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Each player starts with two hole cards. There are three rounds of community cards. These are dealt face up, for every player to use, with betting after each round. The best 5-card hand using any combination of the five community cards and two hole cards wins. Each new hand begins with a small blind, a big blind, and a round of betting. The betting rules vary depending upon whether the game is Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit.
All Hold 'em games include a small blind and big blind. These are forced bets, and are determined by the position of the button. These bets are considered live, and every player in the hand must either call the big blind, raise, or fold. The button moves clockwise around the table, giving each player a turn being the button, small blind, and big blind.
In Pot Limit, a player can bet any amount from the minimum bet to the size of the pot. In a $5/$10 pot-limit game, the small blind is $5 and the big blind is $10. The first player can call the big blind (in this case, $10), or raise to any amount up to the size of the pot. A raise must either equal or exceed the previous bet or raise. In this case, a pot-sized raise would be $25 ($5 small blind + $10 big blind + $10 call), meaning that, in total, player three can bet up $35. Supposing player three makes a pot-sized raise, the total pot is now $50. If the next player wants into the hand, they must call $35, which is the size of player three's bet. If they want to raise the maximum, they would bet $120, which equals the size of the pot ($50) plus a $70 raise ($5 call + $35 raise). In No Limit, a player can bet any amount from the minimum bet to the maximum number of chips they have in front of them. As in pot limit, a $5/$10 No Limit game means blinds of $5 and $10. In Tournament Hold 'em, the blinds will increase after
timed intervals. And while Hold 'em generally does not
have antes, in tournaments, the later rounds will include
antes based upon the escalating betting limits. At the beginning of each hand, each player is dealt four hole cards. There is a small blind, a big blind, and a round of betting. In Pot Limit, a player can bet any amount from the minimum bet to the size of the pot. In a $5/$10 pot-limit game, the small blind is $5 and the big blind is $10. The first player can call the big blind (in this case, $10), or raise to any amount up to the size of the pot. A raise must either equal or exceed the previous bet or raise. In this case, a pot-sized raise would be $25 ($5 small blind + $10 big blind + $10 call), meaning that, in total, player three can bet up $35. Supposing player three makes a pot-sized raise, the total pot is now $50. If the next player wants into the hand, they must call $35, which is the size of player three's bet. If they want to raise the maximum, they would bet $120, which equals the size of the pot ($50) plus a $70 raise ($35 call + $35 raise).
All raises in all remaining rounds behave as described above.
This is important. Unlike Hold 'em, you cannot use just one card from your hand, nor can you play the board. For example: Your hand: Ah Kc Qc Jc The board: 3h 4h 5h 6h 7h You DO NOT have an ace-high nut flush, nor can you simply play the board for a straight flush. Using two cards from your hand, your best hand is: Ah Kc 7h 6h 5h In other words, you should have folded. To qualify for a low hand, you must have five distinct cards (no pairs), with no card higher than an 8. Remember, since you have to play two cards in your hand, the two cards in your hand and three on the board all need to be 8 or lower. Straights and flushes do not count against you. The best 5-card low hand is A-2-3-4-5 of any suit. The hand is "ranked" by starting with the highest low card. 7-4-3-2-1 would be considered a 7-low, and would lose to 6-4-3-2-1, a 6-low. If two players each have low hands with the same highest card, the next highest card determines the winner. 7-5-4-3-2 loses to 7-4-3-2-1. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot. Just as in the high version of Omaha, each player starts with four hole cards, and then the dealer places five cards face-up in the center of the table. These community cards are part of each player's hand, so each player has access to seven cards. The difference between Omaha high and Omaha Hi/Lo, is that in Omaha Hi/Lo each player can potentially have two different hands: a high hand and a low hand. Each player forms a five-card high hand by using only two (no more, no less, but they can be any two) of his hole cards together with only three (no more, no less, but they can be any three) of the five community cards. Each player forms a five-card low hand (if possible) by using only two (no more, no less, but they can be any two) of his hole cards together with only three (no more, no less, but they can be any three) of the five community cards. Both the high hand combination and the low hand combination can use the same set of cards, but they don't have to; in fact, usually they would not. Because of the qualifier restriction, if at least three
cards 8 or lower do not appear among the community cards,
a low hand is not possible. Each player starts with two hole cards and one upcard; there are then three more rounds of upcards, with betting after each card, and a final downcard, just as in stud. Each player ends up with seven cards: four face up and three face down. The player holding the best low hand using any five of their cards wins the pot. Aces are always low, and flushes and straights have no effect on the value of a hand. Also, it's good to remember that drawing a pair will not hurt your hand. The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5. Each new hand begins with every player putting an ante into the pot. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, each player would ante 40 cents. The ante is not like a blind, and does not count toward any future bets. In the first round, the betting starts with the player having the highest upcard. This is a forced bet, and the software will automatically put the specified minimum bet (called the bring-in) into the pot.
