There are several different variations of poker
which all share the same basic fundamentals. A
few of the most popular variations are described
here. For in-depth rules of each individual game
please see the tutorial or game rules sections
on the poker sites you decide to join.
Texas Hold 'em
In Texas Hold'em, each player is given 2 pocket
cards. The game continues with a total of 5
community cards face up, first 3, then 1 after
the other. Between each deal there is a round of
betting.
Hold'em is played with two blinds (a bet before
the pocket cards are received). The first two
players after the dealer pay the blinds. The
small blind is posted by the first player and
the big blind by the second. In heads-up games,
the player seated after the dealer pays the big
blind. The first two betting rounds are played
with the lower limit while the last two rounds
of betting are played with the higher limit.
Omaha
Omaha is a poker game derived from Texas Hold’em.
Each player is dealt four cards ("hole cards"),
which belong only to that 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.
Omaha Hi/Lo
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.
For a five card hand to qualify for low, it
cannot include cards higher than 8 or contain
any pairs. Aces can be used for both high and
low. When comparing low hands, the winner is the
hand with the lowest high card, thus 3, 4, 5, 6,
7 is better than Ace, 2, 3, 4, 8. The best
possible low hand is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Seven Card Stud
In Seven Card Stud, 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.
Before a game of Seven Card Stud starts, all
players ante a nominal amount, for example $1 in
a $10-$20 game. 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.
In the unlikely event that all 8 players are
still in the hand on the river, the total number
of cards needed for all the players to receive
their own card would not be available in a
standard deck of cards. In this case the river
card is dealt face up on the table and it will
be used as a community card.
Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo
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 the event
that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand(s)
for high wins the pot.
