RULES POKER

POKER'S GLOSSARY

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POKER TERMS
A set => A pocket pair that connects with the board, making a three-of-a-kind.
Action => Another term for "betting".
Ante => A small sum of money placed in the pot by each player. Antes are used in Stud and Draw, but not in Hold'em or Omaha.
Bad beat => A hand that is beaten by someone getting very lucky and drawing out that hand.
Bankroll => The sum of your total account stack.
Betting rounds => Every poker hand played is divided into four betting rounds which start at the player to the left of the button in the first position making an action. These are as follows:
- Pre-flop : The betting round before the flop.
- Flop round : The flop has been dealt and betting starts again.
- Turn round : The turn has been dealt and betting starts again.
- River round This comes after the fourth and final betting round. This is followed by the showdown.
Big Blind => A bet that must be posted by the player two seats to the left of the button. It is equal to the amount of the smaller betting limit in a game, for example, in a $10-20 game, the big blind would be $10.
Blind => Forced bets placed in the pot by the first two players in front of the dealer button, in Hold'em and Omaha. See "small blind" and "big blind."
Bluff => To bet when you are holding a weak hand, hoping that the intimidation factor of your bet can win the hand.
Board => The five community cards that all the players can see and use to build their hand :
- Flop : The first three community cards to be dealt.
- Turn : The fourth community card.
- River : The fifth and final community card.
Bring-in => In Stud, a bet that must be made on the very first betting round. Usually the player showing the lowest card is forced to make a bet; in some games, the player showing the highest card is forced. The bring-in applies only on the very first betting round, though. On all further rounds, the player showing the highest hand on board has the OPTION to bet first, but need not.
Bust => You're bust when you lose your entire table stack or bankroll.
Button => Virtual dealer marker moved from player to player in a clockwise direction after each hand. The player on the button always acts last. Consequently the player left of the button, in the first position, always acts first.
Call => To match a bet that has been made.
Cap => There can only be a maximum of three raises in any given betting round. The last raise is called the cap.
Check => To possess the option to bet, but decline. A player cannot check once someone else has bet; at that point, the player must call, raise, or fold. But if no one has yet bet, a player can check, allowing the betting option to pass to the next player.
Check-raise => To check, indicating weakness, with the intention of raising after someone else bets.Check-raises are allowed in all casino poker games; in some home games, they are frowned upon.
Community cards => The five cards on the board shared by all players.
Connectors => Starting hands that are connected through their value like J-10, A-K and 7-8.
Cracked => When the fantastic starting hand of two aces is beaten – the aces are cracked.
Dominated => A hand that is subdued by another hand. For example, AK would dominate AJ if an ace falls on the board. The dominated hand has a lower kicker (J) and little chance of winning.
Draw hand => A hand that needs a certain community card to come into play in order to win – most commonly with a straight or a flush. The starting hand of J10 of spades on a 8s 9s and Ah flop would be a very good drawing hand. You need a 7 or a Q for the straight and any spade for the flush. If Qs or 7s are dealt, then you even have a straight flush! But if none of these cards are dealt, the hand is worthless.
Drawing dead => A hand that cannot win even though the entire board is not yet on the table.
Edge => In the long run, luck evens out and skill alone defines the difference required to win. Edge is the slight advantage one player has over another through better skill, a larger stack or a better position.
Fifth Street => The fifth community card in Hold'em or Omaha (in these games, 5th street is more often called "the river"). Also sometimes used to refer to the fifth card received in 7 Card Stud.
Fish => A nickname for bad players who lose regularly – usually given this name by superior, winning players.
Flat call => Making a call in a situation where a raise would have been feasible.
Flop => In Hold'em or Omaha, the first three community cards, turned up all at once.
Fold => To drop out of a hand.
Fourth Street => The fourth community card in Hold'em or Omaha (in these games, 4th street is more often called "the turn."). Also sometimes used to refer to the fourth card received in 7 Card Stud.
Freeroll => A tournament that is free to enter.
