Poker is a betting card game where players have the opportunity to bet that their cards will either be the best or that other players will concede the round of betting. There are several versions of Poker. The version of poker to which this blog is devoted is called Texas Hold'em. This blog explains the game and discusses how to play the game - be it on one's computer, online or in casinos.
In Texas Hold'em / Holdem, sometimes called a community card game, each player is dealt two pocket or hole cards and up to five community cards are dealt face-up and placed on the center of the table. The community cards are shared by all players in order to make the best five-card hand decided by an established ranking of possible hands (see ranking).
Types of Games
Cash Games
In poker cash games, players compete to win the cash other players bring to the table. Players can start with varying amount of cash (often represented by chips). Players who lose all their cash can usually replenish the cash they have at the table and the game can end with all the players who started playing, still at the table.
Tournament Games
In poker tournaments, players compete for prizes rather than winning the cash at the table. Players usually start with the same number of chips. When a player usually leaves the table when she or he loses all of her or his chips.
Heads-up Games
Heads-up poker games are when two players compete with one-another.
Limit Games
In structured limit games, the only bet allowed is the limit in effect for that round. The fixed amount generally doubles at some point (making some bluffing possible). The limit amounts apply to each raise and not the total amount a player can bet in a round.
For instance, in a game structured as a $5-$10 game (also called a five and ten limit game), $5 is the bet on the first two rounds and $10 (called the big bet) for the third and fourth round. A player can bet $5, be raised by $5, and then re-raise another $5, betting a total of $15 that round. Depending on house rules, the number of bets made by all players in each round may be limited, say to 4 (a bet and three raises i.e. a bet, raise, re-raise and a cap). For instance, say, player A bets $5; player B raises by $5, making it $10 to play; player C places a third bet, by re-raising by $5 making it $15 to play. When the round returns to player A, A has the option of betting for the fourth and final time, the cap, in that round.
Kill Limit Games
In a Kill Limit game, players who win more than a specified amount (say, ten times the large bet - $100 in the example above) or one who wins a number of (say two) consecutive hands, triggers a kill hand. This player triggering must post an additional blind called a kill blind - generally 1.5 times (a half kill blind) or double (a full kill blind) the amount of the big blind. The kill blind can be posted from any position at the table including the blinds or the player 'on the button'.
For instance, in a 5-10 game, the big blind is $5 and the full kill blind is $10. The person in the kill blind is usually the last player to bet on the first round otherwise the kill blind would render the other blinds meaningless. For example, in a five-player game where player E is the
kill blind and player A the dealer (on the button), the order of play would be
player D, player A (dealer), player B (the small blind), player C (the
big blind), and finally player E (the kill blind). After the first round, the usual betting sequence resumes.
Betting limits for the kill hand also increase to 1.5 or 2 times the limit depending on whether the game is a full or half kill game.
If the pot of the kill game exceeds a certain value (say 10 times the kill hand's large bet), the kill can remain active for the next hand. Alternatively, the kill can remain active on a player if that player continues to win consecutive hands.
Spread Limit Games
A spread limit allows players to bet an amount up to a limit. As with limit games, the limits can rise in later rounds.
For instance, a one to five limit game allows each bet to be
between $1 to $5. A one to five, ten on the end limit game additionally allows bets of $1 to $10 in the last betting round.
Pot Limit Games
Pot limit poker games are those where players cannot raise more than the amount in the pot. Making a maximum raise is called 'raising the pot' or 'potting' and the acting player does so by declaring "raise
pot" or "pot".
In a game, if there is $40 in the pot at the start of a betting round in a $5-$10 pot limit game when player A bets $10 the pot size increase to $50. Player B may 'raise the pot' by first betting $10 to make the pot $60 and then betting an additional $60 to bring the pot to a total of $120. Player B's total bet was $10 + $60 = $70. If player C wishes to call B's bet, the call amount is $70. Now the pot stands at $120 + $70 = $190. Player D can 'raise the pot' by calling $70 making the pot $190 + $70 = $260 and then matching the pot with an additional amount of $260 making the new pot total $520.
No-Limit Games
No-limit poker games are those where the amount a person can bet is only limited by the amount of cash or chips a person has on the table. 'All-in' is when a person bets all of her or his available chips. All other betting rules are the same as in other games such as a raise being twice the previous bet.
