I - General:

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Each participant is dealt two cards of which he alone is aware and then, over the course of the game rounds, five additional community cards are eventually put into play. These cards form the game board and each player must use at least 3 of them to form a valid combination.

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These 5 community cards are dealt in three stages. The first three additional cards are called the “flop”. Then one more card is possibly distributed, the “turn” (the turning point, editor’s note). Finally, the ultimate community card comes into play under the name of “river” (the river).

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The players form the best combination of 5 cards based on the 7 cards available (2 private cards and 5 community cards, editor's note). You can play the board if the combination formed by the community cards is better than that obtained with your private cards. It is not mandatory to use at least one private card to win the game.

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If the betting rounds cause the abandonment of all the opponents of the one who bet, the last player in play wins the common pot without showing his cards. For this reason, a player does not have to have the best combination to win the move. A player can always bluff and give up better hands. If at least two players complete the four betting rounds and go to showdown, the only possibility to pocket the pot is to have the best combination of 5 cards.

 

• THE BUTTON

The dealer (“Dealer”) shuffles a deck of 52 cards and places the button in front of him (object indicating that it is the dealer).   The players at the table are dealers in turn.

The player on the button, or the player closest to the button, is the last to speak. It completes the action on each step in one go. The player immediately to the left of the button therefore receives the first card, once each player has received two cards, the game can then begin.

 

 

• THE ARMOR:

Blinds are imposed bets before dealing the cards. These are the two players seated to the left of the button who must respectively post their blinds called: small blind and big blind. From there, the action takes place over several stages: preflop, the flop, the turn and the river (explained below).

During tournaments, the blinds increase at regular intervals. As the number of players decreases and the stacks of survivors grow, it is necessary to increase the blinds so that the game ends one day. In cash-game, the blinds remain the same, the limit is set at the start of the game or by agreement of the whole table.

 

The Small Blind is posted by the player sitting directly to the left of the button, and the Big Blind by the player sitting directly to the left of the Small Blind. Generally, the big blind is worth twice the small blind.

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First round of betting: Preflop

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This first round begins after each player has received two hole cards. The first player to act is the one to the left of the big blind. This is the “Under The Gun” position in poker parlance.

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This player has three options:

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• Call: Call the big blind amount

• Raise: bet within the specific limits of the game

• Fold: return your cards to the dealer and not participate in the bet

 

The amount of the bet (“raise”) depends on the game on which the opponents have agreed. In a No-Limit Texas Hold'em game, the minimum opening rule is two times the big blind. There is no maximum bet, the player can send all of his chips if he wishes. He then goes all-in.
There are variations of hold'em poker. In limit hold'em, a raise or raise is always exactly twice the amount of the big blind. to the value of the pot.

After the player "under the gun", the following players also have the three actions mentioned - call, raise or fold. Once all willing players have put the same amount into the pot, preflop action is closed and it's time for the next step, the “flop”.

 

Second Betting Round: The Flop

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After the first round of betting, the dealer burns the first card of the deck, that is to say, he places it on the table face down. This convention aims to avoid any cheating: it is never the first card of the deck which is given during a round of deals, but the second and the following ones.
The dealer turns over the next three cards side by side. They constitute the Flop, that is to say the first three community cards of the tableau.

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The players still in play then begin a round of betting, the action beginning with the first player to the left of the button. Making a bet, call, fold or raise are the options of the player who can also “check” if there has been no action before him. By checking, he passes the action to his left neighbour.

Again, if there are still players in play who have each put the same amount in the pot, we move on to the next step. It may happen that during this betting round no one wants to add money to the pot by checking (“check”), the dealer then deals an additional community card.

Third betting round: The Turn

 

After closing the second round of betting, the first card of the deck is burnt, and the one after returned following the flop. This is called the Turn, the turning point. Players still holding cards then have the option to bet if they wish.

 

Last betting round: The River

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After closing the third round of betting, the next card is burned, and the next one returned following the turn. This is called the River. The flop, turn and river form the five-card community board for all players.

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A final betting round then begins. Participants can act as they wish and still have options to check, bet (“bet”), call, fold and raise (“raise”).
Once the betting round has been completed, the players who put the same amount in the pot must expose their cards to determine a winner: this is showdown or showdown.

 

End of round

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The players still concerned by the pot reveal their combination and, according to la poker hand value chart  the strongest combination wins the common pot:

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• Royal Flush – Five cards of the same suit in sequence from Ace to Ten:

• Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit 

• Square – Four identical cards

• Full House – 3 identical cards (a set) and a pair

• Flush – Five cards of the same suit

• Straight – The straight is made up of five consecutive cards

• Brelan – Three identical cards

• Two Pair — Two identical cards and two other identical cards

• A Pair – Two identical cards

• Height – Highest card

 

Players build their hand by choosing five of the best 7 cards available.