Poker Rules

While the exact poker rules differ depending on which variation of poker you play there are also some generic poker rules which apply whether you are playing Holdem, Omaha, Stud or any of the 100’s of poker variations in existence today. This article looks at the basic poker rules for all forms of the game.

We will start by covering rules which determine who wins a hand. Next some important betting rules are explained. Then some general rules covering poker etiquette will be brought into the article.

In all forms of poker there are two ways in which the poker rules say that you can win a hand. You can either bet in such a way as to make all opponents fold, or you can show the best hand when the betting is completed to take the pot.

Which hand is the best will sometimes vary due to the specific game you are playing. However in the standard games in which you need to make the best 5-card poker hand the poker rules are clear on the order (rank) of what hand wins, these are as follows:

• Straight Flush (5 suited cards in rank order, a Royal Flush is the highest possible straight flush)
• 4 Of a Kind
• Full House (3 of one card and 2 of another)
• Flush (5 cards of the same suit)
• Straight (5 cards in rank order)
• 3 Of A Kind
• 2 Pairs
• 1 Pair
• High Card (the player with the highest unduplicated card)

Poker rules which are common to all forms of poker concern what happens when a player runs out of chips during the play of a hand. If this happens the poker rules state that the pot into which they have contributed is closed and separated. If any players wish to continue betting after one player has run out of chips they start a new pot (known as a ‘side pot’). At the end of the hand the all-in player can only win chips from the main pot which was closed – the remaining players will compare their hands to determine who wins the chips in any side pot.

Some poker rules concern the behavior, or etiquette, that must be followed during the play of a hand. There are actually several poker rules here. Cards must be visible at all times and can not be removed from the table – chips must also be stacked in such a way as not to ‘hide’ any high-value chips so as to deliberately deceive your opponents.

Importantly, players must not discuss their hands, or the play of their hands in a way that is detrimental to players still involved. For example, it is perfectly within the rules to ‘check-down’ a hand when a player is all-in to maximize the chance that they will be busted. However, openly discussing the idea of doing this would be considered a breach of the poker rules.

To summarize, poker rules will vary from game to game. However there are many factors, including the rank of winning poker hands, betting rules for all-in players and other aspects of poker behavior which are poker rules common to all forms of the game.