Poker Rules for Beginners l Get All the Official Rules of Poker

5 Card Draw Rules and Game Play

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0700

Five Card Draw is one of most basic forms of poker, and it's the kind of poker you're used to seeing in movies and on TV.

Because the game has been around for such a long time, and has been played in countless home games and card rooms across the nation, there are a couple different variations on the traditional rules. Below you will find all of the most commonly used rules for playing Five Card Draw.

The game is simple: make the best 5-card poker hand possible after one draw, and bet accordingly. The player with the best hand after the second betting round takes the pot.

Blinds and Antes

There are two main ways to play 5-Card Draw:

Ante Blinds

The ante method is the original way the game was played, and is most commonly the system used in home games around the world. In this version each player must pay a predetermined ante before being dealt any cards.

In the second system, the game functions as a blinds game, similar to Texas Hold'em. In a blind game, only the two players to the left of the dealer must pay money before the cards are dealt.

The player to the dealer's immediate left pays the small blind, while the player to the left of the small blind pays the big blind.

Although the blind amounts can be set to any amount you like, the small blind is typically half of the big blind, the big blind being approximately 1/100th of your total buy-in.

The Deal

Once all players have anted (or the blinds have been paid), the dealer deals every player (starting on his left) five cards face down.

After all players receive their five cards, the first betting round ensues. If you're playing with blinds, the betting will start with the player to the left of the big blind (same as Hold'em), while if you're playing with antes, the betting must start with the player to the left of the dealer.

In an ante game like this, the first player to act is allowed to check (meaning they are not forced to bet, and can choose to stay in the hand for free).

For more information on the rules and specifics of how a betting round functions, head to Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play.

The Draw Round

When the betting round completes the draw round begins with the player closest to the dealer's left. Assuming this player hasn't already folded, they have the option of changing any amount of cards they choose.

A player can "stand pat", meaning they keep all five cards, or they can throw away any amount from 1-5 cards, getting them replaced with an equal number of cards from the top of the deck.

In some home-games and rule-sets a player may only exchange up to a maximum of three cards. This rule is typically used only in home-games as it only benefits the weaker players. It is almost never correct to call in the first betting round, only to throw away four or all five of your cards.

The Second Betting Round and Showdown

Once all players have received their new cards, each player must evaluate their hand and proceed to the second (and final) betting round. Once this betting round is completed it's time for the showdown (assuming more than one player still has a hand).

Just like almost every other form of poker, the player with the best 5-card poker hand at showdown wins the pot. Head here for a complete list of poker hand rankings.

Once the showdown is complete, the dealer collects all the cards, and passes the deal on to the player to his left.

If you have any questions or comments, drop them in the comments box below.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

H.O.R.S.E. and Mixed Games

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:26:00 -0700

The high-stakes pros have been playing mixed games for years in Bobby's Room, the private glassed-off table in the middle of the Bellagio poker room in Las Vegas. Although players can play anything, the standard game in Bobby's Room is a $4,000/$8,000 seven-game Limit rotation.

The names of mixed games are typically acronyms formed from the poker variants in the rotation. The most commonly played mixed game is known as H.O.R.S.E. The letters stand for:

Hold'em Omaha Hi Razz Stud Eight-or-better (Stud Hi-Lo)

(Click on any of the above variants for its complete rules and game play)

Although the rules can change depending on the house rules, mixed games typically follow a standard set of conventions.

All players must agree on the games to be played in the rotation before play commences. Any player looking to add or remove a game from the rotation must get agreement from all players at the table. In a tournament setting, the games in the rotation are set before the start of the first hand, and any change in the games rotation must be clearly stated before the first hand is dealt. Unless otherwise stated, each poker variant is played for one full rotation. Every player must have the chance to be the dealer for the game being played. In a game without a dealer button (such as Stud) the dealer button travels around the table as it would in Hold'em, only to keep track of the number of hands played. Typically there will be some form of sign to remind the players of the game currently being played. Although it's not explicitly against the rules to do otherwise, players are expected to play all variants. I.e. a player is not allowed to opt out of playing one variant or to cherry-pick their favorites.

Some mixed games function as a "dealer's choice." This format is most successful if the two following rules are instated:

Only variants agreed upon by all players before the start of the game are acceptable. The chosen variant is played for one full orbit +1 hand.

Having the variant change every hand can make the game feel disjointed and lack flow. Players like the ability to get into a game and actually play a hand of the variation before it changes.

Since you will fold most of the hands you'll be dealt, if only one hand of a variant is dealt, players may lose interest in the game.

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play Razz Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud vs. 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

View Best Rooms to Play: Mixed Games

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Badugi Rules and Game-Play

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:03:00 -0700

Although it shares many aspects of its structure with other draw games, such as 2-7 Triple-Draw Lowball, Badugi uses an entirely distinct system for evaluating the winning hand. A hand in Badugi is aptly named "a Badugi."

Dealing and Game Play

Badugi is a "blind game," meaning the player to the left of the dealer puts in the small blind, and the player to the left of the small blind puts in the big blind. Starting with the player on the left of the dealer, and moving clockwise around the table, every player is dealt four cards facedown, one card at a time. Once all players have their four cards, the first betting round starts with the player to the left of the big blind. Once the betting round has completed, the players enter the first drawing round. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, the player announces how many cards he would like to throw away from his hand, and receives new ones in return. The dealer deals all of the cards to that player at once, and moves on to the next player. A player can choose to throw away no cards, keeping their hand intact. This is known as standing pat or rapping pat. Once all players have received their new cards, the second betting round begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. This pattern repeats until either: Only one player is left, the rest having folded. The players have completed the betting round after the third drawing round.

If you'd like more information on things such as betting rounds or blinds, head to this article:

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play

Showdown

Once all betting is complete, the best Badugi wins the pot.

A Badugi must be made up of the lowest one to four cards from a player's hand. Hands are counted from the highest card down, the value of the hand based on how low the highest cards in the hand are. Aces are low. All cards used must be of different suits and ranks. Any four-card Badugi beats any three-card Badugi. A two-card Badugi is beaten by any three- or four-card Badugi. Some hand examples: A♥ 2♣ 3♦ 4♠ - This is the best possible Badugi, known as a "four-card four." A♥ 2♣ 3♦ 3♣ - Since you cannot have a pair, this hand can't use the second three, making the hand a "three-card three". This hand would lose to any four-card Badugi. 2♣ 3♣ 7♥ 9♠ - This is a three-card nine. Since the 3♣ is of the same suit as the 2♣, the higher of the two cards cannot be used. A♥ 2♣ 3♦ T♠ versus 4♥ 6♦ 7♣ 9♠. The second hand wins with a four-card nine beating the four-card ten. Any two players holding the same hand split the pot.

Once the player with the winning hand has received the pot, the player who was to the left of the dealer becomes the new dealer for the next hand.

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Rules and Game-Play

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:04:00 -0700

One of the most popular forms of draw poker, 2-7 Lowball can be found being played in mixed-rotation games across the world.

Deal and Game Play

2-7 Lowball is a "blind game," meaning the player to the left of the dealer puts in the small blind, and the player to the left of the small blind puts in the big blind. Starting with the player on the left of the dealer and moving clockwise around the table, every player is dealt five cards facedown, one card at a time. Once all players have five cards, the first betting round starts with the player to the left of the big blind. Once the betting round has completed, the players enter the first drawing round. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, the player announces how many cards he would like to throw away from his hand and receives new ones in return. The dealer deals all of the cards to that player at once before moving on to the next player. A player can choose to keep his hand intact and not throw away any cards at all. This is known as standing pat or rapping pat. If a player chooses to discard all five cards, the dealer will only deal them four new cards at once. The fifth card will be dealt after all other players have recieved their cards If the player discarding all five cards is last to be dealt cards, the dealer will deal them four cards at once, then "burn" one card (discarding it face down on the table) before dealing hte player his fifth and final card. Once all players have received their new cards the second betting round begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. This pattern repeats until either: Only one player is left, the rest having folded. The players have completed the betting round after the third drawing round.

If you'd like more information on things such as betting rounds or blinds, head to this article:

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play

Showdown

Once all betting is complete, the best 2-7 Lowball hand wins the pot.

