Poker
Like a secret society, poker has its own language and customs -- its own governing logic and rules of etiquette that the uninitiated may find intimidating. It's a game of skill, and playing well depends on more than just a good hand or the ability to hide emotion. The first step toward developing a style of play worthy of the greats is learning to think like a poker player. In a game where there are no absolutes, mastering the basics is only the beginning -- being able to pull off the strategy and theatrics is the difference between legendary wins and epic failure.
Poker Rules
An Overview of the Game of Poker.
The card game poker comes in many flavours, each with its own specific rules and methods of play. Despite this variety, the games have at their core a standard theme. This document should give you a fair idea of how the game works in general. If you're interested on one of the poker variants, their rules and further information can be found elsewhere on this site.
The Objective of Poker
The objective of a poker game is without a doubt to come away from the table with more than you arrived. The reward for winning each hand in a poker game is the pot, which contains any antes, blinds and bets placed during the hand. Winning the hand is known as taking down the pot.
The pot does not necessarily go to the player with the best hand of cards. The pot may be taken by the player who bets more than their opponents are willing to wager. I such cases (which are common) the uncontested winner will not even have to show their cards. Otherwise the pot will be won by the player (or players) who hold the best hand of cards in the game after all rounds of betting have finished.
The Poker Cards
In most games, Poker is played with the standard 52 card deck. Some poker games require more or less. More cards usually means adding wild-cards such as the jokers in the pack. A wild card is one which can be used in place of a card of any suit or rank.
The deck contains 4 suits (♦ Diamonds, ♥ Hearts, ♣ Clubs, and ♠ Spades) and each suit suit contains 13 cards. Generally the cards are ranked Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10..2. where ace is the high card and 2 is the low card. Some poker game variations have the Ace ranked as the lowest card. In yet more games the Ace may be both the highest and lowest card.
Poker Game play
This is an explanation of the flow if events in a poker game.
Forced Bets: Antes/Blinds/bring-ins
Usually the poker game begins with what is called a forced bet. In accordance with the rules of the game being played, one or more of the players might be required to introduce an amount of money into the pot. This action ensures that there will be something to be won on each round. Forced bets are placed before any cards are dealt and come in three varieties.
The Ante
An ante is a specified amount of money that each player must place into the pot before the beginning of every hand in a game. The amount of the ante will be the same for each player. The gathering of Antes to form the initial pot is known as 'sweetening the pot'. This money in the pot ensures that there is money to be won in every game.
In poker games where the dealer changes for each game, the dealer often provides the ante for each player. Whilst this can simplify the betting procedure it can be a problem if the players at the table change often or if they miss their turn to deal.
An Ante is usually required in games that also require blinds. The amount of the ante does not set the minimum level of bet for the betting rounds.
The Blinds
The Blind bets in poker are designed to ensure there will be some betting action on each hand. They simulate the bets made during normal play
The blind bets made before a game are frequently used in place of the Ante, but sometimes a game will have an Ante as well as blind bets. Normally there are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind.
The amount paid as the small blind usually equals one half of the low limit bet size. The small blind is posted by the player to the immediate left of the dealer button before the hand begins.
The amount paid as the big blind usually equals the low limit bet size. The player to the left of the small blind (2nd to the left of the dealer button) is forced to post the big blind.
nb: When there are only two players (a heads-up match), the player with the dealer button posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind.
When there are three blinds the amounts are usually for one quarter, one quarter, and half of what a normal bet would total a normal bet amount), the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid by the dealer.
The blind bets count toward that player's first round bet. Blind bets are live bets. This means that the player making the blind bet may choose to raise when no other player has.
Example of blind betting in poker:
The first player to the dealer's left would normally be the first to bet after the cards are dealt. In a game requiring blinds this player makes a small-blind bet of 1. The next player makes a big-blind bet of 2. Once the cards have been dealt the betting continues with the third player. The third player acts as if there had been an opening bet of 1 and a raise of 2. The third player's options are to call 2, reraise, or fold.
Bring-Ins
The Deal
The dealer shuffles the deck. cuts the cards, and deals a number of starting cards to each player. The quantity of cards, and whether they are dealt face up or face down will vary with each game. In Private games where there is no house dealer, the role of dealer will usually rotate clockwise around the table. The player with the dealing rights is frequently marked with a button or token. In a casino the button is also used to designate the order of dealing and the order of betting
The Betting
The initial betting round begins. Players then place bets into a communal pot. Poker convention requests that players do not place bets directly into the pot (splashing the pot) as it makes it difficult to keep track of bets. Instead, the bets are placed in front of the betting player toward the centre od the table. When the betting round is over the bets are gathered into the pot.
The amount you can bet (or raise) is a game dependent matter. The round is over once each player has had the opportunity to act. Between each round, the cards a player holds may remain the same as when they were dealt. In some variations of poker they may change as a result of receiving fresh cards from the dealer, or by taking the option to discard cards that they already hold and have them replaced. , more cards may be dealt or players may be permitted to discard some cards and replace them with fresh cards from the deck.
During a round of betting each player who remains in the game will take one of four possible actions:
Check:
Placing a zero value bet. The player who checks remains in the game and is not excluded from betting later in the poker game.Bet or Raise:
Placing a non-zero bet of greater value than the preceding bets. After a player Bets or raises, all subsequent players must match or exceed this bet. Failure to do so means that the player forfeits their interest in the pot.Call:
Placing a non-zero bet which matches a preceding bet. This action retains the player's interest in the pot.Fold:
To voluntarily surrender interest in the pot. This action will be taken by a player as a response to the bet of another . The folding player loses their cards and the bets they have placed so far in this round.
For most poker games, the betting proceeds around the table in a circle. The betting ceases when each player has called all bets or has folded. Variants of the standard poker game have differing amounts of betting rounds. These betting rounds can include times where players receive additional or replacement cards to their hands.
This cycle continues until all betting rounds have been completed or until all but one player has folded. If all players except one folds, then the player who remains in the game wins the pot
The Showdown
If, after the final betting round, more than one player remains in the game, there is a Showdown. At this time each player may reveal their best hand in the hope of winning the pot. The first player to show their hand is the one who bet last in the final round, after which the players reveal their hands clockwise around the table. A player may choose to muck their hand if they feel they are not going to win. They discard their cards so their opponents cannot see what they played.
The hands are ranked according to the ranking rules of the poker game being played. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Some deals may not reach the showdown phase if all players drop out except one.
- Home
- Poker Rules
- Poker Game Types
- Poker Books
- Poker History
- Poker Terms Glossary
- Poker Resources
- Sitemap
