GAME RULES

If you are unfamiliar with the general rules of poker, you have come to the right page.  Poker is a game of skill (your abilities), mixed with the element of chance (the shuffled deck of cards).  In poker, you strive to get the best five card hand.  Our games all present the player with more than five cards.  You get to use the five best cards for the situation.  Poker hands are ranked based on the statistical odds of getting a specific set of cards.  If you are unfamiliar with the rankings of hands, see Hand Rankings.

How Dealing Works | How Betting Works | Texas Hold'emOmaha PokerBadugi7-Card Stud

How Dealing Works
In a casual game of poker among friends, each player takes turns as the dealer; the position of dealer rotating around the table in a clockwise fashion.  In a professionally managed card room, the house provides a dealer.  In a physical card room there is a person who deals.  In a virtual poker room, such as this, there is a virtual dealer.

For some games, position relative to the dealer is not important.  For example, in 7 Card Stud, where you are seated relative to the dealer does not have any impact on the game.

For other games, the position is very important.  For example in Texas Hold'em, the player to the immediate left of the dealer position and the next player are required to put money, the small blind and big blind, into play.  To ensure fairness, the deal rotates clockwise.  The image of a small, flat disk with the letter "D" is used to signify the virtual dealer.  This is also known as the button.

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How Betting Works
We use the standard bet and three raises model.  That is, for any betting round, there can be an opening bet and no more than three raises.  After the third raise, betting is said to be capped.  Unless otherwise stated, we permit check and raise betting.  This means player A, is permitted to check or call a prior bet when it is his/her turn.  If a subsequent player raises and the betting has not been capped, player A is permitted to raise when the betting returns to him/her.

Also see the section on betting on the House Rules page.

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Texas Hold'em
Pot Limit/No LimitHead-to-Head | Tournaments

The game of Texas Hold'em is a fast paced 7-card game. Many people consider Hold'em to be the most popular and exciting variation of poker. Each player gets two face down cards. The remaining cards are community cards, dealt face up in the center of the table, to be shared by all players.
In Texas Hold'em, betting always begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button.

The winning hand is the strongest hand found by combining a player's pocket cards and the community cards.  You can win with a hand made up from both your pocket cards and three community cards, or one pocket card and four pocket cards.  You can even share in the winning if you are still in and the board, the five community cards, makes up the winning hand.

We offer 9 seat, 6 seat, and head-to-head Hold'em games.

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Pot Limit and No Limit Hold'em
Pot Limit and No Limit Hold'em are two exciting variants of this popular poker game.  The rules are the same, except for betting.  

Rules that apply to both Pot Limit and No Limit

The rules for both variants are the same with one exception:

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Head-to-Head Hold'em
This exciting variation of Hold'em allows you to pit your skills against just one other player.  Our poker room enforces the traditional special Blinds rule for one-on-one Hold'em, whether at one of our special two seat tables, or at a larger table at which only two players are seated.  Only in head-to-head poker, the blinds are handled differently than you might expect.

The small blind is posted by the dealer, rather than the player to the left of the dealer.  The other player posts the big blind.  On our tables that support more than two players, our system will switch to head-to-head rules whenever there are only two players dealt in.

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Tournaments
We offer both single table and multi-table tournaments.  Tournaments are another exciting and fun way to play your favorite variety of poker.  Compete to win all the chips and take home the first place payout.  See the tournaments page for the rules more details.

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Omaha Poker (Omaha High)
Limit | Pot Limit | No Limit | Hi-Lo Poker | Exceptions To Betting

Omaha Poker, like Texas Hold'em is a community card game.

Community cards, or board cards, are cards which are dealt face up in the middle of the table and which can be used by all players in conjunction with their hole cards to make a five card poker hand.

In a game of Omaha Poker, each player is dealt four hole cards (cards for the player's eyes only) and, whereas in a game of Hold'em a player may use any combination of five cards from their hole cards and the board cards to make a hand, in Omaha a player must use precisely two cards from their hand and three cards from the board.

The Game

At the start of play, before any cards have been dealt, the blinds are posted. The blinds are bets made by the two players to the left of the dealer. The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind, the player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind. The blinds are posted before any cards are dealt to help get the betting underway.

The First Round

Once the blinds have been posted, the players are dealt their hole cards and a round of betting follows.

Each player in turn (in a clockwise direction) must make a decision and to stay in the game must continue to bet until all remaining players have staked an equal amount (this holds true for each of the four rounds of betting).

See "Exceptions to betting - All ins"

Note: If, when the action comes round to the big blind and none of the remaining players have made a raise (therefore all betting is even), the player on the big blind has the option to either raise or CHECK. To check is to pass without placing a bet and yet remain in the game. In all instances other than on the big blind in the first round, the option to check can only be used when no prior bets in a round have been made. *

The Second Round

Once the betting is even, the game continues with the dealing of THE FLOP (the first three board cards) which in turn prompts another round of betting. This time however, and for each subsequent round of betting, the first player to act is the first active player to the left of the dealer. In this and the next two rounds players can either check, fold, bet/call or raise, depending on the actions of the players before them.

