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POKER HAND RANKINGS

RULES AND ORDER OF BETTING ACTION FOR HOLD'EM BETTING STRUCTURE

BETTING
At the beginning of a new game each player is dealt two cards face down (Hole Cards). Each bet on the first two rounds of betting is set at the lower limit if the stakes structure. For example in a $5/$10 game, all bets and raises are $5 for the first two rounds (after hole cards are dealt and once the flop is spread in center of table).

The last two rounds of betting (turn card and rive) are set at the higher limit of the stakes structure. For example in a $5/$10 game, all bets and raises are $10 for the last two rounds.

One bet plus three raises (four total bets) are the maximum amount of bets allowed per betting round. This would consist of (1) a bet, (2) a raise, (3) a re-raise, and (4) a cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can not be raised anymore. Once any player has made the third raise (capped the pot) then players will have only the option of calling or folding. Check-raising id allowed in all games.

DEALER BUTTON

In order to designate which player is the theoretical dealer in hold'em games, a round disk is used. This disk is called the dealer button or simply "the button".

After each hand is completed, the button moves clockwise to the next active player and this player will be considered to be the dealer, and will act on his/her hand last on each betting round. This is also termed playing the button for that game.

BLINDS

The player to the left of the button is first to receive a card and is required to post a small blind. The small blind is equal to half the lower limit bet rounded down to the nearest dollar. The player to the left of the small blind is required to post the big blind. The big blind is equal to the lower limit bet. These bets are referred to as blinds because players must post them before the dealer deals any cards to the players. These blinds are similar to the ante that is required in other games such as 7-Card Stud.

Both the small and the big blinds are considered live bets. They have the option of calling, raising or folding when the betting action comes back around to their position. After the flop and after each subsequent betting round, the first active player left of the button is first to act.

When players first sit down to play, they will be required to post the equivalent of the big blind only once or they have the option to "sit out" until it is their natural turn to post the big blind. This rule is in place to ensure game fairness to all players. The rule prevents the possibility of players entering games in late position and then leaving before they are required a post the big blind.

HOW TO PLAY

1. The dealer deals players their own two private cards face-down.





2. First betting round





3. The dealer spreads three-community board cards face-up on the table. This is commonly called "the flop".





4. Second betting round.





5. The dealer turns over a fourth board card face-up commonly called "the turn card".





6. Third betting round.





7. The dealer turns over one final community board card commonly called "the river card".





8. Fourth and final betting round.





9. Players show their hands. This is commonly called "the showdown".





At the showdown players may use a combination of both, one, or none of their whole cards to make their best five card hand: If a player uses both of their whole cards they will use three of the community board cards. One whole card and four of the five board cards. All five board cards which is commonly called "playing the board" betting.

Why Play Online Poker? 

Written by Online Casino 

You feel like playing poker, but you just cannot get hold of your partners? Do not have enough time to find a casino, or you just feel uncomfortable entering the casino? If your answer was yes to any of these questions, the solution to your problem is simple: play online poker. No need to call all your friends and try to find a moment that is suitable for everyone. You can play it anytime, anywhere, whenever you feel like it. You only need a computer and a chair and a few moments to find a good site. And you can do this all from your home – it offers comfort, convenience and safety. And it all depends on you how you play it – you can choose the number of players, the type of the game, and many other options. 

When online poker appeared on the market, it called forth different opinions. Some poker players were afraid that this would cause real time damage to casinos; others welcomed the idea of playing online poker at any time without having to enter a casino poker room. Eventually, online poker has become very popular among the online gambling games. It is just a matter of seconds to find a good website on the Internet. Let’s see how you can make use of the advantages of online poker and how you can start playing it. 

As I mentioned before, when it comes to online poker, there are a lot of options a player can choose from. First, you need to choose a virtual poker room. One of the advantages of online poker rooms is that they involve no travelling and no time wasting (moreover, no extra money for paying the cab!). Then you need to choose a game, and these websites usually offer manuals and guidebooks for the different games, teaching you the rules and offering tips. 

These rooms also offer a wider selection of games as opposed to real casino rooms: a player can choose from Aces & Faces Poker, All American Poker, Bonus Poker, Double Joker, Joker Poker, and many other games with 4, 10 or 25 liners, including other variations. If you don’t know all of these variations, you will most certainly find the rules in one of the online manuals available that will help you choose a game and teach you how betting systems work. 

Online poker rooms offer you the possibility of playing multiple tables at once as well, an option that can increase the possibility of winning and gaining profit. It also prevents you from paying too much (or more exactly: paying at all) to dealers. These rooms also have chat features, so players can communicate with each other – without seeing each other’s faces, without embarrassment or other external pressure. 

You can also choose to only play for fun, with virtual, non-existent money, or with real money for real excitement. There are deposit possibilities for virtual money just as for real money. Online poker rooms sometimes give away sign-up bonuses for new players, which means an amount up to 100 dollars, and implicitly more time to play poker. You can sometimes win real cash prizes even if you are playing for free. 

Downloading a game is also a possibility offered by online poker rooms. I am talking about downloadable software that can be used immediately in any web browser. The software is easy to use and most importantly is free of charge. The downloadable version usually comes with free cash bonuses; you can play it with real money as well as with virtual money. Again, you are in control, the option is yours. You can choose to download as many as you wish from the many poker variations you can find in the Internet. 

If you are a new player, don’t play with professionals. Find a table with at least two or three new players. Of course it is important to learn from the others and gain experience, but the thing is that experts are hunting you and your money. It has been shown that professional players win their money mostly from weak or new players. However brilliant-minded they might be, they are lucky enough to find a few weak players at one table and they use their opponent’s mistakes in their own advantage; and this is their basic strategy. So beware! Choosing the right table is a part of your strategy. 

Whether you are playing online poker only for fun, or you are playing for profit, your goal is to win. The path to winning starts with choosing the perfect poker game for you, a poker room and a good table, as shown above. What you basically need to do in order to find a good table is to download the most popular rooms and find a table with pots seized to your budget. And let’s not forget about the two-three weak players or newcomers. 

In order to win (money or just experience) you should be able to understand pot odds and study your opponents and yourself. If you are not good at psychology and at studying your opponents face and movements, is not a great problem in online poker. This is good news for you, as you can single out newcomers or weak players if you click on the flip percentage button. If you find players that do not have enough chips for at least fifteen bets, you can bet on their losing the game. If another player has at enough money at least thirty bets, he/she is a possible winner – or he/she has simply read this article and uses this technique to seem a winner and deceive you. 

Another advantage of online poker is that you opponents cannot study your face. You can stay relaxed, as no one will see you giving your hand away. You can make faces, show you cards, play in your pyjamas; no one can use your sighs or movements against you. This is great help in improving your poker skills. You can even cheat! You can keep the printed rules in front of you and no one will ever find out. This is why I consider that online poker is perfect for the new players. You can gain experience in every game you have ever wanted to play, without anyone making fun of you. 

No one wants to hurt his/her self-esteem. So, what I consider a solution for keeping our self-esteem untouched is to learn to play online poker before going to play in a casino. You can also start with virtual money and then go further on to playing with real money. Once you have gained experience in online poker, you can go on to a land-based casino; or simply continue playing this game from the comfort of your home. Whichever the case, have fun and make sure you enjoy every game!