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Poker rules |
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Thursday, August 28th 2008 |
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Poker is a board game. It means that players should make their hands using both their cards (holecards) and the cards on the board (community cards).
There is a huge number of poker games, but we’ll regard three most popular: Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Stud.
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is the most popular card game nowadays. Though you need to have a good strategy to be a winning player, still basic rules of the game are quite simple.
To enter the game each player should make a bet. The first and the second to the left of the dealer post the Big and the Small Blinds respectively (with the Big Blind being a doubled Small Blind. Both the dealer and the Blinds are different each new game.
After the first betting round each player receives two cards face down. They are called the holecards. Then goes the second round of betting and the dealer deals the flop, which are three cards, on the table. They can be used by all players. There is a betting round and two more cards the Turn and the River) come with a betting round after each new card is open.
If there are more than one player left in the game, there is a showdown after the last betting round. It means that each player shows his cards and the best hand is defined.
Every player can fold at any stage of the game, that is to throw away his hand and quit the game. He is not allowed to take his bets back from the pot.
If there were no bets before, a player has an option of checking that is to call a zero bet. He pays nothing but remains in the game.
If a player has enough chips, he can raise. To raise means to make a bet which is bigger than the previous one. There can be no more than three raises during each betting round.
Omaha
The difference between Omaha and Texas Hold’em is that there are four holecards instead of two. Players should use exactly two holecards and three board cards to make hands.
Omaha Hi-Lo (or Omaha 8 or better) is the variation of Omaha in which the pot can be split between the 2 winning hands: the best high hand and the best low hand.
A low hand is 8-7-6-5-4 or lower. Both hands can be held by one and the same player.
Stud
7 Card Stud is the most tricky poker game, and there really few good Stud players nowadays. Like in Hold’em each player receives 2 holecards but then instead of dealing board cards the dealer gives an exposed card (or door card) to each player. Exposed cards can bee observed by every one, but only the player who receives the card can use it to make a hand.
The person with the lowest door card bets first. After all players make their bets, one more door card is dealt to each player. Since that happens a player with the highest door cards acts first.
Generally each player receives 5 door cards with the betting round going after each is dealt. The best five card combination wins.
7 Card Stud 8 or better is the variation of Stud in which the pot can be split between the 2 winning hands: the best high hand and the best low hand.
Qualifying low hands consist of five cards with different numerical values from Ace to 8. The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 - straights and flushes do not count against a low hand. Still it may be disqualified by pair.
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