Although these rules are written so as to be easy to understand
for all players, it is assumed the reader has a basic knowledge
of poker and its terminology. If this is not the case you may
want to refer to our ‘Glossary of Poker Terms’.
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is by far the most popular variant of poker played today.
It is a relatively simple game to learn but takes a lifetime to master.
Each player is dealt two ‘hole cards’ which only they can see and
use. Five community cards are dealt in stages face up in the middle of the table
which everyone can use. The winner is the player who makes the best five card
poker hand from the seven cards available to them.
To determine where to start dealing the cards from, a disc known as the dealer
button is used. Dealing starts to the left of the dealer button and the player
on the dealer button has the advantage of acting last during subsequent betting
rounds. The dealer button rotates round the table clockwise after each hand so
that every player has the positional advantage of being the dealer.
To get the action started the two players to the left of the dealer button must
post bets before they have seen their cards. These bets are known as blinds.
The person to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the ‘small’ blind.
This is usually half the amount of the ‘big’ blind which the next
player to the left posts.
All players are then dealt two cards face down which are known as ‘hole
cards’. The action starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
He has the option to fold, call (match the size of the last bet - in this case
the big blind) or raise. (Bet more than the last bet – the size of raise
allowed will depend on the type of game being played.) Each player in turn (the
action always goes in a clockwise direction) will have the same options and the
betting round will be complete when all players have put the same amount of money
into the pot. This betting round is called ‘pre-flop’.
Three community cards which all players can use are then dealt face up in the
middle of the table. This is known as ‘the flop’. Another betting
round now ensues with the action starting to the left of the dealer button. Players
now have the option to check (when there hasn’t yet been a bet, players
can check – decline their option to bet, while still remaining active in
the hand) or bet.
Once the betting round is completed a fourth community card is dealt face up
in the middle of the table. This is known as
‘the turn’. Another betting round follows.
Once betting on the turn is complete a fifth and final community card is dealt
face up in the middle of the table. This is known as ‘the river’.
A final round of betting follows and if there is more than one player left in
the pot at the end of it a ‘showdown’ occurs to determine the winner.
In a showdown the player who made the last bet shows their hand first followed
by the other players in a clockwise order. If a player cannot beat a hand already
showing they have the option not to show their hand.
There are three types of Texas Hold’em. All of which are played the same
way as outlined above, the only difference being the amount players are allowed
to bet.
In Limit Hold’em, or fixed limit Hold’em as it is sometimes called
they betting is structured and cannot be deviated from. There are two betting
limits, a higher limit and a lower limit. All bets and raises pre-flop and on
the flop must be in units of the lower limit, and all bets and raises on the
turn and river must be in units of the higher limit.
So say for example if you were playing a $10 / $20 Limit Hold’em game.
All bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting (pre-flop and on the
flop) would be in units of $10. And all bets and raises for the second two rounds
of betting (the turn and river) would be in units of $20.
The number of raised are also usually capped in a Limit Hold’em game. There
can usually be a maximum of one bet and three raises on each betting round.
In No Limit Hold’em the betting is very
simple. A player can bet any amount they like at any time,
up to the amount of chips that they have on the table. Extra
chips cannot be brought to the table during a hand.
In Pot Limit Hold’em players can bet
any amount up to what is in the pot. So if there was $100 in
the pot then you could bet anything up to $100. You would not
be able to bet more than $100.
Omaha
Omaha follows the same structure as Texas Hold’em, the only difference
being that each player is dealt four hole cards instead of two. There is still
the same five community cards and players have to make the best five card poker
hand from the nine cards available to them. However, when making your final hand
you must use an exact combination of two hole cards and three community cards.
This differs from Texas Hold’em where you could use either one or both
(or even none) of your hole cards.
This is where many new Omaha players slip up. They see four spades on the board
(the community cards are often referred to as the board) and they have the Ace
of spades in their hand and they think they have the nut flush, forgetting that
you must use two hole cards therefore needing two spades in your hand to make
a flush.
