Online Poker Tables

Heinz 57 Rules

2011-05-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Heinz 57 is played with the same rules as normal Five Card Draw poker except that fives and sevens are treated as wild cards. Traditional Five Card Draw poker has often been criticized as being too slow and boring because strong hands are so rare. With the addition of eight wild cards, Heinz 57 makes every hand an adventure.

Antes and Deal
Each hand in Heinz 57 begins with each player paying the ante, which is a forced bet that is roughly equal to 10% the size of the lower betting limit. The ante in a game with $10/$20 betting limits would be $1.00.

Some games may use a Hold'em-style blinds system instead of antes. In the blinds system, only two players must pay the antes each hand, but the cost is greater. The small blind sits to the left of the dealer and pays an amount equal to half the lower betting limit. The big blind sits to the left of the small blind and pays an amount equal to one small bet. Each hand, the responsibility to pay the big blind and small blind moves one seat to the left.

Each player is then dealt five cards face down, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and moving clockwise around the table. Each player receives one card at a time until everyone at the table has five cards.

First Betting Round
The first betting round begins with the player immediately to the left of the dealer. This player has the option of making a bet, checking, or folding. The betting then continues clockwise around the table.

If any player makes a bet or a raise, the other players at the table must either meet that raise or fold their hands. All bets and raises in this round are made in increments of the lower betting level.

Draw
After the first betting round is completed, the players may now have a chance to discard cards from their hands and draw new cards from the deck. The maximum number of discards is three, unless a player has an Ace or Wild Card. In that case, the player may draw up to four new cards.

The draw portion of the hand is completely optional. If a player likes the hand they were dealt, they may elect to draw zero cards. This is commonly referred to as “standing pat” and is a good indication that the player in question has a strong hand.

Second Betting Round
The second betting round begins with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer. This time the bets are all sized in increments of the larger betting limit. In a $10/$20 game, all bets and raises would be placed in increments of $20. Other than that, the second betting round is played just like the first round.

Showdown
Any players remaining after the previous betting round now have a showdown by revealing their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot. If there is only one player left at this point, that player automatically wins the pot without revealing his hand.

Five Card Draw Rules

2011-05-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

Five Card Draw is the simplest form of poker and is a favorite at home games around the world. It’s an easy game to pick up and play because it requires little preparation. All you need is a deck of cards and at least two players.

Antes and Blinds
Some Five Card Draw games use antes and others use blinds. If an ante is used, each player is required to place a small bet at the beginning of each hand. Antes can range in size from 10% to 20% of the small betting limit. In a $5/$10 game, the antes would be about $0.50.

Due to the explosion of Texas Hold'em, some players are more comfortable using blinds rather than antes. If blinds are used, the two players to the left of the dealer must place bets at the beginning of each hand. As the dealer’s position moves around the table, each player must pay the blinds once per orbit.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer is the small blind and must place a bet equal to half the size of the big blind. The big blind is one seat to the left of the small blind. The big blind is equal in size to the small betting limit. In a $5/$10 game, the small blind would be $2.50 and the big blind would be $5.

Dealer
In games that use a full time dealer, a small disc known as the “dealer’s button” is passed around the table to represent the dealer’s position. Even though the players never actually deal the cards, one of them is always known as the dealer. The dealer’s button moves one seat to the left at the beginning of each hand.

When performing the initial deal, the player to the left of the dealer receives one card face down first and then each other player receives one card, going clockwise around the table. After all the players have one card, the dealer hands out one more card to each player in the same fashion as before. This is repeated until each player has five cards.

First Betting Round
The first betting round begins after all the players receive their cards and have a chance to look them over. The player to the immediate left of the dealer (the small blind) starts the betting. This player may call, raise, or fold.

The betting then continues clockwise around the table. Each player will have a chance to call, raise, or fold. If there are no raises, the big blind can check because he already paid a full bet at the beginning of the hand. The small blind would have to complete the half-bet to stay in.

Draw
After all the bets have been matched, players may now discard as many cards as they wish and draw new ones. In some games, the rule is that you may only discard up to three cards unless you have an Ace. In that case, you can discard every card except the Ace. In most games, however, you may discard as many cards as you wish.

Second Betting Round
Now that the players have their new cards, a second round of betting may begin. This round begins with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer. This player may check, bet, or fold. The betting then continues clockwise around the table until all the players have had a chance to act.

Showdown
If there are two or more players remaining after the last betting round, these players have a showdown. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. If only one player remains after the last betting round, that player may collect the pot without showing his cards.

Dr. Pepper Rules

2011-05-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Dr. Pepper is a version of Five Card Draw poker that uses several wild cards to make the game more interesting and exciting. While you won’t find this game at any casino, it’s still a fun game to play at home with your friends. The use of so many wild cards results in bigger hands and lots of betting action.

Dr. Pepper Basics
Dr. Pepper is played with a normal deck of fifty-two cards, in which the Twos, Fours, and Tens are wild cards. This game is best played with three to six players because a lot of cards can be used in a typical hand of Dr. Pepper.

Antes
At the beginning of each hand, each player must pay a forced bet known as an “ante.” The ante is usually equal in size to 10% of the minimum bet size. In a $5/$10 game of Dr. Pepper, the antes would be $0.50.

