Depending on the structure of the poker game, a player’s stack may or may not be allowed to bet all of it in one sitting. Those structures are the fixed limit, pot-limit and no-limit poker. A fixed-limit game requires players to make standard bets, while a pot-limit game allows a player to bet up to a predetermined amount. There are also some variations on these two basic rules.
In the standard poker game, each player is dealt a hand. These hands are then evaluated. Typically, a player will fold if he feels he doesn’t have a good hand or if he thinks he can bluff his opponents. A good hand is defined as holding at least two cards of the same rank and a pair of cards of a different rank. If a player’s hand includes three of a kind, it isn’t counted in the final score.
The most important feature of the poker game is the betting structure. The most common poker structures are the pot-limit, no-limit and fixed-limit. Each of these is designed to cap raises at a set amount. In the fixed-limit game, the best hand wins the pot. The pot is the collection of all bets made during the course of the game. The pot is also used to reward the winner.
The ante is the smaller of the two bets that are made during the first two rounds of betting. The ante provides the pot with a value right away. This small bet is made by each player before the cards are dealt. A player who has a strong hand can make a bigger bet after the fifth, sixth and seventh cards have been dealt.
The “hole-card” is a card in your hand that is not part of the community cards. The straight flush is five consecutive cards of a different suit. The best straight is the eight nine. Another straight is the trip sevens. A “backdoor flush” is achieved by hitting needed cards on the turn and river. Alternatively, the straight can be completed by any two cards from outside the hand.
The showdown is the final round of betting, during which the best five-card poker hand is determined. The winner takes all of the chips in the pot. It’s not uncommon for more than one player to remain in contention. If there are callers in the last round of betting, the best hand is the one that best matches the last bet. In a fixed-limit game, a player’s best hand is the one that is the only one to match the current bet.
A showdown is when a player’s best five-card combination wins the pot. During the draw phase of the game, the dealer deals cards one at a time to each of the players. Each player is then required to reveal his or her hand. A showdown isn’t a very common occurrence in the modern game, as players typically use plastic or ceramic chips to make their bets.