To Win at Poker You Have to Learn the Basics

PokerMVP offers the following types of poker games: Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo.

All poker games use the same basic betting options:

Check – To hold from betting, but continue to stay in contention for the pot because no other player has yet to bet on that round.

Bet – To make a wager by putting chips into the pot.

Call – To match an amount equal to the bet of another player.

Raise – To make a bet increasing the size of a previous bet on that betting round.

Fold – To turn in the cards to the dealer to end your play of that hand.

All poker games use structured betting. The player has no options with regard to the minimum size of the bet. If the game is a limit game, the max bet allowed is structured. If the game is No-Limit, the player may bet from the minimum up to the amount of chips he has at the table. If the game is Pot-Limit, the player may bet from the minimum up to the size of the pot, provided he has enough chips to do so.

A Few Poker Definitions (More Poker Definitions can be found in our Glossary)

Blind Bet – A forced bet that must be posted before the player receives any cards. Everyone must pay a small and big blind for every full rotation around the table.

Qualifier – A requirement that a hand must meet in order to be eligible for part of the pot. For example, Omaha Hi/Lo has an “8-Qualifier”. That means that in order for a hand to qualify as “low”, it must have 5 individual cards that are a ranking of 8 or less. Example of an 8 or less hand: 8 - 7 - 6 - 2 - A The best low hand is: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 – A

Dealer Button – A marker moved clockwise around a poker table to denote an imaginary dealer. In tournament play, the highest card will receive the deal first.

Questions About Play Poker?

If you have any questions, please contact our 24/7 Customer Support Team or email us support@pokermvp.com

Texas Hold Em Rules

Each player receives a total of 7 cards (2 down or “hole” cards and 5 community cards).

The object of the game is to create the best 5-card poker high hand using any combination of the 7 cards.

Before the cards are dealt, the player sitting directly to the left of the Dealer Button places a “small” blind bet and the player sitting directly left of the small blind position places a “big” blind bet.

The dealer will deal the first two cards face down to each player beginning with the player in the small blind position.

This is followed by the first round of betting starting with the player to the right of the big blind. The player who posted the big blind bet will be given the option to raise at the end of this betting round, if that option was not taken by another player.

The Flop - The 3rd, 4th and 5th cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These cards and the remaining cards dealt are community cards. For this betting round and the remaining betting rounds, the option begins with the player sitting in the small blind position.

The Turn - The 6th card is dealt face up on the table, followed by a betting round.

The River - The 7th card is dealt face up in the center of the table, followed by the final betting round.

Showdown! Each player remaining in the hand will turn their two cards up on the table. The dealer will read aloud all hands shown at this time, declare the winner and award the pot to the highest 5-card poker hand!

Fixed Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit Texas Hold’em

The variations of this game are Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit. The rules above apply; however, how and what you can bet differs.

In Limit Texas Hold’em a maximum of four bets is allowed per player during any betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap (final raise). The amount you can bet is based on the betting round. The first two rounds, you can bet the low increment, while the last two rounds you can bet the high increment. For example, in a 5/10 game, you can bet $5 increments the first two rounds, and $10 increments the last two rounds.

In Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, the raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $1 then the second player must raise a minimum of $1 (total bet of $2). The maximum raise is the size of the poker pot, which is defined as the total of the active pot plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.

In no limit Texas Hold’em, the raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $10 then the second player must raise a minimum of $10 (total bet of $20). The maximum raise is all the chips in your stack.

Omaha Poker Rules

Each player receives a total of 9 cards (4 down or “hole” cards and 5 community cards).

The object of the game is to create the best 5 – card poker high hand and/or low hand out of the nine cards by using TWO of your down cards and any THREE of the community cards.

Before any cards are dealt, the player sitting directly to the left of the Dealer Button places a “small” blind bet and the player sitting directly left of the small blind position places a “big” blind bet as in Texas Hold Em.

The dealer will deal the first 4 cards face down to each player, beginning with the player sitting in the small blind position.

This is followed by the first round of betting, which will start with the player directly to the right of the big blind. The player who posted the big blind bet will be given the option to raise at the end of this betting round, if that option was not taken by another player.

The Flop - The 5th, 6th and 7th cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These cards and the remaining cards dealt are the community cards.

For this betting round and the remaining betting rounds, the option begins with the player sitting in the small blind position.

