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HOW TO PLAY TEXAS HOLD'EM

Texas Hold’em has gained international fame in recent years as the preferred game of the World Series, because it is a fun and fast game with many variations.

These rules apply to the traditional form of Texas Hold’em as played at the Club.

In a full ring game, Texas Hold’em is played with a standard 52-card deck and as many as ten participants. A dealer "button" is used to indicate the position of the player who would be dealing the cards if the players were actually dealing the cards themselves. The player holding the button acts last and thus has a positional advantage that remains throughout the hand. After each hand, the button is moved one position clockwise so that after a full round all players have had exactly the same number of opportunities to hold positional advantage. Holding the button is an advantage because as the player to act last, you have more information available to you when your turn to bet arrives. For exactly the same reasons, being forced to act first is a disadvantage. The players acting in the middle are, as you might imagine, somewhere in between on the advantage/disadvantage scale. The later you act, the better your position.

The two players on the button's immediate left must post "blind" bets. Those are amounts they place in the pot before they see their cards. Typically, the player in the very first position posts a blind bet one-half the size of the player in the second position. Although in some games, the first bet (called the "small blind") may be as little as one-third or as much as two-thirds the size of the second bet (called the "big blind").

All participants in the Texas Hold’em game are now dealt two cards face down. These cards belong exclusively to their "owners," and are not seen by the other players at any time until the showdown at the end of the hand. A round of betting takes place during this point, which is called "before the flop" or "pre-flop."

In the pre-flop betting round, the player in third position has only three choices. Because a blind wager has already been made, the player can do any of the following:

The action continues in clockwise fashion around the table, with each player in turn having the option to fold, call, or raise. If the third or another player has raised, the player who acts after the raiser must now decide whether he wishes to call the amount, or raise. There is no limit on the number of raises per round.

Let us assume that the third player does indeed raise to $100, and that everyone else folds until the button, who calls for $100. Now, the player in the small blind must decide if he is going to call for $75, or raise (because he already has $25 in the pot). If he calls, the big blind must decide if he is going to call for $50, or raise. If no one has raised, the player in the big blind would have an opportunity to raise, called "the option," because he is forced to bet his original $50 without having looked at his cards.

With the pre-flop betting complete, the dealer now deals out three cards face-up. In Texas Hold’em, these "community" cards belong to everyone, and these three cards are called "the flop." For example, if your "personal" cards (also known as “hole” cards) are QJ, and the flop comes Q54, you have a pair of queens with a jack "kicker" (secondary card). In Texas Hold’em this isn't a bad position, unless someone else has a hand like KQ. In this case you both have a pair of queens, but you are losing because the other player has a better kicker. A second round of betting follows.

In the second betting round, the player closest to the left of the button, who is still in the hand, acts first. Unlike the first betting round where the options were "call, raise, or fold," the options are:

Why this difference? On the first round, the blind money was placed in the pot to give the players a reason to play. If there were no blinds in Texas Hold’em, there would be very little incentive for a player to enter a hand without the absolute best possible cards, because there would be nothing to win. As the first player in, you would be risking your $50 bet to win nothing. The only way you could win something would be if someone after you decided to call or raise your bet. And one would assume that the player after you, knowing that you had a strong hand (because you were the first to bet), would only raise or call with a strong hand himself.

The blinds thus give players something to shoot at, a reason to play with something less than the best hand. But once we reach the flop there is already money in the pot. There is no longer a need for blinds and the first player can choose to bet $50, or to check.

It is possible in Texas Hold’em, and indeed happens reasonably often, that all players still in the hand will check, meaning that there is no betting action on the flop. But if someone bets, the players must decide whether they are going to call or raise, and the same limits on the bet sizes applies.

After the third round betting concludes, the dealer reveals a fourth community card, which, in Texas Hold’em, is called "the Turn," or "Fourth Street." In No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker, the size of the betting amounts do not change on the turn.  (In many Limit games, the bet doubles at this point of the game). The process of betting and checking is identical to that on the flop.

After this third round of betting concludes, the dealer reveals the fifth and final community card, called "the River," or "Fifth Street." Betting is identical to the pattern used on the earlier rounds.

At the end of this fourth round of betting, any players still remaining in the hand turn their cards over. If at any point during the hand one player makes a bet that all others decline to call, the hand is over immediately, and the player who made the final wager takes the pot without the need to show his cards.

