Online poker is not one game,
but a large family of related games. Hence the online poker rules
may vary from site to site. There are so many variations of these
poker rules that it sometimes seems a new "family member" appears
every time someone picks up a deck of cards. Still there are general
poker rules and principles that unite almost all games that fall
under the name of poker.
The object of online poker is deceptively simple: win the money
in the pot during a round of play by either having the best poker
hand (highest ranking five-card hand) when the wagering is done or
by forcing all other players out of the hand. The pot contains all
money contributed during a hand, including antes, which are used
to seed the pot before each hand begins.
Almost all poker games use a regular deck of 52 cards, comprised
of four suits (clubs, diamonds, heart and spades) that each have
13 cards ranking as follows from highest to lowest: ace, king, queen,
jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. (Note that the poker rules for
most games stipulate that the ace can also be counted as the lowest
card).
Each hand of a poker game is, in essence, a self-contained game
in which someone will be awarded the pot. A new hand is initiated
by the dealer who deals the cards according to the specific poker
rules for that game. Each player in turn, proceeding clock-wise from
the dealer, may either bet or check (also known as a pass). If a
player makes an opening bet, the next player clockwise has three
choices: fold, call or raise (Players can no longer check once a
bet has been made).
A fold means that the player does not want to spend more money
to vie for the pot; therefore, he discards his cards and is no longer
a part of the hand. A call means that the player stands in the hand
by betting an amount equal to the current bet. A raise means that
the player increases the current bet. A reraise is a raise of a previous
raise. Betting ends when all who wish to call the highest bet have
done so or when all but one player has dropped out. The poker rules
for the specific game may limit the number of raises allowed. However
if only two players are in the pot they can keep raising each other
indefinitely.
The sequence of dealing cars and having a round of betting continues
according to the poker rules of the specific game. At the end of
the last betting round, all players who are left in the hand have
a showdown in which the player with the best hand is awarded the
pot. It is the obligation of the player who made the last bet or
raise (not call) to show her hand first in the showdown.
The other remaining players then show their hands in a clockwise
fashion. However, the other players do not have to show their hands;
if they know they are beaten, they can just concede the pot. Remember
that not all hands will reach the showdown stage; very often, a player
will win the pot because all other players have folded their cards.
These are some basic poker rules that should help you in your game
of online poker.
The final bit of information that you'll need to know in order
to play online poker competently is the ranking of poker hands.
|
