The Pack
The standard 52 card pack is used.
Poker Hands
Five of a Kind - This is the
highest possible hand and can occur only where at least one card is wild, such as a
joker. Examples of five of a kind would be four 10s and a wild card or two queens and
three wild cards.
Straight Flush - This is the highest possible hand when only the
standard pack is used, and there are no wild cards. A straight flush consists of five
cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of hearts.
Four of a Kind -
This is the next highest hand. An example is four aces or four 3s.
Full House - This
colorful hand is made up of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, such
as three 8s and two 4s.
Flush - Five cards all of the same suit, but not all in
sequence, is a flush. An example is Q, 10, 7, 6, and 2 of clubs.
Straight - Five cards
in sequence, but not all of the same suit is a straight. An example is 9♥, 8♣, 7♠, 6♦,
5♥.
Three of a Kind - This combination contains three cards of the same rank, and the
other two cards each of a different rank, such as three jacks, a seven, and a four.
Two
Pairs - This hand contains a pair of one rank and another pair of a different rank,
plus any fifth card of a different rank, such as Q, Q, 7, 7, 4.
One Pair - This
frequent combination contains just one pair with the other three cards being of
different rank. An example is 10, 10, K, 4, 3.
No Pair - This very common hand contains
"nothing." None of the five cards pair up, nor are all five cards of the same suit or
consecutive in rank. When more than one player has no pair, the hands are rated by the
highest card each hand contains, so that an ace-high hand beats a king-high hand, and
so on.
Object of the Game
Before and after each card(s) is revealed, players take turns
to bet. To stay in the hand and see the next card, all players must have put the same
amount of chips in the pot as each other.
The best poker hand wins the pot.
The
Deal
Every player is dealt two cards, for their eyes only.
The dealer spreads five
cards - three at once, then another, then another - which can be used by all players to
make their best possible five-card hand.
The Play
In Hold'em, each player is dealt two
private cards (known as ‘hole cards’) that belong to them alone. Five community cards
are dealt face-up, to form the ‘board’. All players in the game use these shared
community cards in conjunction with their own hole cards to each make their best
possible five-card poker hand. In Hold'em, a player may use any combination of the
seven cards available to make the best possible five-card poker hand, using zero, one
or two of their private hole cards.
The Blinds
In Hold'em, a marker called ‘the button’
or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the dealer for the current game.
Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise from the button posts the
"small blind", the first forced bet. The player immediately clockwise from the small
blind posts the "big blind", which is typically twice the size of the small blind, but
the blinds can vary depending on the stakes and betting structure being played.
In
Limit games, the big blind is the same as the small bet, and the small blind is
typically half the size of the big blind but may be larger depending on the stakes. For
example, in aR$2/$4 Limit game the small blind isR$1 and the big blind isR$2. In
aR$15/$30 Limit game, the small blind isR$10 and the big blind isR$15.
In Pot Limit and
No Limit games, the games are referred to by the size of their blinds (for example,
aR$1/$2 Hold’em game has a small blind ofR$1 and a big blind ofR$2).
Depending on the
exact structure of the game, each player may also be required to post an ‘ante’
(another type of forced bet, usually smaller than either blind, posted by all players
at the table) into the pot.
Now, each player receives his or her two hole cards.
Betting action proceeds clockwise around the table, starting with the player ‘under the
gun’ (immediately clockwise from the big blind).
Player Betting Options
In Hold'em, as
with other forms of poker, the available actions are ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or
‘raise’. Exactly which options are available depends on the action taken by the
previous players. If nobody has yet made a bet, then a player may either check (decline
to bet, but keep their cards) or bet. If a player has bet, then subsequent players can
fold, call or raise. To call is to match the amount the previous player has bet. To
raise is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase it.
Pre-Flop
After
seeing his or her hole cards, each player now has the option to play his or her hand by
calling or raising the big blind. The action begins to the left of the big blind, which
is considered a ‘live’ bet on this round. That player has the option to fold, call or
raise. For example, if the big blind wasR$2, it would costR$2 to call, or at leastR$4
to raise. Action then proceeds clockwise around the table.
Betting continues on each
betting round until all active players (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in
the pot.
The Flop
Now, three cards are dealt face-up on the board. This is known as
‘the flop’. In Hold'em, the three cards on the flop are community cards, available to
all players still in the hand. Betting on the flop begins with the active player
immediately clockwise from the button. The betting options are similar to pre-flop,
however if nobody has previously bet, players may opt to check, passing the action to
the next active player clockwise.
The Turn
When the betting action is completed for the
flop round, the ‘turn’ is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community
card in Hold'em (and is sometimes also called ‘Fourth Street’). Another round of
betting ensues, beginning with the active player immediately clockwise from the
button.
The River
When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ or
‘Fifth Street’ is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final
community card in a Hold'em game. Betting again begins with the active player
immediately clockwise from the button, and the same betting rules apply as they do for
the flop and turn, as explained above.
The Showdown
If there is more than one remaining
player when the final betting round is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows
their cards, unless there was no bet on the final round in which case the player
immediately clockwise from the button shows their cards first. The player with the best
five-card poker hand wins the pot. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be
equally divided between the players with the best hands. Hold'em rules state that all
suits are equal.
After the pot is awarded, a new hand of Hold'em is ready to be played.
The button now moves clockwise to the next player, blinds and antes are once again
posted, and new hands are dealt to each player.