The betting on fourth street always proceeds at the lower limit. Unlike 7-card stud, an open pair does not affect the betting limit. All bets and raises on fourth street will be increments of the low-limit bet. For example, if the low limit bet is $5, it can be raised to $10, and then reraised to $15. On fifth street, the bets start at the higher limit, and remain at that limit through the final round of betting. After the last round of betting, the software will award
the pot to the best low hand. Each player starts with two hole cards and one upcard; there are then three more rounds of upcards, with betting after each card, and a final downcard, followed by a final betting round. Each player ends up with seven cards: four face up and three face down. The player holding the best hand using any five of their cards wins the pot. As in Hold 'em, aces play both high and low. Each new hand begins with every player putting an ante into the pot. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, each player would ante 40 cents. The ante is not like a blind, and does not count toward any future bets. On the first round, the betting starts with the player having the lowest upcard. This bet is a forced bet, and the software will automatically put the specified minimum bet (called the bring-in) into the pot. In a $2/$4 game, the bring-in would be $.50. Each player can then fold, call the bring-in, or complete the bet (that is, raise to the lower limit). Once the bring-in bet has been completed, there is a limit of three reraises. All future rounds have a three raise limit, as well.
The betting on fourth street normally proceeds at the lower limit. If, however, any board shows an open pair, any player may choose to bet or raise at the higher limit. Once a bet has been made at the higher limit, subsequent raises must be at the higher limit. For example, in a $2/$4 game, the betting in fourth street normally proceeds in increments of $2. If one of the players has an open pair, that player has a choice of betting either $2 or $4. If that player bets $2, any other player can call the $2, raise $2, or raise $4. Once a bet or raise of $4 has been made, the betting must proceed at $4 increments. On fifth street, the betting starts at the higher limit,
and remains at that limit through the final round of betting.
After the last round of betting, the software will award
the pot to the best hand. The betting, ante, and bring-in are exactly the same as in 7-card stud. At the showdown, the pot is split between the holder of the highest hand and the holder of the lowest hand, if the low hand qualifies. To qualify for a low hand, you must have five distinct cards (no pairs), with no card higher than an 8. Straights and flushes do not count against you. The best 5-card low hand is A-2-3-4-5 of any suit. The hand is "ranked" by starting with the highest low card. 7-4-3-2-1 would be considered a 7-low, and would lose to 6-4-3-2-1, a 6-low. If two players each have low hands with the same highest card, the next highest card determines the winner. 7-5-4-3-2 loses to 7-4-3-2-1. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot. The only betting difference is that fourth street does not offer an optional increase in the betting limit, regardless of any pairs on the board. In 7- card stud Hi/Lo, the first two betting rounds are always at the lower limit, and the last three always at the higher limit. Just as in the high version of 7-card stud, each player starts with two hole cards and one upcard; there are then three more rounds of upcards, with betting after each card, and a final downcard, followed by a final betting round. Each player ends up with seven cards: four face up and three face down. In 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, each player forms a high hand and, if possible, a qualifying low hand, using any five of his seven cards. Both the high hand combination and the low hand combination can use the same set of cards, but they don't have to. As in 7-Card Stud, aces play both high and low. You may use an ace as a high card for one hand, and as a low card for another. |