Omaha is played either Pot Limit or Limit, it is not played No Limit as having
four hole cards gives so many extra possibilities and permutations that the game
would be too wild if it were played No Limit.
Omaha Hi-Lo
Omaha Hi-Lo
Omaha Hi-Lo is a variation of Omaha and is a split-pot game. Half the pot is awarded to the best high hand and half the pot is awarded to the best low hand. As in Omaha, an exact combination of two hole cards and three community cards must be used when making up your final hand. However, you can use different hole cards to make a low hand and a high hand.
Omaha Hi-Lo is sometimes referred to as Omaha Eight or Better because it is played with a qualifying requirement of 8 or better for the low half of the pot. This means that a low hand must be made up of 5 different cards, 8 or lower. And because of this requirement it is not always possible (about half the time in fact) to make a low hand depending on the community cards. For example, when the community cards are all above an 8 or contain pairs. When a low hand is not possible, the whole pot is awarded to the best high hand.
The best low hand is A-2-3-4-5 and is known as the ‘wheel’. Note that this is also a straight and may be used for the high hand aswell. When a player wins both the high and the low he is said to have ‘scooped’.
Where the game becomes a little complicated is that it is possible for two or more players to have the same low hand (or high hand occasionally) and when this occurs the half of the pot where players are tied is split between them. So if two players tie for the best low hand, they will, in effect, only win a quarter of the pot each.
The skilled Omaha Hi-Lo player will try and make both a low and a high hand to scoop or win three quarters of the pot. Hands like A-A-2-3 or A-K-2-3 are powerful for this reason.
7 Card Stud
Although surpassed in popularity by Texas Hold’em during the last 10 years,
7 Card Stud remains a favourite among home game and casino players alike. In
7 Card Stud, players are dealt seven cards (three face down and four face up)
throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five card hand possible
for each player is used to determine the winner. Unlike Hold’em and Omaha,
all cards are unique to each individual player and no community cards are used.
7 Card Stud is usually played as a limit game, with bets and raises at the lower
limit for the first two rounds and at the higher limit for the last three rounds
(fifth street onwards).
The game begins with each player posting an ‘ante’. This is a small
amount which varies depending on the size of the game.
Three cards are then dealt to each player, two cards face down which only the
individual player can see, and one card face up which is visible to the entire
table.
The player showing the lowest up-card must make a forced bet known as the ‘bring-in’.
As with the ante, the size of the bring-in varies depending on the game stakes.
For the purposes of determining the bring-in, ties in card rank are broken by
suit, with spades being the highest, then hearts, then diamonds and clubs the
lowest. Note that this is the only time in poker where card suits determine which
hand is higher.
Betting continues in a clockwise direction from the bring-in with players having
the usual options of folding, calling or raising.
After the action has been completed on the opening round of betting, each player
remaining in the game is dealt a card face-up (fourth street). Unlike the opening
round, where the lowest hand was forced to start the action, the highest hand
showing now starts the action by either betting or checking. If no player is
showing a pair the betting will always be at the lower limit, however if a pair
is showing players have the option to bet and raise at the higher limit.
Once the action has been completed, all remaining players are dealt a further
card face-up (fifth street) and a new round of betting ensues (again with the
highest hand showing starting the action).
The sixth card is the last card to be dealt face-up, and another round of betting
follows.
The seventh and final card is dealt face down, so all players now have 3 face-down
cards known only to themselves, and 4 face-up cards with which to make their
final 5 card poker hand. After a final round of betting a showdown occurs (if
necessary) to determine the winner.
5 Card Draw
5 Card Draw is a classic poker game which you’ve probably seen played lots
of times in old westerns. Each player is dealt 5 cards face-down and has the
opportunity to change any or all of their cards in the hope of making a better
hand.
There are only two rounds of betting in 5 Card Draw, one before cards are changed,
(the ‘draw’) and one after.
The game is played with a dealer button that moves clockwise around the table
after each hand. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts
a ‘small blind’
and the player to his/her left posts the ‘big blind’. |
