Poker Games Available Online

Online Poker Games Available

Pokerstars Online has received high marks for its rake visibility. For detailed information about the rake we take at our tables, please check our

Ring Game Rake Structure

Five Poker Games are available at Poker Stars Online:

• Texas Hold'em
• Omaha
• Omaha Hi-Lo
• Seven Card Stud
• Five Card Stud

These are all games for two to ten people (plus a virtual dealer), with a card deck of 52. The bets placed by players accumulate into a pot as the game progresses. The best poker hand wins the pot.

For an understanding of the rank of various poker hands, please click here.

The games are quite similar in their basic concept, but each has its own unique and important strategic differences. We offer these three different versions, so each player can choose his or her favorite. First we describe the rules of Texas Hold'em, and then, since the other two are based on this game, we describe the key differences for Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo.

Texas Hold'em

Up to 10 players (plus a virtual dealer) are sitting at a table. If you have selected Side View, you will see avatars representing the players. In front of one of the players is a button with a "D" on it. This is called the dealer button. The dealer button moves one position to the left before each game round. This button originates from when players in the group took turns to deal the cards. In our poker room,there is a virtual dealer (shown in side view) who does the actual dealing (sitting in the middle of the left side of the table, behind the big box of chips). The virtual dealer does not participate in the game in any way other than dealing cards.

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The Game Round

This is how the game round goes (examples shown are for limit poker):

Blinds

First, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button (not the virtual dealer!) must post "blinds", that is to place a bet before getting cards. This is to ensure that every winning hand wins some money. Since the dealer button moves on every game round, everyone has to post blinds at some point in the game. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," equal to half of the minimum stake (e.g. $2.5 for a $5/$10 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind," equal to the amount of the minimum stake (e.g. $5 for a $5/$10 game).

Pocket Cards

After the blinds, first cards are dealt. Every player gets two cards face down. These are called pocket cards.

Bet round 1

Betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. Every player can fold, call or raise. Raising is possible by the lower table stake ($5 in a $5/$10 game) only. Betting is explained in more detail below.

The Flop Cards

Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop cards. These are "community" cards and can be used by all the players to make up their hand.

Bet round 2

Second round of betting follows. This is carried out exactly as the first betting round.

The Turn Card

After the second round of betting, a fourth "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the "Turn card". It is followed by a third round of betting.

Bet round 3

This round, again, is carried out just like the first and the second, with one exception: raising is possible only by the higher table stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).

The River Card

Finally, a fifth and final "community" card is dealt. It is called the "River card" and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

Bet round 4

This final betting round is carried out exactly as the third.

Showdown

After the final betting round, the best five-card hand is determined. Both the pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up a hand. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Players can also split the pot if they have the same hand. In the rare case of the best hand consisting of community cards only, the pot is divided between all the players left in the pot at the showdown. If you see that you are losing, and do not want to show your cards, you can Muck, that is to give up your hand and lose the pot. Otherwise you can Show to compare your hand with others.

Start again

After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left, and the next hand begins.

Betting system

The player left of the big blind starts the betting round, betting order goes around the table clockwise. Everyone is betting according to what they think their hand will lead to.

Fold

If you don't like your cards, you can fold. If you have posted a blind, made a bet or raised a bet, you will lose that money. But you will not lose any more. After folding, you are out of the game until the next game round.

Check/Call

You can stay in the game by checking or calling. If no bet has been made before you, you can check without placing any money in the pot. If a bet has been made, you can call by placing the same amount in the pot.

Bet/Raise/Re-raise

If you think you hand is good enough, you can make a bet. If another player has already made a bet, you can raise it.amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a $5/$10 table, bets are $5 in the first two rounds and $10 in the last two. There can be one bet and three raises in each round (bet, raise, re-raise, re-raise). After three raises the betting round is capped and the next card is dealt (or, if it is the final betting round, the best hand is determined).

All-in

When a player runs out of chips during the course of a hand, he/she does not have to fold. Instead the player can choose to be All-in. When you are all-in, you call all your chips and the pot is divided into the main pot and side pot. All subsequent chips are hereafter added to the side pot. At the showdown if the "All-in" player does not have a winning hand, both the side pot and the main pot go to the winning hand, as usual. At the showdown if the "All-in" player has a winning hand, the main pot goes to the "All-in" player, and the side pot goes to the next best hand. When several players go All-in, multiple side pots are created. The pots are divided according to hand and order in which the players went All-in. If a player not all in at the showdown has the winning hand he wins all side pots and the main pot. If an all in player has the strongest hand he/she wins the pot or pots that were collected until he/she went All-in. Any all in player with a winning hand can only win the pot or pots they are involved in.