Grinder => A player who consistently plays for hours with the intent of slowly and carefully building a large bankroll.
Gut shot => To draw to a very unlikely draw like an inside straight.
Heads-up => A one-on-one poker game.
Hole cards => Cards that are face down and cannot be seen by the other players.
Hole cards => Your starting hand. These are sometimes referred to as pocket cards.
Inside straight => On a 5, 9, Q flop with 6, 7 hole cards, an 8 would make the inside straight!
Kicker => When two players hold equal hands such as the same pair, the highest unpaired card is called the kicker and it decides the winner. For more info, see Dominated.
Limit => The dollar value of the blind. Defines how "big" the game is. Obviously, you need a much larger stack to play a $50-limit game than a $0.50 game.
Limping => Calling the big blind in pre-flop action.
Narrowing the Field => To bet or raise in the hopes that you will drive out some players whose hands are currently worse than yours, but who might improve if allowed to stay in.
Nuts, The => The best possible hand. This phrase is almost always used in the context of a particular hand (otherwise "the nuts" would just be a term for a royal flush). For example, in Hold'em, a player holding 8-9 would hold "the nuts" if the flop came 6-7-10. At that moment, the 6-7-8-9-10 straight is the best possible hand. However, if the Turn card were a Jack, and the River a Queen, a player holding A-K would then have the nuts-a 10-J-Q-K-A straight.
Off-suit => A starting hand with two different suits.
Open-ended straight => A straight draw that can hit both ways. With a J10 on the flop, a player holding KQ has an open-ended straight draw, hitting with an ace or a nine. See Inside straight.
Outs => The total number of possibilities a player has to win a pot, based on the current situation. If he holds 99 and needs another 9 to win, then he would have a total of two outs.
Over card => Pocket cards that have a value higher than the highest card currently on the board. An ace and a king are over cards to a 57J flop.
Pocket pair => Holding two equally valued cards like AA, KK, 77 or 22.
Position => A player's position in relation to the dealer's button. As the button moves, so does your position. These are defined as follows :
- Early Position : First three seats left of (after) the button. The least desirable positions as these players must make their moves first.
- Middle Position : Seats 4 to 7 after the button.
- Late Position : Positions 8 and 9. Playing out of this position gives players an edge since they have already seen the other player's moves.
- On the button Position : This seat acts last and as such, has an even bigger edge than the late position.
Pot => The money in the center of the table, being contested for by the players still remaining in the hand.
Rag => A low-value community card that will probably have no effect on the outcome of a hand.
Rake => The amount of money the casino takes from the pot to make money from the poker game. In low-limit games, the casino usually rakes some percentage of the pot, usually a maximum of 10% of the pot. In higher limit games, the casino makes money either by charging players an hourly fee to play, or by collecting a fee each time a player holds the button.
Ring game => Single table game where all bets are made directly from a player's stack and not put into a prize pool and divided at the end as in a tournament. It's every hand for itself. Players can join and enter these games as they please. Sometimes referred to as a cash game.
River => In Hold'em or Omaha, the fifth and final community card. Also sometimes called fifth street.
Rock => A player known to be very conservative, who usually bets or raises only when he has a very powerful hand.
Showdown => All players still left in the pot after the final betting round show their cards to reveal the winner.
Small Blind => A bet that must be posted by the player seated to the left of the button. It is usually equal to one half of the smaller betting limit in a game, for example, in a $10-20 game, the small blind would be $5. Occasionally, the small blind is some other fraction of the big blind.
Stack the pot => Winning the pot and adding it to your stack.
Starting hand => The two face-down cards dealt to each player at the start of a hand.
Steam => When players lose their tempers and start playing badly, they're steaming.
Streak => To be "in the zone" and win with whatever cards you are dealt.
Suited hand => Starting hand with matching suits – hearts, clubs, spades or diamonds.
Tells => Behavioural patterns that provide subtle clues of a player’s moves and strategies.
Tilt => To completely lose it and play like a madman. This is most common after a player has taken several bad beats.
Trap => To lure other players to stay in and preferably raise a pot you are absolutely sure you are going to win.

