Poker positions
- This article describes only the common terms, rules, and
procedures of betting in poker. See poker strategy for the strategic impact of
betting.
In the game of
poker, the play largely centers
on the act of
betting, and as such, a
protocol has been developed to speed play, lessen confusion, and
increase security while playing. Different games are played using
different types of bets, and small variations in etiquette exist
between
cardrooms, but for the most part
the following rules and protocol are observed by the majority of
poker players.
Procedure
Players in a poker game act in turn, in clockwise rotation (acting
out of turn can negatively affect other players). When it is a
player's turn to act, the first verbal declaration or action he
takes binds him to his choice of action; this rule prevents a
player from changing his action after seeing how other players
react to his initial action.
Until the first bet is made each player in turn may "check," which
is to not place a bet, or "open," which is to make the first bet.
After the first bet each player may "fold," which is to drop out of
the hand losing any bets they have already made; "call," which is
to match the highest bet so far made; or "raise," which is to
increase the previous high bet.
A player may fold by surrendering his cards. (Some games may have
specific rules regarding how to fold: for example in
stud poker one must turn one's upcards face
down.) A player may check by tapping the table or making any
similar motion. All other bets are made by placing chips in front
of the player, but not directly into the
pot ("splashing the pot" prevents other players
from verifying the bet amount).
Open
The act of making the first voluntary bet in a betting round is
called
opening the round. On the first betting
round, it is also called
opening the pot, though
in variants where
blind bets are common, the blind bets
"open" and other players call and/or raise the "big blind" bet.
Some
poker variations have
special rules about opening a round that may not apply to other
bets. For example, a game may have a betting structure that
specifies different allowable amounts for opening than for other
bets, or may require a player to hold certain cards (such as "Jacks
or better") to open.
Call
To
call is to match a bet or match a raise. A
betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount
or no opponents call a player's bet or raise. If no opponents call
a player's bet or raise, the player wins the pot.
The second and subsequent calls of a particular bet amount are
sometimes called
overcalls.
This term is also sometimes used to describe a call made by a
player who has put money in the pot for this round already. A
player calling a raise before he or she has invested money in the
pot in that round is
cold
calling. For example, if in a betting round, Alice bets, Bob
raises, and Carol calls, Carol "calls two bets cold". A player
calling instead of raising with a strong hand is
smooth calling or
flat calling, a form of
slow play.
Calling when a player thinks he does not have the best hand is
called a
crying call.
In public cardrooms and
casinos where verbal
declarations are binding, the word "call" is such a declaration. In
public card rooms, the practice of saying "I call, and raise $100"
is considered a
string raise
and is not allowed. Saying "I call" commits the player to the
action of calling, and only calling.
Note that the verb "see" can often be used instead of "call": "Bob
saw Carol's bet", although the latter can also be used with the
bettor as the object: "I'll see you" means 'I will call your bet'.
However, terms such as "overseeing" and "cold seeing" are not
valid.
Check
If no one has yet opened the betting round, a player may pass or
check, which is equivalent to calling the current
bet of zero. When checking, a player declines to make a bet; this
indicates that he does not wish to open, but does wish to keep his
cards and retain the right to call or raise later in the same round
if an opponent opens. In games played with blinds, players may not
check on the opening round because the blinds are live bets and
must be called or raised to remain in the hand. A player who has
posted the big blind has the right to raise on the first round,
called the
option, if no other player has raised;
if he declines to raise he is said to
check his
option. If all players check, the betting round is over
with no additional money placed in the pot (often called a
free round or
free card). A
common way to signify checking is to tap the table, either with a
fist, knuckles or an open hand.
Raise
To
raise is to increase the size of the bet
required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call
the new amount if they wish to remain in. If the current bet amount
is nothing, this action is considered the opening bet. A player
making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a
betting round is said to
re-raise.
Standard poker rules require that raises must be at least equal to
the amount of the previous bet or raise. For example, if an
opponent bets $5, a player may raise by another $5 (or more), but
he may not raise by only $2. The primary purpose of the minimum
raise rule is to avoid game delays caused by "nuisance" raises
(small raises of large bets, such as an extra $1 over a current bet
of $50, that have little effect on the action but take time as all
others must call). This rule is overridden by
table stakes rules, so that a player may
in fact raise a $5 bet by $2 if that $2 is his entire remaining
stake.
In most
casinos, fixed-limit and spread-limit
games cap the total number of raises allowed in a single betting
round (typically three or four, not including the opening bet of a
round). For example in a casino with a three-raise rule, if one
player opens the betting for $5, the next raises by $5 making it
$10, a third player raises another $5, and a fourth player raises
$5 again making the current bet $20, the betting is said to be
capped at that point, and no further raises beyond
the $20 level will be allowed on that round. It is common to
suspend this rule when there are only two players betting in the
round (called being
heads-up), since either player
can call the last raise if they wish. Pot-limit and no-limit games
do not have a limit on the number of raises.
If, because of opening or raising, there is an amount bet that the
player in-turn has not paid, the player must at least match that
amount, or must fold; the player cannot pass or call a lesser
amount.
Fold
To
fold is to discard one's hand and forfeit
interest in the current pot. No further bets are required by the
folding player, but the player cannot win. Folding may be indicated
verbally or by discarding one's hand face down into the pile of
other discards called the
muck, or into the pot
(uncommon). For this reason it is also called
mucking.
In
stud poker played in the United States
, it is customary to signal folding by turning all
of one's cards face down. In casinos in the
United
Kingdom
, a player folds by giving his hand as is to the
"house" dealer, who spreads the hand's upcards for the other
players to see before mucking them.
Etiquette
Action and Betting
When participating in the hand, a player is expected to keep track
of the betting action. Losing track of the amount needed to call,
called the
bet to the player, happens
occasionally, but multiple occurrences of this slow the game down
and so it is discouraged. The dealer may be given the
responsibility of tracking the current bet amount, from which each
player has only to subtract his contribution, if any, thus
far.
