Play Poker

Poker Rules
Poker is a type of card game whereby players gamble on the strength and value of their hands against a standard hand strength hierarchy. The winner of a round either produces the highest hand combination, or becomes the only player remaining in the pot after all other players have folded. There are many variants of poker, but they commonly involve several rounds of betting, a showdown and some also involve community cards.
It is easy to learn to play poker but it takes a lifetime to master it. You just need to know the hand rankings and the keep in mind that best combination of five cards wins.

Betting and Play
The following describes the betting and play for Texas Holden. Check out our comprehensive glossary for definitions on all the terms used in poker. Play always moves clockwise and starts with the players seated after the dealer button. The two players to the left of the 'dealer' must post a big blind and small blind respectively. The blind is a bet that is made without players having seen, or even been dealt their cards. This is done to commence betting and build the pot. Player's hole cards are then dealt, with the player to the left of the big blind opening betting proceedings.

Call, Raise or Fold
At this time, players can call, raise or fold. Play moves clockwise until all players have placed/matched an equal amount into the pot, or have folded. Once play is complete, the community cards are dealt.

Flop
In Texas Holdem three cards are then dealt, face up and players can make their strongest hand using any combination of the community cards and their hole cards. Another round of betting commences.

Check, Raise or Fold
In this round of betting, players can check, raise or fold. Naturally if a player has raised, the following player cannot check, so can either call, raise or fold. After a round of betting another community card is dealt.

Turn
After the forth community card is dealt, another round of betting commences. Players can once again, check, call, raise or fold. After a round of betting is complete a final community card is dealt.

River
After the fifth and final community card is dealt a final round of betting commences. Once again, players can check, call, raise or fold.

Showdown
If, after the final round of betting after the river, there are two or more people left in the pot, all players must declare their hand and show their cards. The player with the strongest hand using the five strongest cards available wins the pot. After the showdown, the cards are collected, the dealer button, big and small blinds move one seating position clockwise and the players now on the big and small blinds must make their forced bets. Then the cards are shuffled and dealt for another hand. If at any time throughout any of the rounds of betting, all players fold leaving only one remaining, then the remaining player wins the pot and does not have to show his/her winning hand.

Players
The number of players in any game of poker ranges from two through to ten. Tournaments can be structured over a multiple number of tables, meaning that the possible number of competitors in a given tournament is virtually unlimited. The world's biggest and best known live poker tournament is the World Series of Poker Main Event, which attracted a record number of 8,772 participants in 2006.

Game Structure
Poker can be played in tournaments or in cash games. Tournaments typically involve a set buy-in and each player begins with the same amount of chips. The buy-in is comprised of an amount that contributes to the overall prizepool and an administrative fee that goes to the casino, pub or online poker room. All players then compete until there is only one player remaining, with the prize money distributed amongst players. For example, in a ten person single table tournament, the prizepool distribution is usually set at 50% for first place, 30% for second and 20% for third. The distribution can vary greatly depending on the tournament being played.

Cash games operate on a single table and continue for as long as there are players seated. Blinds are kept constant. The key feature here is that players can join and leave whenever the desire, making this game structure ideal for players who do not wish to slug it out for hours in a multi-table tournament. Players can bring as little or as much money with them to cash games.

There are also sit-n-go tournaments. These single table tournaments begin as soon as all seats at a table have been filled and finishes when one player remains. This type of game appeals to players who do not wish to play cash games, but do not have the time to play in lengthy multi-table tournaments. In sit-n-go tournaments and multil-table tournaments, the blinds will go up at regular intervals. This is to speed play along, which is especially necessary in large multi-table tournaments.

Betting Limits
Betting limits generally fall into three categories; Fixed Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit. In the first case, a player may only bet a fixed amount every time they raise. Pot Limit betting is capped at the size of the pot, which can grow exponentially depending on the number of bets made. No Limit, as the name implies means that players are free to bet almost any amount. Betting minimums are usually set at the same amount as the big blind. In tournaments, the big blind steadily increase over time, to ensure a result. At a certain point within a given tournament structure, an ante may be introduced. An ante is a blind bet that all players make prior to the cards being dealt for each hand.