The Turn - The 8th card is dealt face up on the table, followed by a betting round.

The River - The 9th card is dealt face up in the center of the table, followed by the final betting round.

Showdown! - Each player in the hand will turn their 4 cards face up on the table. The dealer will read aloud all the hands shown at this time, declare the winner and award the pot to the highest 5-card poker hand!

Omaha Hi/Lo Rules

This is the same game as Omaha, but the high hand and the lowest hand split the pot. However, the lowest hand needs 5 individual cards that are a ranking of 8 or less. For example: 8 – 6 – 4 – 3- A The “best” low hand is 5 – 4 -3 – 2 – A.

Each player will receive a total of 9 cards (4 down or “hole” cards and 5 community cards).

The win the game you must create the best 5 – card poker high hand and/or low hand out of the 9 cards by using 2 of your down or “hole” cards and any 3 of the community cards.

Before any cards are dealt, the player sitting directly to the left of the Dealer Button places a “small” blind bet and the player sitting directly left of the small blind position places a “big” blind bet.

The dealer will deal the first 4 cards face down to each player, beginning with the player sitting in the small blind position.

This is followed by the first round of betting, which will start with the player sitting directly to the right of the big blind. The player who posted the big blind bet will be given the option to raise at the end of this betting round, if that option was not already taken by another player.

The Flop - The 5th, 6th and 7th cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These cards and the remaining cards dealt are the community cards.

For this betting round and the remaining betting rounds, the option begins with the player sitting in the small blind position.

The Turn - The 8th card is dealt face up on the table, followed by a betting round.

The River - The 9th card is dealt face up in the center of the table, followed by the final betting round.

Showdown! - Each player in the hand will turn their 4 cards face up on the table. The dealer will read aloud all the hands shown at this time and award half the pot to the highest 5-card poker hand and half the pot to the lowest hand if a low hand qualifies with an 8 or better. If no low hand qualifies, the whole pot goes to the high hand.

7-Card Stud Rules

7 Card Stud is a very popular, well-known poker game. It is played with up to a total of eight players at the table.

All players at the table receive a total of 7 cards (3 down or “hole” cards and 4 up cards).

Your goal is to create the best 5 – card poker hand out of the 7 cards.

The dealer will deal the first 2 cards face down to each player and the 3rd card face up beginning with the player sitting directly to their left.

There is then a betting round. This is a forced bet for the player who has the lowest card.

The 4th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting. If there is an open pair showing: every player has the option of betting twice the structured bet amount. For this betting round only, the option begins with the player who has the highest hand.

The 5th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.

The 6th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.

The 7th card is dealt face down to each player remaining in the hand, followed by the final round of betting.

The Showdown! - Each player remaining in the hand will turn their 3 cards face up on the table. The dealer will read aloud all hands shown at this time, declare the winner and award the pot to the highest 5 card poker hand.

7-Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules

7 Card Stud Hi/Lo is another popular, well-known form of poker. It is played with up to a total of eight players at the table.

This is for the most part the same game as 7 Card Stud, but the high hand and the lowest hand split the pot. However, the lowest hand needs 5 individual cards that are a ranking of 8 or less. For example: 8 – 6 – 4 – 3- A The “best” low hand is 5 – 4 -3 – 2 – A

Each player will receive a total of 7 cards (3 down or “hole” cards and 4 up cards). To win the game you must create the best 5 – card poker hand out of the seven cards. The dealer will deal the first 2 cards face down to each player and the 3rd card face up beginning with the player sitting to their immediate left.

There is then a betting round. This is a forced bet for the player showing the lowest card. The 4th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting. If there is an open pair showing: every player has the option of betting twice the structured bet amount. For this betting round only, the option begins with the player showing the highest hand.

The 5th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.

The 6th card is dealt face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.

The 7th card is dealt face down to each player remaining in the hand, followed by the final round of betting.

The Showdown! - Each player in the hand will turn their 4 cards face up on the table. The dealer will read aloud all the hands shown at this time and award half the pot to the highest 5-card poker hand and half the pot to the lowest hand if a low hand qualifies with an 8 or better. If no low hand qualifies, the whole pot goes to the high hand.

Five-Card Stud

Five-Card Stud is quite similar to Seven-Card Stud, except that each player receives 5 cards, only one of which is dealt face-down. The number of visible cards that each player displays makes it easier to judge hand strength.