To aid players in tracking bets, and to ensure all players have bet
the correct amount, players stack the amount they have bet in the
current round in front of them. When the betting round is over (a
common phrase is "the pot's good"), the players will push their
stacks into the pot or the dealer will gather them into the pot.
Tossing chips directly into the pot (known as
splashing the
pot), though popular in film and television depictions of
the game, causes confusion over the amount of a raise and can be
used to hide the true amount of a bet. Likewise,
string
raises, or the act of raising by first placing chips to
call and then adding chips to raise, causes confusion over the
amount bet. Both actions are generally prohibited at casinos and
discouraged at least in other cash games.
Acting out of turn
Most actions (calls, raises or folds) occurring
out-of-turn - when players to the right of the
player acting have not yet made decisions as to their own action -
are considered improper, for several reasons. First, since actions
by a player give information to other players, acting out of turn
gives the person
in turn information that he
normally would not have, to the detriment of players who have
already acted. In some games, even folding in turn when a player
has the option to check (because there is no bet facing the player)
is considered folding out of turn since it gives away information
which, if the player checked, other players would not have.
- :For instance, say that with three players in a hand, Player A
has a weak hand but decides to try a bluff with a large opening
bet. Player C then folds out of turn while Player B is making up
his mind. Player B now knows that if he folds, A will take the pot,
and also knows that he cannot be re-raised if he calls. This may
encourage Player B, if he has a good "drawing hand" (a hand
currently worth nothing but with a good chance to improve
substantially in subsequent rounds), to call the bet, to the
disadvantage of Player A.
Second, calling or raising out of turn, in addition to the
information it provides, assumes all players who would act before
the out of turn player would not exceed the amount of the
out-of-turn bet. This may not be the case, and would result in the
player having to bet twice in order to cover preceding raises,
causing confusion.
Cards
A player is never required to expose his concealed cards when
folding or if all others have folded; this is only required at the
showdown. A player may of course
choose to show his hole cards in either circumstance, but this
tells other players whether or not the player was bluffing and, if
other players are still in the game, it tells others that those
cards are unavailable, which may confer an advantage to one or more
players.
Many casinos and public cardrooms using a house dealer require
players to protect their hands. This is done either by holding the
cards or, if they are on the table, by placing a chip or other
object on top. Unprotected hands in such situations are generally
considered folded and are mucked by the dealer when action reaches
the player. This can spark heated controversy, and is rarely done
in private games.
The style of game generally determines whether players should hold
face-down cards in their hands or leave them on the table. Holding
"hole" cards allows players to view them more quickly and thus
speeds up gameplay, but spectators watching over a player's
shoulder can communicate the strength of that hand to other
players, even unintentionally. Unwary players can hold their hand
such that a "rubbernecker" in an adjacent seat can sneak a peek at
the cards. Lastly, given the correct light and angles, players
wearing glasses can inadvertently show their opponents their hole
cards through the reflection in their glasses. Thus for most poker
variants involving a combination of faceup and facedown cards (most
variants of
stud and
community are dealt in this manner),
the standard method is to keep hole cards face-down on the table
except when it is that player's turn to act.
5 card draw is generally played with hands held
by the players at all times.
Cash and Chips
Making change out of the pot is allowed in most games; to avoid
confusion, the player should announce his intentions first. Then,
if opening or cold calling, the player may exchange a large chip
for its full equivalent value out of the pot before placing his
bet, or if overcalling may place the chip (announcing that he is
calling or raising a lesser amount) and remove the change from his
own bet for the round.
Making change should, in general, be done between hands whenever
possible, when a player sees he is running low on an oft-used
value. The house dealer at casinos often maintains a bank and can
make change for a large amount of chips, or in informal games
players can make change with each other or with unused chips in the
set. This prevents stoppages of play while a player figures change
for a bet. Similarly, buying in for an additional amount should be
done between hands once the player sees that he will be out of
chips within a couple of hands (if buy-ins cannot be handled by the
dealer it can take two or three hands for an attendant to bring
another tray to the table).
Touching another player's chips without permission is a serious
breach of protocol and can result in the player being barred from
the casino or even arrested.
Some informal games allow a bet to be made by placing the amount of
cash on the table without converting it to chips, as this speeds up
play. However, the cash can easily be "ratholed" (removed from play
by simply pocketing it) which is normally disallowed, and in
casinos leaving cash on a table is a security risk, so many games
and virtually all casinos require a formal "buy-in" when a player
wishes to increase his or her stake.
Players in home games typically have both cash and chips available;
thus, if money for expenses other than bets is needed, such as
food, drinks and fresh decks of cards, players typically pay out of
pocket. In casinos and public cardrooms, however, the use of cash
is restricted, so players often establish a small cache of chips
called the "kitty", used to pay for such things. Players contribute
a chip of lowest value towards the kitty when they win a pot, and
it pays for expenses other than bets such as "rent" (formally known
as time fees), tipping the dealer when he leaves, buying fresh
decks of cards (some public cardrooms include this cost in the
"rake" or other fees, while others charge for decks), and similar
costs.
Other rules
Public cardrooms have additional
rules designed to speed up
play, earn revenue for the casino (such as the "rake"), improve
security and discourage cheating.
Forced bets
All poker games require some forced bets in order to create an
initial stake for the players to contest, as well as an initial
cost of being dealt each hand for one or more players. The
requirements for forced bets, and the betting limits of the game
(see below) are collectively called the game's
betting
structure.
Ante
An ante is a forced bet in which all players put an equal amount of
money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. Often this is
either a single
unit (a one-value or the smallest value in
play) or some other small amount; a proportion such as a half or a
quarter of the minimum bet is also common. An ante paid by every
player ensures that a player who folds every round will lose money
(though slowly), thus providing all players with an incentive,
however small, to play the hand rather than toss it in when the
opening bet reaches them.
