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Hold'Em

Texas Holdem (or simply, "Holdem") is the most popular poker game in the casinos and poker card rooms across the World. Driven by the popularity of big events such as the World Poker Tour and the World Series Of Poker, playing Texas Hold'em has become a big enough pastime that many people have begun playing it all over the planet.

Before you begin playing Texas Holdem however, you'll want to learn the rules first. In Texas Hold'em, each poker player is dealt two cards (known as "hole cards") that belong only to that player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the "board". All players in the game use these cards in conjunction with their own hole cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand. To view the rankings of poker hands, visit our poker hand strenght page.

The three major variations of Texas Holdem are distinguished from each other by their betting limits:

* Limit Texas Holdem: There is a specified betting limit in each game and on each round of betting.
* No Limit Texas Holdem: A player can bet all of his chips at any time.
* Pot Limit Texas Holdem: A player can bet what is in the pot.

How to Play Texas Holdem

In Texas Holdem, a disc called "the button" indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise the button posts the "small blind", typically half a small bet (for example, $1 in a $2/$4 game). The player immediately clockwise from the small blind posts the "big blind", which is always a full small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game). Now each player receives his or her two hole cards.

Pre-Flop.

After seeing his or her pocket cards, each player now has the option to play his or her hand by calling or raising the big blind. As mentioned before, the big blind is the size of a full small bet. Thus in a $2/$4 Texas Hold'em game, it would cost $2 to call in this initial round of betting (known as the "pre-flop").

In Texas Holdem the available actions are bet, call or raise. These options are available depending on the action taken by the previous player. Each poker player always has the option to fold. The first player to act has the option to bet, call or raise. Subsequent players have the option of calling or raising. To call is to bet the same amount as the previous player has bet. To raise is to match the previous bet and increase the bet.

Now, the "flop" is dealt face-up on the board. The flop consists of the first three community poker cards available to all active players. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button. All bets and raises occur in small bets (increments of $2 in a $2/$4 game). The same rules apply from above to complete this round of poker betting.

Note: The betting structure varies with different variations of the game. Explanations of the betting action in limit holdem, no-limit holdem, and pot-limit holdem can be found below.

The Flop.

Now three cards are dealt face-up on the board - this is known as the flop. In Texas Hold'em, the three cards on the flop are community cards available to all players still in the hand. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise of the button. All bets and raises occur in small bets (increments of $2 in a $2/$4 game).

When betting action is completed for the flop round, the "turn" is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in a Texas Hold'em poker game. Play begins with the active online player immediately clockwise the button. On this round, Same rules apply as above except that poker betting doubles from the small bet to the big bet. In a $2/$4 game, betting on the turn is done in $4 increments.

The Turn

When the betting action is completed for the flop round, the "turn" is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in Texas Hold'em. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise of the button. On this round, the betting doubles from the small bet to the big bet. Thus, in a $2/$4 game, betting on the turn is upped to $4 bets.

The River

When betting action is completed for the turn round, the "river" is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in a Texas Hold em game. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button and the same poker rules apply as they do in the fourth card explained above.

The Showdown.

If there is more than one remaining poker player when the final betting round is complete playing Texas Hold'em, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player immediately clockwise the button shows his or her cards first. The player with the best five-card hand wins the Texas Hold'em pot. In the event of identical hands, the poker pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands.

At the end of the final betting round, if there is more than one remaining poker player, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards first. If there was no bet on the final round, the player immediately clockwise the button shows his or her cards first. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. Texas Hold'em rules state that all suits are equal, so split pots are more common than in other variations of poker.

After the pot is awarded, a new game of Texas Hold'em is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player and new hands are dealt to each player.

Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit Holdem.

Texas Hold'em rules remain the same for limit, no limit and pot limit poker games, with a few exceptions:

Limit Texas Hold'em

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 (final raise), but in No Limit Texas Hold'em and Pot Limit Texas Hold'em there is no limit to the number of raises that a player can make.

No Limit Texas Hold'em

Minimum raise: In no limit Texas Hold'em, 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 $5 then the second player must raise a minimum of $5 (total bet of $10).

Maximum eligible raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table).