Hands are counted from the highest card in the hand down. The best possible 2-7 Lowball hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (with all five cards NOT of the same suit). Straights, flushes and pairs count against you. Having a straight does not kill your hand, but lessens the value. For example, any hand without a flush, straight or pair will beat any hand with a pair, regardless of how low the cards are. The ace is used only as a high card. Because the ace is a high card, 5-4-3-2-A is not considered to be a straight but an A-5 high. Any two players holding the same hand split the pot.

Once the player with the winning hand has received the pot, the player who was to the left of the dealer becomes the new dealer for the next hand.

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play
Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:09:00 -0700

Many players feel Stud is a purer form of poker, since it relies more on playing (and remembering) cards and hands than on playing the players and manipulating pots with creative betting, as in a game like Texas Hold'em.

Stud is also a much slower game, each hand taking over twice as long as a typical Hold'em hand to play out. For this reason, players more into cards and math, such as bridge players, feel very much at home sitting around a Stud table.

Stud is primarily played using one of three betting structures:

Fixed-Limit Spread-Limit Pot-Limit

Fixed-Limit 7 Card Stud

The most common betting structure in 7 Card Stud is that of Fixed-Limit, as detailed below. Detailed rules for the ante and bring can be found in this article: 7 Card Stud Rules and Game-Play.

In Limit Stud the betting limits are fixed at set amounts. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. For example, in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet is $8. The ante is typically 10% of the big bet. A minimum bring is equal to the ante. Betting and raising is done in increments of the big or small bet (depending on what street the betting is taking place.) For the first two betting rounds, betting is done in increments of the small bet. So in our example a bet would be $4, and a raise would be an additional $4 making a total bet of $8. In the last three betting rounds, betting is done in increments of the big bet. A bet would be $8 while a raise would be to $16.

The limit betting structure puts a cap on the number of raises. In most venues there is a maximum of a bet and three raises, although some rooms have a cap of four raises.

Spread-Limit Stud

One popular betting structure, known as Spread-Limit, is typically exclusive to Stud (occasionally players will play other games as Spread-Limit, but it's extremely rare).

This betting structure is the rarest and as such the least standardized of all Stud structures. The rules you will encounter in one room may change to the next. Even with the variation in specific rules, the standard concepts stay the same:

There is a set minimum bet and a set maximum bet. All bets made on any street must be at or between the limits. For example, in a $1 to $5 Spread-Limit game, a player can bet as little as $1 or as much as $5 at any time. In a variation of Spread-Limit, the limit doubles on the later streets. For example "$1 to $5 with a $10 on the end" would allow bets from $1 to $10 on the later betting streets. A minimum raise is double the previous bet. A maximum raise is raising by the top end of the spread limit. For example: If a player bets $2 in our $1 to $5 game, a minimum raise would be a bet of $4, a maximum raise would be a bet of $7. If a player bets $5 the only allowable raise would be raising by $5 for a total bet of $10. Typically there is a cap on raises, just as in a Limit game. The number of allowable raises changes depending on the house rules, but most often you're allowed one bet and three raises. Many low-limit Spread-Limit games have no ante, but the ones that do have one typically set it around 25% of the minimum bet. The minimum bring is equal to the ante (or in some places without an ante, the minimum bring is equal to the bottom end of the spread). A player wishing to complete the bring can bet any amount within the spread.

Pot-Limit Stud

For high-limit Stud players looking for lots of action, Pot-Limit is the only way to go. Because there are five betting rounds in Stud, as compared to four in Hold'em or Omaha, a Pot-Limit Stud game can play much larger than a Pot-Limit game of another form.

Just as No-Limit is deemed unsuitable for Omaha, many players feel that Pot-Limit is not a suitable fit for Stud games. If action is what you're looking for, Pot-Limit may be the only betting variation you need.

The size of the game depends on the size of the buy-in and ante amount. Typically the ante is around 1/200th of the buy-in, making a $1 ante for a $200 buy-in game. The bring minimum is equal to the size of the ante. How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is). Two examples for you: You're first to act on third street (you need to bring) with a pot of $5. You have the option to bet as little as the amount of the ante ($1) or as much as the pot ($5). Any bet in between is a "legal bet." You're second to act on fourth street. With a pot of $15, the first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise. Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20). Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot). You can raise any amount in between the minimum and the maximum raise amount.

7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud vs. 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Hand Ranking Chart

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Omaha Poker Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:11:00 -0700

Omaha can be played with a variety of betting structures, but only two are used with any regularity:

Pot-Limit Fixed Limit

Omaha and No-Limit

Although it's technically possible to play Omaha as a No-Limit game, this combination is extremely rare. The rules and game-play of Omaha are such that the game requires rules for betting that have some semblance of structure.

In other words, the game is so draw- and action-laden that it doesn't function particularly well as No-Limit.

For this reason, players wishing to play a high-action Omaha game turn to Pot-Limit as their go-to betting structure.

Pot-Limit Omaha

The popularity of Pot-Limit Omaha has surged recently, to the point that this particular Omaha variation is now the second most played poker variant both online and live. In fact, it's not uncommon for 100% of the night's online high-stakes action to take place over Omaha tables.

Betting proceeds clockwise from the button. The player to the left of the button is the small blind and the player on his left is the big blind. The player on his left is under the gun, and acts first. His options are to call the big blind, raise or fold. Your minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind (this is assuming no players have bet before you on this betting round). To determine the maximum bet, count all the money in the pot and all the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.) Two examples for you: You're first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a "legal bet." You're second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise. Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20). Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To figure this out, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot). You can raise any amount in between the minimum and the maximum raise amount. The size of the game is determined by the blind size. The buy-in is usually minimum 20 big blinds and maximum 100 big blinds.

Fixed-Limit Omaha

In Limit Omaha the betting limits are fixed. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. For example, in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet is $8. The blinds would be $2 and $4. Play proceeds as it does in any community card game, with the blinds to the left of the button and the play proceeding clockwise. Betting and raising are done in increments. Before the flop betting works in increments of the small bet; $4 in our example. A bet would be equal to $4, a raise would be to a total of $8. On the turn and river betting works in increments of the big bet; $8 in our example. A bet would be equal to $8, a raise would be equal to $16.

The Limit betting structure puts a cap on the number of raises. Most venues allow a maximum of a bet and three raises, although some rooms have a cap of four raises.

Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Hand Ranking

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Hold'em Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:04:00 -0700

Even though No-Limit Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker being played today, there are still many players who would rather play a Limit or Pot-Limit variant instead.

In the world of poker, the popularity of No-Limit games is a relatively recent development. For many years poker was a Limit or Pot-Limit game. No-Limit only really took off once Doyle Brunson and his crew introduced the game to Las Vegas casinos.

Ever since, No-Limit has steadily increased in popularity, exploding into the spotlight with the 2003 WSOP Main Event, which amateur Chris Moneymaker won. Given that it's the most popular betting variation, it only makes sense to explain it first.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em

People are drawn to No-Limit because of its unique mix of skill, chance and action, and because you can bet all of your chips at any point during the hand.

In Texas Hold'em, players are always faced with the ability to choose one of three options:

Check (or call). Bet (or raise). Fold. (In a scenario where you can check, folding makes no sense, but it's still an option.) To call is simply to match the previous bet made (a check is the same thing, only when no bet has been made: in other words, a check is a call for free). To fold is to throw away your hand and wait until the next deal to play again. Folding is always free. If there has been no bet made yet, you have the option to bet. Once a bet is made, players to follow now have the option to raise the bet. In No-Limit a minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind, while a maximum bet is the total amount of all of your chips. (Only chips that were included in your stack before the cards were dealt for that hand count, meaning you can't add (or remove) chips during a hand.) Once a bet has been made, the minimum you can raise is the size of the last bet. So if your opponent bets $5, the minimum raise you can make is $5 (for a total bet of $10). Again, the maximum raise is the total of whatever you have in front of you. How big a No-Limit Hold'em cash game is played is determined by its blind size. A $1/$2 game will have $1/$2 blinds, and the buy-in will vary from poker room to poker room. Generally the minimum buy-in will be 20 big blinds (so $40 in our example), and the maximum will be 100 big blinds ($200), though there are some casinos that spread games with no maximum buy-in.