HAND NICKNAMES
AA => Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
KK => Cowboys, King Kong
QQ => Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
JJ => Fish hooks
99 => Wayne Gretzky
88 => Snowmen
77 => Sunset strip
66 => Route 66
55 => Speed limit
44 => Magnum, Sail boat
33 => Crabs
22 => Ducks
AK => Big slick
AQ => Big chick
AJ => Black Jack, Jack-ass
KQ => Royalty, Marriage
KJ => Kojak
J5 => Jackson five
Q3 => Gay waiter
95 => Dolly Parton
A8 => Dead man's hand Back in 1876, a player named Wild Bill Hickock was shot after winning with it!
K9 => Canine
J4 => Flat tyre

CHAT
nh => Nice hand
vnh => Very nice hand
gg => Good going
lol => Laugh out loud
tu => Thank you
wtf => What the f***?
str8 => Straight
wp => Well played

POKER STRATEGY

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Don’t crack under the pressure
bwin Poker is poker how it should be – where the tables are like playing fields, and where using your wits, having skill, and keeping you cool are all important.
Our advice: take it easy, just relax. When joining a game, watch. Learn. And when it’s your turn – remember – take your time! In our POKER SCHOOL section, we provide all the information you need to play – including everything from a tutorial to poker terms and hand nicknames. Follow these instructions and watch the other players’ moves.
Have a game plan and stick to it!
The more you know, the more confident you’ll be. Before long you’ll be able to read other players’ moves like a pro. In fact, you'll probably know what they're going to do before they do! Read through our tips below and enjoy bwin Poker!

SOME HOT TIPS
The dos and don’ts of poker
DO:
Ask questions. Poker players are generally helpful, polite and friendly individuals.
Know your odds. Understand the maths and you win!
Go with your gut feeling. If you suspect you're beat, you probably are!
Think before you act. You have some thinking time, so use it.
Understand and learn the three basics as detailed below – starting hand value, position play and folding.
DON’T:
Play poker when upset, worn out or just plain mad! Poker requires a sharp mind.
Try to bluff everyone on the first hand. You'll probably find that it's you who ends up being bluffed.
Play every hand. Learn to fold faster than an origami champ during speed trials!

THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR HOLD'EM
1- Learn the importance of starting hand value
The two pocket cards (or hole cards) are what separates your hand from those of the other players. Learning how to play these defines how successful you'll be. An AA (ace-ace) combo has a much better chance of winning than a 7-3 combo for example. Play good starting hands, fold bad.
2- Understand your position at the table
Being seated in a late position is a huge advantage, as your opponents must reveal their hand before you act. Make sure you use this advantage when it occurs. A good starting hand in an early position can often be worse than a bad hand in a late position.
3- Remember: you can FOLD!
No matter the betting round, if you have nothing and can't draw to anything you should fold. Swallow your pride.

