I deal poker in South Dakota. Our card room allows straddle bets from any position except the blinds. The same goes for any re-straddles. If there are no raises by the time it gets back to the straddle bet, they have last option. What are your thoughts on what the min raise of a straddle in this situation?

In poker, certain combinations of cards, or hands, outrank other hands, based on the frequency with which these combinations appear. The player with the best poker hand at the showdown wins the pot. Although used in poker, these hand rankings are also used in a variety of other card games. Royal Flush The five highest cards, the 10 through the Ace, all five of the same suit. A royal flush is actually an ace-high straight flush. Which suit it is doesn't matter in poker. Two people with royal flushes would tie. Straight Flush Any five cards of the same suit in consecutive numerical order. Our example shows a five-high straight flush. Four of a Kind Four cards of the same denomination. Our example shows four jacks with a deuce kicker. Full House Any three cards of the same denomination, plus any pair of a different denomination. Ties are broken first by the three of a kind, then the pair. Our example shows sevens full of threes. Flush Any five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. Our example shows a queen-high diamond flush. Straight Any five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Ace can be high or low. Our example shows a six-to-ten straight. Three of a Kind Three cards of the same denomination.Our example displays three of a kind, fours. Two Pair Any two cards of the same denomination, plus any other two cards of the same denomination. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both pairs tie, the high card wins. Our example shows two pair, eights and fives. Pair Any two cards of the same denomination. Our example displays a pair of nines. In a tie, the high card wins. High Card If no other hand is achieved, the highest card held wins. In our example, the king of hearts is the high card. Also see list of poker hands

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Texas Hold 'Em Texas Hold 'Em is a seven card poker game with simple rules that a beginner can easily learn and begin to play immediately. In spite of the simplicity, it is a fast and complex game that takes skill and practice to master. No wonder it has become one of the most popular forms of poker played today. Texas Hold 'Em uses a disc called a dealer button to indicate where the cards are to be dealt. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and large blinds. It's called blind because it's made prior to seeing any cards. It's called live because it counts as part of any further bets in the first betting round. The play begins with two cards dealt face-down to each player. Action starts with a betting round beginning with the player to the left of the blind bets and continuing clockwise around the table. Players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn. The large blind has the privilege of last action and may check or raise the bet. Three community cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table and another betting round takes place beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button. Another card is dealt face up followed by a round of betting. The fifth and last card is dealt face up and a final round of betting takes place. Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Any combination of hole cards and community cards may be used to make the best five-card poker hand. Omaha Omaha is a form of Hold 'Em that brings a few variables to the table. First you'll receive four cards face down prior to the flop and you must use two cards from your hand combined with three cards from the board to form your best five-card poker hand. Throw in the 8 or better hi/lo variable and you've got a challenge for poker players at all levels. Omaha is a nine-card poker game that uses a dealer button and blinds as in Texas Hold 'Em. The play begins with four cards dealt face down to each player. Action starts with the first player to the left of the blinds beginning the betting. Players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn. Community cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table in the same manner as in Texas Hold 'Em with betting after each round. After the final betting round, the players remaining in the hand will then show all their cards. To qualify for a winning low hand, a player must have five cards of 8 or lower with no pair using two from their hand and three from the board. Straights or flushes may be used for the low hand if all the cards are 8 or below. If there is a qualifying low hand, it splits the pot with the winning high hand. Other wise, the high hand takes the entire pot. Remember, you must use two cards from your hand and three from the board to make the best five-card poker hand. Omaha Hi/Lo -By Jan Fisher As in any dealer-button game, a random draw will determine the position to start with the button. Two blinds will be posted to the left of the button. The small blind will be equal to one-half the small bet, the big blind will equal the small bet. Both blinds are live and may raise the pot. In the showdown, the player must use two cards from his hand and three from the board exactly. Player may use different cards for high and low. In order for there to be a low, there must be a combination of two cards from the players hand and three from the board with a denomination of eight or smaller. Ace is low for this purpose. If there is no low, high will get the entire pot. A wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the best possible low and neither straights nor flushes count against you for low. If a player misses his blind or blinds, he may wait until the big blind to post to come back in. Otherwise, he must post the missed blinds. Only the big blind is live. A player who has posted the blind who is not present to act on his hand will have his hand killed and will not get his blind back. Winning called hand must show all four cards to be awarded any part of the pot. In the event of ties, the pot will be split. Odd chip will go left of the button on both high and low pot odd chip. Seven-Card Stud Seven-Card Stud is easy for beginners to learn, yet challenging enough to hold the interest of seasoned players. In Seven-Card Stud, each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. The player with the low card opens the betting. Each player in turn must call, raise, or fold. On all subsequent rounds, the player with the best hand open the betting. Each player is then dealt 3 cards face up with a betting round following each card. The last card dealt to each remaining player is face down with the final betting round following. Players remaining in the hand will then show their hands and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Suits are not used in determining the winning hand, and tied hands will split the pot. Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo High/Low Split differs from the high-only game in that the player with the highest card must open the betting. At the showdown, if a qualifying low hand (five cards of 8 or below with no pair) exists, it will be awarded one half the pot and the best poker hand is awarded the other half. In the absence of a qualifying low hand, the best poker hand wins the entire pot. A straight or a flush, 8-high or lower, may be both the highest and lowest hand, in which case it wins the whole pot. Five-Card Stud All players place a small wager known as an 'ante'. The dealer then deals each player two cards, one dealt face down, known as the 'hole' card and the other face up. The player with the lowest ranking up-card must place the opening bet. Each player to the left of the player making the opening bet must in turn either call the opening bet, raise it or fold. When this round is complete each player is then dealt another card face up followed by a round of betting. This continues until all players have fice cards, one face down and four face up or until only one player remains. From the third card onwards, the betting is started by the highest poker hand showing. All players have five cards in their hand, one down and four up. If there is a showdown, players show all five cards. The winning hand is the highest ranking five card poker hand. Draw Poker To begin, two players at the table make a small bet, or blind wager, before receiving any cards. Each player seated in the game takes a turn at placing such a wager. Players first receive five cards dealt face down. Players pick up the cards and look at them and then decide if they wish to stay in the game. If so, a bet must now be placed. Once all bets are called the first round of betting is complete. Players may now choose to exchange with the dealer any number of cards from their hand. This is known as 'the draw'. Once the draw is complete a second round of betting takes place. If all bets are called there is a showdown. The winner is the player with the highest ranking hand. If only one player remains (ie. no showdown) they will win the pot without having to expose their cards. ...

