Poker Rules
Buy-in
Buy-in is the initial stake you must bring to sit down at the online poker table. The buy-in is typically ten times the size of the bet limit; for example $10 for a table with a $1/$2 stake. In order to prevent players from unfairly banking their winnings, if a player leaves a table and returns within an hour, we require that the player buys back into the table with the same amount that they left with.
As per our poker rules, when you buy-in at one of our online poker tables, your money is transferred from your World Poker Tour® account to the poker table where you are playing. After you leave the table, your remaining table buy-in is automatically transferred from the table back to your World Poker Tour account. If you run out of poker chips, you can click the "Get Chips" button on the poker table screen to buy-in with more chips.
Button
In the rules of poker, 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. 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. After each hand, the button is moved one position clockwise, so that after a full round all players in the game have had exactly the same number of opportunities to hold positional advantage.
Blinds
Our poker rules state that in Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker games, certain players are required to post "blind" bets which means they put bets in the pot before they see their cards. Blinds are placed in the pot to give the players a reason to play. Without blinds, 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.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer's button posts the 'Small Blind', and the player to his immediate left posts the 'Big Blind'. Typically, the Small Blind is one-half the size of the Big Blind. (For example, in a $1/$2 game, the Small Blind is $0.50 and the big blind is $1). In Hold'em and Omaha, the player to the left of the dealer must begin each round of betting (except in the first round, in which the player to the left of the player who placed the Big Blind must begin the betting round).
Betting Rounds
The cards in a poker hand are normally dealt in several rounds of dealing, with a betting round between each partial deal. In each betting round the first player to act is determined by position (in Hold'em or Omaha) or up cards (in Stud). The betting continues clockwise around the table until all active players have bet the same amount in the round. If no money has yet been bet in a round, each player has the choice to:
If the player checks, then the player to his left has the option to check or bet. If all active players check then the betting round is complete and play continues. Once a player makes a bet each subsequent player can either:
no further part in the hand
to make their total contribution to the pot equal to that of the last raiser if they wish to remain in the game
Poker play continues clockwise around the table with each player given the same set of options. Poker rules state that when all players have either folded, called the last raiser, or put all of their poker chips in the pot, the betting round is complete and the cards are dealt for the next round. If a player raises and no one calls him, then he wins the pot and the hand is over.
The first betting round in a deal is started using blinds or forced bets to build a pot. The player after the blind or forced bet must fold, call, or raise. In subsequent betting rounds the first player to act may check.
Betting Limits
Three styles of betting are used in our online poker room.
of one bet and three raises in a round. For example, in a $2/$4 Hold'em game the total amount of bets and raises in a single round after the
deal and flop are fixed at $8 (one bets of $2 and three raises of $2 adds to $8). After the turn card and river card are dealt total amount of bets
and raises in a single round are fixed at $16 (one bets of $4 and three raises of $4 adds to $16).
there is $35 in the pot and it is $15 to call, he can call $15 and raise $50.
All-in
According to the rules of poker, a player cannot bet more than he has on the table. Additionally, a player cannot be forced out of a game when he runs out of money. If a player wants to call a raise that is greater than the amount of money the player has left on the table, he can do so by going All-in.
For example, suppose a player has $100 left on the table and a player before him has bet $200. If the player chooses to call, he will contribute his remaining $100 and be all-in. By going all-in, he has staked his entire remaining buy-in to remain in the game and earn the opportunity to participate in the pot if he has a winning hand.
A player who goes all-in can only win a maximum amount from each other player equivalent to the amount he has gone all-in for. The chips being contested by the all-in player will be gathered into a pot and any additional betting will be gathered into a side pot. As a result, when an all-in player has the best hand, the player with the second best hand will be awarded the remainder of the pot. Several players may be all-in, possibly at different points during a hand, in which case the pot will be awarded in different segments.
Disconnect All-in
The disconnect all-in feature is in place to provide fairness in the event that a player becomes disconnected from the poker server. If a player loses a connection with the server, he can reconnect before his turn without consequence. Once play reaches a disconnected player's seat, the player has 30 seconds to reestablish a connection. If the player is still disconnected after 30 seconds, the system will play his hand automatically by doing one of the following three things:
folded.
A disconnect all-in is different from a standard all-in because the player does not need to commit any additional funds to go all-in. Once a player goes all-in, a side pot is created, and the all-in player can only win the portion of the pot up to the level of betting he made at the time he went all-in.
Because a disconnect all-in gives a player an advantage (by providing the opportunity to win without contributing money to the pot), all players are limited to one disconnect all-in per day. Players who feel they need additional disconnect all-in opportunities can contact customer service to have their account reset. Players found to be misusing the disconnect all-in feature are in violation of this poker room's terms of use.
Sitting Out
A player who is seated at a table can choose to sit out at any time, without leaving the table. Players sitting out will be removed from a table after missing three big blinds. In tournament play, a player may sit out indefinitely, however, the player will continue to have blinds posted while he sits out.
Slow Play
According to our poker rules, repeated blatant instances of slow play that constantly affect the speed of the tables may be grounds for a player to be removed from future play on the site. This decision is at our sole discretion. There is a "Sit Out" option for Players who want to exit the table. Players must use this option to avoid temporary or permanent removal from playing on the site.
Rake
All Real Money poker tables are raked. Rake is a small percentage of the pot that is charged by the poker room as a fee. The size of the rake is displayed adjacent to the pot size on all poker tables. A rake schedule is available here.
Tournaments are not raked, but a small fee is charged with the buy-in.
Other Rules
Our poker hand ranking page and our user-friendly poker odds calculator are extremely beneficial tools that can improve your poker game. In addition, our extensive poker glossary and poker tips will give you an even greater edge over your opponents.
Now that you're familiar with all the poker rules, go to our poker room and start winning big money today!