Fixed-Limit Hold'em

The second most popular form of Texas Hold'em is Limit.

Whereas No-Limit is a game of brute force where players play big stacks and run up huge bluffs, Fixed Limit Hold'em is a more subtle, gentleman's game where players look to exploit small edges: a game of finesse and well-timed aggression.

Unlike in No-Limit where you can bet all your chips whenever you want, Limit Hold'em plays with fixed betting limits. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. If you are playing in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet $8. The blinds will be $2 and $4. The big blind is always equal to the size of the small bet. Play proceeds as it would in any Hold'em game; however, you bet and raise in increments. Before the flop and on the flop you bet in increments of the small bet. For example: If you were the first to bet, you can only bet $4, and the next person could call or raise to a total of $8. Any player wanting to reraise after that can make it a total bet of $12. On the turn and river players bet in increments of the big bet. If you were to bet the turn it would be $8 and to raise it would be $16, etc. In Fixed-Limit Hold'em there is a set number of raises you can make before the betting is capped. Although it can vary from room to room, action is typically capped at four or five bets (always check the house rules before playing your first hand). When betting is capped, it means that the players no longer have the option to raise; they can only call or fold until the next street is dealt.

Pot-Limit Hold'em

Pot-Limit Hold'em is a game in between No-Limit and Fixed-Limit. You can't bet your stack whenever you want, but you can bet however much is in the pot at the time.

How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all of the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

Two examples for you:

You're first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a "legal bet." You're second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise. Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20). Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot). You can raise any amount in between the minimum and maximum raise amounts.

Pot-Limit Hold'em is not very popular, and is mostly seen only in some large tournaments (such as the WSOP), but the Pot-Limit betting structure is used in Pot-Limit Omaha.

But because Pot-Limit Omaha is rapidly becoming one of the most popular poker variations, it's a good idea to get acquainted with the Pot-Limit structure anyway.

Additional Texas Hold em Rules

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play Tournament Rules

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Other Odd Poker Rules and Exceptions

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:00:00 -0700

When money is on the line, however, there needs to be a set, fair way to deal with all of these anomalies.

Plenty of players across poker forums, comment boards and in the real world are always looking for answers as to these odd situations, so the goal of this article is to create a definitive list of rules to resolve these conundrums.Without further ado here is my list of odd situations and Texas Hold'em poker rules.

All-In Situations

Two players all-in for different amounts: In this scenario, you take the amount of the smaller stack from the big stack into the pot, returning the difference to the big-stack player.

Short stack all-in against two players: When a short stack is all-in against two larger stacks, the blinds, short stack, plus the amount of the short stack from each larger stack is placed in the main pot. All players are eligible to win this pot.

The two players on the side are now free to play and bet as usual into a side pot, which only they are eligible to win. (This means there can be two winners in the hand - a side pot and a main pot winner.)

Multiple players all-in: When multiple players are all-in, you must make multiple side pots. Make a main pot as described above. After you've done that, repeat the process with the next-smallest stack.

Continue to do this until all stacks are accounted for. Make sure to keep track of who is eligible for what pots.

Balancing Tables

If you're running a tournament with two tables, and table 1 loses two players while table 2 is still full, you're going to have to move one player from table 2 to keep the tables balanced.

How to choose who moves is done by moving the player who is in (or closest to) the same position relative to the button. So if the open seat is in the cut-off on table 1, you want to move the player from the cut-off on table 2.

This keeps players from having to pay blinds twice, or not at all.

Breaking a Table

If you lose enough players to be able to merge one table with another (or multiple others), it's time to break the table. How to choose who sits where is done by drawing for the open seats.

If you're moving everyone onto one final table, typically all players, including those already seated at the table, draw for their seat. If you don't have seat cards, just use the deck counting lowest from highest, starting left of the dealer.

Can a Player Cash Out Half of Their Chips?

A player in a cash game has to play with all of their chips, or none. Cashing out part of your stack (also known as going south) is against the rules, and considered very poor etiquette.

If you would like to cash out only part of your chips, you must cash out your entire stack, and wait the set amount of time before taking your seat again.

This is known as recycling. The amount of time to wait changes depending on where you're playing, but I've never seen it lower than 30 minutes (the default online recycle timeframe).

Can a Player Purchase More Chips Off Another Player?

This is never a good idea. It's essentially the same concept as going south. The table loses the amount of chips the new player would be buying in for.

Always buy your chips from the dealer or the house. In a home game, one person should be in charge of all financial transactions.

Card Boxed in the Deck

If a boxed card (a card face up in the stub) is encountered at any time during a hand, the card is removed from the deck and shown to every player. The deal continues as if nothing went wrong.

If multiple cards are boxed, the dealer continues to remove the boxed cards until he reaches a facedown card to continue the deal.

If the stub runs short of nonboxed cards, the hand is declared dead, with all chips being returned to their original stacks as accurately as possible.

Cards Dealt Before All Players Have Acted

If the dealer burns and turns fourth street while a player has yet to make their flop decision, the play is temporarily halted. The dealer takes the turn card and puts it back into the stub, shuffling the entire stub sufficiently.

Once the deck is shuffled, and the player has made his final flop action, the top card is turned over as the new turn (there has already been a card burned for this street).

Card Exposed While Dealing

When dealing hole cards, if the first or second card you deal is exposed (the face value was seen by someone at the table), the hand is a misdeal, meaning the cards are reshuffled and the deal starts over (the dealer button stays in the same place).

If a card other than the first or second is exposed, the dealer continues to deal as if nothing had gone wrong. When the deal finishes, he give the top card on the deck to the player with the flashed card, and takes back the exposed card.

That card is then turned face up and shown to everyone at the table, and put on the top of the deck to be used as the first burn card.

If two cards are exposed while dealing, the hand is considered a misdeal.

Card Marked

When noticing a single badly marked card in play, first play out the hand normally. When the hand is complete you'll want to replace that marked card with a new one of the same value, or just grab a new deck.

If you don't have a new deck and are stuck with the one you have, your best bet is to remove the card from the game, making sure everyone is aware that the card is no longer in play.

It's better for everyone to know that no one has the card than for everyone to know when someone does have the card.

Dealer Deals an Extra Hand or a Hand to a Seat with No Player

In this scenario, as long as no one looks at the extra hand, it's folded as a dead hand, and play continues as usual.

How Long Can a Player Wait Before Choosing to Rebuy?

After a player loses all of their chips, they must choose whether or not to rebuy before the next hand is dealt.

In a home game there is room for lenience on this issue, just as long as the player isn't doing it on purpose to gain some sort of advantage.

Is a Single Over-Value Chip Considered a Raise or a Call?

By putting in one over-value chip without saying anything, it is always considered a call. For example, if the big blind is $25 and you're first to act, putting in a $100 chip without actually saying "raise" is considered a call.

The more lenient atmosphere of a home game means the dealer will typically ask the player what they actually wanted to do.

Player Misses a Blind (Cash Games)

A player can never come into the game between the blinds, or between the button and the blinds (unless they buy the button, see rule below). This applies when moving a player in tournaments as well.

If a player misses his or her blind in a cash game, they're not allowed to be dealt into a hand until the button has passed by them to the player on their left (it's treated as if there is no player sitting there). When the button has passed, they must post the amount equal to the blinds they missed.

For example, with blinds of $1/$2, a player who misses the big blind (therefore forcing them to also miss the small blind), they must post $3 to be dealt into the hand.

A small-blind post is always considered dead, meaning it goes into the pot and does not count toward any action in the hand, while the big-blind portion of the post is live, meaning it does count.

A player with a live post still receives option to check or raise when it's their turn to act in the hand.

Buying the button: Buying the button is allowed in some locations during a cash game. This means that when a player sits down between the small blind and the button, or on the seat where the button would be next, they have the option to pay both the small and big blind in place of the players with whom the responsibility lies.

This allows the player to play on the button, rather than having to wait for it to pass them the next hand.

Player Misses a Blind (Tournaments)

In a tournament, every stack gets dealt a hand regardless of a player being in the seat or not. When the last card is dealt to a player for the hand, the hands without players are mucked.

Players not present during their blinds have the blinds posted for them from their stacks, referred to as blinding out.