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Basic poker video

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About the time of World War II, many modern poker games used community cards (also called "shared cards" or "window cards"), which are cards dealt face up to the center of the table and shared by all players. In these games, each player is dealt privately an incomplete hand ("hole cards"), which is then combined with the community cards to make a complete hand. The set of community cards is called the "board", and may be dealt in a simple line or arranged in a special pattern. Rules of each game determine how they may be combined with each player's private hand. The most popular community card game today is Texas hold 'em, originating sometime in the 1920s. In home games, it is typical to use antes, while casinos typically use only blinds for these games. Fixed limit games are most common in casinos, while spread limit games are more common in home games. No limit and pot limit games are less common. Later betting rounds often have a higher limit than earlier betting rounds. Each betting round begins with the player to the dealer's left (when blinds are used, the first round begins with the player after the big blind), so community card games are generally positional games. Most community card games do not play well with lowball hand values, though some do play very well at high-low split, especially with ace-to-five low values, making it possible to win both halves of a pot. When played high-low split, there is generally a minimum qualifying hand for low (often '''8'''-high), and it is played cards speak. Community cards Integral to community card poker games is the community card. Often, several community cards are dealt to the table, shared by all players, and subject to variant-specific rules about how many, and which of the cards may be used in each player's hand. Such a set of community cards is often called a "board" or "widow" (though this latter term is inconsistent with its use in other card games). The board is usually dealt in a simple line, but some games may have elaborate layouts of community cards with special rules about what combinations can be used. For example, the game, Texas hold'em, ends with each player holding two cards in his individual hand, and a board of five community cards in a simple line shared by everyone; each player then plays the best five-card hand in any combination. In Omaha hold'em, game rules restrict players to using exactly three (no more and no fewer) of the five community cards, combined with exactly two of the four cards dealt to each player, to make a hand. In Tic-tac-toe, the board is a 3x3 array of nine cards, and players must use exactly three cards from a row, column, or diagonal of the board. Texas hold 'em {{details|Texas hold 'em}} This is the most popular community card game today. Each player is dealt two private cards, after which there is a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt face up (in no particular order or pattern), followed by a second betting round. A fourth community card is followed by a third betting round, a fifth community card and the fourth and final betting round. At showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make using any five cards among the two in his hand and the five on the board. = Royal hold 'em = {{details|Royal hold 'em}} Royal hold 'em is a hold 'em deviation in which the deck only contains tens, jacks, queens, kings and aces. The poker stategy for Royal hold 'em varies from other forms of poker since the odds of certain hands are greatly increased. = Double-board hold 'em = For double-board hold 'em, two separate five-card boards are dealt, and the high hand using each board takes half of the pot. For example, after the first betting round, three community cards are dealt to each of two separate boards; after the second round, another community card is dealt to each board; and before the final round, a fifth community card is dealt to each board (so there will be in total ten community cards, comprising two separate five-card hold'em boards). This variant of Texas hold 'em is sometimes called "double-flop hold'em", which is a bit of a misnomer, since there are not just two flops, but also two turns and two rivers. Omaha hold 'em {{details|Omaha hold 'em}} Another hold 'em variant is Omaha hold'em. Each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards is identical to Texas hold 'em. At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. The high-low split version of of Omaha is called many different names, such as "Omaha Eight or better", "Omaha HiLo" or "Omaha8". Each player, using the above rules, makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card low hand, and the pot is split between the high and low (which may be the same player). To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower. A few casinos play with a '''9'''-low qualifier instead, but this is rare. In high-low split games, aces count as both high and low. The low hand is unavailable if the board cards do not include cards of at least three different ranks of 8 or lower (with aces counting as low). Paired cards lower than eight don't qualify. When high hands only are used, the game is generally called "Omaha high" to avoid ambiguity. Omaha can be played fixed limit, pot limit (where it is often called "PLO") or no limit. It is sometimes played where each player gets five cards instead of four. The same rules apply for showdown: each player must use two of his cards with three of the community cards. In the game of "Courcheval", popular in Europe, instead of betting on the initial four cards and then flopping three community cards for the second round, the first community card is dealt before the first betting round, so that each player has four private cards and the single community card on his first bet. Then two more community cards are dealt, and play proceeds exactly as in Omaha. Pineapple - Crazy Pineapple - Tahoe hold 'em - Super hold'em Pineapple hold 'em exists halfway between Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em. Players are initially dealt three cards. Each player then discards one of the three cards, and the game proceeds exactly as in Texas hold 'em. In Crazy Pineapple, the players discard their third card after the flop betting round, before the fourth community card is dealt. In Tahoe, players keep all three cards through showdown, but may not use all three of them to make a hand. Each player may use none, one, or two cards from his hand, combined with those on the board, to make his final five-card hand. This version is also called "Lazy Pineapple". Crazy Pineapple and Tahoe are usually played high-low split. In the variant known as Super hold'em, players keep all 3 private cards throughout the play and may use all three cards to determine high hand. Manila One of the most popular games in Australian casinos is a Texas hold 'em variant called "Manila" (also called "Seven-up" in some places). It is played with a Stripped deck in which all cards below the rank of '''7''' are removed (leaving 32 cards). Each player is dealt two private cards, and a single community card is dealt face up, followed by the first betting round. Then a second community card is followed by a second round, a third community card and a third round, and fourth community card and a fourth round, and finally a fifth community card, fifth betting round, and showdown. On showdown, unlike Texas hold 'em (and more like Omaha), each player makes the best hand he can from both of his hole cards with exactly three of the five community cards. Because of the stripped deck, a flush beats a full house. Also, an ace may not be played low for a straight (that is, the hand A-7-8-9-10 is not a straight in Manila). Manila and its variants are rarely played high-low split (in fact, very few stripped deck games are ever played low). Common variations involve dealing three cards to each player, one of which can either be discarded at some point (like Pineapple, above), or else held to the end, but maintaining the requirement that each player play exactly two of his own cards with exactly three of the board. The three-card variant is sometimes played with '''6'''s being restored to the deck, making it 36 cards. = Pinatubo = Because Manila has five betting rounds, it does not play well at no limit or pot limit. This can be easily modified by eliminating the betting round between the second and third community cards. So, each player is dealt two private cards and a single community card is dealt to the board, followed by the first betting round. Then two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round. Then a fourth community card and third betting round, a fifth and final community card and fourth betting round, followed by a showdown as above. The three-card variant can be played this way as well (as with Manila, the player must use exactly two of his three hole cards with three of the board cards to make a hand). "Home" games {{Original research|date=February 2008}} Although some of these games (notably Chowaha and Tic tac toe) have been played in formal casino settings, they are generally better suited to less serious low-stakes home games. They also lend themselves to ad-hoc variation, since the games themselves have not been time-tested for balanced play as have many casino games, so making variations is likely to make the game much worse. = Cincinnati = Each player is dealt five hole cards, and then one community card is dealt face up to the table. After a first betting round, a second community card is dealt, followed by a second betting round. This continues until a fifth community card is dealt, followed by a fifth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from his five hole cards plus the five community cards in any combination. Some variants restrict each player to using exactly two of his hole cards (as in Omaha) or no more than two (as in Pineapple). = Iron cross = Each player is dealt five hole cards, and then five community cards are dealt one at a time followed by a betting round, exactly as in Cincinnati. (One variant permits a discard and draw after the five hole cards are dealt, followed by the betting round) But they are dealt in a cross pattern with a center card (dealt last) and four other cards to its left, right, top, and bottom. Each player plays