Texas Hold'em Poker Guide
Betting in a game of poker can be intimidating if you don't understand how it works. With players sitting around the table calling out things like "check" and "call" and "big blind," you can feel like you are in some other country where you don't understand the language. Luckily, poker betting rules are pretty simple, once you understand how they work.
The first thing you need to know is that before a hand of poker is dealt, players place money into the prize pot. This is known as an ante and raises the stakes of the game for all of the players. Usually the ante is a small bet.
Some poker games, such as Holdem and Omaha, employ blinds, rather than having all players put up an ante. Usually the first two players to the left of the dealer put up blind bets before the hand is dealt-the first of these players puts up the little blind and the second puts up the big blind. The little blind generally puts in a third or a half of the minimum bet, while the big blind puts up an amount equal to the minimum table bet. The blinds rotate around the table with each new hand to keep things fair.
Once the game begins, the rounds of betting ensue. After each time that new cards are dealt is a round of betting. In this round of betting you can choose to do a number of things, based on your hand. These are as follows:
- Check - When a player checks he passes the bet to the next player, without adding any money to the pot. A player may only check if no other bet has been placed before him.
- Call - When a player calls he matches the current highest bet exactly.
- Raise - When a player raises he calls the highest bet, plus bets additional money on top of it. This raises the minimum bet for all the following players.
- Fold - When a player folds he puts his cards down and leaves the hand. He does not place any money down.
There are several types of limits when it comes to betting in poker games. You should always choose to play at a limit that fits your personal bankroll. Poker limit games are categorized as follows:
- Spread Limit - In spread limit games, players can bet within a specific range. In a $1 - $5 game, for instance, the minimum bet is $1 and the maximum bet is $5.
- Fixed Limit - The amount that a player can bet or raise in a fixed limit game is fixed per each betting round. For example, in a $2 - $4 fixed limit poker game, players cannot raise more than $2 in the early rounds, and cannot raise more than $4 in later rounds.
- Pot Limit - In pot limit poker games, players may not raise more than the current amount that is in the pot. Pot limit games are still relatively high limit games, as the stakes can be quite high as players double the pot again and again.
- No Limit - No limit poker is just as it sounds-a game with no limits at all. There are no rules limiting the amount that you can bet during any point in the game. You can go all in and bet everything at any point. No limit games are the highest stakes poker games.