Online Poker
Poker betting (Poker)
This article describes the common terms,
rules, and procedures in the poker game, but does not cover the strategic
impact of poker betting. The poker game of poker as played today requires
that poker players agree before play on allowable amounts for poker betting
(called limits), and the use and amount of forced bets. These are
collectively called the poker betting structure of the poker game.
The poker betting structure of a poker game is a more significant factor
in its balance of luck and skill than the poker game variant being
played. Higher forced bets and smaller limits increase the influence of
chance. Smaller forced bets and larger limits increase the element of
skill. Good poker games are carefully balanced so that skillful poker
players will win in the long run while recreational poker players can win
often enough for the poker game to be exciting to them.
Contents
Poker betting
1 Terminology
1.1 Open
1.2 Call
1.3 Check
1.4 Raise
1.5 Fold
2 Forced bets
2.1 Ante
2.2 Blinds
2.3 Bring-ins
3 Limits
3.1 Fixed limit
3.1.1 Four Bet Maximum
3.1.2 Kill Poker game
3.2 Spread limit
3.3 Pot limit
3.4 No limit
4 Table stakes rules
4.1 "All in"
4.2 "Going light"
5 See also
Terminology
Open
The act of making the first non-zero bet in a poker betting round is
called opening the round. On the first poker betting round, it is also
called opening the pot. Some poker games may have special rules about opening
a round that may not apply to other bets. For example, they may have a poker
betting structure that specifies different allowable amounts for opening
than for other bets, or they may require a poker player to hold certain
cards to open.
Call
To call is to make the total amount of one's bet equal to the amount of
the immediately preceding bet (which will be the largest bet made in that
round). All poker players must eventually call an equal amount for the poker
betting round to end, or else one poker player must bet an amount that no
one calls, thus ending the entire deal and awarding him the pot.
The second and subsequent calls of a particular bet amount are sometimes
called overcalls. A poker player calling a raise before he or she has
invested money in the pot in that round is cold calling. For example, if
in a poker betting round, Jerry bets, Sally raises,
and Eric calls, Eric "calls two bets cold".
A poker player calling instead of raising with a
strong hand is smooth calling, a form of slowplay.
Smooth calling is generally done in early poker betting rounds and
against only one or two opponents; otherwise at least one opponent may
have too good a chance of drawing out on the smooth caller and the trap
backfires.
In public card rooms and casinos where verbal declarations are binding,
the word "call" is such a declaration. In particular, the
practice commonly seen in poker games on television and in movies of
saying "I call, and raise $100" is considered a string raise
and is not allowed in a serious poker game. Saying "I call"
commits you to the action of calling, and only calling.
Check
When no one has yet opened the poker betting round, one may check, which is equivalent to calling the current bet
of zero. The poker player declines making a bet; indicating that he does
not choose to open, but that he wishes to keep his cards and retain the
right to call or raise later in the same round if some other poker player
opens. A common way to signify checking is to tap the table with a fist
or an open hand.
A poker player with a live blind who chooses not to take advantage of his
right to raise is said to check his option,
which can be signified the same way.
Raise
To raise is to make the amount of one's bet
greater than the amount of the immediately preceding bet, forcing all
subsequent poker players to call the new amount. If the current bet
amount is nothing, this action is considered the opening bet. A poker player making the second (not counting the open) or
subsequent raise of a poker betting round is often said to reraise.
Except in the case of a live blind, a poker player may not raise the
current bet amount if he is the one who first set it. If it is that poker
player's turn to act who first set the current amount, the poker betting
round is closed and no further poker betting may take place in this
round. This occurs when all other poker players have either called the
amount or folded. All remaining poker players will have bet an equal
total amount (except for some rare cases covered by table stakes rules).
A universal rule in casinos in the
In many casinos, for fixed-limit or spread-limit poker games, there is a
limit to the total number of raises allowed in a single poker betting
round (typically three or four, not including the opening bet of a
round). For example in a casino with a three-raise rule, if one poker
player opens the poker betting for $5, the next raises by $5 making it
$10, a third poker player raises another $5, and a fourth poker player
raises $5 again making the current bet $20, the poker betting is said to
be capped at that point, and no further raises beyond the $20 level will
be allowed on that round. It is common to suspend this rule when there
are only two poker players poker betting in the round (called being
heads-up). Pot-limit and no-limit poker games do not have a limit on the
number of raises.