The Third Round

The third round of betting commences after THE TURN (the fourth board card) has been dealt. Play begins again with the first active player to the left of the dealer, each player making a choice in turn as in the previous round.

The Fourth Round

The fourth and final round is begun after the dealing of THE RIVER (the fifth and final board card). Betting resumes (or not as the case may be) until all bets are once again even.

The Showdown

When, after the river card, all betting has finished, the remaining players must show all of their hole cards face up on the table in order to determine the winner. This is called THE SHOWDOWN.

Remember: A hand must comprise of precisely two hole cards and three board cards.

See "Exceptions to betting - Joining a table"

Hands are ranked in accordance with the following hand rankings:

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Variations of Omaha Poker:

Limit Omaha (Stakes and Betting)

In a game of Limit Omaha the stakes are capped which means to say that any bet or raise is at a predetermined level. i.e. In a $2/$4 game of Limit Omaha any bet or raise is limited to $2 for the first two rounds and limited to $4 in the third and fourth rounds. In any given round, the number of raises allowed is also capped, usually at three, so that the maximum bet per player per round is four times the original stake.

Blinds in Limit Omaha

The big blind is determined by the lower staking level of the table, the small blind being half the value of the big blind. i.e. on a $2/$4 table the big blind is $2, the small blind $1.

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Pot Limit Omaha (Stakes and Betting)

Pot Limit Omaha differs from Limit Omaha in as much as the level of betting and raising is capped only by the amount of money already in the pot. The pot consists of all monies staked in previous rounds (if any) plus any money already staked in the current round including, if a player wishes to make a raise, the value of the call that that player would have to make first.

Example:

The game is in the second round. There is $20 in the pot from the first round. Three players have each staked $10 in the second round. The fourth player would have to call $10 to stay in the game allowing therefore a potential raise by that player of up to $60 ($20+$30+$10=$60). Unlike Limit Omaha, there are no restrictions on the amount of raises that can be made in a round.

Blinds in Pot Limit Omaha
The blinds in Pot Limit Omaha are determined by the table limits. i.e. on a $1/$2 table, the small blind is $1, the big blind $2.

Apart from the small blind, the minimum bet at any time is the upper level of the table stakes.*

See "Exceptions to betting - All ins"

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No Limit Omaha (Stakes and Betting)

No Limit Omaha is exactly the same game as Pot Limit Omaha except that, as the name suggests, there is no limit to the staking either in making an initial bet or in making a raise.

Blinds in No Limit Omaha

The blinds in No Limit Omaha are formulated in the same manner as in Pot Limit Omaha.

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Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

Another variation of Omaha Poker is Omaha Hi-Lo Poker. Omaha Hi-Lo Poker is played in exactly the same way as Omaha High except that it allows for two winning hands to share the pot; the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. For a low hand to qualify it must consist of five unpaired cards with the highest card being no greater than 8. The winning low hand is decided by the player with the lowest high card. If two players have the same lowest high card then the next lowest high card will decide the winner. Again, if these cards are tied, then the next lowest cards are considered and so on until a winner is determined or the hand is a declared a tie. In the event of a tie the half of the pot awarded to the lowest hand is halved again, each player therefore receiving a quarter of the total pot.

Some more rules of Hi-Lo

Example:

Player 1's Hole Cards
Scarlet Poker player cards
Player 2's Hole Cards
play online poker tournaments at Scarlet Poker
Board Cards
Scarlet online Poker board cards

In this example both players have a high hand and a qualifying low hand. Player 1 wins the high hand by using the As and the 3s with the three spades on the board to make a flush to the Ace, beating Player 2's pair of Queens. Player 2 however wins the low hand by showing Ad, 2s ,5s,7s,8s as opposed to Player 1's As, 3d ,5s,7s,8s.

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Badugi

Badugi online poker s a new game taking the live poker world by storm. It is an action packed game combining the most exciting elements of poker with a new spin on hand values and psychology.

Badugi online poker is a triple draw four-card low-hand wins game! The best low hand is comprised of four cards, with none of the same suit, and none of the same rank:  i.e. ace, two, three, four all of different suits are the best possible hand!!

When you find yourself holding 4 cards of different rank and suit then you are holding a…BADUGI.

How the Dealing Works:
Each player in Badugi poker isdealt 4 cards in a clockwise direction starting from the player on the Small Blind. Cards are dealt to each player one card at a time.

Once everyone has their 4 cards the action begins with the player to the left of the Big Blind and continues around the table in a clockwise direction.

How the Betting Works:
Badugi poker can be played as either a Limit game, a Pot Limit game or even a Half Pot Limit game. No matter what level of action mixed with skill you like best there is a game to suit you!

Limit Badugi:
All bets are made in incremental units. On Rounds 1 and 2 a player can bet the lower level bet (e.g. in a $2/$4 game the bet for Rounds 1 and 2 would be $2). On Rounds 3 and 4 players can bet the higher level bet (e.g. in a $2/$4 game the bet for rounds 3 and 4 would be $4).

Betting is capped at 4 bets per round as is standard in all limit games.