Antes are the most common forced bet in
draw
poker and
stud poker but are uncommon
in games featuring blind bets (see next section). However, some
tournament formats of games featuring blinds impose an ante to
discourage extremely tight play. Antes encourage players to play
more loosely by lowering the cost of staying in the hand (calling)
relative to the current pot size, offering better
pot odds. With antes, more players stay in the
hand, which increases pot size and makes for more interesting play
(important in a televised tournament final).
In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not
uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer (or some other
position relative to the button) provides the ante for each player.
This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other
players come and go or miss their turn to deal. During such times,
the player can be given a special button indicating the need to pay
an ante to the pot (known as "posting"; see below) upon their
return.
Blinds
A
blind or
blind bet is a forced bet placed into the pot by
one or more players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates
bets made during play. The most common use of blinds as a betting
structure calls for two blinds: the player after the dealer blinds
about half of what would be a normal bet, and the next player
blinds what would be a whole bet. This two-blind structure,
sometimes with antes, is the dominating structure of play for
community card poker games such
as
Texas hold-em. Sometimes only one
blind is used (often informally as a "price of winning" the
previous hand), and sometimes three are used (this is sometimes
seen in
Omaha). In the case of three
blinds (usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet
amount), the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid by
the dealer.
- For example, in a $2–4 limit game, the first player to the
dealer's left (who, if not for the blinds, would be the first to
act) posts a small blind of $1, and the next player in turn posts a
big blind of $2. After the cards are dealt, play begins with the
next player in turn (third from the dealer), who must either call
$2, raise, or fold. When the betting returns to the player who
blinded $1, he must equal the bet facing him (toward which he may
count his $1), raise, or fold. If there have been no raises when
action first gets to the big blind (that is, the bet amount facing
him is just the amount of the big blind he posted), the big blind
has the ability to raise or check. This right to raise (called the
option) occurs only once: if his raise is now called by
every player, the first betting round closes as usual.
Similarly to a missed ante, a missed blind due to the player's
temporary absence (i.e. for drinks or a restroom break) can be
denoted by use of a special button. Upon the player's return, they
must pay the applicable blind to the pot for the next hand they
will participate in. Note that this is for temporary absences only;
if a player leaves the table permanently, special rules govern the
assigning of blinds and button (see next subsection).
In some
fixed-limit and
spread-limit games, especially if three blinds
are used, the big blind amount may be less than the normal betting
minimum. Players acting after a sub-minimum blind have the right to
call the blind as it is, even though it is less than the amount
they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed
to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called
completing the bet. For example, a limit game with a $5
minimum bet on the first round might have blinds of $1 and $2.
Players acting after the blind may either call the $2, or raise to
$5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in
accordance with the normal limits.
When a player in the blinds leaves the game
When one or more players pays the small or big blinds for a hand,
then after that hand permanently leaves the game (by "busting out"
in a tournament or simply calling it a night at a public cardroom),
an adjustment is required in the positioning of the blinds and the
button. There are three common rule sets to determine this:
- Simplified - The dealer button moves to the
next active player on the left, and the small and big blinds are
paid by the first and second players remaining to the left. This is
the easiest to track and always rotates the button, but results in
"missed blinds". For instance, a player "under the gun" when the
player in the big blind busts out ends up paying the small blind;
he has "missed" the big blind he would have paid had the leaving
player remained in the game. Similarly, a player in the small blind
who busts out means the player in the big blind gets the button,
missing the small blind.
- In the special case of three players in a tournament being
reduced to the two-player showdown, any leftover blinds from other
rules are "written off" and the Simplified method is used, with the
player "on the button" paying the small blind.
- Moving button - As in Simplified, the button
moves to the left to the next active player, and the blinds move to
the next two active players. However, any "missed blinds" are paid
by the player whom they skipped as if they were due for the
upcoming hand, with one blind paid per player, per hand, biggest
blind first. Any blind a player misses on a given hand because a
bigger blind was due will be paid by the player in the following
hand. This is the most complex ruleset to implement, especially if
multiple players leave, but it is the fairest method overall in
terms of paying all due blinds and rotating last action.
- Dead button - Spots vacated by leaving players
who would pay the small blind or get the button during the next
hand remain open for the purposes of shifting blinds and button.
Thus, the small blind may not be paid in the subsequent hand if the
player due to pay the small blind has vacated the spot and,
therefore, is considered "dead". However, there is always a big
blind even if the spot is vacated by the player who is due to pay
the big blind; in such case, the player seated to the left of the
vacated spot pays the big blind. When the dealer button moves to an
empty seat, it also is considered "dead", and the last active
player before the empty seat retains the "privilege of last action"
by default. While simple in tournament formats and the most
equitable in terms of paying blinds as due and when normally
expected, it can result in inequitable strategic situations
regarding last action, and becomes harder to track if the table is
"open" (players can come and go) as in a casino.
In tournaments, the
dead button and
moving button
rules are common (replacement players are generally not a part of
tournaments). Online cash games generally use the
simplified
moving button as other methods are more difficult to codify
and can be abused by players constantly entering and leaving.
Casino card rooms where players can come and go can use any of the
three rulesets, though
moving button is most common. When
a player immediately takes the place of a player who leaves, the
player may have the option to either pay the blinds in the leaving
player's stead, in which case play continues as if the player never
left, or to "sit out" until the button has moved past him, and thus
the chair is effectively empty for purposes of the blinds. Many
card rooms do not allow new players to sit out as it is highly
advantageous for the new player, both to watch one or more hands
without obligation to play, and to enter the game in a very "late"
position (on their first hand they see all other player's actions
except the dealer's). For these reasons, new players must often
post a "live" big blind to enter regardless of their position at
the table. Other variations on these rules exist.