Fold
Although not specifically a poker betting action, to fold is to discard
one's hand and forfeit any further interest in the hand or the current
pot. Also called "drop" or "pass" (the latter term is
ambiguous, because it can also mean check). This can be done verbally, or
simply signalled by discarding one's hand into
the pile of other discards called the muck. In stud poker played in the
It is a serious breach of etiquette to fold out of turn, that is, when it
is not the folding poker player's turn to act, because this can harm
other poker players. For example, if there are three poker players
remaining and the first poker player in turn bets, the third poker player
folding out of turn now would give valuable strategic information to the
second poker player (who is in turn at this point), to the detriment of
the bettor. In some poker games, even folding in turn when you are
entitled to check (because there is no bet facing you) is considered an
out of turn fold since it gives away information to which poker players
would otherwise not be entitled. Finally, if a poker player folds out of
turn in a stud poker game, the poker player in turn may demand that his upcards remain exposed until he has completed his
turn.
Forced bets
Ante
An ante is a forced bet in which each poker player places an equal amount
of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. In home poker games,
the amount of the ante is typically small. In poker games where the
acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the poker players
to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each poker player. This
simplifies poker betting, but causes minor inequities if other poker
players come and go or miss their turn to deal.
After the ante, later poker betting always begins with the poker player
immediately to the dealer's left.
Blinds
A blind or blind bet is a forced bet placed into the pot by one or more poker
players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates bets made during
play. This is used frequently in casino and tournament poker games and is
designed to ensure there is poker betting action on each hand. The most
common use of blinds as a poker betting structure calls for two blinds:
the poker player after the dealer blinds about half of what would be a
normal bet, and the next poker player blinds what would be a whole bet.
Sometimes only one blind is used, and sometimes three. In the case of
three blinds (usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet
amount), the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid
by the dealer.
For example, the first poker player to the dealer's left (who would
normally be the first to bet after the cards are dealt) makes a blind bet
of $1, and the next poker player in turn posts a big blind of $2. After
the cards are dealt, play continues with the next poker player in turn
(third from the dealer), who acts just as if the $1 had been an opening bet
and the $2 had been a raise, so he must either call $2, reraise, or fold.
When the poker betting returns to the poker player who blinded $1, he
acts just as if that had been the opening bet; he must equal the bet
facing him (toward which he may count his $1), fold, or reraise.
An additional privilege is given to the poker player who posted the big
blind to compensate for the fact that he is forced to bet. If there have
been no raises by the time his first turn to bet voluntarily comes (that
is, the bet amount facing him is just the $2 he originally put in), then
he is given the right to raise at that point, even though his right-hand
opponent's call would normally have closed the poker betting round under
other circumstances. This "extra" right to raise
(called a live blind) occurs only once: if his raise is now called by
every poker player, the first poker betting round closes as usual.
In some fixed limit and spread limit poker games, the big blind amount is
less than the normal poker betting minimum. Poker players acting after a
sub-minimum blind have to the right to call the blind as it is, even
though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they
may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal
minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a poker game with a $5
fixed bet on the first round might have blinds of $1 and $2. Poker players
acting after the blind may either call the $2, or raise
to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in
accordance with the normal limits.
Bring-ins
A bring-in is a type of forced bet that occurs after the cards are
initially dealt, but before any other action. One poker player, usually
chosen by the value of cards dealt face up on the initial deal, is forced
to open the poker betting by some small amount, after which poker players act after him in normal rotation.
The bring-in is normally assigned on the first poker betting round of a
stud poker game to the poker player whose upcards
indicate the poorest hand. For example, in traditional high hand stud poker
games and high-low split poker games, the poker player showing the lowest
card pays the bring-in. In low hand poker games, the poker player with
the highest card showing pays the bring-in. The high card by suit order
can be used to break ties if necessary.
In most fixed limit and some spread limit poker games, the bring-in
amount is less than the normal poker betting minimum. The poker player
forced to pay the bring-in may choose either to pay only what is required
or to make a normal bet. Poker players acting after a sub-minimum
bring-in have the right to call the bring-in as it is, even though it is
less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the
amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called
completing the bet. For example, a poker game with a $5 fixed bet on the
first round might have a bring-in of $2. Poker players acting after the
bring-in can either call the $2, or raise to $5.
After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in
accordance with the normal limits.
In a poker game where the bring-in is equal to the fixed bet (this is
rare and not recommended), the poker game must either allow the bring-in poker
player to optionally come in for a raise, or else the bring-in must be
treated as live in the same way as a blind, so that the poker player is
guaranteed his right to raise on the first poker betting round if he
chooses.
Limits
Poker betting limits apply to the amount a poker player may open or
raise, and come in four common forms: no limit, pot limit (the two
collectively called big bet poker), fixed limit, and spread limit.
