• Dealing the Game of Texas Hold’em

• Texas Hold’em Blind Rules

• TotalPoker Texas Hold’em Games

Dealing the Game of Texas Hold’em

All Texas Hold’em games that are offered at TotalPoker are “fixed” limit games. The object is to create the best five-card hand using seven cards.

Before the Deal:

• Players will buy-in for the posted amount.

• Selected players will post blinds.

The Dealer Button:

Unlike Seven Card Stud wherein the dealer deals each opening round clockwise around the table starting with the player closest to the left, the dealer in Hold’em will start to deal each game contingent upon which player has the “button.” The button is a graphical representation (“D”) of which player is the “dealer.” Although our dealer will be dealing the Hold’em game, the player who has the button placed in front of his seat gets to play his cards as if he were the actual dealer. When the cards are dealt to players, they are dealt in a manner as if the player was actually dealing in a live environment.

Blinds:

Because we have a player “on the button” we now ask two players via a specific voice announcement (just those players will hear the announcement) to “post the large or small blinds please.” The blinds serve a purpose similar to antes, in that they put forced money into the pot that gives players an incentive to enter the hand. However, only two players will “post” or “put up” the blinds.

The first blind is called the “small blind”. This bet is usually half the minimum bet of the game, although in some games, the fraction is slightly different. In $15-30, the small blind is $7, and in $5-10, the small blind is $2.

So, in a $2-4 game the small blind will be $1. The second blind is called the “large blind” and is always the same size as the game’s minimum bet, e.g., in a 5-10 game, the large blind is $5.

The player directly left of the button will have the “small blind.” The player directly to the left of the small blind will have the “large blind” of the full amount or the lowest game limit.

Opening Deal:

Now that we have a Button and small and large blinds, we are ready to deal. The dealer always deals from the player closest to the dealer’s left. Moving clockwise around the table, the game will “deal-in” each player. The players will be dealt one card face down, then a second card face down. A round of betting will occur starting with the player seated to the left of the large blind.

Betting on Opening Deal:

The player seated to the left of the large blind will always have the action on the opening deal. This player may not check, but rather can only fold, call, or raise the amount of the large blind.

The game will now advance to each player seated asking to fold, call, or raise until we reach the large blind for an action decision. If no one has raised by the time the play comes back around to the large blind, the large blind has the option to “check” his own BLIND wager or raise.

Once all players have completed the first round of wagering, they will proceed to the flop.

Flop:

The next cards to be dealt into the game will be the third, fourth and fifth cards in the game. These three cards will not be dealt to each player, but rather placed face up in the center of the table.

But before we “flop” anything, we must burn a card. The dealer will deal face down one card into the pot. After the burn card, the dealer will deal three cards face up in the center of the poker table. These three cards are called “community cards” which are available to all players for potential use to make a poker hand. The area in which these cards lie on the table is commonly referred to as the “board”.

The look of the flop:

Now the flop has landed on the “board” and all players now have five cards available to make their hand, the two “hole” cards that were dealt on the opening round and now three “community cards” which all players may use. The rule of the determination of the action is as follows.

After the opening deal, the player who is seated closest to the left of the button shall have the initial action for the remainder of the game. If the player who has the button folds, then the button is still active and will remain in front of that player’s seat to keep position a constant throughout that game.

The player that has the action may check or bet. As soon as one player chooses to bet, then the other players in the hand can no longer check; they can only fold, call or raise the amount that is proper for that round (the lower betting limit on the first round and on the flop, and the higher betting limit on the turn and the river).

The Turn:

The “turn” is the fourth card to be dealt onto the board and the sixth card available to the player. Some players call this “fourth street.” However, the most common term used for this round is the “turn”. As always, the dealer will burn a card and then deal one card face up onto the board to the right of the last flop card.

The look of the turn:


The 9 of spades is the “turn card”

At this point the players have access to the four cards on the board and their two hole cards. The game will now declare who has the action, which always begins with the player still remaining in the hand who is closest to the left of the button.

The bet on the turn is the higher level of the betting limit. In a $2-4 game, this would be $4. All raise will be in $4 increments with a cap of three raises. If there are just two players remaining, the number of raises is unlimited at our real money tables.

