| If channel 4's
late night poker is responsible for your new poker obsession,
this is the game you'll want to try.
What the words mean
Minimum bet: The minimum stake has to be agreed
before the game starts. Try £1.
Maximum bet: The maximum stake has to be agreed before the
game starts. Try £2.
Pass: To pass on a round of
betting and stay in the game. To pass you must knock on the
table. In America this is called to check. If another player
has raised the game you must
call.
Call: To match the previous
bet.
Raise: to match what the previous
player put into the pot and then add some more.
Fold: Place
your cards face down on the table on the table in front of
you. And keep quiet.
Each player still in the game should have an
equal amount of money on the table, betting rounds continue
until everyone is at the same amount.
Age: Adult
Players: nine
on one table. But you can get more and split into two or three
tables of less than nine.
You
will need: A normal pack of cards
and chips for betting. To Play
In casinos the dealer never plays the game and
a button, a counter, can move round the table to signify who
should be dealing if the deal were moving. Among friends the
position of dealer should move left at every round.
The dealer shuffles the cards and deals
two cards to each player.
The Blind
The two players to the left of the dealer
must put a predetermined amount into the pot. This means that
there is something to play for on every round. This is called
posting the blinds. Sometimes, the first blind, the first
player, puts in half the minimum bet and the second blind,
the second player puts in the full minimum bet.
Everybody looks at their cards and betting begins.
The first player to bet is the third left of the dealer, because
the first two players have already had to bet blind. Each
player can call, raise or fold. This round ends when everyone
has folded or called, so everyone still in the game has the
same amount of money in the pot.
After the first round of betting it’s
time for the flop.
The Flop
The dealer discards the top card of the pack.
Place it face down out of the way. This is just in case anyone
has seen it. The dealer then lays three cards, face up, in
the middle of the table.
After the three cards have been laid there is
another round of betting. Betting starts with the player to
the left of the dealer. Again each player can raise, call,
pass or fold. Each player can bet the minimum bet. This round
ends when everyone has folded or called, so everyone still
in the game has the same amount of money in the pot.
Fourth street
After the round of betting the dealer discards
another card and lays one card face up on the table. This
card is called the turn or fourth street. There is another
round of betting, beginning with the player to the left of
the dealer. Each bet must now be the maximum bet. This round
ends when everyone has folded or called, so everyone still
in the game has the same amount of money in the pot.
Fifth street
The dealer discards another card and lays one
face up on the table. This card is called the river or fifth
street. Now that the fifth card has been laid each player
has seven cards to choose from. The two in their own hand
and the five that are laid face up on the table. They choose
a combination of these seven cards to form the best possible
five card hand.
After a moment to think, the final round of
betting begins. The player to the left of the dealer begins.
At this stage each new bet must be the maximum bet.
After the last round of betting all the players
that are left in the game show their hand. The player who
made the last raise shows first.
The player with the highest hand wins the round.
If more than one player has chosen to use all
five community cards as their hand then they must spilt the
pot equally between them. Of course this only applies to players
who are still in the game at the end.
The player on the left of the dealer now
becomes the dealer. Play again.
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