Poker Games

Poker games can be played in various forms and shapes and the most famous and popular poker games online are Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/lo, 7 cards stud and 5 card stud. The poker games are played between two to ten people (plus a dealer), with a card deck of 52 cards. The bets placed by players accumulate into a pot as the game progresses. The best poker hand of five cards wins the pot.

The poker games are quite similar in their basic concept, but each has its unique differences.

Limit games

Up to 10 players (plus a virtual dealer) are sitting at a table. In front of one of the players is the dealer button. The dealer button moves one position clockwise before each game round. In addition, there is also a virtual dealer who does the actual dealing (sitting in the middle of the left side of the table, behind the big box of chips). Virtual dealer does not participate in the game in any way other than dealing cards.

Pot Limit games

Pot Limit games differ from the Limit games by the betting and raising amounts allowed: The minimum raise amount is the previous bet or raise in the same hand. For example, if the first player bets $10, the second player can raise a minimum of $10.

The maximum raise amount is the total betting pot + total bets of other players in the betting round + the call amount of the player. For example, if the pot is $50, the first player bets $10 and the second player calls $10, the third player can raise up to $80 ($50 in the main pot + $20 from past bets in the round + $10 of the player's own call).

The stakes in Pot Limit games are not changed in the last betting rounds as with Limit games.

No Limit games

No Limit games differ from the Limit games in the fact that there is no maximum to each raise (other than the player's table balance). The stakes in No Limit games are not changed in the last betting rounds as with Limit games.

How the game round goes

Blinds: First, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button (not the virtual dealer!) must post "blinds", that is to place a bet before getting cards. This is to ensure that every winning hand wins some money. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," usually equal to half of the minimum stake (e.g. $2.5 for a $5/$10 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind," equal to the amount of the minimum stake (e.g. $5 for a $5/$10 game).

Pocket Cards: After the blinds, first cards are dealt. Every player gets two cards face down. These are called pocket cards.

Bet round 1: Betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. Every player can fold, check, call or raise. Raising is possible by the lower table stake ($5 in a $5/$10 game) only (the raising is different in Pot Limit and No Limit games as explained later). Betting is explained in more detail below. The Flop Cards: Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop. These are "community" cards and can be used by all the players to make up their hand.

Bet round 2: Second round of betting follows. This is carried out exactly as the first betting round.

The Turn Card: After the second round of betting, a fourth "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the "Turn card". It is followed by a third round of betting.

Bet round 3: This round, again, is carried out just like the first and the second, with one exception: raising is possible only by the higher table stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).

The River Card: Finally, a fifth and final "community" card is dealt. It is called the "River card" and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

Bet round 4: This final betting round is carried out exactly as the third.

Showdown: After the final betting round, the best five-card hand is determined for each player. Both the pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up a hand. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. In the rare case of the best hand consisting of community cards only, the pot is divided between all players participating in the showdown. If you see that you have lost the hand, and you do not want to show your cards to the other players, you can Muck your cards. Otherwise you can Show to compare your hand with others.

Start again: After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left, and the next hand begins.

Betting system

The player sitting to the left of the big blind starts the betting round, betting order goes around the table clockwise. Everyone is betting according to what they think their hand will lead to.

Fold: If you don’t like your cards, you can fold. If you have posted a blind, made a bet or raised a bet, you will lose that money, but you will not lose any more. After folding, you are out of the game until the next game round.

Check / Call: You can stay in the game by checking or calling. If no bet has been made before you, you can check without placing any money in the pot. If a bet has been made, you can call by placing the same amount in the pot.

Bet / Raise / Re-raise: If you think your hand is good enough, you can make a bet. If another player has already made a bet, you can raise it.

Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a $5/$10 table, bets are $5 in the first two rounds and $10 in the last two. In limit games there can be one bet and three raises in each round (bet, raise, re-raise, re-raise). After three raises the betting round is capped and the next card is dealt (or, if it is the final betting round, the best hand is determined). In pot limit and no limit the betting is not capped.

All-in: When a player runs out of chips during the course of a hand, he/she does not have to fold. Instead the player can choose to be All-in. When you are all-in, you call all your chips and the pot is divided into the main pot and side pot. All subsequent chips are hereafter added to the side pot.

When the round is over and the “All-in” player does not have a winning hand, both the side pot and the main pot go to the winning hand, as usual.

When the round is over and the “All-in” player has a winning hand, the main pot goes to the “All-in” player, and the side pot goes to the next best hand.

When several players go All-in, multiple side pots are created. The pots are divided according to hand and order in which the players went All-in. The strongest hand wins the pot that was collected until he/she went All-in. The next strongest hand gets the pot that was collected from there to the point when he/she went All-in, etc.

The betting round continues until all players have folded or called the third raise, or until a bet has been called by all players (except the one who placed the bet) with no raise taking place.