There are many distinct types of poker games, but the majority of them have many of the same fundamental rules.
When you turn your cards face up, most poker games use the normal poker hand ranking system, so knowing which hand wins head to head is crucial. No-limit, pot-limit, and fixed-limit betting structures can be used in a variety of card games.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the most basic poker rules. If you need to brush up on the rules of a specific poker game, this is the place to go.
Except for a few games that use lowball hand rankings, the following hand rankings apply to most poker tournaments. The best poker hand is a royal flush, followed by a straight flush, and so on until you reach a high card, which is the lowest hand ranking.
When a showdown begins, royal flushes and straight flushes, as well as four of a kind, full house, three of a kind, flushes, and straights, are frequently the greatest hands.
Poker Hand Rankings rule from Highest to Lowest:
Each hand in a blinds game starts with the big blind one position to the straight left of the small blind. Before each hand, players in these positions must place predetermined stake amounts. The little blind sits to the left of the dealer button at all times.
In most poker cash games, these figures are listed in the game description.
In most poker games, the big blind sum is the minimum permissible wager for any round of betting.
Antes are obligatory wagers that are sometimes made by all players at the table, or in other forms, by the large blind player.
The expression "no limit" appears to be straightforward. Players can bet all of their chips at any time in a no-limit poker game.
Blinds and a button are used in most no-limit games; for more information on this system, see Blinds, Antes, and The Button.
The cards are dealt, and the preflop betting round begins with the player directly to the left of the big blind. The small blind, or the first player to the left of the small blind, is the initial bettor in the following rounds.
This player can stake any amount, up to all of his or her chips, in a no-limit game. Going all-in refers to a player who wagers the entire $200.
Any player can go all-in at any moment during a hand. The maximum amount for an all-in is equal to the number of chips in front of a player at the start of the hand.
Limit
Limit betting restrictions are nearly always used in many poker games, such as stud poker variants. However, a limit betting structure can be used in any poker game.
A "little bet" and a "large bet" are used in limit games, with the big blind being equivalent to the small bet.
In many limit games, the maximum bet/raise is equal to the small bet amount in the early rounds of betting and grows to the big bet amount in the later rounds of betting. After three raises in each round, the betting is "topped," and the following players can only call.
In a Texas Hold'em game, each player is dealt two hole cards, and five community cards are placed face-up on the table. Texas Hold'em is a poker game in which the goal is to build the best five-card poker hand possible with any combination of hole cards and community cards.
Each game begins with the dealer handing out these cards one by one to each player, beginning with the player in the small blind position. Hole cards are kept face down throughout the game and only the player who is holding them can see them.
The first of four rounds of betting begins after each player has two hole cards. Preflop, flop, turn, and river are the betting rounds in Texas Hold'em.
The dealer places three cards face-up on the board after the pre-flop betting round is finished, and these community cards are known as the flop. A fourth card (the turn) is dealt after a round of betting from all active players. Before the fifth and final card (the river) is dealt with, there is another round of betting. After the river, there is one last round of betting.
All remaining players turn their hole cards face up after the final round of betting. The showdown is the final stage of the hand, and according to poker hand rankings, the best hand wins.
The goal of Omaha, like Texas Hold'em, is to build the best five-card hand possible utilizing a mix of hole cards and five community cards.
Players in Omaha, on the other hand, are dealt four hole cards and must create a five-card hand using exactly two of them and three community cards. This varies from Texas Hold'em, in which players are dealt two hole cards and can create the greatest five-card hand using any combination of hole cards and community cards.
Regular Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo are the two most popular forms of Omaha played around the world (aka Omaha Eight or Better).
Typically, Omaha Hi is played with either pot-limit or limit betting rules. Check out our guide to Poker Betting Rules for more information on the various betting structures in poker app and sites.
Pot Limit Omaha, sometimes known as "PLO," is the second most popular poker game in the world, after Texas Hold'em.
Unlike Hold'em and Omaha, where two players to the left of the dealer post blinds, Stud has no such requirement. Instead, each player at the table places an ante, which is usually worth 5% of the total wager.
The player who receives the lowest-ranking door card places a bring-in bet, which is worth 5 times the ante. This player may also finish the bet by placing the entire small stake if they so desire.
In stud games, there are no community cards. Instead, in Seven Card Stud, each player is dealt seven different cards. Each player receives two face-down cards and one face-up card on the first dealing street. After that, the second round and three more betting rounds begin, with each participant receiving an additional card in each round.
The players will be left with three cards face down and four cards face up once all seven cards have been dealt. After the last round, the player with the highest-ranking hand wins.
In Razz, however, there are no high hands, hence there are no requirements for low hands. A player can win the hand even if they have a Queen low or a pair or worse, as long as their hand is lower than their opponent's at showdown.
It is possible for a player to scoop the pot by winning both the high and low sections. If no qualifying low hand (five cards below an 8) exists, the best high hand wins the entire pot.
Split pot games and/or eight or better games are other terms for Hi-Lo games. For example, Omaha 8 is an Omaha poker game with hi-lo rules.