The rules of poker

Introduction

Below you'll find a short explanation of the rules for the most popular types of poker. We advise you to start with the variant called Texas Hold'em and to continue with the alternatives once you're familiar with this type of poker.

Texas Hold'em

These days Texas Hold\'em is by far the most popular poker game. It is very easy to learn, meaning you can start almost immediately with the actual game.

At Texas Hold'em the cards are dealt from the player/person who holds a type of fiche/chip, called the button in front of him/her on the table. After each round, the button moves clockwise to the next player. The two players on the left side of the button are obliged to bet the blinds before the cards of the next game are dealt. There is a distinction between the big blind and the small blind The big blind is twice as high as the small blind The player on the right of the button bets the small blind the player next to him/her the big one. The blinds are the first monies that go into the pot.

In the next step the cards are dealt. Every player gets two cards which cannot be seen by the other players. Then the first round of betting starts. The player on the left of the blind is the first to say what he/she will do. After that all the other players get their turn clockwise, with the big blind being the last to make his/her decision. There are four possibilities to choose from: bet (commitment), check (pass), raise (raise) or fold (give up).

After the first betting round has been completed, three cards will appear open on the table which every player can use to combine with his/her own two cards. These three cards are called "the flop". After this a second betting round follows.

Then the fourth card, which is called "the turn", will appear on the table, followed by another betting round. From this round on, the bets are doubled at the limit-variant of Texas Hold\'em (in the limit-variant the betting / commitments are limited to a certain amount and it's not possible to go "all in"). Then the fifth and last card, which is called "the river", will be turned over on the table. Hereafter the last round of betting follows.

After the last betting round the remaining players show their hand, which is the best possible combination of their own two cards with three out of the five cards from the table (so best combination of five cards in total). The best hand wins the pot.

Omaha

Omaha differs from Texas Hold\'em, in the fact that in this version of poker each player gets four instead of two cards. Out of these four cards you combine two cards with three of the five cards from the table. It is very important to remember this!

Just like Texas Hold\'em, Omaha uses a button to indicate which player deals the cards and who has to bet the blinds. The betting rounds, flop turn and river are also the same.

Omaha Hi/Lo

In this variation of Omaha poker the pot is divided in two equal parts. The highest hand (according to the normal rules) wins one half and the lowest hand the other.

There is not always a "lo" (low hand). For this you must have 5 cards which are 8 or lower. Furthermore you're not allowed to have two pair (or more) and you have to use two cards of your own hand and three of the table (just like for the "hi"). You are allowed to use the Ace as a 1 just like in case of a street. In case nobody has a "lo" the whole pot will go to the "hi". The best "lo's" are A2345, the worst 45678. Any random combination of 8 or lower cards will be enough for a "lo". a certain combination of cards like required for a "hi" is not needed for a "lo" (for example it doesn't need be a pair or a street). In case of equal "lo's" the "lo" part of the pot will be split up between the "lo's", which occurs quite frequently.

Seven card stud

The rules of Seven card stud are very different from the Hold'em alternatives.

Each player gets two cards facing down (which no one can see) and a face up card (visible to all the other players). The player with the lowest open card has to start with the betting. In all following rounds the player with the best hand has to continue with the betting. In the following rounds each player gets another three facing up cards, always followed by a betting round. The last card is a closed card again, followed by a last betting round. Afterwards the remaining players show their 'face-down' cards.