A beginner's guide to Poker. Featuring the rules of the game, betting and hand rankings.

OVERVIEW

The aim of Poker is to win the pot by having the best cards at the end of the game, or by convincing other players you have the best hand, so they drop out.

 

Each player is dealt two cards from a single deck. These are known as 'hole cards' and are kept secret from the other players.

Over several rounds, shared cards are dealt to the center of the table. These can be seen by everybody and are known as community cards.

 

A player's hand rank comes from the strongest five-card hand they can make, using any combination of their hole cards and the community cards. See the Hand Rankings column for a full list of combinations.

 

After each set of cards is dealt, there is a round of betting. Players take turns to place a bet in the pot, which the other players must match [call). If they don't want to match the bet, they must drop out (fold), losing any chance to win the pot.

 

After all betting rounds are complete, the players reveal their cards in a showdown and the player with the best hand wins the pot.

 

RULES

To start, the two players to the left of the dealer must put in a mandatory bet each, called the small blind and the big blind. The dealer then deals two hole cards to everyone present, and the first betting round starts.

 

During a betting round players take turns with play moving clockwise around the table. On a player's turn, they must at least match the bet of the previous players in order to stay in, or they can fold to drop out. On a player's turn, there are five possible actions: check, bet, call, raise and fold.

 

CHECK

If no bet has been made, a player can choose to check or bet. A check is equivalent to betting zero and passes the action to the next person clockwise. A player who checks remains in the game and reserves the right to call or raise later. If all active players check during a round of betting, the round is considered complete.

 

BET

If no bet has been made, a player may bet. If a player bets, subsequent players must at least match this amount to remain in the hand.

 

CALL

If there has been a bet in the current round, a player may call. To call, the player matches the current bet made by his or her opponent(s).

 

RAISE

If there has been a bet in the current round, a player may raise. A raise means the player is increasing the amount of the current bet. A raise must be at least double the value of any previous raise. Subsequent players must at least match this amount to remain in the hand.

FOLD

A player can always fold, forfeiting all interest in the pot. A player who folds cannot wager any further chips during the current poker hand, and cannot win that hand.

 

ALL-IN

If a player places all their chips in the pot, this is known as all-in. They will not be able to take any further action during the hand, but can still win it at the end. If a player doesn't have enough chips to call the current bet, they can still go all-in. In this case they will only be eligible for the portion of the pot they can match, as they have placed less chips in than the other players. The rest of the pot will be contested by the players who bet the full amount.

 

AUTO BET

When waiting for your turn, you can use auto-bet to preset what action you want to take. Hold [x] and select the action you would like to take. You can cancel that action at any time before your turn by holding [x] again. Note that if conditions change so that your preset action is no longer valid, your auto-bet will be canceled automatically. You can set and unset an auto-bet as many times as you like.

 

BETTING ROUNDS

The first betting round is known as preflop. After the blinds have been posted and the hole cards dealt, the betting round starts. It continues until all players who remain have bet the same amount, or are all-in.

 

Three community cards are then dealt, known as the flop. Another betting round takes place, with players using the new community cards to better understand how strong their hand is. Again, the betting round continues until all players who remain have bet the same amount, or are all-in.

 

A fourth community card is dealt, known as the turn. Another betting round takes place.

 

A fifth community card is dealt, known as the river. A final betting round takes place.

 

SHOWDOWN

On reaching the end of the final betting round, the showdown takes place. The players reveal their cards. Taking the best five-card combination of their hole cards and the community cards, each player has a hand ranking (for example, a pair). The player with the best hand ranking wins the pot. See the Hand Rankings column for a full list.

 

If several players share the best hand ranking, the remaining cards in their five-card hands are taken into account. These are known as a kicker. If one of the players has a better kicker than the others, they win the pot. If even after taking kickers into account, several players still share the best hand ranking the pot is split between them.

 

If a player doesn't want to reveal their cards at the showdown, they can muck. This simply forfeits without revealing the hand. When playing against experienced players, this helps to prevent them from learning your style and being able to predict your decisions.

 

STEALING THE POT

If all players but one fold before reaching the showdown, the final remaining player has stolen the pot and wins all the chips.

 

SIDE POTS

If a player has gone all-in during the course of the hand and so has placed less chips into the pot than the other eligible players, this creates a side pot. A player is only eligible to win the amount they have wagered themselves from each other player. When a player goes all-in, this amount is separated off in the main pot and the remaining active players can continue betting into a side pot. The all-in player is only eligible to win the main pot. The other players are eligible to win both the main pot and side pot. If several players go all-in in one hand, this can create several side pots.

HAND RANKINGS

Poker hand rankings from strongest to weakest:

ROYAL FLUSH

An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit.

STRAIGHT FLUSH

Five cards in sequence, all of the same suit.

FOUR OF A KIND

Four cards of the same rank, and one side card or 'kicker'.

FULL HOUSE

Three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different, matching rank.

FLUSH

Five cards all of the same suit.

STRAIGHT

Five cards in sequence, of different suits.

THREE OF A KIND

Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated side cards.

TWO PAIR

Two cards of a matching rank, another two cards of a different matching rank, and one side card.

ONE PAIR

Two cards of a matching rank, and three unrelated side cards.

 

HIGH CARD

Any hand that does not qualify under a category listed above.