Pot 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 $5 then the second player must raise a minimum of $5 (total bet of $10).

Maximum raise: The size of the poker pot, which is defined as the total of the active pot plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.

Omaha

Omaha poker is an exciting game derived from Texas Holdem. Each player is dealt four cards ("hole cards") which belong only to that poker player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the "board". All players use three of the five community cards together with two of their hole cards to make the best five-card poker hand. Follow this link to view the rankings of Omaha poker hands.

Types of Omaha Poker Games

* Limit Omaha Poker - There is a specific betting limit applied in each game and on each round of betting.
* Pot Limit Omaha Poker - A player can bet what is in the pot (ie, $100 into a $100 pot).

Below is an explanation on how to play limit Omaha. The rules for pot limit Omaha are the same as limit Omaha, with the exception of the different bettting structures between them.

How to Play Omaha Poker

In Omaha poker, a disc also known as "the button", serves to indicate which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise the button posts the "small blind", typically half a small bet (for example, $1 in a $2/$4 Omaha game). The player immediately clockwise the small blind posts the "big blind", which is always a full small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 Omaha game). Now, each player receives his or her four hole cards. Betting action proceeds around the table, starting with the player immediately clockwise the big blind.

Now, the "flop" is dealt face-up on the board. The flop is the first three community cards available to all active players. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button. All bets and raises occur in small bets (increments of $2 in a $2/$4 game).

When betting action is completed for the flop round, the "turn" is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in an Omaha game. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button. On this round of Omaha, betting doubles from the small bet to the big bet. In a $2/$4 game, betting on the turn is done in $4 increments.

When betting action is completed for the turn round, the "river" is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in Omaha poker. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player immediately clockwise the button shows his or her cards. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. In Omaha poker, players must use two and only two of their four hole poker cards in combination with three of the cards from the board. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands.

After the pot is awarded, a new Omaha poker game is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player.

Omaha Hi/Lo

Owing to its frequently large pots, Omaha Hi Lo (also called "Omaha High Low" or "Omaha 8 or Better") has quickly become a hugely popular game in North America and Europe. Each player in an Omaha Hi Lo game is dealt four cards ("hole cards") that belong only to that player. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the "board". All players use two cards from their four hole cards in conjunction with three cards from the board to make the best five-card poker hand possible. The pot is divided between the best hand for high and the best hand for low - hence the name, Omaha Hi Lo. Visit the poker hands page to view the rankings of hands in Omaha Hi Lo.

Note that Omaha Hi Lo is played with an "8 or better" qualifier, which means that a hand must be at worst an 8 for low to be eligible to win the low portion of the pot. Low hands in Omaha HiLo are determined in exactly the same way they're determined in 7 Card Stud Hi Lo. Types of Omaha Hi Lo Games

Omaha Hi Lo can be played in the following formats:

* Limit Omaha Hi Lo - Specific betting limit applied in each game and on each round of betting.
* Pot Limit Omaha Hi Lo - Bets are limited to the amount of chips in the pot.
* No Limit Omaha Hi Lo - A player can bet all of the chips he has available.

Rules for Playing Omaha Hi Lo

In Omaha Hi Lo poker, a disc also known as "the button", indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise the button posts the "small blind", typically half a small bet (for example, $1 in a $2/$4 Omaha Hi Lo game). The player immediately clockwise the small blind posts the "big blind", which is always a full small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 omaha Hi Lo game). Now, each player receives his or her four hole cards. Betting action proceeds around the table, starting with the player on the immediately clockwise the big blind.

Now, the "flop" is dealt face-up on the board. The flop is the first three community cards available to all active players. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button. All bets and raises occur in small bets (increments of $2 in a $2/$4 game).

When betting action is completed for the flop round, the "turn" is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in an Omaha Hi Lo game. Play begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button. On this round, betting doubles from the small bet to the big bet. In a $2/$4 game, betting on the turn is done in $4 increments.

When betting action is completed for the turn round, the "river" is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in an Omaha Hi Lo game. Betting begins with the active player immediately clockwise the button.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player immediately clockwise the button shows his or her cards first. The player with the best five-card hand for high wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low wins the other half. In Omaha, players must use two and only two of their four hole cards in combination with three cards from the board. In the event of identical hands, the high and low shares of the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand(s) for high wins the pot.