When there are only two players
The normal rules for positioning the blinds do not apply when there
are only two players at the table. The player on the button is
always due the small blind, and the other player must pay the big
blind. The player on the button is therefore the first to act
before the flop, but last to act for all remaining betting
rounds.
A special rule is also applied for placement of the button whenever
the size of the table shrinks to two players. If three or more
players are involved in a hand, and at the conclusion of the hand
one or more players have busted out such that only two players
remain for the next hand, the position of the button may need to be
adjusted to begin heads-up play. The big blind always continues
moving, and then the button is positioned accordingly.
- For example, in a three-handed game, Alice is the button, Bob
is the small blind, and Carol is the big blind. If Alice busts out,
the next hand Bob will be the big blind, and the button will skip
past Bob and move to Carol. On the other hand, if Carol busts out,
Alice will be the big blind, Bob will get the button and will have
to pay the small blind for the second hand in a row.
Kill Blind
A
kill blind is a special blind bet made by a
player who triggers the kill in a
kill game (see below).
It is often twice the amount of the big blind or minimum bet (known
as a full kill), but can be 1.5 times the big blind (a half-kill)
or any other amount according to house rules. This blind is "live";
the player posting it normally acts last in the opening round
(after the other blinds, regardless of relative position at the
table), and other players must call the amount of the kill blind to
play. As any player can trigger a kill, there is the possibility
that the player must post a kill blind when he is already due to
pay one of the other blinds. Rules vary on how this is
handled.
Bring-in
A bring-in is a type of forced bet that occurs after the cards are
initially dealt, but before any other action. One player, usually
chosen by the value of cards dealt face up on the initial deal, is
forced to open the betting by some small amount, after which
players act after him in normal rotation. Because of this random
first action, bring-ins are usually used in games with an ante
instead of structured blind bets.
The bring-in is normally assigned on the first betting round of a
stud poker game to the player whose
upcards indicate the poorest hand. For example, in traditional
high hand stud games and
high-low split games, the player showing the
lowest card pays the bring-in. In
low
hand games, the player with the highest card showing pays the
bring-in. The
high card by suit
order can be used to break ties, but more often the person closest
to the dealer in order of rotation pays the bring-in.
In most fixed-limit and some spread-limit games, the bring-in
amount is less than the normal betting minimum (often half of this
minimum). The player forced to pay the bring-in may choose either
to pay only what is required (in which case it functions similarly
to a small blind) or to make a normal bet. Players acting after a
sub-minimum bring-in have the right to call the bring-in as it is,
even though it is less than the amount they would be required to
bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet
up to the normal minimum, called
completing the
bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round
might have a bring-in of $2. Players acting after the bring-in can
either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5,
the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal
limits.
In a game where the bring-in is equal to the fixed bet (this is
rare and not recommended), the game must either allow the bring-in
player to optionally come in for a raise, or else the bring-in must
be treated as
live in the same way
as a blind, so that the player is guaranteed his right to raise on
the first betting round (the "option") if all other players
call.
Post
Some cash games, especially with blinds, require a new player to
post when joining a game already in progress.
Posting in this context means putting an amount equal to the big
blind or the minimum bet into the pot before the deal. This amount
is also called a "dead blind". The post is a "live" bet, meaning
that the amount can be applied towards a call or raise when it is
the player's turn to act.
A player who is away from his seat and misses one or more blinds is
also required to post to reenter the game. In this case, the amount
to be posted is the amount of the big or small blind, or both, at
the time the player missed them. If both must be posted immediately
upon return, the big blind amount is "live", but the small blind
amount is "dead", meaning that it cannot be considered in
determining a call or raise amount by that player. Some house rules
allow posting one blind per hand, largest first, meaning all posts
of missed blinds are live.
Posting is usually not required if the player who would otherwise
post happens to be in the big blind. This is because the advantage
that would otherwise be gained by missing the blind, that of
playing several hands before having to pay blinds, is not the case
in this situation. It is therefore common for a new player to
lock up a seat and then wait
several hands before joining a table, or for a returning player to
sit out several hands until the big blind comes back around, so
that he may enter in the big blind and avoid paying the post. For
this same reason, only one set of missed blinds can be accumulated
by the player; old missed blinds are removed when the big blind
returns to that player's seat because the player was never in any
position to gain from missing the blinds.
In
online poker it is common for the
post to be equal in size to a big blind and to be live, just like
the big blind. This can create a tactical advantage for the player
if he chooses not to play during the time he would otherwise spend
in the blind in
full ring
games.
Straddle and sleeper bets
A
straddle bet is an optional and voluntary blind bet made
by a player after posting the small and big blinds, but before
cards are dealt. Straddles are typically used only in cash games
played with fixed blind structures. Straddles are normally not
permitted in tournament formats. The purpose of a straddle is to
"buy" the privilege of last action, which on the first round with
blinds is normally the player in the big blind. A straddle or
sleeper blind may count as a raise towards the maximum number of
raises allowed, or it may count separately; in the latter case this
raises the maximum total bet of the first round.
For example,
straddling is permitted in Las Vegas but illegal in
Atlantic
City
on account of differences in state and local
laws.
Live straddle
The player immediately to the left of the big blind ("under the
gun") may place a
live straddle blind bet. The straddle
must be the size of a normal raise over the big blind. A straddle
is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively becomes
the "bigger blind". Action begins with the player to the left of
the straddle. If action returns to the straddle without a raise,
the straddle has the option to raise. (This is part of what makes a
straddle different from a
sleeper because a sleeper does
not have the option to raise if everyone folds or calls around to
him.) The player to the left of a live straddle may
re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original
straddle. Depending on house rules, each re-straddle is often
required to be double the previous straddle, so as to limit the
number of feasible re-straddles.
Mississippi straddle
A
Mississippi straddle is similar to a live straddle, but
instead of being made by the player "under the gun", it can be made
by any player, depending on house rules.
House rules permitting
Mississippi straddles are common in the southern United States.