the best five-card poker hand he can make from his five hole cards plus the three cards from either the vertical arm or the horizontal arm of the cross. A common variant is to make the center card wild, or the center card and all of the same rank wild. The game is often played also where the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Also, in some variants, the first card of the cross (always one of the outer cards) is flipped prior to the first round of betting. One can also make a better game by reducing to four betting rounds: one after the hole cards are dealt but before any community cards are, then another after the left and right cards of the cross are dealt at the same time, a third after the top and bottom cards of the cross are dealt, and a final round after the center card is dealt. = Chowaha = Each player is dealt two hole cards and there is a round of betting as in Texas hold'em. After betting is complete the dealer deals three sets of three communities cards (F1, F2 and F3 in the diagram below). There is another round of betting and the dealer deals two turn cards (T1 and T2 in the diagram) followed by another round of betting. A single card is dealt (R1 in the diagram) and there is a final round of betting. Each player makes their best hand using both their hole cards plus three from one of the valid boards. There are four valid boards F1-F1-F1-T1-R1, F2-F2-F2-T1-R1, F2-F2-F2-T2-R1 and F3-F3-F3-T2-R1. F1-F1-F1 \ T1 F2-F2-F2 < > R1 T2 F3-F3-F3 / Chowaha is often played as a high-low split game in which case you can use one board for the high hand and another for the low hand. Chowaha is occasionally played at low limits in casinos (usually in conjunction with B.A.R.G.E). = Tic tac toe = In this game, each player will end up with two private cards, and there will be a board of nine cards arranged in a 3x3 square. Each player will make a five-card hand from a combination of his two cards plus any consecutive row of three on the board, either a horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (as in Tic-tac-toe). Variations exist in the number of betting rounds based on which community cards are revealed in what order. The simplest is probably to deal each player both hole cards then deal the three cards across the top of the 3x3 array before the first betting round; then deal the three cards across the bottom of the array followed by a second betting round; then deal the two cards on the left and right edge of the middle row, followed by a third round; and finally deal the center community card followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Another variation is to deal three or four hole cards to each player, though each player may still only play exactly two of them with any consecutive row of three from the grid. A poker-like beginner's home game is also called "Tic tac toe"; it involves dealing each player two hole cards and then dealing the 3x3 grid face up, followed by a single betting round after which players announce the best hand they can make from their two cards plus any consecutive row, column, or diagonal of the board as above. Hole cards can be redealt several times to the same board of community cards. This is primarily for practice at recognizing and evaluating poker hands. = East Village = East Village<ref>East Village Rules Of Play<!-- Bot generated title --></ref> is a modification of Omaha high-low split. Each player is dealt seven hole cards. The player then discards two of these cards, not to be used until the next hand. Then, with 5 hole cards left in his hand, each player "donates" one of his cards. All the players "donation" cards are kept face down, and the dealer "shuffles" these cards with a scramble. The dealer then adds cards from the stub until there are a total of 7 donation cards. The dealer then "shuffles" these seven cards with a scramble. 5 of these cards will then make up the three card flop, the one card turn, and the one card river. 2 of these cards will remain face down, and thus unused. All betting takes place as in Omaha, and the game is played high-low split with the 8-or-better qualifier. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from exactly two of his hole cards plus three of the five community cards. This game is best played with seven players. If it is played with less than seven players, extra cards must be pulled from the stub to be added to the community cards, so that there are always seven community cards. Note that there are no "burn cards" used in this game. = Lame-brain Pete = Three hole cards are dealt to each player, followed by a first betting round. Then a single community card is dealt, followed by a second betting round. Play continues with a single community card being added to the board followed by a betting round, until there are four community cards, for a total of five betting rounds. Upon showdown, the lowest-ranking card on the board, and all cards of that same rank either on the board or in players' hole cards, play as wild cards (thus, it is not possible to know exactly which cards will be wild until the end, unless a deuce appears on the board earlier than that). Each player makes his best five-card poker hand from his three hole cards plus the four community cards in any combination, with the low board card wild. = Otis Elevator = Named after the elevator manufacturing company. In this game, all players are dealt four hole cards, and then the community cards are dealt facedown in an "H" formation: two vertical lines of cards, and one card in the center between the two lines. There is a betting round; then, two of the corner cards (it doesn't matter which) are turned up and there is another betting round; then the other two corners, then betting; the two cards on the sides, then betting; and finally, the center card, and betting. The center card is the "elevator card", and can be positioned on any of the three "floors" created by the two vertical lines. Each player can take the elevator to the floor of their choice and use the three cards on that floor (including the elevator card) with their hole cards to make the best hand. = Six-pack = At showdown, each player will have two hole cards, and there will be six community cards on the board arranged in a circle (something like the even-hour marks on a clock). The rounds go like this: each player is dealt two hole cards, followed by the first betting round. Then two of the board cards at opposite sides of the circle (call them 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock) are dealt, followed by a second betting round. Two more opposite community cards are dealt (2 o'clock and 8 o'clock), followed by a third betting round. Finally, the 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock cards are dealt followed by a fourth and final betting round, and showdown. At showdown, each player makes a hand by combining his two cards with any three consecutive cards of the board. That is, he can use 12, 2, and 4; or 2, 4, and 6; or 6, 8, and 10; etc. So cards dealt to opposite sides of the circle will never appear in the same final hand. With exactly two hole cards, there are only six possible choices for which hand to play. The game can be modified a bit by dealing three hole cards, where each player is required to use exactly two of them plus three consecutive board cards. = Spit in the ocean = While cards are dealt as in stud poker, at any time during the deal one player can call "spit", whereupon the next card is turned face up as a community card. (This variant is mentioned in the Ray Stevens song Shriner's Convention.) References {{reflist}} See also *List of poker variants Category:Poker variants de:Community Cards fr:Cartes communes au poker it:Community card poker pt:Community card poker

{{TOCright}} The card game of '''poker''' has many variations , most of them created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard [[Poker#Game play|order of play]] applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds. Popular poker variants The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups: * '''Draw poker''': Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is Five-card draw. * '''Stud poker''': Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are Seven-card stud and Five-card stud. * '''Community card poker''': Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em. Here are more common rule variations: #High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not. #Lowball (poker): The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and Triple draw lowball #Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda. #'[[Betting (poker)#Kill game|Kill game]]'. When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games (e.g., Omaha), a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. #Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the wild 7-stud variant of baseball. #A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a "Tittle." #A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and you must use both of your hole cards. #Each player is dealt a certain number of cards. Then there is usually a number of community cards that all players can use. When forming a poker hand a player may use cards from his hand and the "community cards". Examples of community card poker include Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em Specific poker variant games Some poker games just don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format. = Stud Horse poker = Stud Horse poker was banned by California statute Section 330 in 1885, although no definition was given. In 1947, the attorney general of California ruled that stud horse poker was the same game as stud poker, and later the restriction on stud horse poker was removed. = Oxford stud = {{SectOR|date=September 2007}} Though called "stud", this is a combination stud/community card game that was popular at MIT in the 1960s{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, in which players receive individual downcards, individual upcards, and community cards. Many variations on this are possible by changing what kinds of cards and how many are dealt in various rounds. One difficulty with such a combination is deciding the betting order: in stud games, the player with the best upcards showing bets first in each round (except sometimes the first, where the worst upcard is forced to begin the betting with a Bring-in). In