It's time for our semi-annual Poker Run--a chance to be a little wild, take a chance of winning big, or losing it all ( mere $5 dollar entry fee) but know this--few if any walk away without something, PLUS you get to run with your friends and that's what winning is all about--right? Don't know how to play poker? Well, the game is Five Card Stud. It's maybe the easiest game of poker there is. In our case, you run a mile, get a card, run another mile, get another card, and so on. (Five miles for 5 cards--works about just about right.) Now here's where knowing a few rules helps. Just what makes a GOOD poker hand?If you have a hand with no matching cards, take heart. It may still be better than some. A hand with an ace and no matching cards will beat another bad hand with all low non-matching cards. Next best is a hand with a pair, then two pair is even better. Three of a kind will beat two pair. Check out the list to the right for the official ranking of hands. Next is a straight--a run of FIVE cards in sequence regardless of suit. They can be clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds, and the suits do not need to match, but they must be sequential )2,3,4,5,6--or 10, J, K, Q, A. A run of four in a row is nothing. Next yo the list is a flush--five cards of the same suit--all hearts, spades, etc. Then comes a full house which is two of a kind, AND three of a kind. This is a good hand. Better than that is four of a kind. Then a straight flush beats that. A straight flush is five cards in a row of the same suit. A ROYAL FLUSH is 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit. In our game, since there are several decks of cards to accommodate the 400+ runners playing, it might be possible to have a five of a kind. That'll qualify you to be on a cable channel in a Poker After Dark episode. A very experienced crew of pit bosses will help you with your poker hands, and direct you to your winnings. And the winnings are indeed fantastic. There are super nice tech shirts, jackets, other running wear, water bottles, a gift certificate here and there, several free race entrees, and maybe a few surprises! But do remember this--the game is Five Card Stud--your hand IS the five cards you're dealt. It is not Five Card Draw. It is not GO FISH. Let's be fair. To help you get into the poker mood, I thought I'd post a video of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. This is a really exciting rendition--ENJOY!