Deal
Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and going clockwise around the table. In games that use a constant dealer, the dealer’s position is represented by a small disc known as the “dealer’s button.” The dealer’s button moves one seat to the left at the beginning of each hand.

First Betting Round
After all the players have had a chance to examine their cards, a round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This player may call, raise, or fold. The action then continues clockwise around the table until each player has had a chance to act. If any player makes a raise, the other players at the table must either match that amount or fold.

This betting round is played using the small betting amount. In a $5/$10 game, all bets during this round would be placed in increments of $5.

Draw
After the first betting round has been completed, the players may now discard up to three cards from their hands and draw new cards from the deck. Unlike Five Card Draw, three discards is the absolute maximum in this game. There are too many wild cards in the deck to allow players to draw more than three cards.

Second Betting Round
The second betting round is played beginning with the player sitting across from the dealer. If there is no player directly across from the dealer, the betting begins with whoever is closest to being across from the dealer.

This betting round is played using the larger betting amount. In the same $5/$10 game, all bets would now be placed in increments of $10. The betting continues clockwise around the table until all the players have either matched the other players’ bets or folded.

Showdown
Any players remaining after the previous betting round now reveal their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot. Remember; Twos, Fours and Tens are all wild cards in this game.

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Rules

2011-05-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball is a popular poker variation that you’ll often find in home games and in live and online poker room. It was once popularonly among high rollers, but the advent of the Internet has made it possible for players of all backgrounds to give it a shot.

2-7 Triple Draw is a lowball form of poker, which means the worst traditional poker hand is the best hand in this game. The rules are pretty simple but understanding the hand rankings can be confusing for beginners. Once you get the hang of what beats what, however, you’ll have an easy time with the rest of the game.

Hand Values
You want to get the worst poker hand in Triple Draw. Straights, flushes, and pairs count against you, and Aces are always considered high. The best hand is 2-3-4-5-7 unsuited.

After that, the next best hand would be 2-3-4-6-7 unsuited. The hand 2-3-4-5-6 wouldn’t be considered a good one because it contains a straight and is therefore not likely to win.

Triple Draw hands are ranked starting with the highest card in the hand and then working down. If two hands have the same high card, then the next highest card is used to determine the winner. For example:

The hand 2-3-4-5-K would lose against 6-8-T-J-Q even though it appears to have more lower cards. All we need to know is that the King is higher than the Queen so the hand with the Queen is the winner.

Here are a couple of example hands, listed from best to worst:

1. 2-3-4-5-7
2. 2-3-4-6-7
3. 2-3-4-6-8
4. 3-4-5-6-T
5. 2-2-4-6-7 (the pair weakens this hand)
6. 2-3-4-5-5 (the pair weakens this hand even more)

*Assume all hands in the list above are unsuited.

Blinds and Deal
Triple Draw is played with blinds just like Texas Hold'em. At the beginning of each hand, the player to the left of the dealer pays the small blind (half a bet) and the player to the left of the small blind pays the big blind (a full bet).

The dealer’s position is marked by a button that moves clockwise around the table. Individual players don’t have to deal if there is a full-time dealer, but the dealer’s button keeps the game moving so that each player has to pay the blinds at some point.

After the blinds have been paid, the dealer gives each player five cards face down. The cards are dealt one at a time, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer.

First Betting Round
The first betting round begins immediately after the cards have been dealt. The betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise around the table. The first player may call the blinds to stay in, fold, or raise. If any player raises, all the other players at the table must at least match that raise or fold.

If the game is played with a fixed limit structure, the first betting round uses small bets.

First Draw
The players now discard as many cards as they wish and receive new cards from the deck. This begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise around the table.
Second Betting Round

There is a second round of betting that begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. The action then continues clockwise around the table. This round also uses small bets.

Second Draw
This draw is identical to the previous draw. The players may discard as many cards as they wish and receive new ones from the deck.

Third Betting Round
This betting round is played in the same manner as the previous betting round, except now you use big bets. If you were at a $10/$20 table, $20 would be the betting increment.

Third Draw
There is one last draw identical to the previous draw.

Fourth Betting Round
The fourth and final betting round is played identically to the previous round.

Showdown
The remaining players now have a showdown to determine the winner. Each player reveals his hole cards and the player with the lowest hand wins the pot. If only one player remains after the last betting round, that player may collect the pot without showing his cards.

Anaconda Rules

2011-05-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

Anaconda Poker, also sometimes known as Pass the Trash, is a variation of Seven Card Stud Poker. The biggest difference between Anaconda Poker and every other form of poker is that after the players get their cards, they get to pick which cards they keep and then pass their trashy cards to the players to their left.

This game is quite popular in home games but it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever see it spread in a real casino. Players with strong memory skills can do quite well at this game, but it’s best played as a casual game because it’s a lot of fun and generates interesting conversation.

Antes and Deal
At the beginning of each hand, each player must pay an ante to receive cards. This is just a small bet that’s usually equal in size to 10% of the lower betting limit. So if you’re playing in a $10/$20 Anaconda game, the antes would be $1.00.

Each player is then dealt seven cards face down. The player to the left of the dealer receives the first card, and then each player to the left receives one card in turn. This process continues until every player has seven cards.