Player's Stack Size Less Than the Blind

When a player's stack is less than the amount of the small blind, they are automatically considered all-in in the next hand they play, regardless of position.

If the player's stack is larger than the small blind but smaller than the big blind, they will be considered all-in in any position other than the small blind, assuming they fold for their option.

When all-in, the player can only win the amount of their stack, plus that same amount from all of the callers and blinds. If the person has less than the big blind, they can only win the portion of the blind equal to that of their stack.

Removing Smaller Chips from Play

When the blinds increase in a tournament, eventually the smaller-value chips will become obsolete. Once the chips are no longer needed, they are chipped up to the next denomination.

First, make sure the chips are no longer needed (don't forget to check for antes in the future blind levels). If the blinds are $500/$1,000 doubling, you have no need for any chips smaller than $500 on the table.

Change as many low-value chips as you can into higher values and hold on to the remainder. For example, if you have ten $25 chips, you will receive two $100 chips and have two $25 chips left over.

Chip racing: The standard way to remove the odd low-value chips is a chip race (this is how it's done in all major tournaments such as the WSOP).

First the dealer adds up the total amount of odd chips on the table to determine the amount of larger-value chips up for grabs. For example, if there are 13 $25 chips on the table, they bring four $100 chips to take their place.

The dealer starts at the player to their left, dealing them as many cards as they have odd chips face up (if they have three $25 chips, they get three cards), until everyone with $25 chips has a card to represent each of them.

Each available chip is given to the players with the highest-valued show card, with each player being allowed to win only one chip. In a case of a tie in rank, suits are used to determine a winner.

Rounding up: To save time, some tournaments will round up all leftover chips to the higher value. Regardless of having one $25 chip or three $25 chips, you will receive one $100 chip in their place.

Suit Rankings

In poker, the official suit ranking goes with the official Bridge ranking system, which is alphabetical. From worst to best:

Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades

Turn-Dealing Mistakes

Turn is dealt without burning: When the dealer deals the turn card without burning, that card is simply treated as a flash card. The dealer makes sure all players see the card before turning it face down as the burn card, dealing the real turn as normal.

Two burn cards dealt when dealing the turn: In the case of a dealer burning two cards, and turning over a third as the turn, that third card is treated as a flashed card, and is returned to the top of the deck as the burn for the river. The second burn card is turned face up, since it is the valid turn card.

Two cards are burnt and two cards are shown when dealing the turn: The proper way to resolve this rare scenario is as follows. The second burn card (the official, should be turn) is placed face down on the top of the deck. The first up card (the would-be river burn card) is treated as a flash card and turned face down.

The second show card is the official river. It is now played as it lies on the turn instead. When action completes on the turn, the top card is turned over without burning for the river.

By doing it in this fashion, all cards put in play are the original cards that would have fallen if no mistake had occurred. There is no change to the results, and only one card gets exposed.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:38:00 -0800

The game itself is actually very logical and simple and requires just a few minutes to learn.

Mastering it, however, will take you a bit longer.

This article provides all the information you need to start playing the game.

Any time you get confused by the action, read below for some guidance. Each topic also contains links to more in-depth articles on that specific subject.

When you feel you've got the hang of it and are ready to play for real, check out our Texas Hold'em toplist for the best places to get started.

Quick Glossary

Before we get into describing the rules and game play, here's a quick glossary of terms you'll encounter.

Blinds: Short for "blind bets," these are the forced bets made before the cards are dealt. In Hold'em, blinds take the place of the classic "ante." Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in current hand. Check: Similar to a call but no money is bet. If there is no raise preflop, the big blind may check. Fifth Street: See River. Flop: The first three community cards dealt. Fourth Street: See Turn. Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is preflop. River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known as fifth street. Showdown: When players reveal their hands to discover the pot's winner. Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known as fourth street.

Overview

Texas Hold'em is a community card poker game, with game play focused as much on the betting as on the cards being played.

Although the rules and game play remain mostly the same, the end goal is slightly different depending on if you're playing a cash game or a tournament.

A Hold'em tournament is the same as any other game of Hold'em with a few added rules and twists. If you'd like to learn the rules unique to tournaments, head to this article. (There will also be a link at the bottom of the page).

Texas Holdem is played on a single table with two to 10 players. The goal is simple: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time.

You win a pot by having the best hand, or by having all other players fold before the showdown.

The structure of Texas Hold'em can be broken up into three main divisions:

Setup Betting Rounds Showdown

Setup

Once you have your players sitting around the table, the first thing you need to have is chips. Before you can figure out what kind of chips to give each player, you need to understand how the game works a little better, so we'll get back to this.

For now, assume all players have chips in front of them.

The next step is picking the player who will start with the dealer button. Hold'em is played with what's known as a rotating dealer, meaning a player will act as the dealer for one hand, handing the role of dealer to the player on their left when the hand is completed.

To choose the dealer, either deal every player one card, or spread the cards facedown on the table and have every player choose one.

Stacks of cash, poker's end-goal.

The player with the highest-valued card (aces are high for selecting a dealer) starts as the dealer.

If you're in a place with a professional dealer, or someone volunteers to always physically deal the cards, the dealer button will still rotate around the table.

Even though he or she is physically dealing the cards, for all intents and purposes, the person with the button is viewed as being the dealer for the hand.

Once the hand completes, the player with the dealer button will pass it to the player on his or her left.

Putting Out the Blinds

Now that you have a dealer, you need to put out the blinds.

There are two blinds in Holdem - a small blind and a big blind. The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind.

The big blind (exactly, or conveniently close to, double that of the small blind) is placed by the player to the left of the small blind.

The size of the blinds will dictate the stakes of the game you're about to play. Typically, you want players to buy in for no less than 100 times the size of the big blind.

If you want to buy in for $20, you should play with blinds 10¢/20¢, or for convenience, most people will play 10¢/25¢.

Back to chips: Once the blinds are set we know what kind of chips we'll need to play. (In the above example, we'd use 10¢ chips, 25¢ chips and maybe a few $1 chips.)

You want to give players enough chips in each denomination to allow the game to run smoothly.

Typically a player will need only 10% of their total chips in the smallest denomination, as they are only ever used to pay the small blind. For the most part, all betting will be done with chips larger than that of the small blind.

Once you have the blinds out, you're now ready to deal the first hand.

Game-Play and Betting Rounds

The person dealing the cards deals to the left of the player with the dealer button first, rotating around the table in a clockwise manner, giving each player one card at a time until each player has two cards. These are known as your hole cards.

A hand of Hold'em consists of a minimum of one and a maximum of four betting rounds. A hand ends when all players but one have folded, or the fourth and final betting round completes with multiple players still in the hand - whichever comes first.

At that point, players enter into the showdown (to be explained in the next section).

Preflop

When all players receive their hole cards, you are now in the preflop betting round.

Each player must look at their cards and decide what action they would like to take. In Hold'em, only one player can act at a time.

The preflop betting round starts with the player to the left of the big blind. This player has three options:

Fold: They pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand, waiting for the next deal to play again. Call: They match the amount of the big blind. Raise: They raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big blind. A player may raise more depending on the betting style being played. (For more about No-Limit and Pot-Limit betting formats, check out this article here.)

Once a player has made their action, the player to the left of them gets their turn to act. Each player is given the same options: fold, call the bet of the player to their right (if the previous player raised, that is the amount you must call) or raise.

A raise is always the amount of one bet in addition to the amount of the previous bet, for example: if the big blind is 25¢, and the first player to act would like to raise, they put in a total of 50¢ (the big blind + one additional bet).

If the next player would like to reraise, they would put in a total of 75¢ (the previous bet + one additional bet).

A betting round ends when two conditions are met:

All players have had a chance to act. All players who haven't folded have bet the same amount of money for the round.

Example Betting Round 1

There are five players at the table:

Player 1 - Button

Player 2 - Small blind (10¢)

Player 3 - Big blind (25¢)

Start of betting round

Player 4 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

Player 5 - folds

Player 1 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

Player 2 - Calls the big blind (since they already have 10¢ bet, they only have to add another 15¢, for a total of 25¢)

Player 3 - Checks (since they already have the bet matched, they do not need to add more money to call; this is called checking)

End of betting round

When Player 2 calls the big blind, all players now have the same amount of money in front of them, but Player 3 (the big blind) has not had a chance to act, so the betting round is not over.