community card games, each betting round begins with the same player (because there generally are no upcards), making it more positional. Oxford stud chooses to use the players' individual upcards for determining order, which makes it play more like stud. First, each player is dealt two downcards and one upcard as in seven-card stud, followed by a first betting round. Like stud, the game is usually played with a Bring-in, the lowest upcard being forced to pay it, and betting follows after that. After the first round is complete, two community cards are dealt to the table, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the highest-ranking incomplete poker hand (as in stud) made from his upcard plus the two community cards. For example, if one player has a '''K''' upcard, and a second player has a '''7''' upcard, and the community cards are T-7 (T = 10), the second player bets first (since he has a pair of '''7'''s, and the other player only has '''K'''-high). Then a second upcard is dealt to each player, followed by a third betting round, again beginning with the player who can make the best partial hand with his two upcards and the board. Finally, a third community card is dealt to table, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Note that as with Mississippi stud, each player has five cards of his hand exposed at this point (two of his own plus three on the board), so it is possible for a flush or straight to be the high hand for the purpose of first bet. At showdown each player makes the best five-card hand he can from the four cards he is dealt plus the three community cards, in any combination. This game is usually played High-low split. = High Chicago or Low Chicago = Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago , or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole ) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago , the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet. = Follow the Queen = This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up ) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. = Billabong (and Shanghai) = Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of [[Community card poker#Manila|Manila]]. Each player is dealt two downcards and one upcard. Low upcard starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination. Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three downcards and one upcard; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in [[Community card poker#Pineapple (and Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe)|Pineapple]]; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in [[Community card poker#Pineapple (and Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe)|Tahoe]]. = Guts = Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be "in" or "out", and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly. ''For more details, see Guts (card game).'' Kuhn poker {{main|Kuhn poker}} Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players. See also *Non-standard poker hands *Blind Man's Bluff *Greek poker variations Poker variants de:Liste der Pokervarianten

In poker, players construct hands of five cards according to predetermined rules, which vary according to the precise variant of poker being played. These hands are compared using a standard ranking system, and the player with the highest-ranking hand wins that particular deal. Although used primarily in poker, these hand rankings are also used in other card games, and with poker dice. The strength of a hand is increased by having multiple cards of the same rank, all the cards being from the same suit, or having all the cards with consecutive values. The position of the various possible hands is based on the probability of being randomly dealt such a hand from a well-shuffled deck. General rules The following general rules apply to evaluating poker hands, whatever set of hand values are used. * Individual cards are ranked A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A . Aces only appear low when part of an A-2-3-4-5 [[#Straight|straight]] or [[#Straight flush|straight flush]]. Individual card ranks are used to compare hands that contain no pairs or other special combinations, or to compare the kickers of otherwise equal hands. The ace plays low only in ace-to-five and ace-to-six lowball games, and plays high only in deuce-to-seven lowball. * '''Suits have no value'''. The suits of the cards are mainly used in determining whether a hand fits a certain category (specifically the [[#Flush|flush]] and [[#Straight flush|straight flush]] hands). In most variants, if two players have hands that are identical except for suit, then they are tied and split the pot (so '''{{cards|3s|4s|5s|6s|7s}}''' does not beat '''{{cards|3d|4d|5d|6d|7d}}'''). Sometimes a ranking called high card by suit is used for randomly selecting a player to deal. Low card by suit usually determines the bringin bettor in stud games. * A hand always consists of five cards . In games where more than five cards are available to each player, the best five-card combination of those cards plays. * Hands are ranked first by category, then by individual card ranks : even the lowest qualifying hand in a certain category defeats all hands in all lower categories. The smallest [[#Two pair|two pair]] hand ('''{{cards|2d|2s|3d|3c|4s}}'''), for example, defeats all hands with just [[#One pair|one pair]] or [[#High card|high card]]. Only between two hands in the same category are card ranks used to break ties. See also *Glossary of poker terms *Poker probability – various probability calculations on poker hands *Non standard poker hands External links *Printable chart of poker hand rankings (.pdf format) Category:Poker hands {{Featured list}} ca:Mans de pòquer de:Hand (Poker) es:Manos de póquer it:Punti del poker lb:Hand (Poker) sv:Pokerhand zh:撲克牌型

Procedure Players in a poker game act in turn, in clockwise rotation (acting out of turn can negatively affect other players). When it is a player's turn to act, the first verbal declaration or action he takes binds him to his choice of action; this rule prevents a player from changing his action after seeing how other players react to his initial action. A player may fold by surrendering his cards (some games may have specific rules regarding how to fold--for example, in stud poker one must turn one's upcards face down). A player may check by tapping the table or making any similar motion. All other bets are made by placing chips in front of the player, but not directly into the pot ("splashing the pot" prevents other players from verifying the bet amount). = Open = The act of making the first voluntary bet in a betting round is called opening the round. On the first betting round, it is also called opening the pot . Some poker variations have special rules about opening a round that may not apply to other bets. For example, a game may have a betting structure that specifies different allowable amounts for opening than for other bets, or may require a player to hold certain cards to open. = Call = To call is to match a bet or a raise. A betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount or no opponents call a player's bet or raise. If no opponents call a player's bet or raise, the player wins the pot. The second and subsequent calls of a particular bet amount are sometimes called '''[[Poker jargon#Overcall|overcalls]]'''. A player calling a raise before he or she has invested money in the pot in that round is '''[[Poker jargon#Cold call|cold calling]]'''. For example, if in a betting round, Alice bets, Bob raises, and Carol calls, Carol "calls two bets cold". A player calling instead of raising with a strong hand is '''[[Poker jargon#Smooth call|smooth calling]]''', a form of slow play. Calling when a player thinks he does not have the best hand is called a [[poker jargon#crying call|crying call]]. In public card rooms and casinos where verbal declarations are binding, the word "call" is such a declaration. In public cardrooms, the practice of saying "I call, and raise $100" is considered a '''[[Poker jargon#string bet|string raise]]''' and is not allowed. Saying "I call" commits you to the action of calling, and only calling. Note that the verb "see" can often be used instead of "call": "Bob saw Carol's bet", although the latter can also be used with the bettor as the object: "I'll see you" means 'I will call your bet'. However, terms such as "overseeing" and "cold seeing" are not valid. = Check = If no one has yet opened the betting round, a player may check , which is equivalent to calling the current bet of zero. When checking, a player declines making a bet; indicating that he does not choose to open, but that he wishes to keep his cards and retain the right to call or raise later in the same round if an opponent opens. In games played with blinds, players may not check on the opening round because they must either match (or raise) the big blind or fold. A player with a live big blind who chooses not to exercise his right to raise is said to check his option . If all players check, the betting round is over. A common way to signify checking is to tap the table with a fist or an open hand. = Raise = To raise is to increase the size of the bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount. If the current bet amount is nothing, this action is considered the opening bet. A player making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a betting round is said to re-raise . Standard poker rules require that raises must be at least equal to the amount of the previous bet or raise. For example, if an opponent bets $5, a player may raise by another $5 (or more), but he may not raise by only $2. The primary purpose of the minimum raise rule is to avoid game delays caused by "nuisance" raises (small raises of large bets that have little effect on the action but take time). This rule is overridden by [[#Table stakes rules|table stakes rules]], so that a player may in fact raise a $5 bet by $2 if that $2 is his entire remaining stake. In most casinos, fixed-limit and spread-limit games cap the total number of raises allowed in a single betting round (typically three or four, not including the opening bet of a round). For example in a casino with a three-raise rule, if one player opens the betting for $5, the next raises by $5 making it $10, a third player raises another $5, and a fourth player raises $5 