BETTING LIMITS

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When the betting comes around to you, and you decide to raise, how much can you raise? Well, this depends on the betting structure used in the game you play. The most common structures are fixed limit, pot limit and no limit.
Fixed limit
In a fixed limit game, the amount you can raise is fixed. If you want to raise, you must raise that particular amount.
- Small bet and big bet
The fixed limit often varies between betting rounds. For example, when playing fixed limit Texas Hold'em, all bets and raises in the first two betting rounds must be in multiples of the big blind. In the last two betting rounds, bets and raises must be in multiples of twice the big blind.
For example, with a big blind of $2, if you want to raise during the first two betting rounds you must raise $2, that is, you must bet $4. If another player wants to re-raise your bet, he too must raise another $2, that is, he must bet $6. However, during the last two betting rounds, if a player has bet the minimum $4 and you want to raise, you must raise $4, that is, you must bet $8. If another player wants to re-raise your bet now, he too must raise $4, which means he must bet $12.
- Capping
When playing with a fixed limit, the number of raises allowed in a betting round is limited to four. That is, the first bet, a raise, a re-raise and than the final raise – the cap.
For example, in a game with a $2 limit, after the maximum four raises, the total bet for each player is $8.
No limit
In a no-limit game, as soon as it is your turn to bet, you can raise as much as you like. You may even bet all your chips at once if you want. Nevertheless, there are a few restrictions.
- Table stakes
Even though you play no limit, you cannot bet more than the amount you have on the table. So players cannot get crazy and bet their farms. And you cannot throw in your car keys.
- The minimum bet
In spite of a game being played as no limit, there is always a downward limit for your bets. For example, if you play with blinds, you can never bet or raise less than the big blind.
- The minimum re-raise
If, in a betting round, a player has raised before you and you want to re-raise, you must raise at least the amount of the last raise.
- Example
Suppose the big blind is $2 and a player to your right bets $10, thereby raising with $8. If you want to re-raise that player, you must raise at least another $8, which means you must bet at least $18. Obviously, since it is no limit, you may also bet more than $18.
Pot limit
Some people may consider fixed limit games a bit lame. On the other hand, some people consider no limit games a bit too far on the wild side. As a sort of compromise, there is a betting structure called pot limit.
Pot limit means that each time the betting comes around to you, you cannot bet more than the amount already in the pot. In early betting rounds, this may be far less than all your chips. In later betting rounds, however, the pot can grow really fast and you can bet all you have, if you like.
Example
If the big blind is $2, the pot is $20, and you are first to bet in that betting round, you may bet anything from $2 (the minimum bet) to $20, the pot limit bet. Sometimes, calculating the maximum bet in pot limit games is quite complicated.

ALL IN AND SIDE POTS
Going All In
Now, you may ask, suppose I hold a really, really strong hand. If someone bets more than I have on the table, and I am not allowed to bet my farm, or throw in my car keys, what can I do? Will I be forced to fold my hand and give up the pot even though I’m probably holding the winning hand? Of course not.
You can always call a bet. Even if an opponent bets more than you have left, you can call that bet by pushing in the remainder of your chips. Thereby you get to show down your monster hand and may win a nice pot. This is called going all in.
However, you cannot win more from your opponent than what corresponds to the chips you bet. If a player bets $100 and you call by betting $40 all in, the other player will get back $60 before the hands are shown down.
Side pots
When more than two players remain in the hand, and a player with fewer chips than the others goes all in, the situation gets a bit complicated. The player with fewer chips is allowed to call, as we saw above, but the other players will continue betting against each other and put more chips into the pot.
The player who is all in cannot win any of the chips that are put into the pot after he went all in. The all-in player is entitled to compete only for the part of the pot corresponding to the amount he put into it. To handle this, the pot is split into a main pot containing the chips that the all-in player will win if he has the best hand, and a side pot made up of the continued betting, that is, the chips that the all-in player cannot win even with the best hand.
If several players with different chip counts go all in during the same hand, there will be several side pots. This gets quite complicated. But don't worry, the poker client takes care of the calculations and sees to it that every player gets the correct share of the pot. You don't need to be the new Einstein to push in all your chips!

POKER HAND RANKINGS

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Royal Straight Flush => Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of the same suit.

Straight Flush => Straight with all five cards in the same suit.

Four of a kind => Four of a kind is next highest. It consists of the four cards of any one rank together with any fifth card; for example

constitute four sevens.

Full House => A full house ranks next; it consists of any three of one kind and any pair of another kind, such as

It is referred to by the three-of-a-kind it contains; the example shown would be "sixes full."

Flush => A flush, ranking next; it consists of any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence, as

referred to as a "jack high flush."

Straight => A straight consists of any five cards of two or more suits in sequence of rank, with the ace ranking either high in sequence

or low in the sequence. One does not need to have an ace to have a straight, of course: any five cards in a row will do.

Three of a Kind => Three of a kind are any three cards of the same rank plus two other cards which do not constitute a pair and do not include the fourth card of the same rank;

would be referred to as "three nines." Or "trip nines."

Two Pair => Two pair, which ranks next under three of a kind, consists of two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and any fifth card which is neither of those ranks; it is referred to by the higher of the two pairs. Thus,

would be "Queens up."

One Pair => One pair - any two cards of the same rank, together with three other cards which do not combine with the other two to form any of the higher-ranking hands above:

is a pair of kings.

