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General Poker Rules

 

Poker is a very popular card game and it has earned its popularity because of the simplicity yet addictive nature of this game.  Below are the general rules that apply to most of the variants of poker:

 

The Buy-In

-          You must make a full buy-in when entering a game of poker.  This means purchasing at least ten times the maximum bet for that particular game, unless otherwise stated.

-          You may make only one short buy-in for a game.  It is not considered a buy-in if you add to your stack.  This may be done in any amount between hands.

-          There are times that a poker player is forced to transfer games of the same limit.  He or she may continue to play using the same amount of money even if it is less than the minimum buy-in.  However, if the player is planning to switch games of his or her own accord, he or she must have the proper buy-in size of the game he or she is joining.

 

A game of poker is considered a misdeal if:

-          The first or second hard was dealt face up;

-          An incorrect number of cards had been dealt to any player;

-          Any card had been dealt out of the proper sequence;

-          The first card was dealt to the wrong player;

-          Cards had been dealt to an empty seat;

-          A player was not dealt any cards.

 

The Showdown

-          Every player must show all cards in hand face up for assessment;

-          If a player other than the pot winner asks to see a hand that has been folded, that hand is dead.  However, if the winning player asks to see a losing player’s hand (granted that both hands are active), the best hand wins.

-          A player can request to see the cards of another player that had been shown to any player during game play.  However, it is not the same when that player shows his card to an inactive player—that is, one that has folded or not included in that particular poker game.

-          If every player checks or goes all-in on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show his or her hand.  However, if there is betting on the final round, the last player to take an aggressive action (meaning he or she is the last to bet or make a raise), then he or she is the first to show the hand.  If there is a side pot, all players for the side pot should show their hands before anyone going for the main pot.

 

Ties

-          Suits from highest to lowest rank are as follows:  spades, hearts, diamonds, then clubs.  However, suits are not used to break a tie for winning a pot.  However, there is a variant of poker that uses suits to break a tie between cards of the same face value.

-          All side pots and the main pot will be split as separate pots – that is, the amounts will not be combined.