First Betting Round
The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This player may bet, check or fold. The betting action continues to the left around the table until all the players have had a chance to bet and all bets have been matched. The bets in this round should be placed in increments of the lower betting limit.

First Pass
Now each player chooses three cards from his hand and passes those cards to the player to the left. Each player will simultaneously lose and gain three cards in this fashion.

Second Betting Round
Another betting round begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This round of betting is played in the same manner as the previous round.

Second Pass
In this round, each player chooses two cards to pass to the left.

Third Betting Round
After the players get their new cards, there is another betting round. This round also begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. From here on out, the bets should be made in increments of the upper betting limit.

Third Pass
Each player chooses one more card to pass to the left. This is the final pass.

Fourth Betting Round
There is one more round of betting identical to the previous betting round.

Pick Five
Now each player chooses five of the seven cards to make up his final five card poker hand. The remaining two cards can be discarded. The players then put their cards face down in a stack in front of them.

At the signal of the dealer, each player then reveals one card of his choice.

Fifth Betting Round
There is one more round of betting.

Showdown
Any players remaining after the last betting round now reveal the rest of their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot.

Optional Showdown Rules
In some versions of Anaconda, the game may be played with alternate rules for revealing the cards. After the fifth betting round is completed, the dealer will then tell the players to reveal one more card, followed by another betting round. This continues until each card is shown.

In this version, there are more betting rounds and hands take longer to play. I don't recommend playing this way, but if you are looking for a long game this is perfect.

Draw Poker Rules

2011-05-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

Draw poker is one of the more traditional variations of poker. Although draw games are not as flashy as community games like Texas Hold'em or Omaha, there is still a loyal following of players who prefer playing five card draw, or the other variations listed here. Each of the pages below explains the rules of the particular draw poker game:

Anaconda
Anaconda is a seven card game where you pass cards to other players in exchange for new ones. Whoever makes the best five card poker hand at the end of the game wins.

» Full Anaconda Poker Rules

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a lowball game where players have three draws to make the lowest hand possible. Flushes and straights hurt your hand.

» Full 2-7 Triple Draw Rules

Dr. Pepper

Plays just like five card draw, except twos, fours, and tens are wild cards. Can use antes or blinds depending on player preferences.

» Full Dr. Pepper Rules

Five Card Draw

The most traditional poker game out there. You get five cards, have a draw, then see who has the best five card poker hand.

» Full Five Card Draw Rules

Heinz 57

Plays just like normal five card draw, except fives and sevens are wild. Can be played with antes or blinds depending on player preferences.

» Full Heinz 57 Rules

Honky Tonk

Honky Tonk is a split pot game with a high and a low pot. Also, there are different wild cards for each half of the pot.

» Full Honky Tonk Rules

Jacks or Better Draw

Not to be confused with Jacks or Better video poker, Jacks or Better draw is very similar to five card draw. The opening bet must be made by a player with a pair of Jacks or better.

» Full Jacks or Better Draw Rules

Seven Card Draw

Plays the same as five card draw, but you use seven cards instead. Makes for a more exciting game, as there are better hands more often.

» Full Seven Card Draw Rules

Six Back

Similar to five card draw, except each player starts with six cards instead of five. At the draw, each player receives one less card than they give, so they end up with five.

» Full Six Back Poker Rules

Trees

Plays similar to five card draw, except instead of drawing cards from the deck, you trade cards with the other players at the table.

» Full Trees Poker Rules

Five Card Draw Rules

2011-05-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Antes and Blinds

Some Five Card Draw games use antes and others use blinds. If an ante is used, each player is required to place a small bet at the beginning of each hand. Antes can range in size from 10% to 20% of the small betting limit. In a $5/$10 game, the antes would be about $0.50.

Due to the explosion of Texas Hold'em, some players are more comfortable using blinds rather than antes. If blinds are used, the two players to the left of the dealer must place bets at the beginning of each hand. As the dealer’s position moves around the table, each player must pay the blinds once per orbit.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer is the small blind and must place a bet equal to half the size of the big blind. The big blind is one seat to the left of the small blind. The big blind is equal in size to the small betting limit. In a $5/$10 game, the small blind would be $2.50 and the big blind would be $5.

Dealer

In games that use a full time dealer, a small disc known as the “dealer’s button” is passed around the table to represent the dealer’s position. Even though the players never actually deal the cards, one of them is always known as the dealer. The dealer’s button moves one seat to the left at the beginning of each hand.

When performing the initial deal, the player to the left of the dealer receives one card face down first and then each other player receives one card, going clockwise around the table. After all the players have one card, the dealer hands out one more card to each player in the same fashion as before. This is repeated until each player has five cards.

First Betting Round

The first betting round begins after all the players receive their cards and have a chance to look them over. The player to the immediate left of the dealer (the small blind) starts the betting. This player may call, raise, or fold.

The betting then continues clockwise around the table. Each player will have a chance to call, raise, or fold. If there are no raises, the big blind can check because he already paid a full bet at the beginning of the hand. The small blind would have to complete the half-bet to stay in.

Draw

After all the bets have been matched, players may now discard as many cards as they wish and draw new ones. In some games, the rule is that you may only discard up to three cards unless you have an Ace. In that case, you can discard every card except the Ace. In most games, however, you may discard as many cards as you wish.