All such poker games have a minimum bet as well as the stated maximums,
and also commonly a poker betting unit, which is the smallest
denomination in which bets can be made. For example, it is common for a poker
games with $20 and $40 poker betting limits to have a minimum poker betting
unit of $5, so that all bets must be in multiples of $5, to simplify poker
game play. It is also common for some poker games to have a bring-in that
is less than the minimum for other bets. In this case, poker players may
either call the bring-in, or raise to the full
amount of a normal bet, called completing the bet. Outside of the
Most American home poker games are played with a spread limit, while
casino poker games are played with spread or fixed limits, though larger
casinos may have a high- stakes pot limit or no limit poker game as well.
Fixed limit and spread limit poker games emphasise
the skill of estimating odds, whereas pot limit and no limit poker games
emphasize the skills of poker game theory and psychology. Almost all poker
poker players believe that pot and no limit poker
involve more skill than fixed limit play. A few prominent poker players,
most notably Mason Malmuth, believe that the
richer tactics make fixed limit more skilled. Although the main event at
the World Series of Poker is played no limit, most high stakes cash poker
games are fixed limit, so it is unclear which format is the experts'
choice.
Fixed limit
In a poker game played with a fixed limit poker betting structure, a poker
player chooses only whether to bet or not - the amount is fixed by rule.
Commonly later poker betting rounds specify higher bets than earlier
rounds.
For example, a four-round poker game called "20 and 40 limit"
(usually written as $20/$40) may specify that all bets on the first two
rounds are $20, and on the third and fourth round $40. This amount
applies to each raise, not the total amount bet in a round, so a poker
player may bet $20, be raised $20, and then re-raise another $20, for a
total bet of $60, in such a poker game.
Four Bet Maximum
Most fixed limit poker games are played with a four bet maximum. This
means that in a given poker betting round, there can be no more than
three raises, meaning that on the poker betting round,
only four bets of the given limit have been made. Consider this example
in a $20/$40 poker game, during a $20 round with three poker players that
proceeds as follows: Poker player A bets $20.
Poker player B puts in another bet, raises
another $20, making it $40 to play.
Poker player C puts in a third bet, raising another $20 on that, thus
making it $60 to play.
Poker player A puts in the fourth bet (she is usually said to cap the poker
betting).
Once Poker player A has made her final bet, Poker players B and C may
only call another three and two bets (respectively); they may not raise
again because the poker betting is capped.
A common exception in this rule practiced in some card rooms is to allow
unlimited raising when a pot is played heads up
(when only two poker players remain). Usually, this has occurred because
all other poker players have folded, and only two remain. Many card rooms
will permit these two poker players to re-raise each other until one poker
player is all in.
Some variations do exist for this exception. For example, some card rooms
require that the pot became heads up before the third bet has entered the
pot on that poker betting round. It is widely believed that such this
variation exists to prevent two colluding poker players from raising a
third poker player out of the pot.
This exception to the four bet maximum has been observed in nearly all
card rooms in the
Kill Poker game
Sometimes a fixed limit poker game is played as a kill poker game. Such a
poker game is played with an additional blind, called the kill blind. The
kill blind can be posted from any position at the table. The amount
posted is typically twice the typical blind for that poker game. For
example, in a $20/$40 poker game, the large blind is typically $20. If
this poker game were played with a full kill, the kill blind would be
$40.
When the kill blind is posted, it changes the stakes of the poker game.
For that hand, the poker game as played as if the poker game were a
higher limit. In a $20/$40 poker game with a full kill blind posted, the
hand is played as if the limit were $40/$80. The kill is said to be
active when the kill blind is posted and the poker game is played at the
higher limit.
Rules on how the kill is activated vary. On the east coast of the
In the Pacific Northwest of the
The term kill, when used in this context, should not be confused with
killing a hand, which is a term used for a hand that was made a dead hand
by action of a poker game official.
Spread limit
A poker game played with a spread limit poker betting structure allows a poker
player to raise any amount within a specified range.
For example, a poker game called "one to five limit" allows
each bet to be anywhere from $1 to $5 (subject to other poker betting
rules). These limits are typically larger in later rounds of multi-round poker
games. For example, a poker game might be "one to five, ten on the
end", meaning that early poker betting rounds allow bets of $1 to
$5, and the last poker betting round allows bets of $1 to $10.
Pot limit
A poker game played with a pot limit poker betting structure allows any poker
player to raise up to an amount equal to the
size of the whole pot before the raise. For example, let's assume that
there is $10 in the pot at the start of a poker betting round. The first poker
player may open the poker betting for up to $10. If he does in fact open
for $10, the next poker player may raise to $40 (after calling the $10 bet,
the total amount of the pot is $20, so he may raise $20).