Like a live straddle, a Mississippi straddle must be at least the
minimum raise. Action begins with the player to the left of the
straddle. If, for example (in a game with $10–25 blinds), the
button puts a live $50 on it, the first player to act would be the
small blind, followed by the big blind, and so on. If action gets
back to the straddle with no raise, the straddle has the option of
raising. The player to the left of a Mississippi straddle may
re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original
straddle.
Sleepers
A
sleeper is a blind raise, made from a position other
than the player "under the gun". A Mississippi straddle is a
sleeper raise given this definition, but Mississippi straddles can
be disallowed or restricted while sleepers are allowed at any
position. A sleeper bet is not given the option to raise if other
players call, and the player is not buying last action; thus the
sleeper bet simply establishes a higher minimum to call for the
table during the opening round and allows the player to ignore his
turn as long as no-one re-raises the sleeper bet.
Sleepers are often considered illegal out-of-turn play and are
commonly disallowed, but they can speed up a game slightly as a
player who posts a sleeper can focus his attention on other matters
such as ordering a drink or buying a tray of chips. It can also be
an intimidation tactic as a sleeper raise makes it unfeasible to
"limp in" (a situation where a player with a mediocre starting hand
but acting late only has to call the minimum to see more cards),
thus forcing weaker but improvable starting hands out of the
play.
Examples
A game of no-limit poker with blinds of $1/$2. Alice is in the
small blind, Bob is in the big blind, Carol is next to act,
followed by David, with Ellen on the button.
- Straddle: Alice posts $1, Bob posts $2, Carol posts a straddle
of $4. The hole cards are dealt. Because of the straddle, David is
now first to act; he folds. Ellen calls the straddle. Alice folds.
Bob, the big blind, calls the straddle by putting an additional $2
in the pot. Carol has the option of checking or raising; she makes
a raise of $8. Ellen folds. Bob calls the raise, ending betting on
this round.
- Mississippi straddle: Alice posts $1, Bob posts $2, Ellen, on
the button, posts a Mississippi straddle of $4. Because of the
straddle, Alice, the small blind, is now first to act; she folds.
Bob calls the straddle by putting an additional $2 in the pot.
Carol folds. David calls the straddle. Ellen has the option of
checking or raising; she checks, ending betting on this round.
- Sleeper: Alice posts $1, Bob posts $2, and David posts a
sleeper blind of $4. The hole cards are dealt. Carol acts first as
last action remains with the big blind, but the bet to her is $4.
She calls. There is no additional bet to David and he has no
option, so play passes over him to Ellen. She calls the $4 as well.
Alice folds. Bob, in the big blind, no longer has the option
either; he must either call $2, raise, or fold. He raises by $4
(total bet is now $8). Carol re-raises to $12. The bet is now $8 to
David, who must now call, raise or fold; he calls, as do Ellen and
Bob, ending the betting round.
Limits
Betting limits apply to the amount a player may open or raise, and
come in four common forms:
no limit,
pot limit
(the two collectively called
big bet poker),
fixed limit, and
spread limit.
All such games have a minimum bet as well as the stated maximums,
and also commonly a
betting unit, which is the
smallest denomination in which bets can be made. For example, it is
common for games with $20 and $40 betting limits to have a minimum
betting unit of $5, so that all bets must be in multiples of $5, to
simplify game play. It is also common for some games to have a
bring-in that is less than the minimum for other bets. In this
case, players may either call the bring-in, or raise to the full
amount of a normal bet, called
completing the
bet.
Fixed limit
In a game played with a
fixed-limit betting
structure, a player chooses only whether to bet or not - the amount
is fixed by rule. To enable the possibility of
bluff and
protection, the fixed amount generally
doubles at some point in the game. This double wager amount is
referred to as a
big
bet.
- For example, a four-round game called "20 and 40 limit"
(usually written as $20/$40) may specify that each bet in the first
two rounds is $20, and that each big
bet used in the third and fourth rounds is $40. This
amount applies to each raise, not the total amount bet in a round,
so a player may bet $20, be raised $20, and then re-raise another
$20, for a total bet of $60, in such a game.
Maximum number of raises
Most fixed-limit games will not allow more than a predefined number
of raises in a betting round. The maximum number of raises depends
on the casino
house rules, and is
usually posted conspicuously in the card room. Typically, an
initial bet plus either three or four raises are allowed.
- Consider this example in a $20/$40 game, with a posted limit of
a bet and three raises. During a $20 round with three players, play
could proceed as follows:
- * Player A bets $20.
- * Player B puts in another bet, raises another $20, making it
$40 to play.
- * Player C puts in a third bet, raising another $20 on that,
thus making it $60 to play.
- * Player A puts in the fourth bet (she is usually said to
cap the betting).
- Once Player A has made her final bet, Players B and C may only
call another two and one bets (respectively); they may not raise
again because the betting is capped.
A common exception in this rule practiced in some card rooms is to
allow unlimited raising when a pot is played
heads up (when only two players are in
the hand at the start of the betting round). Usually, this has
occurred because all other players have folded, and only two
remain, although it is also practiced when only two players get
dealt in. Many card rooms will permit these two players to continue
re-raising each other until one player is
all
in.
Kill game
Sometimes a fixed-limit game is played as a
kill
game. In such a game, a
kill hand is
triggered when a player wins a pot over a certain predetermined
amount, or when the player wins a certain number of consecutive
hands. The player triggering the kill must post a
kill
blind, generally either 1.5 times (a
half
kill) or double (a
full kill) the amount
of the big blind. In addition, the betting limits for the kill hand
are multiplied by 1.5 or doubled, respectively.
The term
kill, when used in this context, should
not be confused with
killing a hand, which is a term used
for a hand that was made a
dead
hand by action of a game official.
Spread limit
A game played with a
spread-limit betting
structure allows a player to raise any amount within a specified
range.