again making the current bet $20, the betting is said to be capped at that point, and no further raises beyond the $20 level will be allowed on that round. It is common to suspend this rule when there are only two players betting in the round (called being heads-up ), since either player can call the last raise if they wish. Pot-limit and no-limit games do not have a limit on the number of raises. After a player raises an amount, the remaining players in the hand must match the raise or fold. = Fold = To fold is to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot. Folding may be indicated verbally or by discarding one's hand face down into the pile of other discards called the muck . In stud poker played in the United States, it is customary to signal folding by turning all of one's cards face down. In casinos in the United Kingdom, a player folds by giving his hand as is to the "house" dealer, who will spread the hand's upcards for the other players to see before mucking them. It is a serious breach of etiquette to fold out of turn , that is, when it is not the folding player's turn to act, because this can harm other players. For example, if there are three players remaining and the first player in turn bets, the third player folding out of turn gives valuable strategic information to the second player (who is in turn at this point), to the detriment of the bettor. In some games, even folding in turn when a player is entitled to check (because there is no bet facing the player) is considered an out of turn fold since it gives away information to which other players would otherwise not be entitled. Finally, if a player folds out of turn in a stud poker game, the player in turn may demand that his upcards remain exposed until he has completed his turn. When folding, concealed cards should not be exposed unless no further betting is possible in the hand (i.e., unless the fold awards the pot to the only remaining player). A player is never required to expose his concealed cards when folding prior to the showdown. Forced bets All poker games require some forced bets in order to create an initial stake for the players to contest. The requirements for forced bets, and the betting limits of the game (see below) are collectively called the game's betting structure . = Ante = An ante is a forced bet in which each player places an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each player. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal. = Blinds =<!-- This section is linked from Five-card draw --> A '''blind''' or blind bet is a forced bet placed into the pot by one or more players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates bets made during play. The most common use of blinds as a betting structure calls for two blinds: the player after the dealer blinds about half of what would be a normal bet, and the next player blinds what would be a whole bet. Sometimes only one blind is used, and sometimes three. In the case of three blinds (usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet amount), the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid by the dealer. :For example, in a $2–4 limit game, the first player to the dealer's left (who, if not for the blinds, would be the first to act) posts a small blind of $1, and the next player in turn posts a big blind of $2. After the cards are dealt, play begins with the next player in turn (third from the dealer), who must either call $2, raise, or fold. When the betting returns to the player who blinded $1, he must equal the bet facing him (toward which he may count his $1), raise, or fold. If there have been no raises when action first gets to the big blind (that is, the bet amount facing him is just the amount of the big blind he posted), the big blind has the option to raise or check. This right to raise (called the option ) occurs only once: if his raise is now called by every player, the first betting round closes as usual. In some [[#Fixed limit|fixed-limit]] and [[#Spread limit|spread-limit]] games, the big blind amount may be less than the normal betting minimum. Players acting after a sub-minimum blind have the right to call the blind as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round might have blinds of $1 and $2. Players acting after the blind may either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal limits. When a player in the blinds leaves the game When one or more players in the small or big blinds leaves the game, an adjustment is required in the positioning of the blinds and the button. In online cash games, the simplified moving button rule is common. In live cash games, the dead button rule is common. In tournaments, the dead button and moving button rules are common. Other variations on these rules exist. <ref>Blinds And The Dealer Button, Caro & Cooke's Rules of Real Poker</ref><ref>Dead Button vs. Moving Button</ref><ref name="LawsOfPoker">Laws of Poker (PDF), United States Poker Association</ref> = Simplified moving button rule = The button always moves forward to the next player and the small and big blinds post in the two seats to the left of the button. Players may miss blinds. = Dead button rule = The big blind is posted by the player due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned accordingly. The small blind or button may be assigned to an empty seat. Players always pay a big blind followed by a small blind. There will be one and only one big blind per hand. If the small blind is assigned to a vacant seat, there is no small blind that hand. When the button is on a vacant seat, the cutoff player has last action on consecutive hands. Example: Alice, Bob, Carol, David, and Ellen are seated in order; Carol is due the big blind. *Case 1, Alice is eliminated: Carol posts the big blind. Bob posts the small blind. The button is on Alice's vacant seat. *Case 2, Bob is eliminated: Carol posts the big blind. There is no small blind. Alice has the button. **Subsequent hand: David posts the big blind. Carol posts the small blind. The button is on Bob's vacant seat. *Case 3, Alice and Bob are both eliminated: Carol posts the big blind. There is no small blind. The button is on Alice's vacant seat. **Subsequent hand: David posts the big blind. Carol posts the small blind. The button is on Bob's vacant seat. *Case 4, Alice, Bob and Carol are eliminated: David posts the big blind. There is no small blind. The button skips to Bob's vacant seat. **Subsequent hand: Ellen posts the big blind. David posts the small blind. The button is on Carol's vacant seat. = Moving button rule = The button always moves forward to the next seat occupied by a player. The player two seats after the button posts a big blind, as well as any players the big blind skipped past. Players always post a small blind after the big blind. More than one small and/or big blind may be posted in a hand. Blinds may be posted after, on, or before the button. No player will have the right to act last for consecutive hands. The moving button rule can cause irregular blinds for several hands after a player is eliminated, and further complications can arise if players are eliminated on consecutive hands. The blinds eventually resolve to their normal positions. Example: Alice, Bob, Carol, David, and Ellen are seated in order; Alice is due the button. *Alice is eliminated: the button skips past her vacant seat to Bob. Bob posts a small blind on top of the button. Carol and David both post big blinds. **Subsequent hand: Carol has the button. Carol and David both post small blinds. Ellen posts a big blind. *Bob is eliminated: Alice has the button. Carol and David both post big blinds. **Subsequent hand: Carol has the button. Carol and David post small blinds. Ellen posts a big blind. *Alice and Bob are both eliminated: Carol has the button. Carol, David, and Ellen all post big blinds. **Subsequent hand: David has the button. Carol, David, Ellen all post small blinds. The player after Ellen posts the big blind. When there are only two players The normal rules for positioning the blinds do not apply when there are only two players at the table. The player on the button is always due the small blind, and the other player must pay the big blind. The player on the button is therefore the first to act before the flop, but last to act for all remaining betting rounds. A special rule is also applied for placement of the button whenever the size of the table shrinks to two players. If three or more players are involved in a hand, and at the conclusion of the hand one or more players have busted out such that only two players remain for the next hand, the position of the button may need to be adjusted to begin heads-up play. The big blind always continues moving to the left, and then the button is positioned accordingly. :For example, in a three-handed game, Alice is the button, Bob is the small blind, and Carol is the big blind. If Alice busts out, the next hand Bob will be the big blind, and the button will skip past Bob and move to Carol. On the other hand, if Carol busts out, Alice will be the big blind, Bob will get the button and will have to pay the small blind for the second hand in a row. = Bring-in = A bring-in is a type of forced bet that occurs after the cards are initially dealt, but before any other action. One player, usually chosen by the value of cards dealt face up on the initial deal, is forced to open the betting by some small amount, after which players act after him in normal rotation. The bring-in is normally assigned on the first betting round of a stud poker game to the player whose upcards indicate the poorest hand. For example, in traditional high hand stud games and high-low split games, the player showing the lowest card pays the bring-in. In low hand games, the player with the highest card showing pays the bring-in. The high card by suit order can be used to break ties if necessary. In most fixed-limit and some spread-limit games, the bring-in amount is less than the normal betting minimum. The player forced to pay the bring-in may choose either to pay only what is required or to make a normal bet. Players acting after a sub-minimum bring-in have the right to call the bring-in as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round might have a bring-in of $2. Players acting after the bring-in can either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal limits. In a game where the bring-in is equal