POKER "Texas Hold'Em"

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OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 2 concealed
Community cards dealt => 5
Number of betting rounds => 4
Limits => Fixed limitPot limitNo limit
Blinds or antes => Blinds
Texas Hold'em is a relatively new member of the poker family. But it is the variation that has been the most popular around the world in the last years. The unofficial world championship of poker is contested in no limit Texas Hold'em – a game sometimes called the Cadillac of poker.

THE GAME
In Texas Hold'em you get two hole cards, cards that the other players cannot see. Then five cards are dealt face up on the board, successively. They are community cards that all players can use to put together a five card poker hand.
To form the best possible hand, you can use either both your hole cards together with three of the community cards on the board, or one hole card with four community cards, or simply all five community cards.
The player who can put together the highest poker hand wins the pot.
Blinds
Texas Hold'em is played with blinds. Before the cards are dealt, the first two players to the left of the dealer post a small and a big blind respectively to create a starting pot.
The deal
When the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt two cards face down, the hole cards.
Then the first betting round takes place, starting with the player to the left of the big blind.
The flop
When the first betting round is finished, three cards are dealt face up on the table. They are called "the flop".
Then the second betting round takes place, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
The turn (fourth street)
After the second betting round, the fourth community card is dealt. It is called the turn.
The third betting round takes place, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
The river (fifth street)
The fifth and last community card is called the river. Now the hand is concluded by the fourth and last betting round, again starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
If more than one player remains in the hand after the betting, there is a showdown.

GAME ADVICE
Play good starting hands
Do not enter the betting with any two cards! With ten players around the table, someone will have a better starting hand most of the time. When you enter the game with the second best hand, your opponent is a favorite to win the pot.
The importance of position
In Texas Hold'em, your position remains the same throughout the entire hand. A player that acts after you will act after you all the way to the river. This is a great disadvantage for you. As a rule, play only very strong hands in early position. On the other hand, when you are in a late position, the advantage is yours to exploit.

POKER "Omaha"

2007-11-23T04:59:00.003-08:00

OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 4 concealed
Community cards dealt => 5
Number of betting rounds => 4
Limits => Fixed limitPot limit
Blinds or antes => Blinds
At a first glance, Omaha looks a lot like Texas Hold'em. But in Omaha, each player receives four cards - this gives Omaha an interesting complexity.

THE GAME
In Omaha, you get four hole cards, cards that the other players cannot see. Then, successively during the hand, five cards are dealt face up on the board. They are community cards that all players can use to put together a five card poker hand.
When all cards are out, you must use two of your hole cards and combine them with three community cards in order to form the best possible poker hand.
Blinds
Omaha is played with blinds. Before the cards are dealt, two players to the left of the dealer post a small and a big blind to create a starting pot.
The deal
When the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt four cards face down, the hole cards.
Then the first betting round takes place, starting with the player to the left of the big blind.
The flop
When the first betting round is finished, three cards are dealt face up on the table. They are called "the flop".
Then the second betting round takes place, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
The turn (fourth street)
After the second betting round, the fourth community card is dealt. It is called the turn.
The third betting round takes place, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
The river (fifth street)
The fifth and last community card is called the river. Now the hand is concluded by the fourth and last betting round, again starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.
If more than one player remains in the hand after the betting, there is a showdown.