- For example, a game called "one to five limit" allows each bet
to be anywhere from $1 to $5 (subject to other betting rules).
These limits are typically larger in later rounds of multi-round
games. For example, a game might be "one to five, ten on the end",
meaning that early betting rounds allow bets of $1 to $5, and the
last betting round allows bets of $1 to $10.
Playing spread-limit requires some care to avoid giving easy tells
with one's choice of bets. Beginners frequently give themselves
away by betting high with strong hands and low with weak ones, for
instance. It is also harder to force other players out with big
bets.
There is a variation of this known as "California Spread," where
the range is much higher, such as 3-100 or 10-1000. The maximum
buy-in is the size of the limit, so a 3-100 game would have a $100
maximum buy-in. This effectively makes the first hand no limit.
California Spread, as the name implies, is played in California
where local laws forbid no limit.
Pot limit
| TABLE 1 |
| ACTION |
POT SIZE |
| $20 from first round |
$20 Starting Pot |
| Player A bets $5 |
$20 Starting Pot$ 5 Player A's Bet
———
$25 New Pot Total |
| Player B declares "Pot" |
$20 Starting Pot
$ 5 Player A's Bet
$ 5 Player B's Call*
———
$30 Pot
$30 Player B's Raise*
———
$60 New Pot Total
(*these amounts total $35,
Player B's Pot Raise)
|
| Player C Calls |
$20 Starting Pot
$ 5 Player A's Bet
$35 Player B's Pot Raise
$35 Player C's Call
———
$95 New Pot Total |
| Player D Declares "Pot" |
$20 Starting Pot
$ 5 Player A's Bet
$35 Player B's Pot Bet
$35 Player C's Call
$35 Player D's Call*
———
$130 Pot
$130 Player D's Raise*
———
$260 New Pot Total
(*these amounts total $165
Player D's Pot Raise)
|
Players A Folds;
Players B and C Call
|
$20 Starting Pot
$ 5 Player A's Bet
$ 35 Player B's Pot Bet
$ 35 Player C's Call
$165 Player D's Pot Raise
$ 0 Player A Folds
$130 Player B's Call
$130 Player C Calls
———
$520 New Pot Total |
In a
pot-limit game no player can raise more than
the size of the total pot, which includes:
- Chips collected from previous betting rounds (Starting
pot)
- Previous action in the current betting round (Trail)
- A call from the player making the raise
This does not preclude a player from raising less than the maximum
so long as the amount of the raise is equal to or greater than any
previous bet or raise in the same betting round.
Making a maximum raise is referred to as "raising the pot", or
"potting", and can be announced by the acting player by declaring
"Raise pot", or simply "Pot".
- ::Imagine if all the players put their bets into the middle
of the table as they made
- ::them (known as 'splashing the pot') and when it's
the last player's turn to act, he
- ::said, "I call," threw his call in with the rest, then
said, "and I raise the pot."
- ::The dealer would then count how much money is in the
middle, and the player
- ::making the raise would have to match that
amount.
- ::What a mess!!
- ::But that's what declaring "Pot" actually means, without
being accused of making
- ::a string
bet.
- If there is $20 in the pot at the start of a betting round in a
$2/$5 pot limit game, and Player A bets $5, player B may "raise the
pot" and wager $35 creating a new pot total of $60. This is derived
from the $20 previous round action, Player A's $5 bet, Player B's
$5 call, and player B's $30 Pot Raise ($20+$5+$5+$30=$60). Bear in
mind, however, that $60 is the new pot, player B's "Pot"
declaration will cost him $35. (These actions, with additional
follow-up wagering, are laid out in Table '1' on the right.)
Only pot limit games allow the dealer, on request, to inform the
players of the pot size and the amount of a pot raise before it's
made. The dealer is also required to push any amount over the
maximum raise back to the offending player. Keeping track of those
numbers can be harrowing if the action becomes heated, but there
are simple calculations which allow a dealer, or player, to keep
track of the maximum raise amount. Here is a good example:
-
::(3L+T)+S=M
- :where:
- ::L=last wager T=trail(action
prior to previous bet) S=starting pot(previous
round action) and M=maximum raise
Going to player D's actions in TABLE 1 on the right:
- :The last wager made was made by Player C ($35), so
L=$35
- :The trail is the total of Player A+Player B ($5+$35), so
T=$40
- :The starting pot is $20, so S=$20
- :The value of M(maximum raise) is $165
-
::(35*3)+40+20=$165
After some practice, it is not difficult to keep up with the action
at the table.
There may be some variance between cash and tournament play in pot
limit betting structures, which should be noted:
- At some cash tables, it may not be a requirement that
the dealer immediately return the extra amount of an overbet. If
the over bet is not contested by a player before any additional
action, the wager stands. If the overbet is contested, the dealer
must know the overage amount, and return it to the offending
player. This is something to find out before sitting at the
table.
- Tournaments use a "True Pot" method of calculations, where the
first round maximum raise to the first acting player is seven times
the small blind. The blinds in a cash game, however, may not be a
half and full bet (e.g. $2/$5) making the calculations run awry. In
these cases a modification known as "Assumed Call" is used. Using
an assumed call, the maximum raise to the first acting player in
the first round is four times the big blind. Simply
enough, the pot is treated as if the small blind had called, even
if that player folded, to keep the pot's math more manageable.
Because the calculations can be confusing, especially as tournament
blind levels increase, major tournaments will include the amount of
the small blind, big blind, minimum raise and maximum raise with
the printed blind schedule and/or display them on the tournament
timer.
There can be some confusion about the small blind. Some (usually
home) games treat the small blind as dead money that is pulled into
the center pot. In a $10/$25 pot limit game, the small blind puts
$10 into the pot before the cards are dealt. Using the dead money
reasoning, the small blind would put another $25 into the pot to
call the big blind, for a total of $35. The big blind might then
check for $25, which would enable that player to win out of
proportion to his wager.