to the fixed bet (this is rare and not recommended), the game must either allow the bring-in player to optionally come in for a raise, or else the bring-in must be treated as [[Poker jargon#live|live]] in the same way as a blind, so that the player is guaranteed his right to raise on the first betting round if he chooses. = Post = Some cash games require a new player to post when joining a game already in progress. Posting in this context means putting an amount equal to the big blind into the pot before the deal. The post is a live bet, meaning that the amount can be applied towards a call or raise when it is the player's turn to act. A player who is away from his seat and misses one or more blinds is also required to post to reenter the game. In this case, the amount to be posted is the sum of the big and small blinds, if both blinds were missed. The big blind amount is live, but the small blind amount is dead, meaning that it cannot be applied towards a call or raise. Posting is not required if the player due the post happens to be in the big blind. It is therefore common for a new player to [[Poker jargon#lock up|lock up]] a seat and then wait several hands before joining a table, or for a returning player to sit out several hands, so that he may enter in the big blind and avoid paying the post. Straddle bets A straddle bet is an optional (voluntary) blind bet made by a player before receiving his cards. Straddles are typically used only in cash games played with fixed blind structures. Straddles are normally not permitted in tournament formats. = Live straddle = The player immediately to the left of the big blind may place a live straddle blind bet. The straddle must be a raise over the big blind. A straddle is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively becomes the "bigger blind". Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle. <ref>What is a straddle bet?, rec.gambling.poker FAQ</ref><ref name="LawsOfPoker"/> = Mississippi straddle = A Mississippi straddle buys last action before the flop. House rules permitting Mississippi straddles are common in the southern United States. Usually, a Mississippi straddle can be made from any position, although some house rules only permit the button or the player to the right of the button to place a Mississippi straddle. Like a live straddle, a Mississippi straddle must be at least the minimum raise. Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If, for example (in a game with $10–25 blinds), the button puts a live $50 on it, the first player to act would be the small blind, followed by the big blind, and so on. If action gets back to the straddle with no raise, the straddle has the option of raising. The player to the right of a Mississippi straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle. <ref>Travel With Me … Bay Area, Mississippi, and Reno — Part V, Full Contact Poker, by Daniel Negreanu</ref> = Sleepers = A sleeper is a blind raise placed from any position at the table other than under the gun.<ref> by Mike Caro and Roy Cooke with John Bond</ref> Limits Betting limits apply to the amount a player may open or raise, and come in four common forms: no limit , pot limit (the two collectively called big bet poker ), fixed limit , and spread limit . All such games have a minimum bet as well as the stated maximums, and also commonly a betting unit , which is the smallest denomination in which bets can be made. For example, it is common for games with $20 and $40 betting limits to have a minimum betting unit of $5, so that all bets must be in multiples of $5, to simplify game play. It is also common for some games to have a bring-in that is less than the minimum for other bets. In this case, players may either call the bring-in, or raise to the full amount of a normal bet, called completing the bet. = Fixed limit = In a game played with a fixed-limit betting structure, a player chooses only whether to bet or not - the amount is fixed by rule. To enable the possibility of bluffing, the fixed amount generally doubles at some point in the game. This double wager amount is referred to as a '''big bet'''. :For example, a four-round game called "20 and 40 limit" (usually written as $20/$40) may specify that each bet in the first two rounds is $20, and that each ''big bet'' used in the third and fourth rounds is $40. This amount applies to each raise, not the total amount bet in a round, so a player may bet $20, be raised $20, and then re-raise another $20, for a total bet of $60, in such a game. Maximum number of raises Most fixed-limit games will not allow more than a predefined number of raises in a betting round. The maximum number of raises depends on the casino house rules, and is usually posted conspicuously in the card room. Typically, an initial bet plus three raises, or a bet and four raises, are allowed. :Consider this example in a $20/$40 game, with a posted limit of a bet and three raises. During a $20 round with three players, play could proceed as follows: :* Player A bets $20. :* Player B puts in another bet, raises another $20, making it $40 to play. :* Player C puts in a third bet, raising another $20 on that, thus making it $60 to play. :* Player A puts in the fourth bet (she is usually said to cap the betting). nce Player A has made her final bet, Players B and C may only call another two and one bets (respectively); they may not raise again because the betting is capped . A common exception in this rule practiced in some card rooms is to allow unlimited raising when a pot is played heads up (when only two players are in the hand at the start of the betting round). Usually, this has occurred because all other players have folded, and only two remain. Many card rooms will permit these two players to continue re-raising each other until one player is [[#"All in"|all in]]. Kill game Sometimes a fixed-limit game is played as a kill game . Such a game is played with an additional blind, called the kill blind. The kill blind can be posted from any position at the table. The amount posted is typically twice the typical blind for that game. For example, in a $20/$40 game, the large blind is typically $40. If this game were played with a full kill, the kill blind would be $80. It is also common to find a game with a half kill. For example, when the kill is active in $4/$8 game with a half kill, the game is played at a $6/$12 limit. A pot built from this betting structure is known as a kill pot .<ref>What is a kill pot? What is a game with a kill? What is a half kill? When the kill blind is posted, it changes the stakes of the game. For that hand, the game is played as if the game were a higher limit. In a $20/$40 game with a full kill blind posted, the hand is played as if the limit were $40/$80. The kill is said to be active when the kill blind is posted and the game is played at the higher limit., rec.gambling.poker FAQ</ref><ref name="LawsOfPoker"/> In some card rooms, the player with the kill blind acts last after the big blind regardless of where they are seated in relation to the dealer button. For example, in a five-handed game where player E has earned the kill button and player A is the dealer, the order of action is player D, player A, player B (the small blind), player C (the big blind), player E (the kill blind). After the flop, betting returns to normal. Rules on how the kill is activated vary. Sometimes the kill is activated by the previous pot being over a particular value. One common value is ten times the value of the large bet (in a $20/$40 game, the kill would be active if the previous pot won was greater than $400). The winner of that pot is required to post the kill blind for the next hand. Another common way a kill is activated is when a single player wins two pots in a row, requiring the winner to post a kill blind on the next hand. The kill will typically remain active if the player with the kill blind continues to win consecutive hands. If a player has won the previous hand and splits the pot with another player, that may also activate a kill hand. If a pot is split and neither player has won the previous hand, winning the pot of the next hand does not typically activate a kill hand. In high-low games, typically the kill is activated when one person "scoops" the pot, taking the whole pot, either by having both the winning high and low hands, or by having the winning high hand when no low qualifies. The term kill , when used in this context, should not be confused with killing a hand , which is a term used for a hand that was made a [[Poker jargon#Dead hand|dead hand]] by action of a game official. = Spread limit = A game played with a spread-limit betting structure allows a player to raise any amount within a specified range. :For example, a game called "one to five limit" allows each bet to be anywhere from $1 to $5 (subject to other betting rules). These limits are typically larger in later rounds of multi-round games. For example, a game might be "one to five, ten on the end", meaning that early betting rounds allow bets of $1 to $5, and the last betting round allows bets of $1 to $10. Playing spread-limit requires some care to avoid giving easy tells with one's choice of bets. Beginners frequently give themselves away by betting high with strong hands and low with weak ones, for instance. It is also harder to force other players out with big bets. There is a variation of this known as "California Spread," where the range is much higher, such as 3-100 or 10-1000. The maximum buy-in is the size of the limit, so a 3-100 game would have a $100 maximum buy-in. This effectively makes the first hand no limit. California Spread, as the name implies, is played in California where local laws forbid no limit. = Pot limit = A game played with a pot-limit betting structure allows any player to raise up to an amount equal to the size of the whole pot before the raise. :For example, let us assume that there is $10 in the pot at the start of a betting round. The first player may open the betting for up to $10. If he does in fact open for $10, the next player may raise to $40 (after calling the $10 bet, the total amount of the pot is $30, so he may raise $30). The third player would be entitled to raise to $140 (after calling $40, the pot would contain $100, thus he may raise $100). Any player may also raise less than the maximum so long as the amount of the raise is equal to or greater than any previous bet or raise in the same betting round. Some pot-limit games make exceptions to the method described above when calculating the maximum raise in the betting round before the flop: *Some structures treat the small blind as if it were the same size of the big blind in computing pot size. In such a structure, a player can open for a maximum of four times the size of the big blind. For example, if the blinds are $5 and $10, a player may open with a raise to $40. (The range of options is to either open with a call of $10, or raise in increments of five dollars to any amount from $20 to $40.) Subsequent players also treat the $5 as if it were $10 in computing the pot size, until the big blind is through acting on the first betting round.