The Game:
Hold’em Poker uses what is called a dealer-button to indicate
the theoretical dealer of each hand. After each hand is completed,
as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to the
next active player. This player will be considered “the dealer” for
that hand. Before the start of the game, internally the PartyPoker.net
system generates a fresh deck of cards for the hand. On PartyPoker.net,
we use a single deck of cards to play a hand of poker, where a
deck refers to 52 cards excluding the jokers. Online poker rooms
use what is called the Random Number Generator (RNG) to shuffle
a deck of cards for the hand.
How does it work?
The system generates a random set of numbers, which are used to
place a card of the deck in a particular position. Once the complete
deck is created, the deck is used for that particular hand only.
We shuffle the deck of cards every time we start a hand, and the
random numbers previously generated are discarded and new ones
generated before the shuffle.
The First round:
A fresh table starts of with the first person sitting on the
table becoming the dealer and the next player posting the small
blind. A new game on a active table starts with the button
moving clockwise to the next player. The player next to the
button / dealer is required to place the small blind. The small
blind is equal to half the lower stake. This is a guideline
for determining the blinds and not a strict rule. At PartyPoker.net
the small blind is rounded down to the nearest value chip.
For example – at 5/10 value chips Hold’em per the
formula the small blind should be 2.5-value chip. Instead,
it is rounded of to the lower value chip, so the small blind
would post 2-value chip. However, as it is just a guideline,
the amount of small blind could be set differently at the time
of setting up the table.
The player to the left of the small blind is required to post
the big blind, equal to the lower stake limit. In a certain
scenario it is possible for more than one player to post a
big blind in a hand. This is if a new player joins a table
at which a game is already going on. The player would get an
option of placing a Big Blind at the start of the next hand
or wait for his/her turn (as decided by the movement of the
button) to place the Big Blind in turn. All the blinds in Hold’em
poker are considered live bets and the players who posted them
will have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding
when the betting returns to their position.
After the blinds have been placed, the down cards / hole cards
are dealt to each active player. In Hold’em, 2 cards
are dealt to each of the players, after which the first betting
round starts. The player to the left of the player who placed
the big blind starts the betting for this round. Each player
will now have the option to place his or her bets in the first
round, which is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure.
For example in 10/20-value chips Hold’em game, value
of each bet is 10-value chip for the first round. When we say
the bets are limited to 10- value chip, it refers to: a Bet
(single bet) of the value of 10- value chip, so when a user
places “BET” then it is 10- value chip, “RAISE” would
be 20- value chip – includes one additional bet and a
call on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed
by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and
Raise. Each player will also have the option to Fold. These
options are available to each player depending on the action
taken by the previous player. The first player (left of the
Big Blind) to act (in the first round) would get the Bet, Call
and Raise options. Subsequent players would also get the options
of Call and Raise. To Call is to bet the same as what the previous
player has bet. Raise action calls for raising whatever was
the bet/call amount of the previous player, and can be calculated
based on the value of the previous bet amount.
Every player participating in the hand should place equal amount
of bet as the previous players (includes bets, calls and raises).
Till the time all the players have placed equal amounts in
the pot, the betting will continue. There is a limit on the
amount and the number of bets a player can place during a betting
round, which also would be considered during the hand. The
numbers of bets for a particular round of betting has been
mentioned below, please refer to the section on “Standard
Rules” for the limits on the number of bets.
After the first round of betting is over, the Flop (the first
three cards of the community) is dealt. The community cards
are common to all the players participating in the hand.
The Second Round:
After the flop and in each subsequent betting round, the first
active player left of the button is first to act. The second
betting round also limits the value of bets and raises to the
lower limit of the stake structure. So in a 10/20 chips bet the
value of each bet is 10-value chip for the second round. When
we say the bets are limited to 10-value chip, it refers to: a
Bet (single bet) of the value of 10-value chip, so when a user
places “BET” then it is a 10-value chip, “RAISE” would
be a 20-value chip – includes one additional bet and a
call on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed,
by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and
Raise. These options are available to each player depending on
the action taken by the previous player. The first player placing
the bet would get the Bet option (the player left to the Button).
Other players will get the Call and Raise options only.
After this the fourth community card is dealt out – this
is known as the Turn.
The Third Round:
The third betting round starts again with the player left to
the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper limit
of the stake structure (10/20- chips bet, 20-value chip would
be the upper stake). When we say the bets are limited to a 20-value
chip, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of a 20-value
chip, so when a user places “BET” then it is a 20-value
chip, “RAISE” would be a 40-value chip – includes
one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a
player. Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options – Bet,
Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to
the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option (the
player left to the Button).
After this the fifth community card is dealt out – this
is known as the River.
The Fourth Round:
The fourth (and final) betting round starts again with the player
left to the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper
limit of the stake structure (10/20-value chips bet, 20-value
chip would be the upper stake). When we say the bets are limited
to a 20-value chip, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value
of a 20-value chip, so when a user places “BET” then
it is a 20-value chip, “RAISE” would be a 40-value
chip – includes one additional bet and a call on the previous
bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed by playing any of
the following options – Bet, Call and Raise. Combinations
of these options are available to the player depending on the
action taken by the previous player. The first player placing
the bet would get the Bet option (the player left to the Button).