However, in tournament play, the three-raise limit applies even if there are only two players left in a hand.

The River:

The dealer will then place the fifth and final card on the board.

The Flop Cards turn River

River Look:

At this point, five cards are on the board and two hole cards are in the players’ hands. The action again starts with the first player still remaining in the hand who is closest to the left of the button. All checks, bets, raises, and folds will be completed and then a showdown will begin.

Who shows first?

The determination of which players’ cards will and must be shown first will lie with the player who had initiated the action or with the person who had initiated the last bet, raise or re-raise. This simply means that whoever had the last action on the river must show his/her cards first.

Suppose a Player wins by default?

A player who has a winning hand does not have to show his/her cards if his/her bet was not called.

Does a Player have to show their Cards if they call a bet on the River?

A player is not required to show their cards if, and only if, they are not the player who had the last action. If a player calls a bet and sees that he/she cannot win, he/she may fold his/her cards. Players who are curious about the folded hand may request a hand history to learn it.

Who wins?

In our poker room, as with all, "cards speak." That means our dealer will find the best five-card hand using the five (5) community cards on the board and the two (2) pocket cards in the player’s hand. The winner will be decided based on the universal poker hand rankings.

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Texas Hold’em Blind Rules

All players must pay for their blinds in full before they are allowed to get the button. Therefore, the player who had posted the small blind in the prior hand will receive the button on the next deal of any game.

• If in the event we have a new player to the game, then three (3) actions will occur.

  1. If the new player is seated left of the blind, then he/she may choose to “post” the large blind or “wait.” If the player does post, then his/her wager is active.

  2. If the new player is seated in the large blind, then he/she is treated as such.

  3. If the player is seated between the button and any blind, then he/she must wait for the button to pass.

Missed Blinds rules and Procedures:

• Missed large blind. If a player misses the large blind for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands until the sum of all blinds are made up. The game will place a “ML” button in that seat to declare the missed large blind. The game will ask the next active player to the left to post the large blind for the hand. If the missed player returns to the game before the large blind comes back to his/her seat, the player is required make up the sum of all blinds. “Post all.” The small blind portion is dead and must be put into the pot before the hand is dealt. However, a player may avoid posting dead by waiting for the large blind to arrive at his/her seat naturally.
  

• Missed small blind. If a player misses the small blind for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands until the small blind is made up. The game will place a “MS” button in that seat to declare the missed small blind. The game will ask the next active player to the left of the large blind to post a large blind for the hand as well. The original large blind player will “catch a break” and get the button on the next hand. The player who had missed the small cannot return until after the button has passed. If the missed player returns to the game before the large blind comes back to his/her seat, the player is required make up the small blind. The small blind is dead and must be put into the pot before the hand is dealt. However, a player may avoid posting dead by waiting for the large blind to arrive at his/her seat naturally.

What is an all-in?

There are two definitions:

1. A bet that a player makes that uses up all of the chips he has remaining at the table. For example, in a 15-30 game, a player who only had $7 left at the table would be allowed to use that $7 to call or bet. If there is only one other player left in the hand at that point, the betting has ended for that hand, and the system will deal out the remainder of the cards quickly and automatically. If there are three or more players remaining in the hand when someone runs out of money and goes all in, a “side pot” is created, which is contested only by the players who still have money. It is possible, in multi-way hands, for more than one side pot to be created, if more than one player runs out of money at different times. If you are involved in a side pot, you may win that, even if you cannot beat the all-in player for the main pot.
   
   Note that even if you have more chips in your account at the cashier, you cannot add more money in the middle of a hand. We suggest, if your funds run very low, that you add more chips to those you have at the table before the next hand begins.
   
   Finally, note that using an all-in in this manner—running out of money in the middle of a hand—does not use up one of the two all-ins you are allowed per day, as explained below. Type 2 all-ins are used up only by a failure to respond, not by running out of money.
   
   

2. If a player fails to act in time—for example, if an emergency calls him to another room in the house, or if he loses his connection—he is treated as if he were all-in for that hand. This feature protects the money the player already has in the pot in case of a bad connection or a home emergency.
   