If at any point during the hand one or more players bets all of their chips (goes “all in”), and another player calls, the player who is “all in” is able to play out the rest of the hand without betting.  Other players in the pot can continue to bet, and the player who is “all in” will not be eligible for the additional pot created from these bets (a “side pot”).  At the end of the hand, the “all in” player is eligible only to win the main pot.

In Texas Hold’em, the player who can assemble the best five-card hand out of the seven possible (the two in his hands and the five in the middle) wins the pot. The players can thus use two, one, or none of his "hole” cards. It's possible (though unusual) to use no "hole” cards if the five cards on the board form a strong hand such as a straight, flush, or full house.

If, for example, two players remained in the Texas Hold’em hand at the end, one of whose "hole” cards were two kings (KK), and one of whose "hole” cards were two aces (AA), and the board was 56789, the players would split the pot, because each has exactly the same 9-high straight. Before the River card, the player with the two aces had a very large advantage, but the concluding 9 cost him half the pot (as would have a concluding 4, which also would have put a straight on the board).

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SIT AND GO POKER TOURNAMENTS

• These are single-table and multi-table tournaments that begin as soon as the set number of players has registered.
• Once registered for an event, players may unregister at any time up until all seats are filled, and receive a refund of any Tournament Points or Play Chips used to register.
• Players are seated at random. Seat changes are not allowed.
• All players begin with equal chip amounts.
• The blinds will increase according to the sit and go tournament structures posted on the site.
• The button is randomly assigned to a player at the table. There is a deal for the button at the start of the tournament; high card plays the button for the first hand.
• Tournaments are played until one player has all the chips.
• Players who do not show up for their event will be blinded off until they arrive.
• As a multi-table tournament progresses, the tournament software will combine tables and try to maintain an equal number of players at all the remaining tables. Players will see a note in the lower left of the table telling them that tables are being consolidated.
• If a player needs to be moved to maintain balance, the tournament software will choose the player due to pay the big blind at one of the tables with the most remaining players, and move that player to one of the tables with the least remaining number of players. The player who is moved will be seated at the new table as far away from the big blind as possible given the available seats. This advantage is meant to equalize the disadvantage of being moved to a table where the player is less familiar with their opponents.  However, players may be forced to post the blinds when arriving at a new table. Table reassignments are an inherent part of tournaments and apply equally to all players.
• Players moved to a new table and seated between the big blind and the button will not be able to play until the button passes them.
• ClubBluff uses the dead button feature to ensure that all players take the big blind in their turn. As such, it is possible that a player will receive the button for more than one hand. It is also possible that a big blind is posted in a hand but no small blind. This can occur if the person who was to receive the small blind was eliminated from the tournament in the previous hand.
• When two players remain in the tournament, the player due to receive the big blind will do so and the player in the small blind position will inherit the button.
• In no-limit tournaments there is no restriction on the number of raises allowed during a betting round.
• If there is a split pot not equally divisible by the number of players in the hand, the extra chips will be awarded to the player closest to the left of the button.
• In tournaments, when two players get eliminated in the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips gets the higher finish and awarded the corresponding prize pool for that placement. If the players began the hand with the same amount of chips, they will tie and the prize pools will be combined and equally distributed. (For example, if two people who started a hand with the same number of chips are eliminated at the same time and would be 9th (which pays $60) and 10th (which pays $40), their standings would show tied for 9th and each player would be paid $50.
• Hand-by-hand dealing may be enacted during any tournament. This means that the tournament software will wait until a hand is played at all remaining tables, before dealing the next hand. This discourages the practice of slow playing.
• Players who have an active Internet connection and do not act during their turn will be folded.
• Players who lose connection during an event will be blinded off until they can rejoin their tournament.
• If your computer disconnects in the middle of a hand, your hand will be folded unless you return to the hand before your time to act expires.
• During game play players are prohibited from chatting about the play of their hand and/or their opponents' hands until all actions for that hand are complete. Such chat could result in disqualification or other penalties.
• In the event a tournament is cancelled due to technical difficulties at ClubBluff, the remaining players in the event may be given an entry into a substitute event with an equal prize pool, or the prize money may be awarded based on the standings of the players at the time the event stops running.  Club Management will contact the players affected to communicate the decision.
• Soft playing or chip dumping is not allowed. Players involved in these or other unethical activities may be eliminated from a tournament and/or have their accounts terminated.
• ClubBluff reserves the right to alter the rules and make final decisions on all tournament related issues as they arise, and at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
• In case of disputes, decisions made by ClubBluff are final.

