More Poker Rules and FAQs
How much am I allowed to bet?
In no-limit hold'em you may bet or raise anything up to the amount of money or chips you have on the table in front of you, at any time. Generally, all raises must be at least the size of any previous bet or raise made in the same round.
So if the first player bets £10, for example, the second player can fold, call or raise. If they raise, the raise can be:
a) a minimum raise of £10,making £20 in total, or
b) a maximum raise of everything they have on the table (known as going 'all-in') or,
c) anything in between the two.
If the second player makes a minimum raise by putting in £20, the third player too can fold, call or raise. If they raise, the raise can be:
a) a minimum raise of £10,making £30 in total, or
b) a maximum raise of everything they have on the table (all-in), or
c) anything in between the two.
For a discussion of what happens when players start running out of money, see below.
What happens when players start running out of money?
A special rule comes into effect at this point, known as table stakes . It can get a little bit complicated.
Table stakes rules apply in all poker games and are particularly important when you're playing pot-limit and no-limit poker. As explained above, you can't bet any more than you have on the table in front of you. Although this idea in itself is straightforward enough, we need to explain what happens if you bet more than one of your opponents has on the table. What happens, you may ask, when one player is unable to match another player's bet? How can the hand continue?
This is what happens: let's suppose you want to bet £50 and you're up against two opponents, Pauline (think Poor -lean) with £30 and Richard (think Rich ard) with £100.
- You announce "Bet, £50" and place your £50 in the middle of the table, although separate from the main pot for a reason that will become apparent shortly.
- Pauline announces "Call, £30 all-in" and places her chips in the middle, again separately.
- Richard announces "Call" and places £50 of his chips in the middle, separately of course.
Then the money needs to be sorted out. Firstly the amount that the poorest player (Pauline) was able to contribute is added to the main pot. In other words, all Pauline's chips, plus £30 of Richard's and £30 of yours are added to the main pot in the middle of the table.
However, Richard and you both contributed a further £20 each to the hand, and this is placed in a side pot. That side pot is played for between you and Richard only - Pauline can't win it because she didn't have enough money to match your bets.
There are now two pots in the middle of the table:
1) The main pot, being competed for by you, Richard and Pauline
2) The side pot, being competed for by you and Richard only.
Pauline has no money left and hence can't participate in any further betting that may take place in the hand. Any further bets made by you or Richard will be added to the side pot. What happens next will depend on whether either of you or Richard folds before the showdown or not.
- If neither you nor Richard fold before the showdown then all three of you show your cards (if you want to make a claim on the pot). The best hand of the three wins the main pot. The better of your hand and Richard's hand wins the side pot. Pauline can't win any money from the side pot, no matter how good her hand is.
- If you or Richard fold before the showdown then the one who remains (of you and Richard) wins the side pot automatically. Let's suppose for example that Richard folds to a bet from you. Then you take the side pot. There is still the main pot to consider, and it's between you and Pauline (who ran out of money but is still in the hand because she didn't fold). The remaining cards must still be dealt out even though Pauline has no money left. The main pot is then won by you or Pauline depending on whose hand is better.
There can be multiple side pots if more than one player runs out of money. If there are, say, five players in a pot then there can be up to four pots - the main pot and three side pots. Each player competes only for those pots to which they contributed money.
You can see from the above that there's never any point betting more money than any of your opponents have left on the table - if you're called, the extra chips are simply returned to you.
What is an all-in?
A player is said to be all-in when all his money is in the current pot. In the above example, Pauline goes all-in at the point where you bet £50 and she calls with the £30 in front of her. A player can go all-in not only when calling, but also when betting or raising. Once a player is all-in, he takes no further part in any betting. He is guaranteed to be able to show down his hand and claim his portion of the pot if he wins.
What's the maximum I could lose?
Forget what you've seen at the movies, you cannot be exposed for more money than you have on the table. In each hand, you can lose all the money in front of you, but no more. You cannot go and get a loan from your best mate when you're running out of money at some crucial point in the hand - it's against the rules.
What you can do, however, is go and get more money in between hands - this is known as reloading. You're just not allowed to reload in the middle of a hand. How much you can lose in total, over the course of a session, is up to you. If you keep reloading and reloading, you can keep losing your money.
What happens in the case of a tie?
In the case of a tie for the best hand, the pot is divided equally amongst the winners. Information on what constitutes a tie is provided with the hand ranking table above.
Do hands always reach showdown?
No. If everyone folds, the last player in the hand wins the pot. This can happen at any point, even in the first round.
Am I obliged to reveal my cards?
No. If you win before the showdown (because everyone else folds) you do not have to reveal your cards. Even if you do reach the showdown, the only people who are obliged to show their cards are the last person who bet or raised, and anybody who wants to make a claim on the pot. If they want to, other players can simply push their cards face down into the muck.
One reason players sometimes avoid showing their cards is because it reveals information about their playing style, for example how well or badly they played the hand or whether they've been bluffing. However, the advantage of showing your cards, especially when you're starting out, is that somebody might well notice that you won the hand even if you didn't realise you had. This usually applies only to beginners, but it can occasionally happen to experienced players too.
In a friendly home game it's quite common practice for everyone to scrutinize each other's cards in order to work out who's won the pot. You can certainly learn much more about the game that way, and you can also discuss the merits of each person's play - politely or otherwise!
