Question one: What are poker cards? As opposed to bridge cards, that is. I know they’re wider, but why?
Question two: How do side pots work? Let’s say I have $100, Matt Damon has $50, and Brad Pitt has $25. I go all in. What happens?
You only have to hold five poker cards at one time[sup]*[/sup]. In bridge, you’re dealt thirteen cards. Try taking thirteen poker cards and fanning them out to hold in one hand. It can be done, but it’s easier with narrower cards.
- I don’t know every poker variation. There are games like seven card stud where you have more than five cards, but they’re laid out on the table. Poker experts, are there any games where you hold more than five cards in your hand?
When a poker hand goes to the showdown, every player who’s left in has put the same amount of money in the pot. I’m risking my $100 to win your $100. But in the case where there are three (or more) players fighting it out, and the short stack goes all-in, the others may want to push the pot even higher. That becomes the side pot. Even if short stack shows a royal flush at the end (which should win the main pot), he’s not entitled to any of the side pot because he didn’t risk any money to be in it.
And I’ve noticed from watching that even though the short stack is all-in, he doesn’t reveal his cards if there’s still action in the side pot. Seeing those cards would give the other players information they’re not supposed to have.
Can’t answer number one, have no clue.
#2: Assuming you’re playing table stakes NL Texas hold’em it works like this:
You go all-in for your $100. If only Matt calls and you lose, you are returned $50 and he wins $50. Same if only Brad calls (you are returned $75).
If both players call… Brad’s $25 will go into the main pot. $25 of Matt’s will go into the main pot and $25 of yours will go into the main pot. You will be returned $50 and a sidepot with the remaining $25 of yours and Matt’s will be created. If Brad has the best hand, he will only win the main pot of $75. Whoever has the next best hand between you and Matt will take the side pot of $50.
If any scenario, the maximum you can ever have at risk is $50 due to the chip stacks of your opponents.
That sounds pretty simple when you explain it like that. Seems like it would be far more complicated in practice. Amounts are not that simple, and the game moves pretty fast. Are dealers just well-practiced in this?
Well, they’re well-practiced, but it’s not really that hard. You just match up the smallest stack for the main pot, then match up the remainder for the side pot.
Experienced dealers (and players, for that matter) get very good at knowing how much is in a stack of chips by feel alone, no counting required. That helps a great deal.
It can get even more complicated, though. Imagine a game of Omaha, where the high hand and low hand split the pot. Now imagine that with more than one person all-in, and a rake of the pot going to the house. Fun.
As for the first question: I don’t know of any standard poker variants that would cause you to have more than five cards in hand. I suppose one could play seven-card draw, but that’s just weird. At any rate, the key is that poker decks are standard, and bridge decks are narrower.
Yes. “Indian”. Everyone is dealt one card face down, which they then place up on their forehead facing out without the recipient looking at it. So everyone knows everyone else’s card without knowing their own.
One round of betting.
True poker at its best.
What? That’s not poker? Sez you! 
Oops. I misread that as “any games where you don’t five cards in your hand.”
Disregard posts from the reading-impaired.
Tons of 'em. It’s normal to pare down to five cards toward the end, but I’ve played games where each player is dealt 8 cards (kinda dumb, but that’s what you get with Dealer’s Choice).