<ref>What does pot-limit mean?, rec.gambling.poker FAQ</ref> *If the action folds all the way around to the small blind, the maximum amount the small blind can raise is also not universally agreed upon. Some games treat the big blind as a "raise" of the small blind for the purpose of calculating the maximum raise—the small blind is allowed to call the big blind, and then make a pot sized raise of twice the big blind, for a total bet of three times the big blind. Other games treat the blinds as dead money for the purpose of calculating the raise, and allow the small blind to make the same size raise as any other player, i.e. a total bet of three times the big blind plus the small blind. Because of the disparity in methods of calculation, and the fact that the issue is certain to come up often, most major tournaments will announce the amount of the maximum opening raise to all players any time the betting limits are increased. = No limit = A game played with a no-limit betting structure allows each player to raise any amount of his stake at any time (subject to the table stakes rules and any other rules about raising).<ref>What are the betting and raising rules in No Limit?, rec.gambling.poker FAQ</ref> Table stakes rules All casinos and many home games play poker by what are called table stakes rules, which state that each player starts each deal with a certain stake, and plays that deal with that stake. A player may not remove money from the table or add money from his or her pocket during the play of a hand. In essence, table stakes rules creates a maximum and a minimum buy-in amount for cash game poker as well as rules for adding and removing the stake from play. A player also may not take a portion of their money or stake off the table, unless they opt to leave the game and remove their entire stake from play. Players are not allowed to hide or misrepresent the amount of their stake from other players and must truthfully disclose the amount when asked. Common among inexperienced players is the act of [[Glossary of poker terms#going south|"going south"]] after winning a big pot, which is to take a portion of your stake out of play, often as an attempt to hedge one's risk after a win. Table stakes are the rule in most cash poker games because it allows players with vastly different bankrolls a reasonable amount of protection when playing with one another. They are usually set in relation to the blinds. For example, in a $1/2 No Limit cash game, the minimum stake is often set at $40 while maximum stake is often set at $200, or 20 and 100 big blinds respectively. This also requires some special rules to handle the case when a player is faced with a bet that he cannot call with his available stake. = "All in" =<!-- This section is linked from Pai gow poker --> When a player is faced with a current bet amount that he has insufficient remaining stake to call and he wishes to call (he may of course fold without the need of special rules), he bets the remainder of his stake and declares himself all in . He may now hold onto his cards for the remainder of the deal as if he had called every bet, but he may not win any more money from any player above the amount of his bet. In no-limit games, a player may also open the betting by going all in, that is, betting his entire stack. (missing image) poker tournament]] :For example, let's assume that the first player in a betting round opens for $20, and the next player to bet has only $5 remaining of his stake. He bets the $5, declaring himself all in, and holds onto his cards. The next player in turn still has the $20 bet facing him, and if he can cover it he must call $20 or fold. If he calls $20, thus ending the betting round, instead of collecting all bets into the central pot as usual, the following procedure is applied: since there is an all-in player with only $5 bet, his $5, and $5 from each of the other players, is collected into the central pot (now called the main pot ), as if the final bet had been only $5. This main pot (which may include any antes or bets from previous rounds) is the most the all-in player is eligible to win. The remaining money from the still-active bettors, in this case $15 apiece, is collected into a side pot that only the players who contributed to it are eligible to win. If there are further betting rounds, all bets are placed into the side pot while the all-in player continues to hold his cards but does not participate in further betting. If someone from still-active bettors folds during next betting rounds, he loses the right to showdown his hand for the main pot or any side pot. Upon the showdown, the players eligible for the side pot—and only those players—reveal their hands, and the winner among them takes the side pot, regardless of what the all-in player holds (indeed, before he even shows). After the side pot is awarded, the all-in player then shows his hand, and if it is superior to all others shown, he wins the main pot (otherwise he loses as usual). There is a strategic advantage to being all in: a player cannot be bluffed, because he is entitled to hold his cards and see the showdown without risking any more money. Opponents who continue to bet after the player is all in can still bluff each other out of the side pot, which is also to the player's advantage since bluffing between opponents may reduce his competition. But these advantages are offset by the disadvantage that the player cannot win any more money than his stake can cover. Some players may choose to buy into games with a "short stack", a stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played, with the intention of going all in and not having to make any further decisions. However, this is generally a non-optimal strategy in the long-term, since the player does not maximize his gains on his winning hands. All in before the deal If a player does not have sufficient money to cover the ante and blinds due, that player is automatically all in for the coming hand. Any money the player holds must be applied to the ante first, and if the full ante is covered, the remaining money is applied towards the blind. If a player is all in for part of the ante, or the exact amount of the ante, an equal amount of every other player's ante is placed in the main pot, with any remaining fraction of the ante and all blinds and further bets in the side pot. If a player is all in for part of a blind, all antes go into the main pot. Players to act must call the complete amount of the big blind to call, even if the all-in player has posted less than a full big blind. At the end of the betting round, the bets and calls will be divided into the main pot and side pot as usual. :For example, Alice is playing at a table with 10 players in a tournament with an ante of $1 and blinds of $4/$8. Alice is due the big blind but she only has $8. She must pay the $1 ante and apply the remaining $7 towards the big blind, and she is all in. Bob, next to act, calls $8, the full big blind amount. Carol raises to $16 total. All remaining players fold, the small blind folds, and Bob folds. The amount in the main pot is $10 (the sum of all antes) plus the full $4 small blind since Alice had this amount covered, plus $7 from Alice and every other player who called at least that amount, namely Bob and Carol. The main pot is therefore $10+$4+$21=$35. The side pot of $10 ($1 in excess of Alice's all-in bet from Bob, and $9 in excess of Alice's all-in bet from Carol) is paid immediately to Carol when Bob folds. Incomplete bet or raise If a player goes all in with a bet or raise rather than a call, another special rule comes into play. There are two options in common use: pot-limit and no-limit games usually use what is called the full bet rule , while fixed-limit and spread-limit games may use either the full bet rule or the half bet rule . The full bet rule states that if the amount of an all-in bet is less than the minimum bet, or if the amount of an all-in raise is less than the full amount of the previous raise, it does not constitute a "real" raise, and therefore does not reopen the betting action. The half bet rule states that if an all-in bet or raise is equal to or larger than half the minimum amount, it does constitute a raise and reopens the action. :For example, with the full bet rule in effect, a player opens the betting round for $20, and the next player has a total stake of $30. He may raise to $30, declaring himself all in, but this does not constitute a "real" raise, in the following sense: if a third player now calls the $30, and the first player's turn to act comes up, he may now call the additional $10, but he does not have the right to re-raise further. The all-in player's pseudo-raise was really just a call with some extra money, and the third player's call was just a call, so the initial opener's bet was simply called by both remaining players, closing the betting round (even though he must still equalize the money by putting in the additional $10). If the half bet rule were being used, then that raise would count as a genuine raise and the first player would be entitled to re-raise if he chose to (creating a side pot for the amount of his re-raise and the third player's call, if any). In a game with a half bet rule, a player may complete an incomplete raise, if that player still has the right to raise (in other words, if that player has not yet acted in the betting round, or has not yet acted since the last full bet or raise). The act of completing a bet or raise reopens the betting to other remaining opponents. :For example, four players are in a hand, playing with a limit betting structure and a half bet rule. The current betting round is $20. Alice