General rules of poker. Advanced Tournament Strategy (MTT)

The Association of Tournament Directors is a voluntary association founded in 2001. Its task is to standardize the rules of the tournament poker tournaments. The TDA rules are in addition to the standard rules (“house” rules) of the poker club/casino. In the event of a conflict between the rules of the TDA and the rules of the gambling establishment, the rules of the establishment will apply.

General provisions

Poker club/tournament managers must consider the interests of the game and fairness as the highest priority in the decision-making process. In certain unusual cases, in the interests of fairness, reasonable decisions may be made that are contrary to technical rules. The manager's decision is final.

Players are responsible for correctly understanding tournament time and location information and for correctly determining where they should be placed at the start of the tournament. They must protect their cards, perform actions that others can understand, follow the progress of the game, place bets in turn using accepted terminology and gestures and defend this right, keep cards in sight, stack chips in such a way that the size of their stack is visible to others players to reveal all their cards correctly. While in a hand, players are obliged to remain in their place; if an error is discovered, players are obliged to report it, ask to time it when it is really justified, move from one table to another without delay, follow the rule “there is only one player in a hand”, know and abide by the rules, follow the rules of etiquette and generally act in accordance with the rules of the tournament.

Official terms are simple, unmistakable announcements of your action, such as: bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, bank ( pot) is used only in Pot Limit games, complete. Local terms may also follow this rule. When making decisions in a hand, players should use gestures with caution. A “knock” on the table is perceived as a check bet. Players are responsible for making their intentions clear to everyone. By using non-standard terms or gestures, the player assumes the responsibility that they may be misunderstood. (see rules 2 and 46)

Players cannot talk on the phone at the poker table. Ringtones, music, etc. must be inaudible to other players. The use of gaming support applications such as electronic devices, and on paper directly during the game. The use of any other devices and instruments, communications, photographic and video equipment should not create inconvenience for players. The rules for their use are regulated directly by the poker club/casino where the event is held.

Tournament organizers must clearly announce the languages ​​allowed at the tournament.

Drawing of places, closing and balancing of tables

At tournaments and satellites, the draw for places is carried out in random order. If a player started the tournament in the wrong seat but with the correct stack, he will be moved to right place with your current stack.

A: Players who entered during late registration or re-entered the tournament will begin the game with full starting stacks. The draw is carried out randomly in the same way as for new players. They can enter the game in any position except the position between the button and the small blind.
B: In tournaments with an opportunity re-entry(Re-Entry), if the player was allowed to leave his chips and re-entry, then these chips will be removed from the game.

Comfortable seating will be provided for players with reduced mobility whenever possible.

Players from a disbanded table will be moved to a new table and seat using a 2-step random draw. They can sit in any position at the new table, including the Big Blind, Small Blind or Button positions. The only seat they cannot sit on is the seat between the button and the small blind. (See examples in appendices).

A) In flop and mixed games, when balancing tables, the next player who is in the big blind position is moved to the worst position (big blind position or the closest position to the big blind) clockwise arrow, including the position of one big blind without a small blind, even if this would mean that a given seat at the table would have a big blind twice (not for the same player). moved to the small blind position.In stud tournaments, players are moved according to position (the last vacant seat on the short table is taken).
B) In mixed games (for example: HORSE), when the game changes from Hold'em to Stud, at the end of the last hold'em hand, the button is moved to a position according to the rules of the game in Hold'em, as if the next hand is played in the same game and remains in that place during the round of stud play. During a round, the player who would be in the Big Blind position if a Hold'em hand was played is moved to Stud. When a round of hold'em play resumes, the button on the first hand will be in the position in which it was frozen.
C) The table from which the player will be moved is determined by the table balancing procedure.
D) In ​​tournaments with a maximum table size of 9 or 8 players, play stops at a table that has three or more fewer players than the other tables. In other formats of play, such as 6-max or turbo tournaments, play will be stopped at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Continuing to play shorthanded is not a reason for a mulligan or misdeal, and the Tournament Director may not stop play at his discretion. If possible, tables will be balanced by Management as quickly as possible during the game.

The number of players at the final table is determined based on: maximum amount players at the table in a given tournament plus one player. (In 9-max games, the final table will consist of 10 players; in a 6-max game, the final table consists of 7 players; in an 8-max game, 9 players, etc.). The final table cannot consist of more than 10 players. This rule does not apply to heads-up events.

Banks, opening cards

The cards speak for themselves. Verbal statements regarding the contents of a player's cards are optional. However, any player who deliberately misnames their hand may be penalized. The dealer is obliged to determine and announce the combination after the cards are revealed. Any player, whether he or she is in the hand or not, who notices an error in determining a winning combination, counting, or transferring pot chips to the wrong player must immediately declare it.

A) Correct showing of cards means at the same time that: 1) the player must reveal all his cards and place them face down on the table; and 2) in such a way that the dealer and other players can clearly see them. The term “all your cards” means: 2 hole cards in Hold’em, 4 cards in Omaha, all 7 cards in 7-card stud, etc.
B) When showing cards, the player must protect his hand while waiting for it to be read correctly. (See also Rule No. 65.) A player who shows his cards unclearly or incompletely and then discards them face down, thinking he has won, does so at his own risk. If the cards cannot be recovered 100% and the Tournament Director declares that the cards could not be clearly identified, the player cannot claim to win that pot. The Tournament Director's decision as to whether cards have been clearly shown or not is final.
C) Dealers cannot fold (“kill”) a winning hand that was correctly opened by the player at showdown and was the winning hand.

