Poker Game Rules

Poker is the name given to a number of card games where players wager on the strength of the cards they hold. Poker is a game that involves a communal "pot" consisting of the players' wagers which is awarded to the poker player who either holds the highest ranking hand or makes a wager which goes unmatched by his or her opponents.

At PokerStars, our Seven Card Stud and Omaha poker games are played in both "high-only" and "high-low split" form. In these high-low games, the best five-card poker hand for high wins half the pot, and the best qualifying five-card hand for low wins the other half. Our Texas Hold'em poker games are always played high-only with a No Limit, Pot Limit and Limit option. For a detailed breakdown of hand rankings, visit our poker hand ranks page.

All poker games begin with some forced wager over which poker players compete. In Seven Card Stud, there are two forced wagers, an ante and a bring-in. In Texas Hold'em and Omaha, the forced wagers are a small blind and a big blind. In any basic poker game, players strategically wager using a number of actions available to them. The actions are as follows:

1. CHECK - If there is no wager on the current betting round, a player may check. The act of checking passes the action to the next poker player immediately clockwise from him or her. A check does not forfeit interest in the pot, only the current right to bet. If all players check during a round of betting, the round is considered complete.

2. BET - If there is no wager on the current betting round, a player may bet. If a player bets, the poker player immediately clockwise from him or her (and any subsequent poker players) may fold, raise, or call.

3. FOLD - The act of folding forfeits all interest in the pot. A player who folds is not required or allowed to wager any further money for the current poker game.

4. CALL - If there has been a wager on the current round of poker play, a player may call. The act of calling requires the player to match the current bet made by his or her opponent(s).

5. RAISE - If there has been a wager on the current betting round, a player may raise. The act of raising requires the poker player to match the current bet, and make a greater one. All subsequent players are required to call the raise or raise again ("re-raise") to maintain interest in the pot.

On each betting round, betting continues until the person immediately counter clockwise the last bettor or raiser acts. When this person acts, the next poker round begins, or the hand is complete.

When the last bet or raise on the final betting round is called, the "showdown" occurs. This is when it is determined who wins the pot, as players show their hands one-by-one. It may be the case that there is no showdown. This occurs when a player bets or raises, and no active players choose to call the player's bet (in other words, all players fold). In this case, the player doing the betting or raising wins the full amount of the pot.

Basic Poker Play: Table Stakes and All-In

Basic poker play is typically played "table stakes", meaning only the chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be used throughout the hand. The table stakes rule has an application called the "All-In" rule, which states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a poker hand because the player does not have enough chips to call a bet. A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is declared All-In. The player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of his final wager. All further action involving other players takes place in a "side pot", which is ineligible to the All-In player.

Poker has hundreds of variants. PokerStars features the most popular casino and poker games in the world. For more information about these poker variants, visit our Poker Room page.

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Anne Peereboom moneywolves@quicknet.nl