Second Betting Round

Now that the players have their new cards, a second round of betting may begin. This round begins with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer. This player may check, bet, or fold. The betting then continues clockwise around the table until all the players have had a chance to act.

Showdown

If there are two or more players remaining after the last betting round, these players have a showdown. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. If only one player remains after the last betting round, that player may collect the pot without showing his cards.

Seven Card Stud Rules

2011-05-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Seven Card Stud is one of the most popular non-Hold'em poker games and can be found in most casinos, live or online. Before Texas Hold'em came around, Seven Card Stud was the king of poker. It was the game you had to know if you considered yourself a poker player.

Today, Seven Card Stud is still played at every casino and in many major tournament series, including the World Series of Poker. Many of the high stakes mixed format games such as H.O.R.S.E. include Seven Card Stud in their lineups.

If you’d really like to expand your poker skills into a useful area, Seven Card Stud is a great game to learn. A lot of high stakes Hold'em players are also proficient at Seven Card Stud. Even if you don’t play it very often, it makes for a great thinking exercise that will help you excel in all forms of poker.

Seven Card Stud requires the use of several critical skills at the same time. Not only do you need to know the odds of various draws and be able to read your opponents, but you also need to have a strong memory to recognize which cards have already been revealed.

It might sound difficult, but if you can become a strong Seven Card Stud player, there is a lot of money to be made. Seven Card Stud strategy isn’t discussed or written about nearly as extensively as Texas Hold'em strategy. If you become decent at the game, you’ll find that there are a lot of fish who have no idea what they are doing.

Antes

Seven Card Stud is played with an ante, which is a small bet that every player contributes to the pot at the beginning of each hand. A typical ante size is about 10% of the lower betting limit. In a $10/$20 game, the antes would be $1.00.

Third Street

After all the antes have been paid, the dealer gives each player three cards. Two are dealt face down and one is dealt face up.

The player with the lowest card showing must “bring-in” the betting by placing a bet equal to half of the small bet. In a $10/$20 game, the bring-in would be $5. The player paying the bring-in may leave it at that amount or raise it up to the full minimum bet (in this case, $10).

After the bring in has been posted, the betting continues clockwise around the table. Each player may call, raise, or fold. If any player raises, all the other players at the table must either call, raise, or fold.

Fourth Street

Each player is now dealt one card face up. A round of betting follows but this time the betting begins with the player who has the best hand showing. This player may either check or bet.

Fifth Street

Each player is dealt another card face up. Another round of betting begins, but from here on out, the bets must all be in increments of the upper betting limit.

Sixth Street

One card is dealt to each player face up. This is followed by another round of betting.

Seventh Street

Each player is dealt a final card face down. This is followed by a final round of betting.

Note – If there are not enough cards to give to each player, a single community card can instead be dealt in the middle of the table. The players all share this card and can use it to complete their own hands.

Showdown

Any players remaining after the last betting round now show their cards. Out of the seven cards, the player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot. If there is only one player left at this point, that player may take the pot without showing his hand.

Omaha Poker Rules

2011-05-21T22:53:00.001-07:00

Omaha Poker is the second most popular form of poker, right after Texas Hold'em. It’s known for featuring bigger hands and bigger pots than Texas Hold'em, so you’ll find an interesting mix of poker fans and action junkies at the Omaha tables.

The game looks nearly the same as Texas Hold'em except each player is dealt four hole cards instead of two. In addition to that, each player must use exactly two of his hole cards and three of the community cards when making a poker hand.

If you will remember back to Texas Hold'em, a player can use two, one, or zero of his hole cards to create a hand. This is not the case in Omaha poker. The additional two cards would make the game too wild and nearly unplayable if the players didn’t have to use exactly two of their hole cards.

This change, although minor, causes recent Texas Hold'em converts all kinds of trouble in the beginning. One of the biggest problems comes from hands that are formed with a lot of help from the board.

For example, if there are four spades on the board, a Texas Hold'em player would just have to have one spade in his hand to have a flush. But in Omaha, since a player must use two of his hole cards, he would have to have two spades in his hand to complete that same flush.

Blinds and Dealer

Omaha uses the same blinds system as Hold'em. The player to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind, which is a forced bet equal to half the lower betting limit. The player sitting to the left of the small blind must pay the big blind, which is equal to the lower betting limit.

For example, in a $2/$ Omaha game the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.

The position of the dealer moves one space to the left at the beginning of each hand. This is done so that each player must pay both blinds once per orbit. If the game uses a full time dealer, a small disc, called the dealer’s button, may be used to represent the position of the dealer at the table.

Preflop

Once the blinds have been paid, each player is dealt four cards face down. The deal begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise around the table. Each player is dealt one card at a time until each player has four cards.

The first betting round then begins with the player to the left of the small blind. This player may call the minimum bet to stay in, raise, or fold. The betting then continues clockwise around the table.

Flop

Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These are the first community cards and they may be used in combination with any two of the player’s hole cards to create the best possible five card poker hand.

Another round of betting begins, but this time it starts with the first active player to the left of the dealer. This player may check, bet, or fold. The betting then continues clockwise.

Turn

Another community card is dealt face up next to the flop. Next, another round of betting begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. From here on out, all bets are made in increments of the upper betting limit.