GAME ADVICE
Four of a kind – an easy fold!
In Omaha, picking up your four hole cards and seeing a monster hand is not that great, since you can only use two of them. If, for example, your hole cards are four kings, you do not have four of a kind! As a matter of fact, you cannot even make three of a kind, since no king can come on the board.
Or, if you have four hearts, your chances of making a flush are worse than if you had had only two hearts. If you have two hearts and two spades in your hand, your flush chances are even better.
So, do not be fooled when you look down at a fantastic hand in Omaha.
Big straight draws
After the flop in Texas Hold'em, a made hand (such as three of a kind) is usually the favorite against a drawing hand (such as four cards to a straight). In Omaha, this is not the case, since there are so many ways of making a really good hand. With these draws, you can put in a lot of bets.
For example, if you hold T-9-6-5 and the flop comes K-8-7, there are 20 cards that will make you a straight if they came on the turn or river: four fours, three fives, three sixes, three nines, three tens, and four jacks.
With Ah-Ks-Th-9s and a flop of Qh-Jh-3c, there are 22 cards that would make you either a straight or a flush. 16 cards would make you a straight: four eights, three nines, three tens, three kings, and three aces. The nine remaining hearts would give you a flush, but three of them have already been counted, since they also give you a straight: the 8h, 9h, and Kh.
In both these cases, you have equal or better chances than a player who made three of a kind on the flop.
Starting hands with connecting cards
With four cards, there are much more combinations than with two cards. Since all four cards can be combined with any of the other three cards, an Omaha hand is not like two Texas hands, it is like six. So, in Omaha, look out for hands where all four cards connect in some way.

POKER "Omaha Hi/Lo"

2007-11-23T04:59:00.001-08:00

OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 4 concealed
Community cards dealt => 5
Number of betting rounds => 4
Limits => Fixed limitPot limit
Blinds or antes => Blinds

THE GAME
Split Pot
Omaha Hi/Lo is played exactly the same way as Omaha, with one exception: In the showdown, the highest hand wins only half the pot, while the other half is won by the best low hand.
However, this is true only if a player shows down a qualifying low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the best high hand wins the whole pot.
Low hand requirements
To qualify as a low hand, a hand must not contain any card higher than 8, and no pair or better.
However, straights and flushes do not disqualify a low hand. So, for example, 8s-7s-6s-5s-4s qualifies as a low hand. (At the same time, it is a very strong high hand, a straight flush.)
Forming a high and a low hand
As in Omaha, you must use two of your hole cards to form a poker hand with three cards from the table. But you are free to use any combination of two cards for the low and the high hand. One or two of your hole cards may be used for both the high and the low hand, or you may use two cards for the high hand and the other two cards for the low hand, as you wish.
For example, if you hold AKT2 and the board is AA764, your best high hand is AK+AA7 (three of a kind), and your best low is A2+764. You use the ace in both hands.
Aces up and down
In Omaha Hi/Lo, the ace is the highest card, but it is also the lowest. This is what makes the classic hand A2345 (“the wheel”) so strong. It is the best possible low hand, but at the same time, being a straight, it is a strong high hand.

GAME ADVICE
Scoping
You should always be on the look-out for a chance to win the whole pot – an activity called scoping. There are two ways to scope. Either, you have the best high hand and the best low hand. Or you have the best high hand and there is no low hand. If you aim at winning only the high or only the low part, the reward is only half as big.
Being quartered
Even if you have the best possible low hand, you can never be sure of winning even half the pot. It is always possible that another player has the same low hand, so that you will split the low part of the pot, that is, you will get only a quarter of the pot. This means that you get very bad odds for playing your hand. In fact, you may even lose money on the hand if you win only a quareter of the pot.
Of course, high hands sometimes also split the high half of the pot. But it is possible to hold a high hand of which you know that no other player can match it.

POKER "Seven Card Stud"

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OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 3 concealed4 open
Community cards dealt => None
Number of betting rounds => 5
Limits => Fixed limit
Blinds or antes => Antes

THE GAME
In seven card stud, you get seven cards, successively. Three of them are dealt face down, only you will know what they are. Four are dealt face up, so that all players can see them.
When all cards are out, you can combine any five of your seven cards to the best poker hand.
Antes
Seven card stud is played with antes. Before the cards are dealt, each player posts a mandatory bet to create a starting pot. The ante is normally 10% of the small bet.
The deal
When the antes have been posted, each player is dealt three cards: two face down and one face up.
Then the first betting round takes place, starting with the player with the lowest displayed card. If two players have equally high cards, the one to the left of the dealer begins.
The first player to act must bet ("bring in") but has the choice of betting either a small bet or half a small bet. If half a bet is made, the following players can either call that bet or raise to a full small bet. (Or fold – you can always fold.)
Fourth street
When the first betting round is finished, each player receives their fourth card face up.
The second betting round takes place. Now and on the remaining betting rounds, it is the player with the best cards showing who starts the betting.
Fifth street
Each player receives their fifth card face up.
The third betting round takes place, starting with the player who shows the best three card hand.
Sixth street
Each player receives their sixth card face up.
The fourth betting round takes place, starting with the player who shows the best four card hand.
Seventh street (river)
Each player receives a seventh and final card. It is dealt face down, concealed to the other players.
The fifth and last betting round takes place, again starting with the player who shows the best four card hand.
If more than one player remains in the hand after the betting, there is a showdown. The best high hand wins.
If there are not enough cards left to deal a seventh card to all remaining players, the river is dealt face up on the board. It works as a community card, which all players can use to form their poker hand.