After the pot is awarded, a new Omaha Hi Lo game is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player.

Stud

Possibly the most well-known poker game in the world, seven card stud poker is a classic poker game which can take a lifetime to master. In Seven Card Stud, players are dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card poker hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Follow this link to view the rankings of Seven Card Stud poker hands: poker hand rankings.

Unlike Texas Holdem and Omaha poker, Seven card stud poker is only played with a limit betting structure. There is no pot limit or no limit type of betting for Seven card stud poker.

Rules for Seven Card Stud

Before a game of 7 card stud poker begins, all players ante a nominal amount (see Limits page for exact ante amounts). Each player is dealt two hidden hole cards and one exposed card. The player with the lowest exposed card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make a wager of either a half a small bet or a full small bet (for example, either $1 or $2 in a $2/$4 game). Action continues clockwise around the table until betting is complete for the round.

Note: For the purposes of determining the bring-in, ties in Seven Card Stud poker card rank are broken by suit, with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (in descending order).

Each player now receives an exposed card, called "Fourth Street". The first player to act is the individual whose exposed stud cards have the highest poker value. This player may either check or bet. If no player shows a pair amongst his or her exposed cards, the bet will be a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game). If any player shows a pair, the betting can be opened for a big bet ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Fifth Street". Again the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards has the highest stud poker value.

Note: Starting on Fifth Street and for the rest of the hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each poker player now receives another exposed card, called "Sixth Street". Again, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

Each player now receives a seventh and final card (hence, 7 card stud), which is dealt face-down and known only to the player to whom the card is dealt. The first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

If there is more than one remaining stud player when the final betting round is complete, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player whose exposed cards have the highest poker value shows his or her cards first.

The player with the best five-card stud poker hand wins the pot. In the event of identical poker hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands.

After the pot is awarded, a new game of seven card stud poker is ready to be played.

Stud Hi/Lo

card stud hi lo is a technically demanding poker game where the best poker hands for the high and low split the pot at showdown. In 7 card stud hi lo poker, players are dealt 7 cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Visit our poker hand rankings page to see the ranking of hands for 7 card stud hi lo. Note that 7 card stud hi lo is played with an "8 or better" qualifier, which means that a hand must be, at worst, an 8 for low to be eligible to win the low portion of the pot. (Low hands in seven card stud high low are determined in the same way they're determined in Omaha 8 or better.)

Rules for Playing 7 Card Stud Hi Lo

Before a game of 7 card stud hi lo begins play, all stud players ante a nominal amount (see poker limits for the exact ante amounts). Each player is dealt two hidden hole cards and one exposed card. The player with the lowest exposed card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make a wager of either a half a small bet or a full small bet (for example, either $1 or $2 in a $2/$4 stud high low game). Action continues clockwise around the poker table until betting is complete for the round.

Rule Note: For the purposes of determining the bring-in in 7 card stud hi lo, ties in card rank are broken by suit, with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (in descending order).

Each poker player now receives an exposed card, called "Fourth Street". The first player to act is the individual whose exposed stud cards have the highest poker value. By rule, this player may either check or bet. If no player shows a pair amongst his or her exposed cards, the bet will be a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game). If any player shows a pair, the betting can be opened for a big bet ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Fifth Street". Again by rule, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed poker hand have the highest poker value.

Rule Note: Starting on Fifth Street and for the rest of the hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each poker player now receives another exposed card, called "Sixth Street". Again, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

Each player now receives a seventh and final card (hence the name 7 card stud), which is dealt face-down and known only to the player to whom the card is dealt. The first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete in 7 card stud hi lo, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player whose exposed cards have the highest poker value shows his or her cards first.

Showdown - Determining the Hi and Lo Winner

The player with the best five-card hand for the high ("Hi") wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low ("Lo") wins the other half of the pot. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand(s) for high wins the pot. Remember that in 7 card stud hi lo, the "8 or better" is still a requirement in order to win the low, so a player must have an unpaired five-card hand that consists of all cards less than or equal to the value of 8. Otherwise, there is no low if no player can meet this hand requirement. After the pot is awarded to the high and low hands, a new online game of 7 card stud hilo poker is ready to be played again.