Pot Limit Badugi:
In Pot Limit Badugi poker players can raise any amount at any stage, ranging from the minimum bet (i.e. the big blind amount) up to how much is already in the pot. E.g. if the pot is comprised of the small blind($2), the big blind ($4), and one caller ($4), then the next active player can bet any amount from $4 up to the total value of the current pot (on top of his initial call), in this case the maximum bet would be $18. ($2 + $4 + $4 + $4)

All bettors can raise the pot by the total value of the current pot as it stands when it is their turn to act. So in Pot Limit Badugi there is no limit to the amount of betting allowed on any particular round, as opposed to it being capped in the Limit version

Half Pot Limit Badugi:
The same rules apply to Half Pot Limit Badugi as they do to Pot Limit Badugi. The only exception is that the maximum a player can raise is the value of half the current pot. E.g. if the pot is comprised of the small blind ($2), the big blind ($4), one caller ($4), the next player to act can bet any amount from $4 up to a maximum of $11. ($2 + $4 + $4 + $4 /2) = 7. So it would be a call of $4 and a raise of $7, making a total bet of $11. So in this case the player can bet any amount from $4 to $11.

How to Play Badugi:
Each player is dealt 4 cards, after which the first betting round ensues, based on the strength of each player’s initial 4 cards. The betting amounts will depend which variation of Badugi you are playing, Limit, Pot Limit or Half Pot Limit.

First draw round:  Players are offered the opportunity to draw zero to four cards, clockwise from the first participating seat to the left of the dealer button.  Players select which cards to keep and which to replace through a draw. Drawing zero cards is known as ‘Standing Pat’.

Second draw round:  Same as first draw round.

Third draw round: Same as second draw round, applying reshuffle of discards as is necessary.

Showdown:
It’s time to show your hand and see who won. The winning player scoops the pot!
The showdown rules follow those of Hold’em.  In brief, the player whose last bet is called, if there is one, shows cards first.  If there is no last aggressor, showdown begins from the first participant holding cards, clockwise from the dealer button.  As hands are shown, players with losing hands may muck or show, similar to Hold’em options

Winner:
Once the showdown is complete the winner is announced and awarded the pot.  Fingers crossed that player will be you!

Other Points to note:

  1. Side pots are accumulated and awarded just as they are in all other games.
  2. Make sure you never forget that in this game the lowest hand wins!!


Learn more about Hand Ranks in Badugi: Hand Ranks


Frequently Asked Questions:

Player Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Badugi.

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7-Card Stud

7-card stud is one of the many poker variant being played online. It currently shares the same limelight as Omaha and Texas hold 'em. But don’t be fooled, 7-Card Stud has a reputation for being one of the most demanding and thrilling poker games ever! This is definitely not a game for the faint-hearted. Concentration, skill and strategy win the day!

Test your skills online and play 7-Card Stud now!


First round of betting: “Opening the Betting” / The “3rd Street

Betting starts with the player holding the lowest-valued Door Card. This first bet is known as the “Bring in” or the “Opening Bet”.If two players hold the same-valued Door Card, then the Bring in is decided by suit, in alphabetical order (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades).

At this point, each player has may call, raise or fold as they see fit.


Second round of betting: The “4th Street

Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another card face up (an Up card). Betting at this round begins with the player holding the two strongest  Up cards. The strongest hands are determined by regular Poker hand rankings, i.e. high card, pair, two pair etc. If a player holds a pair they can       make a double bet (A bet that doubles the minimum bet, or which counts, essentially, as two bets). Betting then continues around the table as normal.


Third round of betting: The “5th Street

Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another Up card. The player with the strongest Up card combination starts the betting at this round. From this point on, all bets are Big bets.


Fourth round of betting: The “6th Street

Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another Up card. The player with the strongest Up card combination starts the betting on this round.


Fifth round of betting: The “River

Each player still involved in the pot is dealt one final card face down. At this point, each player is holding 4 Up cards and 3 Down cards. Once more, betting may begin with the player holding the 4 strongest Up cards, and continues clockwise around the table.


Showdown:

Once all the betting is complete, players may reveal their Down cards. The player who made the last bet reveals his/her hand first. However, if there is no betting on the last round, then the player with the highest value of Up cards reveals first. The player with the best 5-card hand wins.

In the case of two or more players holding similar winning hands, the regular split-pot rules may apply.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:
Player Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for 7-Card Stud.

Glossary/Terms:
Glossary for 7-Card Stud.

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Exceptions To Betting

All ins

When a player wishes to call a bet or indeed wishes to make a bet but does not have enough funds to do so, the player can remain in the game by going all in (betting all their remaining money). The player will take no further action in the hand but will still be eligible to win the share of the pot up to and including their last contribution. They will not be eligible to win any money staked thereafter which goes into a separate (side) pot and can only be won by those players remaining in the game.

Joining a table

When a player joins a game mid-table, they will be given an option to either play in the next hand or to wait until it is their turn to post the big blind. If the player opts to join the game at any time prior to their turn on the big blind they must post an equivalent amount to the big blind. In these circumstances the player would also be given the option to check so long as a previous raise has not been made.

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