GAME ADVICE
Starting hand requirements
A strong starting hand consists of either a high pair, three of a kind, three cards to a flush or three cards to a straight.
Live cards
In seven card stud it is important to notice when other players get the cards you need.
Suppose, for example, that you are dealt three hearts. You would like to stay in the hand and draw to a flush, but if other players receive a lot of hearts, your chances of making the flush diminish.
Or if you have a pair of kings, your chances of hitting one of the remaining two kings almost vanish if you see one of them in the hand of another player.
Can you beat what you see?
If you cannot beat the part of a hand that is face up in front of a player, you certainly cannot beat that hand with the concealed cards included.

POKER "Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo"

2007-11-23T04:58:00.003-08:00

OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 3 concealed4 open
Community cards dealt => None
Number of betting rounds => 5
Limits => Fixed limit
Blinds or antes => Antes

THE GAME
Split pot
Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo is played exactly the same way as Seven Card Stud, with one exception: In the showdown, the highest hand only wins half the pot, while the other half is won by the best low hand.
However, this is true only if a player shows down a qualifying low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the best high hand wins the whole pot.
Low hand requirements
To qualify as a low hand, a hand must not contain any card higher than 8, and no pair or better.
However, a straight or flush does not disqualify a low hand. So, for example, 6h-5h-4h-3h-2h qualifies as a low hand. (At the same time, it is a very strong high hand, a straight flush.)
Forming a high and a low hand
In the showdown, you use five of your cards to form a high hand, and five to form a low hand. You can use one or several cards in both the high and the low hand, without restriction.
For example, if you hold A-2-4-5-6-7-8, you would use A-2-4-5-6 for your low hand, and 4-5-6-7-8 for your high.
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GAME ADVICE
Scoping
As in Omaha Hi/Lo, trying to win the whole pot is important. You can do this is in two ways: Either by winning both the high ant low sides, or by having the best high hand while there is no qualifying low hand

POKER "Five Card Draw"

2007-11-23T04:58:00.001-08:00

OVERVIEW
Cards dealt to each player => 5 concealed+ 0-5 concealed
Community cards dealt => None
Number of betting rounds => 2
Limits => Fixed limitPot limit
Blinds or antes => Blinds
Draw poker is probably the oldest form of poker. In five card draw, you do not get to see any of your opponents' cards. The only information you have about their hands is how they bet and how many cards they draw.

THE GAME
In five card draw, you get five cards face down. You may discard some or all of them and receive a corresponding amount of new cards. The player with the best high hand wins the pot.
Blinds
Five card draw is played with blinds. Before the cards are dealt, the first two players to the left of the dealer post a small and a big blind respectively to create a starting pot.
The deal
When the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt five cards.
The draw
When the first betting round is finished, each player who remains in the hand has the right to draw one to five new cards, or not draw (stand pat). The draw starts with the player to the dealer's left.
If more than one player remains in the hand after the second betting round, there is a showdown. The best high hand wins the pot.

GAME ADVICE
Choose your hands
A common advice is to not open the betting with less than a high pair in your hand. And if someone else opens the pot, you need at least that to call.
Do not be an open book
If you have a pair and draw three cards, the other players will know that you have a pair. If you always draw two cards when you have three of a kind, again your hand will be easy to read. The same goes if you never stand pat unless you have a made hand.
By varying the number of cards you draw, you keep your opponents guessing.