No limit
A poker game played with a no limit poker betting structure allows each poker
player to raise any amount of his stake at any time (subject to the table
stakes rules and any other rules about raising).
Table stakes rules
All casinos and many home poker games play poker by what are called table
stakes rules, which state that each poker player starts each deal with a
certain stake, and plays that deal with that stake. He may not remove
money from the table or add money from his pocket during the play of a
hand. Nor is a poker player allowed to hide the amount of his stake from
other poker players; he must disclose the amount when asked. This
requires some special rules to handle the case when a poker player is
faced with a bet that he cannot call with his available stake.
"All in"
<
When a poker player is faced with a current bet amount that he has
insufficient remaining stake to call and he wishes to call (he may of
course fold without the need of special rules), he bets the remainder of
his stake and declares himself all in. He may now hold onto his cards for
the remainder of the deal as if he had called every bet, but he may not
win any more money from any poker player above the amount of his bet.
For example, let's assume that the first poker player in a poker betting
round opens for $20, and the next poker player to bet has only $5
remaining of his stake. He bets the $5, declaring himself all in, and
holds onto his cards. The next poker player in turn still has the $20 bet
facing him, and if he can cover it he must call $20 or fold. If he calls
$20, thus ending the poker betting round, instead of collecting all bets
into the central pot as usual, the following procedure is applied: since
there is an all in poker player with only $5 bet, his $5, and $5 from
each of the other poker players, is collected into the central pot (now
called the main pot), as if the final bet had been only $5. This main pot
(which may include any antes or bets from previous rounds) is the most
the all in poker player is eligible to win. The remaining money from the
still-active bettors, in this case $15 apiece, is collected into a side
pot that only the poker players who contributed to it are eligible to
win. If there are further poker betting rounds,
all bets are placed into the side pot while the all in poker player
continues to hold his cards but does not participate in further poker betting.
Upon the showdown, the poker players eligible for the side pot-and only
those poker players-reveal their hands, and the winner among them takes
the side pot, regardless of what the all in poker player holds (indeed,
before he even shows). After the side pot is awarded, the all in poker
player then shows his hand, and if it is superior to all others shown, he
wins the main pot (otherwise he loses as usual).
There is a strategic advantage to being all in: you cannot be bluffed,
because you are entitled to hold your cards and see the showdown without
risking any more money. The poker players who continue to bet after you
are all in can still bluff each other out of the side pot, which is also
to your advantage since they reduce your competition without risk to you.
But these advantages are more than offset by the disadvantage that you
cannot win any more money than what your stake can cover. After all, the
object of poker is not to win hands-it is to win money. If a poker player
goes all in with a raise rather than a call, another special rule comes
into play. There are two options in common use here: pot limit and no
limit poker games always use what is called the full bet rule, while
fixed limit or spread limit poker games use either the full bet rule or
the half bet rule. The full bet rule states that if the amount of an all
in raise does not equal the full amount of the previous raise, it does
not constitute a "real" raise, and therefore does not reopen
the poker betting action. The half bet rule states that if an all in
raise is equal to or larger than half the bet being raised, it does
constitute a raise and reopens the action.
For example, a poker player opens the poker betting round for $20, and
the next poker player has a total stake of $25. He may raise to $25,
declaring himself all in, but this does not constitute a "real"
raise, in the following sense: if a third poker player now calls the $25,
and the first poker player's turn to act comes up, he must now call the
additional $5, but he does not have the right to reraise further. The all
in poker player's pseudo-raise was really just a call with some extra
money, and the third poker player's call was just a call, so the initial
opener's bet was simply called by both remaining poker players, closing
the poker betting round (even though he must still equalize the money by
putting in the additional $5). If the half bet rule were being used, and
the all in poker player had raised to $30 instead of $25, then that raise
would count as a genuine raise and the first poker player would be
entitled to reraise if he chose to (this would create a side pot for the
amount of his reraise and the third poker player's call, if any).
When all poker players are all-in, or one poker player is playing only
against opponents who are all-in, no more poker betting can take place.
In a tournament, when this occurs, it is required that all poker players
still playing flip up their hole cards even though the poker game may not
be over yet. Likewise, any other cards that would normally be dealt face
down, such as the final card in seven-card stud, are dealt face-up. These
rules discourage collusion.
Because these rules are complicated (especially when more than one poker
player goes all in, or there are pots to be split because of ties),
informal home poker games often allow poker players to temporarily borrow
money to add to their stake during a hand when necessary, which is called
going light. This is never allowed in casino poker games.
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