checks, and Bob checks. Carol goes all-in for $5. David, still to act, has the following options: fold, call $5, or complete the bet to a total of $20. If David calls the $5, Alice and Bob only have the option of calling or folding; neither can raise. But if David completes, either of them could raise. Opening all-in hands When all players are all in, or one player is playing only against opponents who are all in, no more betting can take place. Some casinos and many major tournaments require that all players still involved open , or immediately reveal, their hole cards in this case—the dealer will not continue dealing until all hands are flipped up. Likewise, any other cards that would normally be dealt face down, such as the final card in seven-card stud, may be dealt face-up. This rule discourages a form of collusion called "chip dumping", in which one player deliberately loses his chips to another to give that player a greater chance of winning the tournament. = Open stakes = The alternative to table stakes rules is called "open stakes", in which players are allowed to buy more chips during the hand and even to borrow money (often called "going light"). This may be appropriate for home or private games but is never allowed in casinos. First, a player may go all in in exactly the same manner as in table stakes if he so chooses, rather than adding to his stake or borrowing. Because it is a strategic advantage to go all in with some hands while being able to add to your stake with others, such games should strictly enforce a minimum buy-in that is several times the maximum bet (or blinds, in the case of a no-limit or pot-limit game). A player who goes all in and wins a pot that is less than the minimum buy-in may not then add to his stake or borrow money during any future hand until he re-buys an amount sufficient to bring his stake up to a full buy-in. A player may instead choose to buy chips with cash out-of-pocket at any time, even during the play of a hand, and his bets are limited only by the specified betting structure of the game. Finally, a player may also borrow money by betting with an IOU, called a "marker", payable to the winner of the pot. In order to bet with a marker, all players still active in the pot must agree to accept the marker. If any player refuses to accept a marker, the bettor may bet with cash out-of-pocket or go all-in. A player may also borrow money from a player not involved in the pot, giving him a personal marker in exchange for cash or chips, which the players in the pot are then compelled to accept. A player may borrow money in order to call a bet during a hand, and later in the same hand go all-in in the face of further betting; but if a player borrows money in order to raise, he forfeits the right to go all-in later in that same hand--if he is re-raised, he must borrow money to call, or fold. Just as in table stakes, no player may remove chips or cash from the table once they are put in play (except small amounts for refreshments, tips, and such)--this includes all markers, whether one's own or those won from other players. Players should agree before play on the means and time limits of settling markers, and a convenient amount below which all markers must be accepted to simplify play. See also {{wikibookspar|Poker|Betting}} *Bluff (poker) *Poker strategy *Public cardroom rules (poker) *Table limit Notes <references/> External links *Robert's Rules of Poker by Bob Ciaffone are a widely referenced set of poker rules. Category:Poker gameplay and terminology fr:Blind sv:Spread limit ...

Poker is a popular type of card game in which players bet on the value of the card combination ("hand") in their possession, by placing a bet into a central pot. The winner is the one who holds the hand with the highest value according to an established hand rankings hierarchy, or otherwise the player who remains in the hand after all others have [[betting (poker)#Fold|folded]] (the player who makes an un-called bet.). Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play. A rather simple version is called "5-card stud". Depending on the variant, hands may be formed using cards which are concealed from others or from a combination of concealed cards and community cards. Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to as "poker". Video poker is a single-player computer game that functions much like a slot machine. Game play In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a 'dealer' button (or "buck"). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting. One or more players are required to make [[Betting (poker)#Forced bets|forced bets]] (usually called a 'blind' or an 'ante') to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, cuts, and deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot. At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to call (match) the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings. At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand consists of five cards, but in some variants a player has more than five to choose from. The most popular poker variants are as follows: ;Draw pokerlayers each receive five — as infive-card draw — or more cards, all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a certain number of times. ;Stud pokerlayers each receive five — as infive-card stud — or more cards; some cards are dealt face up, one at a time, and displayed to other players at the table. The key differences between stud and 'draw' poker are that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards in stud poker and that part of a players' hand in stud is exposed rather than the entire hand being hidden as in draw. ;Community card pokerlayers combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Each player will attempt to make the best five card poker hand using the community cards and their own face down cards. Two or four individual cards are dealt in the most popular variations,Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, respectively. ''See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations.'' ''See List of poker variants and poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most common poker variants.'' History The history of poker is a matter of debate. One of the earliest known games to incorporate betting, hand rankings, and bluffing was the 15th century German game Pochspiel. Poker closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, though there is no specific description of as nas prior to 1890.<ref>[link] name="pagat"> A History of Poker by David Parlett</ref> In the 1937 edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle, R. F. Foster declared: "the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of as nas."<ref>[link]; <ref>[link]]</ref>. By 1990s some gaming historians including David Parlett started to challenge the notion that poker is a direct derivative of As Nas.<ref>; There is evidence that a game called poque, a French game similar to poker, was played around the region where poker is said to have originated. The name of the game likely descended from the Irish Poca (Pron. Pokah) ('Pocket') or even the French poque , which descended from the German pochen ('to brag as a bluff' lit. 'to knock'<ref>{{cite web |url = [link] |title = Online Etymology Dictionary - term: poker |publisher = Douglas Harper |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-10-03 }}</ref> ). Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of ''primero'' and the French brelan . The English game ''brag'' (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time).<ref>[link]; It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now. English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards and four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread north along the Mississippi River and to the West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos. Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). The spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military. The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ''ace in the hole'', ''ace up one's sleeve'', beats me , ''blue chip'', ''call one's bluff'', cash in , high roller , ''pass the buck'', poker face , stack up , up the ante , when the chips are down , ''wild card'', and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table. Beginning in 1970 a series of developments lead to poker becoming far more popular than it was previously: * Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970.<ref>World Series of Poker: A Retrospective</ref> Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson. * Later in the 1970s, the first serious strategy books appeared, notably ''[[Super/System]]'' by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0). * In 1987, community card poker games were introduced in California, home of the largest poker casinos in the world.<ref>When Texas Hold'em Came to California</ref> These games proved far more exciting to players than the draw poker variants that were played up until that time. * In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread across the United States, most notably to Atlantic City, New Jersey.<ref>United States of Poker: New Jersey</ref> * In 1998, the poker-themed film Rounders starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton was released.<ref>Rounders (1998)</ref> * In 1999, Late Night Poker debuted on British television, introducing poker for the first time to many Europeans.<ref>Late Night Poker: About the Show</ref> Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros became more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings a new dimension to the poker professional's game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV. Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online [[Poker jargon#satellite|satellite]]-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites. See also {{wikibooks|poker}} {{wikiquote}} {{wiktionary}} <div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> * List of poker related topics * Glossary of poker terms * Poker hand rankings * Rule variations (poker) * Poker strategy * Poker probability * Ring games * Poker chip * [[Cardroom|Poker room/card room]] </div> Notes {{Reflist}} External links <!-- = ({{NoMoreLinks}}) =--> <!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF |--> <!--| LINKS. 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