River

One final community card is dealt face up next to the turn. A final round of betting takes place in the exact same manner as the previous round. If there is more than one player remaining after this betting round, the remaining players go to a showdown.

Showdown

The remaining players now reveal their hole cards. The player with the best five card poker hand, using any two of his hole cards and three of the community cards, wins the pot.

Texas Hold'em Rules

2011-05-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

Texas Hold'em reigns as the king of poker games because its rules are simple, but the strategy for the game is quite deep. It only takes a few minutes to learn the basic rules, but nobody ever completely masters Texas Hold'em.

A large part of Texas Hold'em's popularity is how well-balanced the game is. It reveals just enough information to make educated guesses about our opponents’ hands, but it keeps enough information hidden to keep everyone guessing.

Texas Hold'em is classified as a community card game because some of the cards are dealt in the middle of the table and shared by all the players. Each player receives two hidden cards and then combines those cards with any of the five board cards to make the best possible five card poker hand.

Each player may use any combination of hole cards and board cards to make the best hand possible. This includes the use of one, two, or none of the player’s hole cards. If the best hand possible is simply composed of the community cards, then the player can use none of his or her hole cards.

Blinds and Dealer
Texas Hold'em uses a blinds system instead of antes to get each pot started with a little money. The two players to the left of the dealer pay the small blind and big blind. As the dealer’s position moves each hand, the position of the blinds moves around the table. This way each player must take a turn paying the blinds.

The payer directly to the left of the dealer pays the small blind while the player to the left of the small blind pays the big blind. The blinds are sized so that the small blind is equal to half a minimum bet, and the big blind is equal to one minimum bet. For example, the blinds in a $10/$20 Limit Hold'em game would be $5.00 and $10.00.

If you are playing No Limit Texas Hold'em however, the stakes of the game are the blinds. So if you are playing a $10/$20 No Limit Hold'em game, the small blind would be $10 and the big blind would be $20.

In games that employ the use of a full time dealer, a small round disc called the “dealer’s button” is used to represent the position of the dealer each hand. At the beginning of each hand, the dealer’s button moves one seat to the left.

Preflop
After the blinds have been paid, each player is dealt two cards face down, one at a time. The dealers begins with the player to his left and then deals clockwise around the table until each player has two cards.

Next, there is a betting round that begins with the player to the left of the big blind. This player may call the minimum bet to stay in, raise it or fold. After that player acts, the action continues clockwise around the table. If anyone makes a bet or raise, the other players at the table must at least match that bet or fold.

When it comes time for the blinds to act, their forced bets are considered a part of the cost of staying in. So if there is no raise, the big blind may simply check to stay in, since he has already paid one minimum bet.

Flop
Now the flop, or the first three community cards, is dealt face up in the middle of the table. There is another betting round, but this time it starts with the first player to the left of the dealer. This person may check, bet, or fold. The action then continues clockwise.

Turn
One more card is dealt face up next to the flop. This is called the “turn” card. There is another round of betting just like the last round. If it’s a fixed limit game, the upper betting limit would be used from here on out.

River
One final card is dealt face up next to the turn. This is called the “river” card. Now there is a final round of betting. If there is more than one player remaining after this round of betting, the play proceeds to a showdown to determine the winner. If there is only 1 player left after this round, that player may collect the pot without showing his cards.

Showdown
Any players still in the hand now reveal their hole cards. The player with the best five card poker hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards, wins the pot.

Poker Rules

2011-05-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

PokerRules.net is your #1 resource for learning how to play poker! We have explained the poker rules for dozens of games, including all of your favorites like Texas Hold'em and Omaha, as well as some rarities like Anaconda and Trees. We recommend browsing around the site to find the poker rules you would like to learn.

Most Popular Poker Games
If you are brand new to poker, you may want to begin by learning some of the more common/popular poker rules. If you learn the games below you will have a nice base for learning some of the rarer games in the future:

* Texas Hold'em
* Omaha Poker
* Seven Card Stud
* Five Card Draw

Almost every poker game, including the games played at the top poker sites USA, are based off of one of the four above games, so by learning those four games you will be able to pick up any other game relatively quickly. Or, you can browse our entire list of poker rules to see every poker game we explain on our site.

Poker Rules by Category
If you would like to browse through more of our compilation of poker rules, we have arranged every poker game into a category. Here are the categories of games:

Draw Poker
Draw poker games typically involve dealing each player a hand of cards, then allowing them to exchange some of their original cards for new ones. Some games allow only one draw, while others allow three or even more. Draw games are often slow compared to community games, but they are very traditional and still have a large player base.

» Learn Draw Poker Rules

Poker: Games.com Poker on Facebook

2011-05-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Games.com Poker on Facebook is the your one stop shop for all the great poker games you love on games.com. Games.com Poker combines all of our world class poker variants. Play Texas Hold Em Limit, Texas Hold Em No Limit, Seven Card Stud and Omaha Poker all in one Facebook app.
New social features! All your Games.com poker friends will be there. Games.com Poker on Facebook is connect enabled. You'll be able to play your poker buddies from Games.com inside Facebook! Never miss a tournament again.

Poker: Omaha

2011-05-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Omaha is a game where between the cards in his hand and the community cards a player may have drawing possibilities to multiple different types of holdings.