Once Player 3 checks, both conditions are met, and the betting round is over.

Example Betting Round 2

Canada's own Greg "FBT" Mueller

There are five players at the table:

Player 1 - Button

Player 2 - Small blind (10¢)

Player 3 - Big blind (25¢)

Start of betting round

Player 4 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

Player 5 - Raises (50¢)

Player 1 - Folds

Player 2 - Folds

Player 3 - Reraises (they already have 25¢ in as the big blind. They complete the bet of 50¢, and add one additional bet for a total of 75¢)

Player 4 - Folds (their previous call of 25¢ is now in the pot)

Player 5 - Calls (matches the bet of Player 3 for a total of 75¢)

End of betting round

In this scenario all players had had a chance to act when Player 3 made the reraise. But all players did not have the same amount of money bet.

Once Player 4 folds, only Player 3 and Player 5 are left in the pot. When Player 5 calls, both conditions are met, and the betting round ends.

The Flop

Once the preflop betting round ends, the flop is dealt. This is done by dealing the top card in the deck facedown on the table (it becomes the burn card), followed by three cards faceup.

Once this has been dealt, the first post-flop betting round begins.

The rules of a post-flop betting round are the same as a preflop, with two small exceptions: The first player to act is the next player with a hand to the left of the dealer, and the first player to act can check or bet; as there has been no bet made, calling is free.

A bet on the flop is the amount of the big blind. In our game, a player must put out 25¢ to make a bet.

The Turn

Once the betting round on the flop completes, the dealer deals one card facedown followed by a single card faceup, also known as the "burn and turn." Once the turn has been dealt, the third betting round starts.

The third betting round is identical to the flop betting round with one single exception: The size of a bet for this round, and the final betting round, is doubled, meaning that to make a bet in our game will now cost a player 50¢.

The River

Assuming more than one player is left, having not folded on one of the previous streets, the river is now dealt. Dealing the river is identical as dealing the turn, with one card being dealt facedown, followed by a single card faceup.

This is the final street, and no more cards will be dealt in this hand. The betting round is identical to the betting round on the turn.

Showdown

Once the river betting round has been completed, the players now enter into the showdown. At this point, the best hand wins the pot. Here are the rules you need to know about a Hold'em showdown:

The player who bet on the river is the default first player to reveal their hand. If any other players choose to show their hand first, that is OK. If no betting happened on the river (all players checked), the player closest to the left of the dealer must open their hand first, continuing clockwise around the table. If a player is holding a losing hand, it is their option to reveal their cards or simply muck their hand and concede the pot.

Evaluating Hands

In Hold'em you must make the best hand possible using any combination of your two cards and the five community cards on the table.

You can use both, one or none of your own cards in making your best hand. Here are some rules about evaluating a winning poker hand:

The poker hand ranking order can be found here. There are no exceptions to this ordering: a flush always beats a straight, and three of a kind always beats two pair. There are no hands used in Hold'em other than the hands listed in this chart. For example, having three pairs is actually only "two pair," with the highest-valued two pair making your hand. Poker hands must be exactly five cards, and only those five cards are used to evaluate the winning hand. For example: if the board is 2♥ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦ Player 1 holds T♠ 9♣ Player 2 holds T♣ 2♣

Both players hold the very same hand (a straight from ten to ace). This means the pot is split between the two players. The remaining cards and the fact Player 1 also has a pair means nothing - only the best five-card hand factors into deciding the winner.

If all remaining players have nothing (no pair or anything stronger), the winning hand is the hand with the highest-valued single card, meaning: A♣ 3♥ 4♦ 6♠ 7♠ is a better hand than K♠ Q♠ J♣ 9♣ 8♦ A♣ J♥ 9♠ 8♦ 6♥ is a better hand than A♥ J♣ 9♦ 8♣ 2♠ Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Once you determine the winning hand, that player receives the pot. The dealer passes the dealer button to his or her left and the two players to the left of the new dealer put out their big and small blinds respectively.

Random Rules

Raising

When there are more than two players still in the hand, only one bet and three raises can be made in one betting round. Once the third raise is made the betting is "capped." Once betting is capped, players may only call or fold. A player must either declare their intent to raise verbally before making any actions, or bring the amount of chips equal to the total amount of their raise into play at the same time. A player is not allowed to place chips, return to their stack and place more chips. This is known as a string bet. Solutions to any other random situation you come across can be found here.

Buying Chips

The minimum number of chips a player is allowed to buy before their first hand dealt is determined by the house rules governing the game. Typically a minimum is 50-100 times the big blind. There is no maximum to the number of chips a player may buy at any time. A player may reload, or add more chips to their stack, at any time between hands. Once a hand is started, a player may only use the chips they had in play at the beginning of the hand, during that hand. Any additional chips will not be "in play" until the next deal.

Additional Texas Hold em Rules

Tournament Rules No Limit and Pot Limit Betting Rules Poker Hand Ranking Odd Poker Rules and Situations

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

Thu, 02 Dec 1999 01:19:00 -0800

The newfound lust for Omaha can be attributed to a couple of things: For one, there's a natural similarity in the rules to Texas Hold'em, making the switch over an easy one for most players.

Second, and likely the biggest draw, is the game's all-out action. Unlike Holdem, Omaha players are much more inclined to make and call more bets and to play more hands to completion.

This increased action can make the game incredibly exciting and infinitely more interesting to both beginners and professionals alike.

If you've just read the Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play guide, or you already understand how to run and play a game of Texas Hold'em, most of the information in this article will be old news to you.

There are only two differences between Hold'em and Omaha:

Every player is dealt four cards in Omaha (instead of two in Hold'em) There are more rules for evaluating the winning hand at showdown.

If you're coming into this article fresh, and would like to learn how to run and play a game of Omaha Poker, just keep reading. You'll find that the game is simple to learn, and a lot of fun to play.

This article will cover all the aspects of Omaha in broad strokes. If you need more detail on anything in this guide such as:

How to decide the denominations of chips you should use. How to pick the stakes of your game (set betting limits). More details on how betting, raising and calling works. Glossary of poker terms used in this guide.

You can find all of that information in the Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play article (There will be another link to that article at the bottom of this page).

The Basics

Omaha is a community-card game played with two to ten players on one table. The goal of the game is to win as many chips as you can off your opponents. You win chips by winning a pot, and you win a pot in one of two ways:

All the other players fold their hands, making you the only player left in the pot. You have the best hand at the showdown.

A game of Omaha only ends when the players decide they are finished playing, or one player wins all of the chips from the other players - those players being unwilling to re-buy and continue playing.

A game of Omaha can be broken up into a few simple sections:

Setup Betting Rounds Showdown

Setup

When you have two to ten players sitting around a table, each with a stack of chips, you're ready to get started. The first thing you need to do is draw the high card for a dealer.

Deal every player one card face up. The player with the highest ranked card (Aces are high) will start as the game's dealer. If two players both have the same high card, either deal both players a second card, or use the suits of their card to determine the winner.

(Poker suit ordering is alphabetic from worst to best: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades)

When you have a dealer, give that player the dealer button (typically a white disk, used to keep track of the current dealer in the hand). This player needs to shuffle up the cards and prepare to deal the first hand.

Before the cards are dealt in any hand, the two players to the left of the dealer need to put out the blinds. The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind puts out the big blind.

The big blind is equal to the size of the small betting limit. The small blind is half of the size of the small blind (Rounded for convenience. For example if the big blind is 25¢, the small blind would be 10¢)

Once the blinds are out, the dealer can deal the cards. Starting with the player to the dealer's left (the small blind) and moving clockwise around the table, each player is dealt one card at a time (face down) until all players have exactly four cards.

Betting Rounds

Once the last card is dealt, you are now in the first betting round, known as "preflop." A betting round ends when two conditions are met:

All players have had a chance to act. All players who haven't folded have bet the same amount of money for the round.

In poker only one player can act at a time, starting at the player to the left of the big blind. This player has three options:

Fold: They pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand, waiting for the next deal to play again. Call: They match the amount of the big blind. Raise: They raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big blind. A player may raise more depending on the betting style you are playing. To learn about alternate betting formats, check out this article here (link will also be at the bottom of the page).