When do players reveal their cards before the end of a hand?
When all, or all but one, of the players in a hand are all-in, there can be no more betting from anyone. Even if one player has money left to bet, nobody can match it. In many games, all the players involved turn their hole cards face up at this point, so everybody can see what everyone else has. Then the remaining community cards are dealt out as usual, but it's that much more exciting because it's obvious which cards will produce a win for each player.
This convention, revealing hole cards for all-ins, is commonplace in home games and tournaments. It's not usually the way things are done in British card rooms however, where you're obliged to show your hole cards only if you were the last bettor or want to claim the pot.
What's the difference between no-limit, limit and pot-limit?
No-limit, limit and pot-limit are not names of poker games - they just define the betting structure of the game, and whether or not the betting is capped. The maximum size of a bet or raise is determined by the type of game you're playing.
What happens if cards are exposed or misdealt?
Honest mistakes are bound to occur from time to time. Dealers might flash a card now and then. Somebody might expose one of their cards by accident. The whole deck might get dropped or have coffee spilt on it.
The question is what to do about it? It depends on how high the stakes are. If you're playing a casual game with friends, you might decide not to do anything. If you're playing a big game, players may expect a tough line to be taken. Here are some suggestions as to what to do about the minor problems that frequently crop up in home games:
- Exposed cards. Cards which are exposed when they shouldn't be need to be taken out of the hand. A card accidentally revealed when the cards are cut, shuffled or dealt should be shown to all players and then placed in the muck. The same applies to any card found face up in the deck. However, this does not apply to hole cards inadvertently exposed by careless players. If you allow your opponents to see your cards, that's your look-out.
- Wrong number of cards dealt. Players who receive too many cards by accident can return the extra cards to the dealer, provided they haven't looked at them of course. Any extra cards that have been seen should be shown to all players and then mucked, as above.
- Damaged cards. Cards which are damaged in any way (torn, creased, stained etc) should never be used as even the most inexperienced player will be able to identify them pretty quickly. Use a new pack.
Is there any etiquette I should be aware of for casual play?
Even in a very casual home game there is some basic etiquette you should follow.
Don't act out of turn. Inexperienced players frequently act (e.g. fold, call or bet) before the person to their right has acted. Remember that the action goes round the table in a clockwise direction. However keen you are, wait until it's your turn before you place your bet or throw your cards in the muck. Acting out of turn annoys other players and can prejudice the hand.
In general, a player who acts out of turn should (a) wait until it is their turn, and (b) take the action they previously declared (assuming it's still possible). They shouldn't be allowed to change their minds. This is because in poker, all verbal declarations are binding, including those made out of turn.
Be decisive. Be aware of the consequences of changing your mind. If you say "fold" you will be expected to fold, if you announce "raise" you must raise. As mentioned above, all verbal declarations are binding.
Non-verbal declarations can also be binding. In fact, when it comes to folding, the rule that says your cards are dead once they hit the muck trumps the rule about binding verbal declarations. So if you say "raise" but inadvertently throw your cards in the muck by mistake, your hand is dead and you won't be allowed to continue.
Don't discuss your cards after folding until the hand is over. Discussing your cards after you've folded but before the hand has finished can severely prejudice the continuing game and is not allowed.
Of course you can always discuss your cards after the hand has finished.
As for discussing your cards while you are still in the hand - there's actually a rule about this called the Moody rule which forbids any discussion about cards between players. Having said that, the Moody rule is increasingly being dropped.
When the Moody rule isn't in force you can discuss your hand freely and even lie about it if you want - this is known as coffee-housing. It's now normally ok to say, for example, "I've got a pair of aces", whether that's true or not. So always treat with healthy scepticism any comments made by other players about their hands.
If the Moody rule isn't in force then the only real no-no is discussing your cards after you've folded but before the hand has finished.
Keep your chips on the table. Any chips off the table aren't in play so just keep yours in front of you on the table at all times. Never hide them in your pocket - that's against the rules. Sometimes people will expect you to keep your largest denomination chips at the front so they're visible, but actually there's no law against making it difficult for other players to see how many chips you have as long as they're actually on the table and therefore in play. However, you must always reveal the size of your stack, i.e. how much money you have on the table, when explicitly asked.
Keep your cards in view. The back of them, that is. For security reasons it's actually against the rules to completely hide your cards or keep them underneath the table. At least a corner of the back of each hole card must be visible to other players at all times, so no putting them between your knees or in your pocket.
When it comes to the way you hold your cards, we suggest you don't. (Don't hold them, that is.) Have a quick peek when you first receive them, ideally without lifting them off the table, and then keep them face down on the table in front of you. You can remember two cards, surely. Holding your cards up or worse, waving them around, is tantamount to inviting your opponents to take a good look.
Avoid slow play. Try to concentrate so that you know when it's your turn and other players don't have to wait too long for you to act. You should also avoid leaving the table during the middle of a hand because your cards are liable to be folded if you do so.
Be a good sport. Poker is a very sociable game; even players competing for millions of dollars in the World Series chat and joke with one another. So don't criticise your opponents' play, don't blame your bad luck on the dealer and don't get all grumpy if you hit a losing streak. Enjoy yourself.