Some standard rules
A maximum of four bets, which includes one bet, and three raises
are allowed for each betting round per player.
The term cap is used to describe the final raise in a round since
betting is then capped and no one can make another raise. Once
capped, players will have the option of calling or folding only.
Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action of folding
basically shows the player cards being moved to the dealer. The
player from then on would not be considered as part of the game.
He/she would not have any rights over any pots created on the
table.
Apart from the fold option, a player could also get the option
of “Check”, in which the player can pass his/her
turn without placing a bet. This option would not always be available
to the player, and depends on the actions taken by the previous
player in the hand. The player HAS TO equal the amount of bet
placed by any other players for each round in the hand.
Poker is typically played "table stakes", meaning only the
chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be used throughout
the hand. This means that the player cannot get additional chips
from his account while he is in the midst of a game. The table
stakes rule has an application called the "All-In" rule, which
states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a hand because
the player does not have enough chips to call a bet.
Exceptions to the value of betting in each round:
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 unavailable to
the player who has already gone All-In. When a player goes All-in,
the pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions
from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which
the All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in, all
the new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing
players have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights
over the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning
combination.
As this is a multi player game, the players are expected to play
within a set time frame, the actions during their turn. On PartyPoker.net
we provide players with approximately 30 seconds to play with.
Initially the player is given 10 seconds, after which there is
a timer countdown, which is displayed on the table for 20 seconds.
The user goes all-in if he has contributed some chips to the
pot; otherwise his hand is folded in case he/she does not respond
in time. The system is intelligent in detecting if the player
has got disconnected or not. This means if a players gets disconnected
and reconnects back and he has some seconds left for his turn,
then he is given an additional 20 seconds to play his turn. But
if the player is not able to connect back to the table before
the time elapses, then the player goes All-in. All-in basically
means that the player is in the game, but would not be an active
player (placing any bets). Whatever pot is collected till this
time is referred as the main pot, and the all-in player has rights
(if he wins) to this pot only. After this the chips that are
bet on the table are added to a side pot, over which the all-in
player does not have any rights (if he wins).
For more details on the disconnection policy at PartyPoker.net,
please visit: http://www.partypoker.net/games/disconnection_policy/index.htmlAfter
the final round of betting, it’s time for – Showdown.
This refers to the action of deciding who the winner of the pot
is and display of the cards from all players (though this is
optional for the player, he/she need not show the cards). Five
cards of the total of hole and community cards are to be used
for deciding on the winning hands. A combination of the following
may be used -
- Both hole cards and three community cards
- One hole card & four community cards
- All five community cards (playing the board)
On the final round of betting, the player
who bets first (or checks first if no one else bets) is required
to show their cards first at the showdown. If they have the best
hand, the remaining players may/may not show their cards as they
wish. The aggressors’ hand
is only turned over first if he was the last to initiate action
on the river.
There is a set rank of cards, which is used for deciding the winning
combination.
If two or more hands are the same ranking,
the winner is the one having the higher cards. For example,
a Flush with an Ace high beats a Flush with a King high. If
the poker hands remain tied, then the highest card not being
held in common (the kicker) determines the winner. The suit
order of the cards is not taken into account while deciding
on the winning cards.PartyPoker.net follow standard rules of
poker. Should poker hands be absolutely identical in ranking,
the rule of poker pot distribution will be split evenly between
the two or more winning players. If there is an odd chip, the
winning player to the left of the button/dealer will receive
it.
The game play remains same for both No-Limit and Pot-Limit
Texas Hold’em game with a few exceptions to the rules
mentioned above:
In Limit Texas Hold’em a maximum of four bets is allowed
per player during any betting round. This includes a (1) bet,
(2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap, but in No-Limit and Pot-Limit
there is no limit to the number of raises that a player can
make. The only criteria being that you cannot raise yourself,
(i.e. if a player bets during a betting round, then that player
would have to be raised by another player in order for him/her
to be able to re-raise). If all the other players in the hand
only call or fold, the player would not get an option to raise,
because the last raise was done by him/her.
Betting Structure for No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at
least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round.
As an example, if the first player to act bets 100-value chip
then the second player must raise a minimum of 100 (total bet
of 200-value chip).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of your stack
(your chips on the table)
The Betting Rules for Pot-Limit Texas Hold’em
Minimum eligible raise: The raise amount must
be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same
round. As an example, if the first player to act bets 100-value
chip then the second player must raise a minimum of 100 (total
bet of 200-value chip).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of the pot:
The size of the pot is defined as the total of the active Pot
(which can be either the main pot or the side pot depending on
whether anyone has gone “all-in”) plus all bets on
the table plus the amount the active player must first call before
raising.
As an example, if the active pot is 200-value chips and the
first player to act in the round bets 150-value chip and the
next player calls 150-value chip, the third player has a maximum
eligible total bet of 800-value chip. The 800-value chip total
is made up of the 150-value chip call and 650-value chip raise.
The 650-value chip max raise portion is equal to the pot of 200
+ first player's 150 + second player's 150 + his own call of
150. |