Once the player to the left of the big blind acts, the action moves clockwise around the table, one player at a time. Each player has the same options, fold, call or raise. The amount of a call or raise is always dependant on the size of the last bet made.

For example, for the first player to call, they would need to match the size of the big blind. If they raise, they would need to double the big blind. If they choose to raise, the next player would have to call the full amount of the big blind + the raise to call.

When the action gets back to the small blind, they have the option to fold, call or raise just like everyone else. The difference is that the money they have bet as the small blind is subtracted from the total amount they would have to call.

If the best is 50¢ and they have 10¢ in as a small blind, they will need to add another 40¢ to call - more if they wanted to raise.

The big blind is the same as the small blind. If there has been no raise, and their big blind is the same amount as the current bet, instead of calling (since to call you need to add money) they have the option to check. A check is the same as a call, only it requires no money.

Once everyone has had a chance to act, and everyone still with a hand has the same amount of money wagered, the betting round is over.

The Flop

Once the preflop betting round is concluded, the flop is dealt. In a community-card came such as Omaha, there will be a total of five community cards for any hand reaching a showdown. The flop is the first three of the five cards dealt.

The dealer deals one card face down (this is called the burn card) and three cards face up. After the flop is dealt, the action starts on the first player to the left of the dealer still with a hand (players with a hand are known as "live players").

This player is in a similar situation to the big blind preflop. They can check or bet. Since there is no bet before them this round, they are not required to add any money to call, and they do not need to fold either. A bet in this round is the same amount as the big blind.

After they act the action moves to the next live player to his or her left.

The Turn

Once the flop betting round is complete, the dealer deals the turn. This is done by one card being dealt face down (another burn card), and one card dealt face up. Once this is done the next betting round starts.

The turn's betting round is exactly the same as the flop's, with one exception. A single bet on the turn now uses the larger betting limit. Typically the larger betting limit is double the size of the big blind.

Sometimes, mostly for convenience, the large betting limit is slightly larger than double the big blind. This is most common in games such as a $2-$5 Limit game.

Using a $5 upper limit reduces the total number of chips a player needs to have in front of them by using $5 chips instead of all $1 and $2 chips.

The River

Once the turn betting round is complete, the final community card is dealt. The dealer deals one final card face down, followed by one card face up.

Once the river is dealt the final betting round of the hand begins.The river's betting round is identical in all ways to that of the turn.

Showdown

When the river betting round has been completed, all remaining live players enter into the showdown. The concept of the showdown is simple: the player with the best hand wins the pot.

Evaluating a winning hand in Omaha is slightly different than in Texas Hold'em. If you're familiar with Texas Hold'em, be sure to read the rules carefully for Omaha.

The first thing you need to know in evaluating Omaha hands is the poker hand ranking order. The chart of poker hand rankings can be found here. (There will be another link at the bottom of this page)

Here are some rules about evaluating an Omaha poker hand:

There are no other hands used in Omaha than the hands listed in this chart. For example, having three pairs is actually only "two pair" with the highest valued two pairs making your hand. In Omaha a player must user exactly two cards from their hand, and three cards from the community cards to make their best hand possible. The player can use any two of their four cards, and any three of the five community cards, as long as they remember to use exactly two from their hand. For example: if the board is 2♥ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦ Player 1 holds 10♠ 9♣ 9♥ 2♦ Player 2 holds 10♣ 2♣ 3♥ 4♥

In this pot only Player 1 has a straight (9♣ 10♠ J♣ Q♣ K♠). Player two must use two cards from his hand giving him no more than a pair of twos (2♣ 2♥ A♦ K♠ 10♣).

If all remaining players have nothing, no pair or anything stronger, the winning hand is the hand with the highest valued single card, meaning: A♣ 3♥ 4♦ 6♠ 7♠ is a better hand than K♠ Q♠ J♣ 9♣ 8♦ A♣ J♥ 9♠ 8♦ 6♥ is a better hand than A♥ J♣ 9♦ 8♣ 2♠ Because of having to use two cards out of your hand, if the board is a straight (A♦ 2♣ 3♥ 4♦ 5♣) you will need two of your own cards to fit into that straight to have a straight as your hand.

For example: 6♠ A♣ K♥ K♠ does not have a straight - the best hand they can make would be a pair of aces. 2♥ 3♣ Q♠ Q♦ does have a straight, being able to substitute their 2 and 3 for the 2 and 3 on the board.

Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Once you have discerned the winning hand, that player wins the entire pot. When a pot is won, the hand is complete. After the hand completes the dealer passes the dealer button to the player to their left.

At this point you begin the next hand with the two players to the left of the new dealer putting out their blinds.

Random Omaha Notes

Omaha is played in either Limit or Pot-Limit betting structures. Omaha should not be played as a no-limit game. The game is inherently action crazed, requiring some sort of strict betting structure to keep order in the game. Omaha can also be played as a Hi Lo split game, To learn the rules and game play for Omaha Hi Lo head to this article here.

Omaha Poker Betting Rules: Limit and Pot-Limit Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Hand Ranking Odd Poker Rules and Situations

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:47:00 -0800

The only time the High and Hi-Lo differ rules-wise is at the showdown.

Omaha Hi-Lo, also known as Omaha High-Low, O8 and Omaha 8-or-Better, is one of the most popular and entertaining forms of poker in the world.

Because this article only details the differences between Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo, if you aren't familiar with the rules and game play of Omaha High, you're going to want to read this article:

Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

Assuming you understand how to play Omaha High, let's look at what distinguishes the two games.

Omaha Hi-Lo Showdown Rules

Omaha Hi-Lo is a "split pot" game, meaning that at showdown, the pot is divided in half, with one half being awarded to the winning best hand, and the other half to the best qualifying "low hand."

The High

The winning high hand in Omaha Hi-Lo is identical to that of Omaha High. There are no qualification requirements for the high, meaning there will always be a winning high hand.

Poker Hand Ranking

The Low

Low hands must qualify to be eligible for winning the low half of the pot.

A low hand is composed of any two cards from a player's hand, and any three cards from the board (community cards). The cards a player uses for his best High hand have no effect on the low. The player can use the same cards, different ones or a combination from his hand. A qualifying low hand is defined as five unpaired cards, all with ranks at or below 8. Aces are considered low for the low hand. Flushes and straights are ignored for the low, meaning the best low possible is A-2-3-4-5 regardless of suits. Low hands are counted from the top down, meaning the hand is only as good as its highest card. For example: 2♠ 3♣ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ is lower than A♠ 2♣ 3♥ 4♣ 8♠ Any hand with a pair, or with a card higher than 8, does not qualify, even if the rank of the pair is below 8. Suits do not count toward a low; any players sharing the exact same low must equally split the low half of the pot. (Winning half of the Low pot, and nothing from the High pot is known as being quartered.)

A hand example:

Board: 4♥ 5♣ 7♥ Q♠ A♦

Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ K♥ K♠

Hand 2: A♠ 3♠ Q♥ Q♦

High Winner: Hand 2 wins with three-of-a-kind queens: Q♥ Q♦ Q♠ A♦ 7♥

Low Winner: Hand 1 wins with a 7-5-4-2 Low: 7♥ 5♣ 4♥ 2♠ A♥

Here's a more difficult one for you:

Board: K♥ 3♦ 4♦ 8♠ 2♦

Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ Q♦ K♠

Hand 2: 6♥ 7♥ T♦ J♦

High Winner: Hand 2 wins with a flush, jack-high: 2♦ 3♦ 4♦ T♦ J♦

Low Winner: Hand 2 Wins with a 7-6 Low: 7♥ 6♥ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦

In this pot, Hand 2 scoops with the best high and the best low. Many players will think that Hand 1 will win the low because A-2 is a lot lower than 6-7.

Unfortunately, Hand 1 pairs his 2 on the river, meaning he has to use the 8 as his fifth card to make a qualifying Low hand. Even though the majority of Hand 2's cards are higher, Hand 2 is able to use the three lowest cards on the board, making for a low of only seven-high.