Razz

Razz (7 card stud low) is a poker game in which the low poker hand wins the pot at showdown. In razz poker, players are dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Note that unlike seven card stud hi-lo or Omaha hi-lo, there is no "eight or better" requirement to win the pot in razz.

In razz, straights and flushes do not count against the "lowness" of a hand, and aces are low, so the best possible hand is a "wheel": 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The following razz hands are ranked from least powerful (#1, will rarely win the pot) to most powerful (#12, the nuts):

1. 3, 3, 3, 5, 5
2. K, K, 4, 3, 2
3. 2, 2, 7, 6, 5
4. A, A, T, 9, 8
5. K, Q, J, T, 9
6. K, Q, J, T, 7
7. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5
8. 9, 7, 6, 5, 3
9. 9, 7, 6, 5, A
10. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
11. 6, 4, 3, 2, A
12. 5, 4, 3, 2, A

Rules for Playing Razz

Before a game of razz begins play, all players ante a nominal amount (see poker limits for the exact ante amounts). Each player is dealt two hidden hole cards and one exposed card. The player with the highest exposed card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make a wager of either a half a small bet or a full small bet (for example, either $1 or $2 in a $2/$4 razz game). Action continues clockwise around the poker table until betting is complete for the round.

Rule Note: For the purposes of determining the bring-in in razz, ties in card rank are broken by suit, with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (in descending order). So if the queen of hearts and queen of diamonds are visible at the beginning of the hand, and a queen is the highest card, then the queen of hearts would have the bring-in.

Each player now receives an exposed card, called "Fourth Street". The first player to act is the individual whose exposed stud cards have the lowest poker value (ignoring straights and flushes). By rule, this player may either check or bet. The bet will be a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Fifth Street". Again by rule, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed poker hand have the lowest poker value (ignoring straights and flushes).

Rule Note: Starting on Fifth Street and for the rest of the hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Sixth Street". Again, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the lowest poker value.

Each player now receives a seventh and final card (hence the name 7 card stud), which is dealt face-down and known only to the player to whom the card is dealt. The first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the lowest poker value.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete in razz, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player whose exposed cards have the lowest poker value shows his or her cards first.

Showdown - Determining the Winner

The player with the best five-card razz hand wins the pot. Remember that (unlike 7 card stud hi-lo and Omaha hi-lo), there is no "qualifier"; the hand with the best value in razz order wins the entire pot. After the pot is awarded to the best hand, a new game of razz is ready to be played.

If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is equally split among them. There is no precedence of suit for the purposes of awarding the pot.

HORSE

HORSE is actually an acronym describing a combination of poker games:

* Hold'em
* Omaha high-low
* Razz (Seven card stud low)
* Stud (Seven card stud high)
* Eight-or-better (Seven card stud high-low)

The background of HORSE

In large cash games in brick-and-mortar casinos, the players often agree to play a mix of poker games rather than a single game. This reduces the edge that a single-game specialist has, and emphasizes a player's breadth across multiple versions of poker. Many people feel that HORSE and other mixed games are the best judge of a player's true poker ability. HORSE has also gotten a lot of publicity because it was added to the 2006 World Series as a $50,000 buy-in event - the largest buy-in event at the WSOP.

HORSE is one of many popular mixed game variants. HORSE is played as one "round" of each of its component games. It begins with limit hold'em, then limit Omaha high-low, razz (seven card stud low), seven card stud, and finally seven card stud high-low. When the seven-card stud high-low round is complete, the game goes back to limit hold'em, and so on.

When switching from Omaha high-low to Razz, the button is frozen. That way, when the game switches back to hold'em (after seven card stud high-low), nobody skips blinds or pays extra blinds.

All the component games in HORSE areplayed fixed limit - there are no pot-limit or no-limit games. The limits (such as $5-10) are kept throughout the game rotation, and you play $5-10 fixed limit hold'em, $5-10 fixed limit Omaha high-low, etc.