To help you understand how to play poker, we offer the following information:

 

Introducing No Limit Hold'em

No Limit Hold'em (NLHE), is the most popular variant of poker. Each player receives two private cards (hole cards) dealt face-down, and five community cards are dealt face-up on the table in stages: three cards (the "flop"), one card (the "turn"), and one card (the "river").

In NLHE, there is no maximum betting limit. Players can bet any amount of chips they have in front of them at any time during a hand, including going "all-in" (betting all of their chips).

At showdown, players can use any combination of their hole cards and community cards to form the best possible hand strength.

Introducing Pot Limit Omaha

Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is a variant of poker that follows the same generic rules as NLHE, including the dealer button and blinds functionality, the betting rounds, and hand rankings. However, there are key differences between PLO and NLHE: 

Hole Cards

• Each player is dealt four private cards (hole cards) dealt face-down instead of two.
• Players must make the best possible five-card poker hand using exactly two of their hole cards and three of the five community cards, meaning that at showdown, players can and must use two hole cards to form the best hand strength.

Pot-Limit Betting

• Players can bet any amount up to the total size of the pot, meaning that the maximum bet size is determined by the current size of the pot. Players can raise by any amount up to the size of the pot at the time of their bet

A full breakdown of the general poker rules can be found below.

General Poker Rules

Dealer button

The dealer button, also known as "the button," is a small disc used to indicate the position of the dealer for each hand. The dealer button plays an essential role in determining the order of action and ensuring there's money in the pot to play for each hand. The position of the dealer button rotates clockwise around the table after each hand.

Blinds

The blinds are forced bets placed by players to the left of the dealer button before any cards are dealt. There are two types of blinds:

• Small Blind: The player sitting to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind, which is half the minimum bet for the game.
• Big Blind: The player sitting to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet for the game. 

Ante

An Ante is another forced bet put into the pot before each hand begins. Unlike blinds, which are posted by specific players in rotation, the ante is a contribution that every player makes in addition to the blinds.  Antes are typically only present in Multi Table Tournaments and are not present in cash games nor SNG Select. 

Betting rounds

Pre-flop 

• Players assess the strength of their hole cards and decide whether to fold, call (match the current bet), or raise (increase the bet). The action starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
• If all opposing players fold during any of the betting rounds, the last player standing is declared the winner.

Flop 

After the first round of betting, three community cards are dealt face-up on the table. Another round of betting occurs.

Turn 

A fourth community card is dealt face-up. Another round of betting follows.

River

The fifth and final community card is dealt face-up. The last round of betting occurs. 

 

Showdown

The showdown in poker occurs at the end of a hand when all betting rounds are complete, and two or more players remain in the hand. The remaining players reveal their hole cards, starting with the last player to bet or raise in the final betting round. If there was no betting on the river, the player closest to the left of the dealer button reveals their hand first, proceeding clockwise around the table. 

 

Split Pots

When two or more players have the same five-card holdings at showdown, the pot is split equally between all players. If the pot isn't evenly divisible, the pot is split as evenly as possible, and the player(s) in the earliest position(s) (small blind first, big blind second, etc., with the button as the last position) receives the remaining chips. 

For example, three players in the following positions, small blind, big blind, and button, show down a king-high straight with a total pot valued at $10.01.

The player in the small blind would receive $3.34, the player in the big blind would receive $3.34, and the player on the button would receive $3.33.

 

Kicker 

The kicker is used to differentiate between hands that have the same rank but different additional cards, thus determining the winner. The kicker is the highest card (or cards) in a player’s hand that is not part of the primary hand ranking. The kicker comes into play for the following hand rankings: High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, and Four of a Kind 

Examples:  

1. High Card Example:
   Player 1 has A♥ K♣ 9♦ 3♠ 2♠,
   Player 2 has A ♥ Q♠ 9♦ 3♠ 2♠.
   Player 1 wins with the higher kicker (King vs. Queen.) 
2. Pair Example:
   Player 1 has A♠ A♥ J♣ 9♦ 3♠,
   Player 2 has A♦ A ♥ 10♠ 9♦ 3♠.
   Player 1 wins with the higher kicker (Jack vs. Ten). 
3. Two Pair Example:
   Player 1 has K♠ K ♦ 10♠ 10♦ 8♠,
   Player 2 has K♣ K♦ 10♠ 10♦ 7♣.
   Player 1 wins with the higher kicker (8 vs. 7). 

Check out the Winning Hand Rankings.





 

If you need any further assistance, please contact our 24/7 poker support team at:

• For players at BetRivers - pokersupport@betrivers.com
   
• For players at PlaySugarHouse - pokersupport@playsugarhouse.com