For example, a player may have both a draw to a flush and a full house using different combinations of cards. At times, even seasoned players may need additional time to figure what draws are possible for their hand.

The basic differences between Omaha and Texas hold 'em are these: first, each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical. At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards. Unlike Texas hold 'em, a player cannot play four or five of the cards on the board with fewer than two of his own.

Poker: Five Card Draw

2011-05-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

In casino play, the first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind, and subsequent rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left. Home games typically use an ante; the first betting round begins with the player to the dealer's left, and the second round begins with the player who opened the first round.

Play begins with each player being dealt five cards, one at a time, all face down. The remaining deck is placed aside, often protected by placing a chip or other marker on it. Players pick up the cards and hold them in their hands, being careful to keep them concealed from the other players, then a round of betting occurs.

If more than one player remains after the first round, the "draw" phase begins. Each player specifies how many of his cards he wishes to replace, and discards them. The deck is retrieved, and after a burn card is dealt each player is dealt in turn from the deck the same number of cards he discarded so that each player again has five cards. It is important that each player discards the cards he wishes to replace before he takes any replacements, and that he takes the same number of replacements as he discarded.

A second "after the draw" betting round occurs beginning with the player to the dealer's left or else beginning with the player who opened the first round (the latter is common when antes are used instead of blinds). This is followed by a showdown if more than one player remains, in which the player with the best hand wins the pot.

Poker: Texas Hold'em (No Limit)

2011-05-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Online Poker- Free Texas Hold Em Poker is the most popular of the poker games being played today. Texas Hold'em No Limit is the game that is played during the World Series of Poker Finale.

Texas Hold'em is a poker variation of seven card stud poker where poker players share common cards called "the board." Due to the fact that the starting two card poker hand is comprised entirely of face-down poker cards, the obligation to open the betting is rotated clockwise after each poker hand. This is accomplished with the use of a "dealer button" and "blinds." A dealer button is a round disk with the word dealer written on it.

Blinds are mandatory bets made by the first two players clockwise from the dealer button. The blinds posted in all limit games are in the amounts of 1/2 of the lower limit for the first player (small blind) and the lower limit for the second player (big blind). The blinds in a $10-$20 game would, therefore, be $5 and $10.
Poker is a type of card game in which poker players bet on the value of the poker card combination ("hand") in their possession, by placing a bet into a central poker game pot. The poker winner is the one who holds the poker hand with the highest value according to an established poker rankings hierarchy, or otherwise the poker player who remains in the poker hand after all others have folded.

Poker: Seven Card Stud

2011-05-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Each player antes and receives three cards, two face-down and one face-up as their starting hand. The player with the lowest card showing must start the action with the required forced bet, but may also bet a larger amount equal to the limit for the game.

If you are accustomed to the high card opening you may need to adjust your play slightly to compensate. The low card rule has been used in Las Vegas for many years because it stimulates more action.

Poker: Texas Hold'em (Limit)

2011-05-19T11:14:00.001-07:00

Texas Hold'em is a variation of seven card stud where players share common cards called "the board."

Due to the fact that the starting two card hand is comprised entirely of face-down cards, the obligation to open the betting is rotated clockwise after each hand. This is accomplished with the use of a "dealer button" and "blinds." A dealer button is a round disk with the word dealer written on it.

Absolute Poker, UB Not Filing for Bankruptcy

2011-05-19T11:12:00.001-07:00

According to a report by MSNBC on Wednesday, indicted online poker rooms Absolute Poker and UB were to be filing for bankruptcy, leaving thousands of players even more concerned about the funds frozen in their real-money accounts. The insolvency is a direct result of the U.S. Department of Justice’s seizure of the domain names of the two online poker rooms as well as the indictment of the company’s founders on charges of money laundering, fraud and illegal gambling.

Madeira Fjord of Norway, which represents shareholders in the poker websites’ parent company, Blanca Games Inc., said in an email to shareholders this week that it planned to file for bankruptcy protection in Norway after being informed that the latter company had “no cash on hand and no prospects for any cash flow for the foreseeable future.”

The full e-mail, which was posted in a thread on TwoPlusTwo, can be read below:

Dear xxxx Shareholder,

Since the last meeting of shareholders, there have been a number of developments that affect our Company.

Most importantly, Blanca Gaming has provided notice to our subsidiary Avoine that it is currently unable to make any payments toward its debt obligations. Additionally, Blanca has further advised that there will be no future payments.

Over the past 60 days, the Company has accumulated current debts in excess of $250,000 which are increasing at $100,000+ per month. These obligations are primarily legal and professional fees in Norway.

With no cash on hand and no prospects for any cash flow for the foreseeable future, the Board of Directors is required by Norwegian law to enter the bankruptcy process. The Oslo court will appoint a Receiver who will review the affairs of the Company including the assets, liabilities, and its recent transactions. After a full assessment, the Receiver will make a determination how to enforce any applicable rights, obligations, and obtain the maximum value for its assets in the best interest of the Company.

As the Receiver is a court appointed 3rd party, we can be assured that the Receiver will evaluate all relevant options including any applicable soliciting proposals from interested parties related to the assets of the Company. Funds accumulated through the Receivers’ efforts will be disbursed according to Norwegian law.

As of the date of the filing, the Board of Directors is relieved of duty, and all future matters are in the sole control of the Receiver.

