The Basics
Hand Rankings
Betting Structures

Texas Holdem
Texas Holdem
The Blinds
Pre-flop
The Flop
The Turn & River
The Winner
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4

Omaha
Omaha
Example 1
Example 2
Omaha Hi / Lo
Example 2
Example 2

Pineapple
Pineapple
Crazy Pineapple
Pineapple Hi / Lo

Stud
7 Card Stud
7 Card Stud Hi / Lo
Razz
5 Card Stud

Draw
5 Card Draw
Triple Draw A-5
Triple Draw 2-7
Badugi
Badugi Example 1
Badugi Example 2

Mixed Games
Mixed Games/ Dealer's Choice
HA
HO
HOSE
HORSE

Games Types
Ring / Cash Games
Single Table Tournament
Multi Table Tournaments
Sit and Go's
Turbos
Satellites
Rebuys / Add-ons
Shootout

Basic Poker Rules for Beginners


Poker can be intimidating when you are starting out as a new player. The dozens of game variations combined with an assortment of betting structures would seem like they require a university course to learn. Don't worry! The basics of poker are easy to explain, and all games come from these basic ideas. For example, with the exception of Badugi, all poker games focus on the best five-card combination when all betting is completed. After reading this poker primer, you will be ready to hit the tables with confidence. So let's get started!


Hand Rankings


These are your fundamental hand rankings for most games that are based on a five-card high hand. Starting with the highest ranked hand.

Royal Flush
A Straight flush with the high card Ace.
Straight Flush
5 cards in sequence all of the same suit.
Four of a kind
This is quad Aces.
Note the 5th card is not relevant to this hand.
Full House
3 of a kind, plus a pair. This is Aces full of 5's.
Flush
5 cards of the same suit.
They are not in sequence.
Straight
5 cards in sequence.
Three of a Kind
3 cards of the same rank.
Two Pair
This is two pair - Ace high.
One Pair
A pair of kings.
High Card
Where no other hand exists the player with the highest card wins.


Betting Structures


There are three main betting structures in poker: Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit.

Limit
Limit games have set amounts that you can bet during each round. For example, a $2/$4 Limit Hold 'em game would allow you to bet in $2 increments pre-flop and on the flop, and in $4 increments on the turn and river. Sometimes you will encounter spread limit games (common in Stud) that allow you to bet in a certain range. For example, you may get involved in a $1-$5 Stud game. On any street, you can bet $1 to $5. If you choose to raise you may raise up to $5, as long as you raise at least the amount that was previously bet. There is usually no cap on the amount of money a player can buy in for, and the minimum buy-in is normally ten times the small blind ($20 in a $2/4 game).

No Limit
No Limit games have a fixed blind amount, but the players are able to bet any amount from the minimum bet (typically the size of the big blind) up to their entire stack at any time. Most no limit games have a minimum and a maximum buy-in, the minimum typically being 20 big blinds and the maximum usually being 100 big blinds. For example, in a game with $1/$2 blinds, the buy-in range would be from $20 to $100. If a player drops below the maximum buy-in, they may add on to their stack to bring it back up to the max buy-in. Raises must be equal to or greater than the previous raise, unless a player is raising all-in.

Pot Limit
Pot Limit is very similar to No Limit, in that there is typically a minimum and maximum buy in, and players betting is not limited to a specific structure. Bets can range from the minimum bet (the size of the big blind) up to the size of the pot. Pot size is equal to the amount of the bets in the middle, all bets out on the table, plus the amount a player must call before raising. For example: if the pot in the middle of the table is $20 the first player acting the round bets $10, the next player to act is able to bet a maximum of $40 - $10 for his portion of the call and raise by $30.

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