   Players in TotalPoker games are given two “emergency” all-ins per 24 hour period. If you use up your two all-ins, TotalPoker strongly suggests that you not play until you have sent an email to TotalPoker support explaining why you used up two all-ins, and requesting an all-in reset. If you play with zero all-ins in your account, you could lose the money you have in a pot if you lose your connection.

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 PlayWebPoker Texas Hold’em Games

$1-2	$2-4	$3-6
Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10
Minimum Buy-in: $10	Minimum Buy-in: $20	Minimum Buy-in: $30
Small Blind: $.50	Small Blind: $1	Small Blind: $1
Large Blind: $1	Large Blind: $2	Large Blind: $3

$4-8	$5-10	$6-12
Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10
Minimum Buy-in: $40	Minimum Buy-in: $50	Minimum Buy-in: $60
Small Blind: $2	Small Blind: $2	Small Blind: $3
Large Blind: $4	Large Blind: $5	Large Blind: $6

$8-16	$10-20	$15-30
Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10	Maximum number of players: 10
Minimum Buy-in: $80	Minimum Buy-in: $100	Minimum Buy-in: $150
Small Blind: $4	Small Blind: $5	Small Blind: $7
Large Blind: $8	Large Blind: $10	Large Blind: $15

$20-40

Maximum number of players: 10

Minimum Buy-in: $200

Small Blind: $10

Large Blind: $20

This section will inform you on gaming procedures, rules, policies and limits of PlayWebPoker´s game of Seven Card Stud.

is abbreviation for Rules.

• Dealing the Game of Seven Card Stud

• $ 1-2 through $20-40 Seven Card Stud Notable Rules “Fixed Limit Games”

• $ 1 to 3 and $1 to 5 Seven Card Stud Notable Rules “Spread Limit Games”

• TotalPoker Seven Card Stud Games

Dealing the Game of Seven Card Stud

Before the Deal:

• Players will buy-in for the posted amount. No short buys are permitted.

• Players will place an ante into the pot by selecting “I’m in.” Your ante will be placed into the pot by default. You may turn off this feature under the settings menu in the game.

Opening Deal:

The dealer always deals first to the player closest to the dealer’s left and, moving clockwise around the table, will “deal-in” each player. The players will be dealt one card face down, then a second card face down, AND then a third card known as the “door card” will be dealt face up. A round of betting will occur starting with the player with the lowest card by value and suit. This is known as the “force” or “bring-in” bet. The player who has the bring-in bet may choose between betting a minimum amount or a larger amount.

The player with the lowest card value (ace being high) will be the force. In the event that two or more players hold door cards of the same rank, then the lowest suit will make the determination. Suits are ranked, from highest to lowest alphabetically, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs (i.e., the two of clubs is the lowest possible card). This is the only time suits will play a role in the game.

Fourth Card (4th Street):

The next card to be dealt into the game will be the fourth card the players will receive in their hand. This is called “4th street.” The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to the dealer’s left and, moving clockwise around the table, will deal each one card face up. A round of betting will occur starting with the player with the highest two-card value. This is known as “having the action.”

The player having the best hand on the board “has the action” and may make the initial bet of the round or check to the next player. If there is a tie between players as to the best hand, then the player closest to the dealer’s left will have the action.

In fixed limit stud (i.e., a 4-8 game, as opposed to a 1 to 5 game), if any player displays an open pair on fourth street, that player may bet the higher amount of the game limit normally not available until fifth street.

If the player with the action chooses to make the lower limit bet, any other player still in the hand may choose to make either the lower limit or higher limit raise. Once any player has made the higher limit bet, all further bets and raises must be made at the that higher level.

Betting in Seven Card Stud

a) If you choose not to bet, then you are said to “check,” or pass on the option to bet to the next player.

b) If another bets, you may “call” the bet, “raise” or “fold.”

c) If a player checks and another player makes a bet, the player who checked may in turn raise the bet made by the other player. This is called a “check & raise.”

Players have 10 seconds to bet, check, raise or fold. If the player does not make a choice within the allotted time, the game will place the player all-in.