There are four rounds of betting, one after each card is dealt. Each player places an ante on the table. Players are dealt two cards - one pocket card and one visible card. The player with the lowest value card “brings-in” the betting (equal to at least half the minimum bet for the game).

This is followed by a round of betting. All players are then dealt a 2nd visible card followed by another round of betting. This pattern continues until the 4th visible card is dealt at which point there is a final round of betting (with each player still in the game having 1 pocket card and 4 visible cards. In all of these subsequent rounds, the player with the highest hand initiates the betting. Any ties, the player to the left of the dealer acts first.

The Showdown! All remaining Players display their hand. The highest hand wins the pot.

In limit five-card stud, the first two rounds are low limit betting increments and the last two rounds high limit betting increments.

There are four betting rounds in a complete game of Five-Card Stud, not including the ante.

The maximum allowable number of bets per player during any betting round is four. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can’t be raised further. Once capped, players have only the option of calling or folding.

Razz

Razz is a Seven Card Stud born game where the worst hand is the winner. In Razz, aces are always the lowest card. For example, a pair of aces is lower than a pair of twos in this game. Straights and flushes do not count against you in Razz. A 7 high straight is only seven high. A royal flush is only king high (remember Aces are low).

Just like Stud, before each hand each player will place an ante into the pot. Each player is then dealt three cards, two down and one up. Unlike Stud, the highest card is the forced bring-in bet in Razz. Like Stud, the bring-in is typically double the ante. If more than one player has the same high card, the highest suit determines the bring-in. Suits in order from lowest to highest are clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. The king of spades is the automatic bring in for Razz.

Again just like Stud, the bring-in has the option to complete the bet to the small bet amount. In a $3-$6 game, the small bet amount is $3. If the bring-in does not complete the bet, any other player may complete the bet. Once the bet is completed, remaining raises occur at the small bet amount. After Third Street betting is completed, another up card is dealt. From Fourth Street until the end of the hand, the player with the lowest hand showing is the first to act. In the event two players have the same rank hand, the player closest to the dealer is first to act. Also, the double bet on an open pair rule does not apply to Razz since it is a lowball game.

After betting is completed on fourth, another up cards is dealt. Fifth through Seventh Street betting occurs at the big bet amount. This would be $6 in our example. Once Fifth Street betting concludes, a fourth and final up card is dealt. Another round of betting occurs and then a final card is dealt face down. One last round of betting will commence and afterwards, the remaining players will show their hands. The player with the worst 5 card hand is the winner.

H.O.R.S.E.

H – Limit Holdem
O – Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
R – Razz
S – Limit Seven Card Stud
E – Limit Stud Hi/Lo

There is no difference between paying H.O.R.S.E. and any of the five poker games listed above except for the one slight difference that you play all five games at once. Generally the game switches every time the dealer button goes around the table and then once it gets to Limit Stud it goes back to Limit Holdem and you complete the cycle again. If you’re playing a H.O.R.S.E. poker tournament then the rules for when the games switch might differ slightly so make sure you read the tournament rules before joining.

There are no other set rules or strategies for H.O.R.S.E. except that you should be well versed in all five of the poker games you need to play. Simple strategies a lot of players use when playing HORSE download poker is to avoid a certain poker game which there not good at and focus on the other four poker games. This will definitely work in the beginning, but over time you should feel comfortable playing in all five of the poker games and if you’re not then you need to work on your weaker games.

Deuce to 7 Lowball

Lowball is draw poker with the lowest hand winning the pot. Each player is dealt five cards facedown, after which there is a betting round. Players are required to open with a bet or fold. Players who remain in the pot after the first betting round now have an option to improve their hand by replacing cards in their hands with new ones. This is known as the draw. The game is normally played with one or more blinds, sometimes with an ante added. Some betting structures allow the big blind to be called; other structures require the minimum open to be double the big blind. In limit poker, the usual structure has the limit double after the draw.

In deuce-to-seven lowball (sometimes known as Kansas City lowball), the worst conventional poker hand wins. Straights and flushes count against you, crippling the value of a hand. The ace is used only as a high card. Therefore, the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2, not all of the same suit. The hand 5-4-3-2-A is not considered to be a straight, but an ace-5 high, so it beats other ace-high hands and pairs, but loses to king-high. A pair of aces is the highest pair, so it loses to any other pair.