Sincerely,
Madeira Fjord, AS Board of Directors

Meanwhile, sources have reported that the Absolute Poker and UB operations center headquarters in Costa Rica have laid off more than 300 customer support and marketing employees, which totals roughly 95 percent of the staff.

Late last month, the other two online poker rooms indicted by the U.S. government, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, reached agreements with the Department of Justice to reclaim their seized websites in an effort to facilitate U.S. poker player withdrawals from their sites. PokerStars has already begun the process of returning players funds while Full Tilt Poker has stated its intentions to do so as quickly as possible.

Absolute Poker and UB, which both reside on the CEREUS Poker Network, have been given the same opportunity, but a deal with the Department of Justice has not been reached. In a press release on April 23rd, Absolute Poker stated that it “believes that the responsible course of action is to review with its attorneys the relevant court filings before taking any action.” The company indicated that it had retained the services of attorneys at Blank Rome LL, but maintained that the top priority was to refund player balances to customers.

Two weeks later, players are still empty-handed with a gloomy outlook at best.

Blanca Games, Inc., which acquired the CEREUS Network in August 2010, issued the following statement to Gamling911.com on Tuesday regarding the company’s future: Absolute Poker and UB ceased their U.S.-facing operations due to recent legal developments in the United States. The company is currently restructuring and will focus its remaining resources on consolidating its non-U.S., rest-of-the-world operation and software business. Unfortunately, this also means an immediate need to downsize and streamline operations significantly at both online poker rooms, with a view of becoming more efficient in the way the business is conducted.

By mid-day Thursday Blanca Games issued a statement on their restructuring as follows:

St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda (May 5, 2011) — Blanca Games Inc.
(“Blanca”), operator of online poker rooms Absolute Poker and UB, issued the following statement today:

As previously stated, Absolute Poker and UB ceased their U.S.-facing operations due to recent legal developments in the United States. The company is currently restructuring and is focusing its resources on consolidating its non-U.S., rest-of-the-world operation and software business. In order to have a more efficient and successful future business, an immediate need to downsize and streamline operations significantly at both online poker rooms has been required. Absolute Poker and UB continue to operate their non-U.S.-facing business.

This decision comes after considerable review and analysis of the impact that ‘Black Friday’ has had on the business as a whole. The workforce has been liquidated, and the process of rehiring approximately 20% of staff in key positions has commenced. All affected employees have been informed of this necessary restructure.

A company spokesperson said: ”We regret that we have been compelled to take these actions. We have worked tirelessly to create a truly amazing company that is filled with extraordinary people. We have always been and still remain fully committed to our employees and players. At the same time, we are confident that this restructuring will strengthen the company and its future.”

The Company spokesperson also addressed erroneous reports that Blanca has filed for bankruptcy. The apparent confusion over this issue stems from the fact that Blanca recently informed a debt holder, Madeira Fjord, that it was terminating debt payments to, and its relationship with them. As a result, Madeira Fjord apparently filed a notice of bankruptcy in Norway. This notice has no negative impact upon Blanca, the operating company, or its brands. As stated previously, Absolute Poker and UB continue to operate their non-U.S. facing business around the world.

For non-U.S. players, Absolute Poker and UB have increased their maximum withdrawal limits to $1000 for Visa withdrawals and $500 for all other methods. The number of transactions being processed per day has been significantly increased as well. Players are still restricted to one transaction per week, but we are working to return non-U.S. withdrawals to
normal service levels as quickly as possible.

As confirmed earlier this week, the company’s legal counsel is in continuing discussions this week with the U.S. Attorney’s office to formalize an agreement that would facilitate the return of funds to U.S. players.

Blanca Games Explains Absolute Poker, UB Raids

2011-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Blanca Games, operator of both Absolute Poker and UB, issued a statement over the weekend in an attempt to clarify the activities on Friday, during which agents of the Organismo de Investigaciones Judiciales (OIJ) (essentially, the Costa Rican FBI) raided the offices of the two poker rooms.

As could be seen in a Costa Rican news broadcast, and was confirmed by Blanca Games, the raid occurred at the offices of a company called Innovative Data Solutions (IDS), the customer service center for both Absolute Poker and UB. Rumors were flying that the raids were somehow related to the April 15th indictments of eleven people involved in online poker, including Absolute Poker principals Scott Tom and Brent Beckley, but Blanca claims this is not true.

The Blanca press release read, in part, “The Organismo de Investigaciones Judiciales (“OIJ”) took action yesterday to further their investigation of Olman Rimola, the owner of IDS, Scott Tom, who was also recently named in the indictment list issued by the Department of Justice on April 15th, and a third lesser known party, Oldemar Vargas.”

A Blanca spokesperson went on to say:

“We want to correct the rumors being reported in poker circles and the wider community that yesterday’s events are related to the recent Department of Justice indictments. Our understanding is that this is not the case, and that they were driven by local investigations of a separate matter in Costa Rica that involves a concerted effort to locate and apprehend Rimola, Tom and Vargas for questioning in relation to a money laundering investigation.”