Fifth Card (5th Street):

The next card to be dealt into the game will be the fifth card the players will receive in their hand. This is called “5th street.” The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to the dealer’s left and, moving clockwise around the table will deal each one card face up. A round of betting will occur starting with the player with the highest three-card value. Starting with fifth street, and continuing through all further streets, all bets and raises in fixed limit games are made at the higher limit.

Sixth Card (6th Street):

The next card to be dealt into the game will be the sixth card the players will receive in their hand. This is called “6th street.” The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to the dealer’s left and, moving clockwise around the table will deal each one card face up. A round of betting will occur starting with the player with the highest four-card value.

Seventh Card (the River):

Almost every poker player uses the term “the river” or “river” to describe the last card players will receive in the game. As always, we start with a burn card. The dealer will deal a card face down clockwise around the table.

Exception!
If there are 8 players who played all the way through the sixth card and are now about to be dealt their final card of the game, our dealer will only have one (1) card remaining in the deck. That’s because 8 X 6 = 48 cards + the 3 burn cards that we burned on 4th, 5th and 6th streets will be a sum of 51 cards. Our rule in the case is as follows:

In the event there may not be enough cards remaining in the deck to deal each player a final card, the dealer will calculate if the burn cards plus any cards in the deck will allow each player to receive a final down card. If the dealer can deal each player a last card, then the dealer will do so by taking all the burn cards plus any remaining cards in the deck, shuffle and then deal the final card to each player.

However, if the dealer calculates that it’s not possible to give each player his or her own card, then the dealer will take all the burn cards, shuffle and turn over a "community card." The folded (muck) cards may never be used in the game once they have been folded.
 

Showdown:

Who shows first?

In a live game, generally players who feel that they have a good opportunity to win a pot will show their hand voluntarily. However, in many instances, players all stare at each other wondering who will show their cards first. To avoid this situation, our game will employ the following standard rule:

The determination of which players’ cards will and must be shown first will lie with the player who had initiated the action or with the person, who had initiated the last bet, raise or re-raise.

This simply means that whoever created the last action on the river must show his/her cards first. If the player who had the action checked and all players checked, then the player who had the initial option to bet would show first. If a player checks and another player bets, then the player who bet will have his/her cards shown first. If a player checked, another bets and then another player raises, the raiser’s cards will be shown first.

Suppose a Player wins by default. Is the Hand required to be shown?

Players that have won a pot do not have to show their cards if they were not called.

This means that if two or more players were playing and one player bets and the other(s) fold, then, the player who has won the pot by default will not under any circumstances have their cards shown automatically. The winning players may choose to “show” or “don’t show.”

Do Players have to show their Cards if they call a bet or a check on the River?

Players are not required to show their cards if and only if they are not the player who created the last action by betting or raising. If a player calls a bet and sees that they cannot win, they may “fold” or “show” their cards. However, if a player who has stayed in until the end mucks (fails to show) his hand, other players in the game may find out the hand by requesting that a hand history be emailed to them.

Who wins?

In our poker room, as with all, "Cards Speak." That means our dealer will find the best 5-card hand on the table and declare it the winner based on the universal poker hand rankings.

It is theoretically possible that two or more players can hold the best five-card hand. If there is a tie between two or more players, then the dealer will "split" the pot equally between all the winning players.

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$ 1-2 Through $20-40 Seven Card Stud Notable Rules

“Fixed Limit Games”

Most commonly called “fixed” limit games, this type of game limit structure is by far the most common betting structure you will find in the casinos. A fixed limit game is one in which each bet will remain consistent through several betting rounds and then change at some predetermined point in later rounds. All bets will remain equal to the posted table limit. For example, in a 5-10 Seven-Card Stud game, the bets will be as follows.

In the early betting rounds, a bet and any raises must be exactly $5. In later betting rounds, such as the last round, a bet and any raises must be exactly $10.

How do you bet & raise in a fixed limit Game?

a) Each bet in every betting round will be in strict compliance with a structured game.

b) If you choose not to bet, then you are said to “check,” or pass on the option to bet to the next player.

c) If a player bets, you may “call” the bet or “fold.”

d) If a player checks and another player makes a bet, the player who checked may then in turn raise the bet made by the other player. This is called a “check & raise.”

