POKER TEXAS HOLD'EM

 

The Deck

In Texas Hold’em a standard 52 card Anglo-French deck is used, with no jokers.

Players and Tables

Each Player plays alone: he cannot be replaced by another Player for any reason and if the Player is not at the table, his hand is folded (Away status). Poker tables usually have a maximum of 10 seats (Biska is a site conceived for shorthanded games, which means there is a maximum of 6 seats available for each table)

The Button

The Button is a placeholder that locates the Player in the Dealer’s position. During informal games, the Player acting as the Dealer, is the one that has been located by the Button. As far as concerns Biska, it is the system that deals the cards. The Button is used to define the order that Players must follow during the Bets in progress.

Opening to the Ante

Usually after a specific number of Blind levels, the opening to the Ante can be introduced. Each Player, before having the cards dealt, must put an obliged Bet called Ante. Antes do not open the first turn of Bets, but they are only meant to create an initial Pot.

Opening to Blinds

There are two kinds of Blinds:
● The “Small Blind” - is posted by the person in first position after the Dealer and is equivalent to half of the Minimum Bet (that corresponds to the Big Blind).
● The “Big Blind” - is posted by the Player sitting two seats to the left of the Dealer, and corresponds to the Minimum Bet. The Player in the Big Blind position is the last one to act during the opening hand, even if the Big Blind he posted was already enough to cover all the previous single Bets.
In the first round of Bets, the first person who acts is said to be “Under the gun”. He is the Player sitting on the left of the Big Blind. In games, when posting the Blinds, it is not the Button that moves after each hand but the Big Blind, that by doing this makes the Blind and the Button move accordingly:
● The Button stops for a hand allowing the normal placement of the Big Blind and the Small Blind, if the Player who has played the Small Blind is eliminated. In the next hand the Button starts moving again.
● If the Player who has played the Big Blind is eliminated, then the Button moves in the next hand and the following Player plays the Big Blind. In the following hand the Button doesn’t move and there are normally both Blinds. In the next hand the Button starts moving again.
● If the Player who posted the Small Blind and the Player who posted the Big Blind are not eliminated, Blinds move to the left as the Button does.
During a two Player game (Heads-Up) the Big Blind is posted by the Player on the Button.


Round of Bets (How it works)

A Texas Hold'em hand is made of several rounds of Bets. Opening to Blinds, the Flop, the Turn and the River (see further ahead). Each Player can act after the Player who is before him , and on his right, has declared his playing action.
The first Player to act is the Player on the Dealer’s left.
The first Player who acts can:

1) Bet: the Player can place a Bet of any value that must not be lower of the Minimum Bet allowed (Usually at least the same amount of the Big Blind). It can't be higher than the Pot Limit, if there is one.
2) Check: no Bets are placed and the Player passes the action to the next Player in turn.
3) Fold: the Player gives up his hand and forfeits the Pot to the remaining Players.

The Players that follow can:

1) Call: the Player matches a Bet amount or
2) Raise: the Player increases the amount of a previous Bet. The first Raise must be at least twice the amount of the Bet. A Re-Raise must at least match the same amount of the previous Raise plus the difference between the last Raise and the previous one. The Raise can’t be higher than the Pot-limit, when specified or
3) Check: no Bets are placed and the Player passes the action to the next Player in turn or
4) Fold: the player gives up his hand and Folds his cards renouncing to the Pot.

The series of Bets ends when all Bets have been covered by all the Player who have not folded or/and if some Players (those who don’t have enough money to cover the whole amount of the Bets) are All-in. If the Players have all given up the hand is won by the Player who is still playing.
If everyone declares a Check, then you can go to the next phase without betting.

All-in

A Player cannot Bet more than he has at the table in that moment. All-in occurs when Bet all the chips you have into the Pot, creating a Side Pot for the remaining Players. The Pot is divided into a Main Pot and into none, one or more Side Pots.
The Main Pot is composed by the amount put by each Player to cover the amount of the All-in. That is to say that the Player that moved All-in can win, from each opponent that called his Bet, an amount that is equal to the value of his All-in. If the Players have put in the Pot a Bet that exceeds the amount of the All-in, then the money in excess goes to a Side Pot. This is contended only by Players who have covered the Bet in excess. If there are more Players in All-in, then the lowest amount defines the Main Pot, and the other Bets, in an increasing way, the Side Pots.
An All-in rise that is not equal to the amount required for a Raise (in Pot-limit or No-limit games) or the 50% of this amount (for the other variants), does not allow Players that have already played to Raise again. The can only Call or Fold.
When there is one or more All-in, and no more Bets can be placed or if they involve another All-in, all Players in the hand must reveal their cards. This is called a “Showdown”.

Winner of the Pot

After all the betting rounds required by the game, the showdown takes place and the Player with the highest combination of cards wins the pot.

Betting Rounds: Flop, Turn and River

After eventually opening to the Ante and to the Blinds the Dealer lays down the community cards.
This happens in three rounds:

1) Flop: The Flop is the round where the Dealer burns the first card of his deck (leaving it face down on the table) and lays down the first three community cards. At this point a round of Bets begins. At the end of the round, if there are Players still in the hand, the game moves to the next round, the Turn.
2) Turn: The Turn is the round where the Dealer burns the first card of his deck and lays down another card, which is the fourth community card. At this point another round of Bets begins. At the end of the round, if there are Players still in the hand, the game moves to the next round, the River.
3) River: The River is the last round where the Dealer burns the first card of his deck and then lays downs the last community card. At this point the last round of Bets takes place. The last Player remaining in play or the one with the highest combination of cards (see below) wins the Pot.

The Scoring System

In the Texas Hold’em a hand is always made out of 5 cards.
Each Player can choose the best 5 cards among the 7 available (2 in his hands , 5 in the common board), to reach the highest point according to the following scale (from the highest to the lowest):


  • Royal Flush - Five cards of the same suit in sequence until the Ace.

      

  • Straight Flush – Five cards of the same suit in sequence. 

     

  • Poker – Four cards of the same numerical value.

     

  • Full House – A Tris (three cards of the same numerical values) with a pair (two cards that are equivalent of another numerical value)

     

  • Flush - Five cards of the same suit in a non – sequential order.
     
     

  • Straight - Five cards in sequence, of different suits. If both Players have a Straight the one that ends with the card of the highest value wins.

      

  • Three of a kind (Tris) – Three cards of the same value. The tris of the highest numerical value wins.
     
     

  • Two Pair - Two cards of the same numerical value together with two cards of another value.

      

  • One Pair - Two cards of the same numerical value.
     
     

  • High card - The highest card among the five ones.
     
     

The Player with the cards of the highest value, will be the winner of the Pot.
Please Note: In Texas Hold'em the value of the hand is always considered on FIVE cards. If for example two Players have A2 and A7 as their private (pocket) cards and the community cards are K Q 3 9 4 (assuming no one hit a Flush) even though both Players have an Ace high hand the one with A7 actually wins the Pot because considering five cards he has A K Q 9 7 4 while the other Player has A K Q 3 9 4 being his 2 lower than the other cards on the table.