General Game Rules

General Game Rules

General Game Rules

General Game Rules

Gameplay Terms

  • Dealer button and blinds: Before game play begins, the two players sitting immediately clockwise (left) to the dealer button are required to pay the small blind and big blind. If only two players are dealt into a hand, the player on the dealer button will be the small blind and will act first pre-flop.
  • Wait for the Big Blind: A user who takes a seat at a cash game may wait for the big blind to begin playing or can opt to be a part of the next hand by paying 1 big blind from any position.
  • Antes: A forced equal bet placed by all users before the hole cards are dealt. 
  • Hole Cards: Each users personal cards which are dealt face down, no user can see another user's hole cards in any circumstance except for a showdown.
  • Betting Rounds: Betting in each round continue until every player has either matched the bets made or folded their hand. If no bets are made, the round is complete when every user has checked. When the betting round has been completed the next community card and betting round begins. After betting is complete on the River (the final community card), the best hand/s win the pot. If only one player remains they get to win the pot without showdown.
  • Fold: Players can choose to pass or fold their hand. They cannot win or act again during the current hand but also do not need to put any more chips in.
  • Call: Players can choose to call if they are facing a bet or a raise. Should all players check or call around then the next betting round begins.
  • Raise: Players may choose to raise when the action is on them. This requires the player to raise the current bet by at least the same amount as the previous raise. All players are subsequently required to fold, call, or raise.
  • Check: To decline the opportunity to wager a bet, opting instead to allow the next user in the sequence to either check or bet. Users can only check when there is no active bet during the current round. If all active users check, those users remain in the hand and the round is considered complete.
  • Bet: A player may open the betting if the action reaches them without any positive action (i.e. it’s been checked round).  Once a bet has been made, players must fold, call, or raise.
  • Pre-flop round: After being dealt hole cards, players are allowed to either Fold (muck their cards), Call (match the current bet) or Raise (make a bet that is larger than the last by at least the same increase as the previous one). During the pre-flop round, betting begins with the player sitting immediately clockwise to the Big Blind (also known as Under the Gun). This player has the first option to Fold, Call or Raise. 
  • Flop round: After the pre-flop betting round has been completed, three community cards are dealt face-up on the game table and the flop betting round begins. The betting begins with the players sitting immediately clockwise (left) to the dealer. This user has the option to Check or Bet. 
  • The Turn: When betting is finished on the flop, the turn (fourth community card) is dealt face-up on the game table and the turn betting round begins. Betting options follow the same rules as the flop.
  • The River:  Once done with the turn round, the river (fifth community card) is dealt face-up on the game table and the betting and options would follow the above two rounds. 
  • Community Cards: These are the cards dealt face-up on the table that are visible to all users, and which may be used by any player; as opposed to hole cards, which are used only by the player holding them.
  • The Showdown: Once the betting on the river is finished, the last player to bet or raise shows their cards first. If there was no betting, the user sitting in the closest position clockwise to the dealer will show their cards first. At this point, the best hand wins.
  • Side Pots: In the All-In Rule, a user cannot be forced to forfeit a hand because they do not have enough money on the table to call a bet. A side pot can occur when two or more players are left in the hand after a player is all-in for less. These additional bets are between the remaining two or more users (in the Side Pot). The all-in player can only win as much from each other player as they put in themselves.
  • The player who goes all-in and has no more chips is ineligible to win any of these additional bets since he or she is not able to match anymore wagers.  Our platform will handle all side pots automatically, even in very complex situations.
  • Deciding the Winner: The player with the best five-card hand (using any combination of the five community cards, and their two hole cards) will win the pot in Texas Hold’em. For Omaha, it works the same way but players must use exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to make their best hand. In the case of identical hands, the pot amount will be divided amongst the players with the winning hands. Once the pot is awarded, the next hand will start and the dealer button now moves clockwise to the next players, and the whole sequence will follow.


Rankings

The strongest hands are as defined below in order of strength, with the weakest possible hand being simply a high card.


1.

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Ace-high straight flush, ⁠e.g. ⁠A-K-Q-J-10 all of spades


⁠2.

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Five sequential cards of the same suit, e.g. 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts.  If there's more than one Straight Flush, the higher Straight Flush wins.

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⁠3.

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Four cards of the same rank, e.g. 3h-3d-3s-3c.  If there's more than one Four-of-a-Kind, the one with higher cards wins.  If multiple players have the same four-of-a-kind, the one with the highest kicker wins

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⁠4.

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Three cards of one rank, and two cards of another, e.g. J-J-J-T-T.  If there's more than one Full House, the one with the higher ranking three-card set wins.  If multiple Full Houses have the same three-card set, then the higher two-card pair determines the winner

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⁠5.

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Any five cards of the same suit, e.g. K-Q-9-5-2 of clubs.  If there's more than one Flush, the one with the highest ranking card wins.  If both have the same highest ranking card, then the next highest ranking card determines the winner


⁠6.

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Five sequential cards, e.g. 5h-4c-3d-2h-Ah.  Aces can be high or low.  If there's more than one Straight, the higher straight wins.  A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight, and T-J-Q-K-A is the highest straight


⁠7.

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Three cards of the same rank, e.g. 8c-8s-8h.  If there's more than one hand with Three-of-a-Kind, the one with the higher ranking three card set wins.  If two or more players have the same value Three-of-a-Kind, the hand with the higher kickers(s) wins


8.

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Two pairs, e.g. Qh-Qs-4d-4h.  If there's more than one hand with Two Pairs, the one with the highest ranking pair wins.  If two or more players have the same Two Pairs, the hand with the higher kicker wins.


⁠9.

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One pair of cards of the same rank, e.g. As-Ah.  If there's more than one hand with a Pair, the hand with the highest ranking pair wins.  If two or more players have the same Pair, then the hand with the higher kicker(s) wins


⁠10.

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No pairs, straights, or flushes.  If more than one High Card hand goes to showdown, the one with the highest card wins.  If two or more hands have the same value high card, then the hand with the higher kicker(s) wins

These rules are a supplement to the Terms and Conditions and do not in any way supplant, modify, or amend them. In case of any discrepancy between the T&Cs and rules listed here, the information contained in the T&C shall take precedence. We will, always consider the best interests of the game and fairness as the priority. Sometimes circumstances might dictate that decisions must be made in the interest of fairness rather than according to specific rules.