How to play poker

The poker game is as follows: players sit at an oval table. In each hand, 2 pocket cards are dealt, and 5 community cards are laid out on the common table. Players place bets. Everything happens clockwise. The winner is the player who made a bet that no one supported, otherwise the one who supported all bets and he got the best card combination (about them below).

1. What is the meaning of poker

The meaning of poker is to win chips (money) from opponents, making the best poker combination in relation to rivals or to make a bet that no one dares to equalize. Players who have reached the showdown will "compete" with each other in the strength of the combination. A total of 2 to 10 players can play at the table at the same time. The poker hand is completely dependent on the cards that are dealt to each player, so in poker, your behavior at the table is very important, but let's talk about everything in order.
As mentioned earlier, the whole difficulty and interest of poker is that no one knows your 2 pocket cards. You can behave aggressively even with the presence of clearly losing cards. Probably everyone has heard of such a strategy - bluff.
Let's paint in stages one round of poker.

2. Step-by-step example of the game of poker

Below we consider a generalized algorithm of poker (in other words, an example of a single round). In another article, you can see examples of Texas hold'em hand draws, where all the steps will be described with specific cards.

A brief algorithm of one game of poker
Players are dealt two cards
First round of bidding
Three cards are placed on the common table
Second round of bidding
The fourth card is placed on the common table
Third round of bidding
The fifth card is placed on the common table
Fourth round of bidding
Showdown
The round can be interrupted at each stage of the bidding, if someone's bet from the players no one supported. Let's take a closer look at each of the steps.

Generalized one-game algorithm in Texas hold'em

0 step. To begin with, a player called "Dealer"is determined. Next to this player is usually indicated the letter D. Often this player is also called "Baton". Players sit at a round (or oval) table and the Dealer title in each round goes to a new player clockwise. Bets are also placed clockwise. The dealer's task is to deal cards.

In online poker, of course, no one really hands out cards. The player is simply assigned a title for one round. After each game, the dealer moves clockwise.

1 step. Each player is dealt two cards. Only the player can see these cards. Similarly, opponents can only see their two cards. No one knows what cards the opponents have.

Step 2. Next, two players sitting to the left of the dealer make mandatory bets. The nearest player makes half the bet and the next player makes the whole bet. These players are called " blinds "(from the English word" blind " - blind), because they bet blindly. The one who makes half the bet is called the "small blind" (Small Blind), and the other, respectively, the "big blind" (Big Blind).

Since the dealer changes in each round, the "blinds" are constantly changing, passing their title around the circle. Thus, for a long distance, all players are on an equal footing.

Note

In many other forms of poker, there are mandatory ante bets instead of blinds. All players are discounted at the same rate in each round.

After the blind bets, the first round of trading begins. Each player who wants to stay in the game must make a bet in the amount of the big blind (to level). Also, each player can raise the bet (bet more than the big blind).

If someone raises the bet and no one equalizes it, then automatically he wins and a new game begins. However, he will take a small pot in the form of blinds and all bets of players before him.

Step 3. Next, 3 cards are laid out on the common table. These maps are common to all and visible to all. Often these cards are referred to as "flop cards" or "cards on the Board". In slang, they say "on the Board" or " on the flop."

Step 4. Players analyzing their chances of winning and each for himself decides what to do. Each player has the opportunity to make a bet, but he can also not make a bet (check) or risk (throw off the cards and exit the game). After the bets, only those who supported the General pot with a bet and did not vote remain in the game.

Step 5. On the common table laid out another 1 card to the already laid out 3 cards. As a result, there are 4 cards on the Board.

Step 6. Players remaining in the game again make bets in a circle. Each of them again has all the same 4 options: reset, support, increase the bet, do nothing.

Step 7. The last card to the already laid out 4 cards is laid out on the common table. As a result, there are 5 cards on the table.

Step 8. Final bets on the same principle as before.
Step 9. Determine the winner. If there is one player who raised the stakes strongly enough, and other players did not support him, then the whole pot goes to this player without opening the cards, otherwise there is a showdown. The player with the best poker hand wins.
Note
Very rarely, but it happens that several players have equivalent combinations. In this case, the winners divide the pot among themselves.