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SCHEDULED MULTI-TABLE POKER TOURNAMENTS

• Registration for multi-table poker tournaments is open until the tournament's posted start time.
• Once registered for an event, players may unregister at any time up until 15 minutes prior to the event’s posted starting time, and receive a refund of any Tournament Points or Play Chips used to register.
• Tournament registration must meet the minimum requirement for that event or the tournament will not run, in which case all Tournament Points and/or Play Chips used to buy in will be returned to the players' accounts.
• Players are seated at random. Seat changes are not allowed.
• All players begin with equal chip amounts.
• The blinds will increase according to the multi-table tournament structures posted on the site.
• The button is randomly assigned to a player at the table. There is a deal for the button at the start of the tournament; high card plays the button for the first hand
• Tournaments are played until one player has all the chips.
• Players who do not show up for their event will either be eliminated or blinded off until they arrive. Players have 10 minutes to arrive before they are eliminated from the event.
• During the tournament, information about when the next break will occur will be displayed in the lower left of the table as well as in the Tournament Lobby.
• As a tournament progresses the tournament software will combine tables and try to maintain an equal number of players at all remaining tables. Players will see a note in the lower left of the table telling them that tables are being consolidated.
• If a player needs to be moved to maintain balance, the tournament software will choose the player due to pay the big blind at one of the tables with the most remaining players, and move that player to one of the tables with the least remaining number of players. The player who is moved will be seated at the new table as far away from the big blind as possible given the available seats. This advantage is meant to equalize the disadvantage of being moved to a table where the player is less familiar with their opponents.  However, players may be forced to post the blinds when arriving at a new table. Table reassignments are an inherent part of tournaments and apply equally to all players.
• Players moved to a new table and seated between the big blind and the button will not be able to play until the button passes them.
• ClubBluff uses the dead button feature to ensure that all players take the big blind in their turn. As such, it is possible that a player will receive the button more than once. It is also possible that a big blind is posted in a hand but no small blind. This occurs when the person who was to receive the small blind was eliminated from the tournament in the previous hand.
• When two players remain in the tournament, the player due to receive the big blind will do so and the player in the small blind position will inherit the button.
• In no-limit poker tournaments there is no restriction on the number of raises allowed during a betting round.
• If there is a split pot, not equally divisible by the number of players in the hand, the extra chips will be awarded to the player closest to the left of the button.
• In tournaments when two players get eliminated in the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips gets the higher finish and awarded the corresponding prize pool for that placement. If the players began the hand with the same amount of chips, they will tie and the prize pools will be combined and equally distributed. (For example, if two people who started a hand with the same number of chips are eliminated at the same time and would be 9th (which pays $60) and 10th (which pays $40), their standings would show tied for 9th and each player would be paid $50.
• Hand-by-hand dealing may be enacted during any tournament. This means that the tournament software will wait until a hand is played at all remaining tables, before dealing the next hand. This discourages the practice of slow playing.
• Players who have an active Internet connection and fail to act during their turn will be folded.
• Players who lose their connection during an event will be blinded off until they can rejoin their tournament.
• If your computer disconnects in the middle of a hand, your hand will be folded unless you return to the hand before your time to act expires.
• During game play, players are prohibited from chatting about the play of their hand and/or their opponents' hands until all actions for that hand are complete. Such chat could result in disqualification or other penalties.
• In the event a tournament is cancelled due to technical difficulties at ClubBluff, the remaining players in the event may be given an entry into a substitute event with an equal prize pool, or the prize money may be awarded based on the standings of the players at the time the event stops running.  Club Management will contact the players affected to communicate the decision.
• Soft playing or chip dumping is not allowed. Players involved in these or other unethical activities may be eliminated from a tournament and/or have their accounts terminated.
• ClubBluff reserves the right to disqualify any player who does not follow tournament guidelines or acts inappropriately during a tournament.
• ClubBluff reserves the right to change any tournament time, guaranteed prize pool, or event without notice.
• ClubBluff reserves the right to alter the rules and make final decisions on all tournament related issues as they arise, and at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
• In case of disputes, decisions made by ClubBluff are final.

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