The core gameplay of poker is the act of betting, or not betting as the case may be. Here we'll provide a quick introduction to how this is done.

Betting

Each game of poker will have several betting rounds. In a round the action will start at a particular player and move clockwise around the table. Each player may Call, Open, Raise, or Fold in turn. Acting out of turn is frowned upon and generally not possible in software poker.

Open

The first player who choose to put money in the put is considered to have Opened the betting. That is, they are simply the first person to bet.

"Open" is sometimes used in place of the word "bet" as generally any time you put money into the put you are considered to have made a bet. Though don't be surprise if you don't hear the term "open" too often while actually playing.

The players following are thus required to match this amount of money if they wish to stay in the pot.

Call

A player who decides to match the current bet, but not exceed it, is said to have called the bet. They have decided to continue playing the round without increasing the pot size.

If the amount the person needs to call is currently zero, then a call is referred to as a "check" instead.

All-In

A player who no longer has enough money to call the bet may nonetheless call. In this case he puts all his money in, called "All-In" and the pot is split. This player will, if they win, only be entitled to the pot in which they put money.

Raise

If a player wishes to increase the pot size they can raise. This means they put enough money as if they were calling, but also an additional sum of money. Players following in turn then must match this new amount.

Different styles of poker have many different rules regarding how much may be bet, in particular how much may be raised. There are three basic variants in common use: Fixed Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit. More information can be had about limits in the topic betting limits.

Fold

When a player wishes not to call the bet to him he may fold. This withdraws him from the hand completely. Customarily ones cards are then thrown into a discard pile called the muck.

While the player no longer puts any more money into the pot, any money which they have contributed so far, including in this betting round, remains in the pot.

Early End

Should all but one player fold during the course of a game the remaining player automatically wins the pot. There is no need for a showdown in this case.

Playing

Our strategy games offer a variety of games to practice your betting.