General Rules

If there is an extra odd chip, unable to be split in half, this chip is always added to the pot awarded to the winning high hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to player with the winning high hand. Players can win one or both halves of the pot with the same or different cards from their hand. A player does not have to announce what half of the pot she's playing for at the beginning of the hand. This is only required in other variations of poker, known as "declare" games.

Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play Omaha Poker Betting Rules: Limit and Pot-Limit Poker Hand Ranking

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:55:00 -0800

Even now Stud is regarded as a more "pure" poker variation, as much for its historic past as its increased difficulty of play.

Seven Card Stud requires more attention and card-playing prowess, along the lines of Bridge or Gin, than a community-card game.

This is not to say that Stud is any better than any other variation, but it is a game worth knowing how to play. Every poker player should have the ability to play multiple variations of the game, and Seven-Card is one of the most popular and important.

The game of 7 Card Stud can be played with two to eight players at a table. The goal in Stud is the same as any other poker variation: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time.

Stud has a lot of little rules and a few quirks, but it's a simple game at its core. The game can be broken up into four sections:

Setup The Bring Betting Rounds Showdown

If you've just read the Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play article, you'll notice that Stud has one more section. For players familiar to the rules and game play of a community-card game, the only completely new concept you'll learn in this article will be "the bring."

Setup

The first thing you need to do is get everyone at your table some chips. You will need a combination of chips that will allow for a big bet, small bet and an ante.

The size of the bets will dictate how large your game will play. A big bet is typically twice the size of the small bet, with the ante around 10% of the big bet.

Here's a chart of buy-ins and bets to give you some ideas. The buy-in amounts are the minimum amounts you would want to buy in for the stakes. If you want to be sure to have lots of chips, play with smaller stakes for the buy in - for example, use the bets for a $10 game, and buy in for $20:

Recommended Buy-in Big Bet Small Bet Ante $100+ $4 $2 50¢ $20+ $1 50¢ 10¢ $10+ 50¢ 25¢ 5¢

Once you all have chips, one player needs to grab the deck and shuffle up. It doesn't matter who starts as the dealer in a Stud game.

Betting Rules: Stud can be played in a variety of different betting structures. This article uses the most common structure: Fixed Limit. To learn about other various betting structures, head to this article (there will be another link at the bottom of this page):

7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More

Once the cards are shuffled, all players must ante. Antes are dead money, meaning they go immediately into the pot: any bets you make will be in addition to the antes.

Starting with the player on the dealer's left and moving around the table clockwise, the dealer deals every player two cards face down (all cards face down are known as as down cards or hole cards), followed by one card face up (this card is known as the door card, or window card. All cards face up are collectively known as up cards or show cards).

The Bring

Why not learn at the table?

In every form of poker, there is some determining factor as to how and where the action starts in the hand. In Hold'em or Omaha the action starts to the left of the big blind; in Stud it starts with the bring.

The player with the lowest-value door card is the one required to "bring it in." Here's what you need to discern the losing player for the bring:

All cards are worth face value and face cards are valued from worst to best: Jack, Queen, King. Aces are high for the bring, which means they rank higher than a king. If two players have the same value low card, suits are used to determine the loser. Stud uses poker-suit ordering, alphabetic from worst to best: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades.

The player required to bring has two choices. They can either bring by making a bet equal to the size of the ante, or they can complete the bet to the full amount of the small bet.

Betting Round One (Third Street)

The player to the left of the bring is next to act. That player has three options:

Fold: They pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand, waiting for the next deal to play again. Call: They match the amount of the bring. Raise: If the first player made a minimum bring (only brought the amount of the ante) a raise will be completing the bet to the amount of the small bet limit. If the first player completed their bring to the full small bet a raise would be doubling the small bet amount.

For example in a $20 game:

Min Bring

Player 1 brings 10¢

Player 2 can call 10¢ or complete to 50¢.

Max Bring (Completion)

Player 1 brings (completes) 50¢

Player 2 can call 50¢ or raise to $1

Play moves clockwise around the table one player at a time. A betting round ends when two conditions are met:

All players have had a chance to act. All players who haven't folded have bet the same amount of money for the round.

Betting Round Two (Fourth Street)

Once the first betting round has completed, the dealer deals every player (always starting at the first live player to his or her left and moving clockwise around the table) one card face up, next to the first face-up card.

In this betting round, and every betting round to follow, the first player to act is decided by the value of the show cards. The player with the highest value show cards acts first. The value of show cards are ranked in the same order as poker hands.

On fourth street, with only two cards showing, the best possible hand would be two aces showing (A♠ A♥ to be exact). The worst possible hand would be 2♣ 3♣. Any pair is better than any two non-paired cards; for example 2♣ 2♦ is better than A♠ K♠.

Suit ranks are used in the event of a tie for the highest-ranked show cards. When evaluating rank by suit, the value of the hand is determined by the suit of the highest ranking card. For example:

Player 1: A♠ K♣

Player 2: A♥ K♠

Player 1 has the better hand since the Ace of spades is of higher rank than the Ace of hearts.

Example 2:

Player 1: 3♠ 3♣

Player 2: 3♥ 3♦

Player 1 wins, since they have the Three of Spades, which is a higher ranked card than Player 2's Three of Hearts.

Once you have discerned the highest hand, that person acts first. They have the option to check (wager no money, and move the action to the player on their left) or bet the small betting limit.

The action moves from that player clockwise around the table one player at a time. Each player has the option to:

Check (if no bet has been made). Call (match any bet made). Bet/Raise (If no bet is made, they can bet the small limit; if a bet has been made they can raise it by adding an additional amount to the bet, equal to the small limit). fold (throw away their hand).

Once every player has acted, and every player that has not folded has put the same amount of money into the pot, the betting round ends.

Betting Round Three (Fifth Street)

At the completion of fourth street, the dealer deals every remaining player another card face up, starting with the first live player to his or her left, moving clockwise around the table.

Once all the cards have been dealt, the betting round starts the same way fourth street started. The player with the best show cards bets first. Three of a kind is the best combination, followed by a pair, followed by the highest cards.

Live Stud's a slow game for the online player.

In this betting round, players bet using the big betting limit. Other than the size of the bets, this betting round is identical to fourth street.

Betting Round Four (Sixth Street)

Sixth street is identical to fifth street. Every player is dealt one card face up, and the highest valued show cards bets first. On sixth street, with four show cards for each player, the best possible show card value is four of a kind.

Sixth street betting uses the big betting limit.

The Final Betting Round (Seventh Street)

When the sixth street betting round is complete, the dealer deals one final card FACE DOWN to every player. Again, the dealer starts at the first player with cards to their left, and moves on clockwise around the table.

The player with the highest-ranked show cards in the previous betting round is the first to act in this betting round as well. The final card having been dealt face down does not affect the value of the four show cards.

The final betting round uses the big betting limit.

Showdown

Once the final betting round has been completed, the players still in the hand enter into the showdown. In the showdown, each player makes the best five card hand possible out of their own seven cards.

The remaining two cards are "dead" and have no value towards the hand at all. They are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Evaluating Hands

Here are the rules for evaluating the winning hand:

The poker hand ranking order can be found here. (there will be another link at the bottom of this page) There are no exceptions to this ordering, a flush always beats a straight, and three of a kind always beats two pair. There are no other hands used in Stud than the hands listed in this chart. For example, having three pairs is actually only "two pair" with the highest valued two pairs making your hand. Poker hands must be exactly five cards and only those five cards are used to evaluate the winning hand. For example: if the player holds 2♥ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦ 10♠ 9♣, the player's best hand is a straight: 10♠ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦ If all remaining players have nothing, no pair or anything stronger, the winning hand is the hand with the highest valued single card. meaning: A♣ 3♥ 4♦ 6♠ 7♠ is a better hand than K♠ Q♠ J♣ 9♣ 8♦ A♣ J♥ 9♠ 8♦ 6♥ is a better hand than A♥ J♣ 9♦ 8♣ 2♠ Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand. If two players have the exact same hand (disregarding the suits of the cards), the pot is split between the players.

Once you have discerned the winning hand, that player is awarded the pot. After the pot has been shipped, all players ante and are dealt their next hand. Unless you have a professional dealer, typically the role of dealer will rotate around the table, although it is not necessary for Stud.

