Poker Rules - Betting
Basics
If there are no bets to you (It
is checked to you)
Bet: You can put in one bet into
the pot. Now all the players must
call that bet by also putting
in the same amount of money, or
else they must fold.
Check: You can choose not to
put in any money into the pot.
If no one bets, then the game
continues and everyone is still
in the hand. If someone else bets,
then you have a decision to make...
If there is a bet to you
Fold: You don't put in any more
money, but you are out of the
hand and cannot win any money.
Any money you have put into the
pot up to this point is lost.
Call: You put in money equal
to the amount bet so far. You
stay in the hand. Play continues
and the next card is dealt, unless
someone else raises. (If there
are no more cards, then there
is a showdown)
Raise: You put money into the
pot equal to the amount bet so
far, plus one bet. Now, all the
other players must call your raise
or fold. They may also reraise
you.
Showdown
If there is more than one player
left after all the cards have
been dealt, and everyone has called
on the last round of betting after
that card is dealt, then those
players showdown their hands.
Whoever is holding the best poker
hand wins all the money in the
pot. If there is a tie, then all
tying hands split the pot in equal
amounts. The poker room will also
take a rake from the pot before
it is distributed to the winner
or winners. The rake is the house's
share and is usually a few cents
on the dollar.
Win by default
If everyone except one player
folds, then that player gets all
the money in the pot, minus the
rake. He does not have to show
his hand to the other players.
Betting tactics
Reraise: Someone else raises
you, but you feel that you have
a very strong hand, and you want
to make your opponent pay to stay
in the hand. Then you can reraise
him and force him to put in another
bet to stay in. Some poker rooms
will let two players reraise each
other indefinitely. Others will
cap the number of total bets at
4, or some other number. Most
online poker rooms cap you at
4 bets in each betting round.
(The betting is only capped for
limit poker; no-limit and pot-limit
games do not have betting caps).
Check-raise: You hold a strong
hand, and you are greedy. You
want to take more than just one
bet from your opponent. So you
check, your opponent bets, and
you raise him. Now he calls, and
if your hand is as good as you
think it is, you just won two
bets from him. Check-raising is
a powerful tool, but it can be
dangerous, because your opponent
might also check. Then you win
no money from him. Or, he might
have an even better hand then
you, and he might reraise you.
Check-and-call: If you have a
decent hand, but you think there
is a good chance your opponent
might have a better one, you may
wish to avoid a raise. In this
case, you can check-and-call.
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