pair and one additional random card. Two pairs are ranked by their higher of the pairs and the second pair only comes into ranking when more than one player has the same first pair. It is also possible for two players to hold the same two pair, in this instance, the player with the higher kicker would win the pot. If both players have the same two pair and the same kicker, then it would be a split pot.

9. One Pair

One Pair is any five card poker hand that has one pair and three random cards. Pairs are ranked from highest to lowest with a pair of aces being the highest ranking pair and deuces being the lowest ranking pair.

10. High Card

The lowest ranking poker hand is one that does not have any pairs, straights or flushes. This type of poker hand is simply called high card. A poker hand of this type is ranked by the highest card in the five card combination.

The most popular poker variation is Texas Holdem. Miller's Guide has a complete poker rules section just for Texas Holdem. Check out the Texas Holdem Rules Page below.

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