Having one player as the dealer for the entire duration of the game will give no player an advantage or disadvantage during the game.

Random Rules

Fourth Street Open Pair: If a player pairs up their door card on fourth street (giving them a pair as the winning high hand for fourth street), the player has the option of checking, betting the small limit or betting the big limit.

If the player chooses to check, the next player to act inherits the same options (meaning they can check, or bet either the small or big limit).

If a player chooses to bet the larger betting limit, all bets and raises in that betting round must be in the big betting limit unit. For example in a $10-$20 limit game, if a player is dealt a pair on fourth street, they can bet $10 or $20.

If they choose to bet $20, the next player must fold, call $20 or raise to $40.

Capping the Bet: In any one betting round while there are three or more players still in the hand, there can only be one bet and three raises. Once the third raise has been made, the betting is "capped," meaning all future action in that betting round is restricted to calling or folding.

Running Out of Cards: If you are playing with eight people, it is not possible for every player to be dealt a full 7 cards, since there are only 52 cards in the deck.

If you ever get to the point where all eight players are in the hand until seventh street, instead of dealing every player one card, you must deal a single card face up in the middle of the table.

This card is used as a community card (like in Hold'em or Omaha). Every player shares that card as the seventh card of their hand.

7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More 7 Card Stud vs. 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Hand Ranking Chart

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Razz Rules and Game Play

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:19:00 -0700

Because Razz is almost identical to Stud in all but a few ways, we won't rehash the setup and rules for those variants here. Readers not familiar with the rules of 7 Card Stud should start with this article:

7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play

Once you understand how to play 7 Card Stud, you can easily learn how to play Razz. The only differences between Stud and Razz are in the rules governing the following factors:

The player who must bring in the action at the start of the first betting round The player who must start the action on any given street How to decide the winning hand at showdown

The Bring

Once every player has their two down cards and one door card, you're ready for one player to bring it in.

Just as in Stud, the player required to bring in a Razz game is decided by the value of each player's door card. Unlike Stud, in Razz the player with the highest-valued door card is required to bring. Door cards are ranked according to face value from lowest to highest: jack, queen, king. Aces are viewed as low or "good" in Razz, meaning the highest-value card rank available is a king. If two players tie for high card, the suits of their door cards break the tie. In Razz, suits are ordered alphabetically from worst to best: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. Again similarly to in Stud, the player required to bring has two choices: Bet an amount equal to the ante Complete the bet, betting the full amount of the small bet

The Betting Rounds

The only difference between a betting round in Razz and a betting round in Stud is how you decide where the action starts for the hand.

In Stud, the player with the highest-valued show cards starts the action.

In Razz, it's the player with the best Razz hand, or lowest-valued cards, who starts the action on the betting round.

Pairs are always viewed as "high," meaning a player holding K♠ Q♠ has a better two-card Razz hand than a player with 2♣ 2♦. A hand is only as low as the value of its highest card, meaning that out of these hands:

... the best two-card Razz hand is

Even though A♥ 5♠ has an ace, which is lower than either the 2♥ or the 4♣, the highest card of A♥ 5♠ is the 5♠. The lowest two cards, without having a pair, are the 2♥ 4♣.

Once you've determined the best hand, this player gets to start the betting round. As in Stud, this player has two options:

Check (same as a call, but since there is no bet to match, they are calling nothing) Bet

Showdown

After the final betting round has been completed, the players still in the hand enter into the showdown. In the showdown, each player makes the best five-card hand possible out of their own seven cards.

The remaining two cards are "dead" and contribute no value toward the hand at all. They are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Evaluating Hands

Here are the rules for evaluating the winning hand:

A hand of Razz is won by holding the worst hand at the table Straights and flushes don't count in Razz hands, meaning the absolute best hand possible is the lowest straight (known as the wheel) A-2-3-4-5 There is no qualifier for the winning hand - even if a player has two pair, if it's the lowest hand on the table, it's declared the winner Hands are evaluated from the highest card down, meaning A-2-3-4-8 is a worse hand than 3-4-5-6-7 If two players have the same winning hand, the pot is split between them. Suits are not taken into account for evaluating the winning hand.

Once the pot is shipped to the winning player, the cards are collected and shuffled in preparation for the next hand. Starting with each player placing their ante, the whole cycle begins again.

7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More 7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

7 Card Stud vs. 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:10:00 -0700

With mixed games in general and H.O.R.S.E. in particular becoming more popular every year, learning to play Stud Hi-Lo is not only a good idea, but absolutely necessary for any players hoping to play mixed or rotation games at any point.

Because this article only details the differences between Stud and Stud Hi-Lo, if you aren't familiar with the rules and game-play of Stud, you're going to want to read this article:

7 Card Stud Rules and Game-Play

The only difference between Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo comes at the showdown.

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Showdown Rules

Stud Hi-Lo is a "split pot" game, meaning that at showdown, the pot is divided in half, one half being awarded to the winning best hand, the other half being awarded to the best qualifying "low hand."

The High

The high hand in a 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo game is identical to the winning hand of a standard 7 Card Stud game. Half the pot is awarded to the player who holds this hand.

The Low

Low hands must qualify to be eligible for winning the low half of the pot.

The cards a player uses for her best high hand have no effect on the low. A player can use any five cards from her hand, regardless of the cards used in her high hand. A qualifying low hand is defined as: five unpaired cards, all with ranks at or below eight. Aces are considered low for the low hand. Flushes and straights do not count for the low, meaning the best low possible is A-2-3-4-5. Low hands are counted from the top down, meaning the hand is only as good as its highest card. For example: 2♣ 3♥ 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ is lower than A♣ 2♠ 3♦ 4♣ 8♥ Any hand with a pair, or a card higher than eight, does not qualify, even if the rank of the pair is below eight. Suits do not count toward a low; any players sharing the exact same low must equally split the low half of the pot. (Winning half of the low pot and nothing from the high pot is known as being quartered.)

A hand example:

Hand 1: A♥ 2♠ K♥ K♠ 3♣ 4♥ 5♦

Hand 2: A♠ 3♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♠ 3♥

High Winner: Hand 2 wins with a full house, queens over threes: Q♥ Q♦ Q♠ 3♠ 3♥.

Low Winner: Hand 1 wins with a five-four low: 5♦ 4♥ 3♣ 2♠ A♥ (Hand 2 doesn't have a qualifying low).

General Rules

If there is an extra odd chip that cannot be split in half, this chip is always added to the pot awarded to the winning high hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to player with the winning high hand. Players can win one or both halves of the pot with the same or different cards from their hand. A player does not have to announce what half of the pot they're playing for at the beginning of the hand. This is only required in other variations of poker, known as "declare" games.

7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play 7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More Hand Ranking Chart

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker Rules for Beginners l Get All the Official Rules of Poker

5 Card Draw Rules and Game Play

Blinds and Antes

The Deal

The Draw Round

The Second Betting Round and Showdown

H.O.R.S.E. and Mixed Games

Badugi Rules and Game-Play

2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Rules and Game-Play

Deal and Game Play

Showdown

7 Card Stud Betting Rules: Limit and More

Omaha Poker Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

Hold'em Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

No-Limit Texas Hold'em

Fixed-Limit Hold'em

Pot-Limit Hold'em

Other Odd Poker Rules and Exceptions

Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play

Quick Glossary

Overview

Setup

Putting Out the Blinds

Game-Play and Betting Rounds

Preflop

Example Betting Round 1

Example Betting Round 2

The Flop

The Turn

The River

Showdown

Evaluating Hands

Random Rules

Omaha Poker Rules and Game Play

The Basics

Setup

Betting Rounds

The Flop

The Turn

The River

Showdown

Random Omaha Notes

Related Articles

Omaha High vs. Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi-Lo Showdown Rules

The High

The Low

A hand example:

Here's a more difficult one for you:

General Rules

Related Articles

7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play

Setup

The Bring

Betting Round One (Third Street)

Betting Round Two (Fourth Street)

Betting Round Three (Fifth Street)

Betting Round Four (Sixth Street)

The Final Betting Round (Seventh Street)

Showdown

Evaluating Hands

Random Rules

Razz Rules and Game Play

7 Card Stud vs. 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Showdown Rules

The High

The Low

A hand example:

General Rules