- ::At a four player table, the big blind puts up $25, and
the small blind puts up $10 which is immediately
- ::drawn into the pot as dead money. The first two
players to act fold, and the small blind calls $25 to
- ::the big blind, making the small blind's total wager thus
far $35. In the second betting round, the small
- ::blind checks, and the big blind bets $25. The
small blind folds, and the big blind gets the $60 pot.
- ::The big blind wagered $25, and won $35 from the small
blind!!
This is not equitable; It is simple enough to consider that the
small blind has made a half bet and must complete that bet for $15
to call or raise, or fold for
$10.
No limit
A game played with a
no-limit betting structure
allows each player to raise the bet by any amount up to and
including his entire remaining stake at any time (subject to the
table stakes rules and any other rules about raising). There is
generally a minimum opening bet, and raises usually must be at
least the amount of the previous raise.
Cap Limit
Hands in a
cap limit or "capped" structure are
played exactly the same as in regular no limit or pot limit games
until a pre-determined maximum per player is reached. Once the
betting cap is reached, all players left in the hand are considered
all-in, and the remaining
cards dealt out with no more wagering.
For Example, in a $1/$2 NL ($60 cap):
- Player A bets $2. Player 'B' raises to $10.
Player C can then raise to a max of $60, and players A & B
can call the $60 wager ($58 and $50 respectively). There
would be no further wagering, and the winner would collect
$180.
Cap limit games offer a similar action and strategy to no limit and
pot limit games, but without risking an entire stack on a single
hand.
Table stakes rules
All
casinos and many home games play
poker by what are called
table stakes
rules, which state that each player starts each deal with a certain
stake, and plays that deal with that stake. A player may not remove
money from the table or add money from his or her pocket during the
play of a hand. In essence, table stakes rules creates a maximum
and a minimum buy-in amount for cash game poker as well as rules
for adding and removing the stake from play. A player also may not
take a portion of their money or stake off the table, unless they
opt to leave the game and remove their entire stake from play.
Players are not allowed to hide or misrepresent the amount of their
stake from other players and must truthfully disclose the amount
when asked.
Common among inexperienced players is the act of
"going south" after
winning a big pot, which is to take a portion of your stake out of
play, often as an attempt to
hedge
one's risk after a win. This is also known as "ratholing" or
"reducing" and, while totally permissible in most other casino
games, is not permitted in poker.
Table stakes are the rule in most cash poker games because it
allows players with vastly different bankrolls a reasonable amount
of protection when playing with one another. They are usually set
in relation to the
blinds. For
example, in a $1/2 No Limit cash game, the minimum stake is often
set at $40 while maximum stake is often set at $200, or 20 and 100
big blinds respectively.
This also requires some special rules to handle the case when a
player is faced with a bet that he cannot call with his available
stake.
"All in"
When a player is faced with a current bet amount that he has
insufficient remaining stake to call and he wishes to call (he may
of course fold without the need of special rules), he bets the
remainder of his stake and declares himself
all
in. He may now hold onto his cards for the remainder of
the deal as if he had called every bet, but he may not win any more
money from any player above the amount of his bet. In no-limit
games, a player may also open the betting by going all in, that is,
betting his entire stack.
A player who goes "all-in" effectively caps the main pot; the
player is not entitled to win any amount over his/her total stake.
If only one other player is still in the hand, the other player
simply matches the all-in (retracting any overage if necessary) and
the hand is dealt to completion. However, if multiple players
remain in the game and the bet rises beyond the all-in's stake, the
overage goes into a
side pot. Only the players who
have contributed to the side pot have the chance to win it. In the
case of multiple all-in bets, multiple side pots can be
created.
- For example, with three players in a game, Player A, with a
large stack, opens the betting round for $20. Player B only has
$10. She calls the $10, going all in. Player C has $30, and thus
can either call the full $20, re-raise to $30, or fold. Player C
decides to "re-raise all-in" by betting his remaining stake. The
bet is now $10 to Player A, who calls. Player A is the only player
at the table with a remaining stake; he may not make any further
bets this hand. Because Player B can only win $10 from each of the
other two players' $30 bets, that $10 is taken from all players'
bets and the $30 total is placed in the main pot. The $40
remaining, for which Players A and C are separately contesting,
goes in a side pot. As no further bets can be made, the hand is now
dealt to completion. It is found that Player B has the best hand
overall, and wins the main pot. Player A has the second-best hand,
and wins the side pot. Player C loses the hand, and must "re-buy"
if he wishes to be dealt in on subsequent hands.
There is a strategic advantage to being all in: a player cannot be
bluff, because he is entitled to hold
his cards and see the showdown without risking any more money.
Opponents who continue to bet after the player is all in can still
bluff each other out of the side pot, which is also to the player's
advantage since players who fold out of the side pot also reduce
his competition for the main pot. But these advantages are offset
by the disadvantage that the player cannot win any more money than
his stake can cover when he has the best hand, nor can that player
bluff other players on subsequent betting rounds when he does not
have the best hand.
Some players may choose to buy into games with a "short stack", a
stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being
played, with the intention of going all in after the flop and not
having to make any further decisions. However, this is generally a
non-optimal strategy in the long-term, since the player does not
maximize his gains on his winning hands.
All-in before the deal
If a player does not have sufficient money to cover the ante and
blinds due, that player is automatically all-in for the coming
hand. Any money the player holds must be applied to the ante first,
and if the full ante is covered, the remaining money is applied
towards the blind.
If a player is all in for part of the ante, or the exact amount of
the ante, an equal amount of every other player's ante is placed in
the main pot, with any remaining fraction of the ante and all
blinds and further bets in the side pot.
If a player is all in for part of a blind, all antes go into the
main pot. Players to act must call the complete amount of the big
blind to call, even if the all-in player has posted less than a
full big blind. At the end of the betting round, the bets and calls
will be divided into the main pot and side pot as usual.