A Betting round continues until all players have folded or called the third raise, or until a bet has been called by all players (except the one who placed the bet) with no raise taking place.

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Omaha

Omaha poker follows the same rules as Texas Hold'em poker, but with two exceptions

• Players are dealt four "pocket" cards instead of two.
• Players must use two "pocket" cards and three "community" cards to make their best high hand.

The principle is the same, but the two differences in the rules demand a very different strategy for playing Omaha Poker.

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Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi/Low follows the same rules as regular Omaha, but there is an additional way to win a share of the pot. The Hi winner is the player with the best poker hand, as in Omaha High Only. But in addition to a Hi winner, there can be a Low winner. The Low hand is a hand with 5 different cards below a 9. You must use two pocket cards and three community cards to make a low hand. For example, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 of any suit would be a Low hand. The lowest Low hand is the Low winner. In case of a Low winner, the pot is split 50/50 between the Low and High winner. In case of multiple Low hands, the Low winner is determined by comparing the highest of the low cards, then the second highest, etc. If the two or more Low hands are equal, the Low pot is split between them. Because there must be at least three different low cards (under 9) on the board at the end to enable a qualifying low hand there may not be a Low winner every hand. Also, a player may use different pocket cards for Hi and for Low, from the four cards dealt to him along with any three community cards, where again different cards may be used for the high hand to the low hand. In Hi Low Omaha the lowest possible hand is 5,4,3,2,A of any suits (flushes and straights do not count against you for the low hand). Ace counts as high and low and therefore the same ace can be used to make a high hand and a low hand.

Pot Limit games

Pot Limit games differ from the Limit games by the betting and raising amounts allowed: The minimum raise amount is the previous bet or raise in the same hand. For example, if the first player bet $10, the second player can raise a minimum of $10. The maximum raise amount is the total betting pot + total bets of other players in the betting round + the call amount of the player. For example, if the pot is $50, the first player bets $10 and the second player calls $10, the third player can raise up to $80 ($50 in the main pot + $20 from past bets in the round + $10 of the player's own call).

No Limit games

No Limit games differ from the Limit games in the fact that there is no maximum to each raise (apart from the player's table balance).

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7 Card Stud

This game is played with a maximum of 8 players (plus the virtual dealer). The most important difference between this and the other games is that in 7 Card Stud, there are no "community" cards. Each player has his own individual hand, and in fixed limit games, there are two bet limits.

The first two cards (hole cards) are dealt face down, and the other players can't see them. The next cards are called Streets (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Street), and they are dealt face up. The last card, the River, is dealt face down.

At the start of the round, the players must place Antes. The Ante is a fraction of the low bet limit and serves the same purpose as the Blinds in Hold'em games.

After the 3rd Street has been dealt, the player with the lowest face-up card starts the betting. (If two players are showing cards of the same value, the order is determined according to their suits. The suit order is, in descending rank: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.)

The starting player can either place a complete bet, or place a Bring-In. This is smaller than the complete bet, and again like the Blinds in other varieties, the player only needs to add the difference if the bet is completed and he decides to call. The other players can call, complete the bet, or raise.

Once the bets have been placed, the 4th Street is dealt. This time the player with the highest card or combination shown starts the betting, and there is no Bring-In. At this stage, any player can bet at the high limit, which will be applied to all subsequent bets.

The same cycle is used for the 5th and 6th Streets, and the River, except that the high limit is now applied regardless of whether it was used for the 4 th Street or not. After the River bets are placed, the highest five-card poker hand is formed from each player's cards. The highest ranking hand wins.

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5 Card Stud

This is very similar to 7 Card Stud, and played by the same rules (but with up to 10 players). The difference is that only one card is dealt face down to each player; there are 2nd, 3rd and 4th streets, plus the River.

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Ring Game Rake Structure

In general, the house commissions between 0% and 5% of each total pot. We do not charge a rake if the hand ended before the "flop" cards were dealt - "No flop no drop."

The following are the fixed limits for the rake:

Limit Games

$0.02/$0.04 to $0.25/$0.50

$0.50/$1 to $1/$2

$2/$4 to $30/$60

$50/$100 and above

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Pot Limit and No Limit Games

Pot limit and No Limit - from $0.01/$0.02 to $20/$40

Pot limit and No Limit - from $25/$50 and up