The rules for deuce-to-seven lowball are the same as those for ace-to-five lowball, except for the following differences:

1. The best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of at least two different suits. Straights and flushes count against you, and aces are considered high only.

2. Before the draw, an exposed card of 7, 5, 4, 3, or, 2 must be taken. Any other exposed card must be replaced (including a 6).

3. Check-raise is allowed on any hand after the draw, and a seven or better is not required to bet.

Badugi

Badugi is a 4-card, triple-draw lowball poker. Usually, a maximum of six persons can play a set of Badugi.

The goal of this game is to hold the lowest “badugi.” The definition of a badugi is a four-card hand that holds no two cards of the same value or same suit. The game begins with up to six players. After blinds are placed, all players are dealt four cards face down, which are hidden from opponents. The first of four betting rounds follows; the player to the left of the big blind begins the betting, and it continues clockwise. Players can call, raise, fold, or check.

At this point, the first of three draws takes place. Players can draw up to four cards, or choose to not draw any cards. If you happen to be dealt a hand with two or more cards that have the same value or the same suit, always keep the lowest valued card and discard the rest.

Players proceed until four betting rounds are complete. Once the fourth betting round is done, remaining players enter a showdown to declare the winner.

At showdown, all cards that make a pair or share a suit must be removed from each player’s hand. If a player holds a badugi, all hands with fewer cards lose. Therefore, if a player’s hand has 4 cards, any hands with 3 cards, 2 cards, or 1 card are out. Remaining hands with the same number of cards are compared, and the hand with a lower value wins. Aces are always low and the best hand contains no pairs and no repeat suits. The best badugi hand is A-2-3-4 in all four suits.

5-Card Draw

Five card draw is a fairly easy poker game to learn as there aren’t many rules that apply to the game.

Five-card draw starts with an ante (in some cases no ante), and the two players to the left of the dealer putting up the small and big blinds. The dealer than deals in up to eight players, dealing five cards to each player, face down, starting with the player to his immediate left.

The first round of betting takes place. After betting is complete, those who have not folded have the option to discard one, two, or three of their cards for an equal amount of new cards. You can also keep your original five cards.

After the draw has gone around to every player, a second betting round takes place, beginning again to the left of the dealer. At the end of betting, players reveal their hands and the best poker hand wins the pot.

Sit & Go’s

Sit & Go’s are a term used for 1 table tournaments.

Sit and Go tournaments have a specific buy-in and entry fee amount, which then forms the prize pool. This is split up by the winners, generally amongst the top 3, following a payout schedule.

We also offer 6 player and Heads Up (2 Player) games.

These tournaments run 24 hours a day and start when the table fills up with amount of required players (10, 6 or 2 Players, depending on table that you select).

All Players will start with 1500 chips.

Blinds start at 5/10 and go up every 9 minutes. Please check out the ‘Tournament Info’ in the Sit & Go game you select for the complete blind structure.

If a player loses all his chips, he will be knocked out of the tournament. Each player is ranked according to the position that he leaves the table.

Before selecting a Sit & Go game, look at the buy-in amount, type of game (NL Texas Holdem, Omaha, etc.) and how many players are allowed. Double click on the game that you want to play. When the table opens up, select an open seat that you want to play at. The game will start when all seats are filled.

You can also create your own Sit and Go tournaments, using the CUSTOM tab in the poker client.

Have Fun!

Multi-Table Tournaments

Multi-Table Tournaments are a format where players can play against an unlimited number of other players all playing at the same time over multiple tables. Your goal is to eventually win all the chips from every other player in the tournament.

PokerMVP offers these types of tournaments at various buy-in amounts. These games run 24 hours a day at selected times. Check out Tournaments in the table pull down list for available tournaments.

To register for a tournament, click on the tournament that you wish to join in the tournament list. The tournament info will appear with a ‘Register’ button. Click the Register button and a popup will appear verifying the buy-in funds to be taken from your account. After you verify the funds to be taken from your account, you will be registered for the tournament. You may unregister for the tournament at any time before the tournament registration closes.

During the tournament, there will be assigned break times for players.

The prizes are based on the amount of players that have joined the tournament. The prize amounts will be released once the tournament begins.

The below table shows standard payouts for multi-table tournaments at PokerMVP.com

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