Players have 10 seconds to bet, check, raise or fold. If the player does not make a choice, the game will automatically place the player all-in if such player has an all-in remaining.

How many raises will be allowed?

The general poker rule is a “cap” of three raises allowed per betting round with three or more players. However, if there is a “heads up” situation whereby only two players remain in the game, then raises are unlimited.

• The opening round will be a force wager determined by the game limit. The player with the lowest “door card” is forced to wager the minimum or a player may open for the lower limit of the game. If another player wishes, they may “raise” the bet and “complete” it to the lower limit of the game in the event the player with the force wagered just the force amount. This is not a raise in the traditional sense. The player is only “bringing up” the bet to its normal minimum. If a player wishes to raise, then this will be considered the first raise of the game and not the second.

• Fourth Street: The bet shall be the lower limit and all raises will be in the same increments only.

However, an exception occurs on Fourth Street when there is an open pair on the table. Any player may bet or raise the lower or higher limit of the game. This is called the “Fourth Street Rule.”

• Fifth Street: The bet shall be the higher limit and all raises will be the same increments only.

• Sixth Street: The bet shall be the higher limit and all raises will be the same increments only.

• Seventh Street or the river: The bet shall be the higher limit and all raises will be the same increments only.

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$ 1 to 3 and $1 to 5 Seven Card Stud Notable Rules
 

“Spread Limit Games”

Spread Limit: The second most commonly found type of betting structure. This structure means there is a range of betting amounts permitted. The easiest example is a $1 to 5 game. Players are allowed to bet anywhere from $1 through $5 on any bet and in any round. Another common game is the $1 to 3 game. In casinos, you find the limits written and used as you see here.

Players at these limits may wager any amount on any round within the limit posted.

Raises in $1 to 3 and $1 to 5 must be equal to or greater than the previous bet. If in the event there is a re-raise, then the re-raise amount will be equal to or greater than the raise amount, but not to exceed the game limit.

For example, if the player in seat #5 bets $2, the player in seat 6 can only raise $2, $3, $4 or $5. Most commonly you will see a player bet $2, then another player will say “make it $7” hence a $5 raise. But, if he wants, he can “make” or raise the bet to $4 ($2 + $2 raise), $5, $6, or $7. A player cannot just raise a $1 because that would violate the rule above.

While playing fixed limit Seven Card Stud on 4th street (fourth card dealt) any player may bet or raise the lower or higher limit of the game when there is an open pair on the table. This is called the “Fourth Street Rule.” This does NOT apply in a spread limit game.

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PlayWebPoker Seven Card Stud Games

$1 to 5 Stud	$1 to 3 Stud	$1-2 Stud
Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8
Buy-in: $30	Buy-in: $30	Buy-in: $20
Ante: $.25	Ante: $.25	Ante: $.25
Force: $1	Force: $1	Force: $.50
Bet amount: $1 to 5 any street.	Bet amount: $1 to 3 any street.	4th street $1 ($1 or 2 w/ pair)
Cap of 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up	Cap of 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up	5th street: $2
Raises must be equal to or greater than the previous bet amount	Raises must be equal to or greater than the previous bet amount	6th street: $2
		7th street: $2
		Cap at 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up

$2-4 Stud	$3-6 Stud	$4-8 Stud
Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8
Buy-in: $20	Buy-in: $30	Buy-in: $40
Ante: $.25	Ante: $.25	Ante: $.50
Force: $1	Force: $1	Force: $2
4th street: $2 ($2 or 4 w/ pair)	4th street: $3 ($3 or 6 w/ pair)	4th street $4 ($4 or 8 w/ pair)
5th street: $4	5th street: $6	5th street: $8
6th street: $4	6th street: $6	6th street: $8
7th street: $4	7th street: $6	7th street: $8
Cap at 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up	Cap at 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up	Cap at 3 raises Unlimited raises heads up

$5-10 Stud	$6-12 Stud	$8-16 Stud
Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8	Maximum number of players:8
Buy-in: $50	Buy-in: $60	Buy-in: $80