Other than what Blanca Games has said, it still is not 100 percent clear exactly what the OIJ raids were all about or if they were coordinated at all with the U.S. FBI. A.J. Green, a former Costa Rica law enforcement agent and Absolute Poker security staffer, said on the QuadJacks radio show that both the FBI and Interpol were stronger driving forces behind the raid than was the OIJ, but this may not be anything more than speculation, as there has been no other evidence presented to indicate any organization besides the OIJ was involved.

OIJ agents also reportedly visited both Tom’s and Rimola’s residences.

The PokerStars offices in Costa Rica were also raided, but as it turns out, it was a case of mistaken identity, as law enforcement officials had thought they were hitting Absolute and UB.

The past week has been rough for Absolute Poker and UB. On May 5th, Blanca Games announced that it was laying off almost its entire workforce in order to trim labor costs as much as possible as it re-focuses on its non-U.S. facing business. Then Friday brought the raids. The latest blow came yesterday, when Blanca released all of its U.S.-based sponsored pros from their contracts. These players include members of Team UB Prahlad Friedman, Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin, Joe Sebok, Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, Brandon Cantu, Scott Ian, Bryan Devonshire, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, and Adam “Roothlus” Levy, as well as Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella.

Additionally, poker writer/investigative reporter extraordinaire, Haley Hintze, published on her blog last week communications between Rimola and UB COO Paul Leggett in which Rimola demanded $2.75 million owed to IDS by UB to pay IDS’ terminated employees their severance. Rimola threatened to disclose information about Absolute and UB (whatever that may be) to U.S. law enforcement officials if IDS did not receive the money by May 3rd. He also seemed to fear for his life, saying to Leggett, “Just a reminder, if anything happens to me, or people close to me, I have prepared 3 sets of this information which are in hands of 3 different lawyers, with instructions to proceed with US Embassy and Costa Rican authorities.”

The money was paid shortly thereafter, but that apparently wasn’t the end of the situation. According to the Blanca press release, some or all of those funds never made it to IDS employees.

“Blanca has terminated its supplier contract with IDS after discovering that Rimola has misappropriated millions in IDS severance payments,” the statement reads. “The company is currently exploring all legal options available to recover the lost funds. Furthermore, Blanca is cooperating fully with the local Ministerio de Trabajo (Department of Labor Officials) in Costa Rica in order to coordinate an alternative method to remit all severance payments to IDS employees, thereby bypassing the facilities of IDS and Rimola to ensure that all obligations to former employees are fulfilled.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily as events continue to unfold.

Absolute Poker Reaches Agreement with U.S. DOJ

2011-05-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

The active week for Absolute Poker continues. On Tuesday, the member of the CEREUS Network announced that it, along with sister site UB, has come to an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, a preliminary step in hopefully getting frozen funds back into U.S. players’ bank accounts. Absolute and UB were two of the sites hit hard, along with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, in the April 15th U.S. Department of Justice indictments of eleven people involved in online poker, including Absolute principals Scott Tom and Brent Beckley.

As a result of the indictments, the DOJ seized the domain names AbsolutePoker.com, UB.com, and UltimateBet.com, and froze player funds. The poker rooms stopped accepting U.S. customers, though both Absolute and UB still allow Americans who were already customers to play, unlike PokerStars and Full Tilt, both of which immediately and completely cut off U.S. players. Existing U.S. customers of Absolute and UB are not concerned with whether or not they can still play on the sites, as most will eventually leave or be banned, but rather are worried about getting their funds back.

While certainly not the only reason for the agreement, getting funds back into the players’ hands was a major impetus. Tuesday’s press release reads, in part:

“Absolute Poker has reached an agreement with the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”). Under the agreement, the US Attorney’s Office has agreed to provide all necessary assurances that third parties may work with Absolute Poker to facilitate the return of funds, currently held by third party processors, to players located in the US. This provision is an important step to returning US player funds.”

While this is good news for players, there is still work to be done. Absolute Poker says that there are still “several legal issues” with which to deal before funds can be released. Thus, no money will be flowing back to the States just yet.

In the press release, a spokesperson added:

“Today’s signing of the agreement with the DOJ is an important step towards the safe and efficient return of funds to our US players. We can now move as expeditiously as possible to collect player monies from third party processors as a prelude to establishing proper mechanisms for the return of funds to our US players. As previously announced, we have already taken specific actions to exit the US market by closing our US-facing operations. Blank Rome LLP will continue to engage in discussions with the SDNY in order to complete the necessary agreements for the final transfer of frozen fund balances to our US players.”

Unlike in the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker agreements with the DOJ, Absolute Poker’s agreement does not include the reinstatement of its .com domain names.

The past week has been hectic for Absolute Poker, UB, and their parent company, Blanca Games. On May 5th, Blanca Games announced that it was releasing almost its entire workforce, retaining just a few employees to focus on its ongoing non-U.S. Operations. The very next day, Costa Rican law enforcement agents raided the offices of Innovative Data Solutions, the customer service center for both Absolute Poker and UB, apparently looking for three executives involved with the companies. Then on Monday, all U.S.-based sponsored pros of UB and Absolute, including Joe Sebok, Tiffany Michelle, and Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, were let go. Tuesday’s news was the first for Absolute Poker since “Black Friday” that involved anything remotely positive.

PokerStars, which still ranks as the largest online poker room in the world despite losing its U.S. players, began processing cashouts to Americans during the final week of April. Full Tilt Poker has yet to begin.