- For example, Alice is playing at a table with 10 players in a
tournament with an ante of $1 and blinds of $4/$8. Alice is due the
big blind but she only has $8. She must pay the $1 ante and apply
the remaining $7 towards the big blind, and she is all in. Bob,
next to act, calls $8, the full big blind amount. Carol raises to
$16 total. All remaining players fold, the small blind folds, and
Bob folds. The amount in the main pot is $10 (the sum of all antes)
plus the full $4 small blind since Alice had this amount covered,
plus $7 from Alice and every other player who called at least that
amount, namely Bob and Carol. The main pot is therefore
$10+$4+$21=$35. The side pot of $10 ($1 in excess of Alice's all-in
bet from Bob, and $9 in excess of Alice's all-in bet from Carol) is
paid immediately to Carol when Bob folds.
Incomplete bet or raise
If a player goes all in with a bet or raise rather than a call,
another special rule comes into play. There are two options in
common use: pot-limit and no-limit games usually use what is called
the
full bet rule, while fixed-limit and
spread-limit games may use either the full bet rule or the
half bet rule. The full bet rule states that if
the amount of an all-in bet is less than the minimum bet, or if the
amount of an all-in raise is less than the full amount of the
previous raise, it does not constitute a "real" raise, and
therefore does not reopen the betting action. The half bet rule
states that if an all-in bet or raise is equal to or larger than
half the minimum amount, it does constitute a raise and reopens the
action.
- For example, with the full bet rule in effect, a player opens
the betting round for $20, and the next player has a total stake of
$30. He may raise to $30, declaring himself all in, but this does
not constitute a "real" raise, in the following sense: if a third
player now calls the $30, and the first player's turn to act comes
up, he may now call the additional $10, but he does not have the
right to re-raise further. The all-in player's pseudo-raise was
really just a call with some extra money, and the third player's
call was just a call, so the initial opener's bet was simply called
by both remaining players, closing the betting round (even though
he must still equalize the money by putting in the additional $10).
If the half bet rule were being used, then that raise would count
as a genuine raise and the first player would be entitled to
re-raise if he chose to (creating a side pot for the amount of his
re-raise and the third player's call, if any).
In a game with a half bet rule, a player may
complete an incomplete raise, if that player still
has the right to raise (in other words, if that player has not yet
acted in the betting round, or has not yet acted since the last
full bet or raise). The act of completing a bet or raise reopens
the betting to other remaining opponents.
- For example, four players are in a hand, playing with a limit
betting structure and a half bet rule. The current betting round is
$20. Alice checks, and Bob checks. Carol goes all-in for $5. David,
still to act, has the following options: fold, call $5, or complete
the bet to a total of $20. If David calls the $5, Alice and Bob
only have the option of calling or folding; neither can raise. But
if David completes, either of them could raise.
Opening all-in hands
When all players in the pot are all-in, or one player is playing
alone against opponents who are all all-in, no more betting can
take place. Some casinos and many major tournaments require that
all players still involved
open, or immediately
reveal, their hole cards in this case—the dealer will not continue
dealing until all hands are flipped up. Likewise, any other cards
that would normally be dealt face down, such as the final card in
seven-card stud, may be dealt
face-up. Such action is automatic in
online
poker. This rule discourages a form of tournament collusion
called "chip dumping", in which one player deliberately loses his
chips to another to give that player a greater chance of
winning.
Open stakes
The alternative to table stakes rules is called "open stakes", in
which players are allowed to buy more chips during the hand and
even to borrow money (often called "going light"). Open stakes are
most commonly found in home or private games. In casinos, players
are sometimes allowed to buy chips at the table during a hand, but
are never allowed to borrow money or use IOUs. Other casinos,
depending on protocol for buying chips, prohibit it as it slows
gameplay considerably.
Open stakes is the older form of stakes rules, and before "all-in"
betting became commonplace, a large bankroll meant an unfair
advantage; raising the bet beyond what a player could cover in cash
gave the player only two options; buy a larger stake (borrowing if
necessary) or fold. This is commonly seen in period-piece movies
such as Westerns, where a player bets personal possessions or even
wagers property against another player's much larger cash
bankroll.
In modern open-stakes rules, a player may go all in in exactly the
same manner as in table stakes if he so chooses, rather than adding
to his stake or borrowing.Because it is a strategic advantage to go
all in with some hands while being able to add to your stake with
others, such games should strictly enforce a minimum buy-in that is
several times the maximum bet (or blinds, in the case of a no-limit
or pot-limit game).A player who goes all in and wins a pot that is
less than the minimum buy-in may not then add to his stake or
borrow money during any future hand until he re-buys an amount
sufficient to bring his stake up to a full buy-in.
If a player cannot or does not wish to go all-in, he or she may
instead choose to buy chips with cash
out-of-pocket at any time, even
during the play of a hand, and his bets are limited only by the
specified betting structure of the game.
Finally, a player may also borrow money by betting with an IOU,
called a "marker", payable to the winner of the pot. In order to
bet with a marker,
all players still active in the pot
must agree to accept the marker. Some clubs and house rules forbid
IOUs altogether. If the marker is not acceptable, the bettor may
bet with cash out-of-pocket or go all-in.A player may also borrow
money from a player not involved in the pot, giving him a personal
marker in exchange for cash or chips, which the players in the pot
are then compelled to accept.A player may borrow money in order to
call a bet during a hand, and later in the same hand go all-in in
the face of further betting; but if a player borrows money in order
to raise, he forfeits the right to go all-in later in that same
hand--if he is re-raised, he
must borrow money to call, or
fold.
Just as in table stakes, no player may remove chips or cash from
the table once they are put in play (except small amounts for
refreshments, tips, and such)--this includes all markers, whether
one's own or those won from other players.
Players should agree before play on the means and time limits of
settling markers, and a convenient amount below which all markers
must be accepted to simplify play.
See also
Notes
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