Discarding cards face down does not mean that the cards are automatically considered a pass (“dead”); The player can change his mind and show his cards if it is possible to 100% recover and identify them. Cards are considered “dead” when the dealer mixes them with other cards thrown into the fold or for some other reason they cannot be recovered and identified.

A: If the player has opened only one card, which is already enough to win the given hand, the dealer must ask the player to reveal all his cards. If the player refuses to do this, the dealer must call the tournament manager.
Q: if a player has made a bet and, mistakenly thinking that he has already won, throws his cards away (forgetting or not noticing that there are still player(s) with cards left in the hand), the dealer must stop the game and, holding the player’s cards, call manager If the cards have already been mixed with the rest of the cards thrown into the pass and they cannot be 100% restored and identified, then the player does not have the right to demand a refund of the bets that were equalized. If no one matches the bet or increase, then the entire amount will be returned to the player.

All cards must be revealed, once one player has bet all his chips - All-in, this bet has been accepted and all other betting activities have been completed. No player who has made an All-In or who has called all bets before the end of all betting activities may fold his cards to Pass without revealing them. All players participating, both in the main and minor pots, must immediately reveal their cards at the end of the auction. (See examples in appendices).

A: When showing cards in a situation without All-in (all-in), if the cards were not spontaneously revealed or discarded, the Tournament Director may apply the order of showing cards. The player who made the last aggressive move in the final betting round must reveal his cards first. If there was no bet on the last round of betting, the player to the left of the button reveals his cards first and so on clockwise. In stud games, the player with the highest hand must show his cards first. In Razz, the player with the lowest hand reveals his cards first.
Q: When showing cards in a situation without All-in, players can throw cards into the Pass without opening them, thereby waiving claims to receive the bank. The last player to have “live” cards in his hands wins the pot without obligation to open his cards.

A: Players who are eliminated from a hand at the time of showdown or who fold their cards without revealing them (up cards are cards lying face down on the table) lose the right to ask any player in that hand to show up their cards.
Q: If there were bets in the last round of betting, then any player who called the bet has an inherent right to see, upon request, the cards of the player who made the last increase (“the player paid to see the cards”), provided that the player who asks to see the cards, has cards in hand, or has opened them for everyone to see. Other requests to show cards, such as to see the cards of another player (not the player who made the last raise) or if there was no bet on the last round of betting, are at the discretion of the Tournament Director. (See examples in appendices).

To receive part of the pot for a winning combination that includes all five community cards on the board, the player must reveal all of his cards. (See Rule No. 13-A.)

An odd chip can only be of the lowest denomination among those participating in the game. this moment in Game. A) In flop games, when there are two or more High hands or two or more Low hands, the odd chip goes to the player to the left of the button. B) In stud games, Razz and if there are two or more high or low hands in stud/8; The odd chip goes to the player with the highest card by suit in his winning 5-card hand. C) When dividing by high and low combination (High/Low, one player wins with the highest combination (High) and the other with the lowest combination (Low)), the odd chip goes to the player with the highest combination (High). D) If both players have the same hand and both win on both the high and low hands (eg 2 wheels in Omaha/8) the pot should be divided as evenly as possible. (See examples in appendices).

Each minor bank must be divided separately.

The opportunity to challenge a hand that has already been played ends as soon as the next hand begins. (See Rule No. 23.) Errors in calculation and the correct transfer of pot chips may be challenged until active action occurs on the next hand, after which play must continue. If the hand ends during a break, then the right to challenge and correct the results of the hand ends 1 minute after the pot was handed over to the player.

General procedures

New level cannot be declared until the previous level's time reaches zero. A new level begins with the next hand. The beginning of the distribution is the first mixing of cards - Riffle (riffle), if a card mixing machine is used, then the distribution begins by pressing the button.

A) During a chip raise, chips that are removed from play will be replaced by each player with chips of the next denomination. The remaining chips of the removed denomination will be played. The drawing of the remaining chips begins from the first box. During the drawing, one player can only receive one additional chip of a higher value.
A player cannot leave the tournament due to a chip raise. If during a chip raise he loses all his chips, then he is given one chip of the smallest value in the game.
B) Players' stacks must be clearly visible and they are encouraged to be present during the chip raise.
C) If, after a chip raise, a player has chips remaining that should have been removed from the game, they will be exchanged for chips of a higher denomination. If the number of remaining chips is less than the value of the smallest chip in the game, they will be removed from the game without compensation.

A) Players have the right to see and understand the approximate amount of chips their opponents have, so chips must be on the table in such a way that they can be counted. The Tournament Directors Association (TDA) recommends that players stack their chips by value in stacks of 20. Players must keep their highest value chips in such a way that they are visible and identifiable at all times.
B) Tournament management controls the number and denomination of chips in the game, and, if necessary, can resort to increasing the denomination at its discretion. The consolidation of the denomination will be announced additionally.
C) Players are required to hold their cards in such a way that they are always visible.

The deck will be replaced during a dealer change, a level change, or according to the tournament rules. Players cannot ask for cards to be replaced.

In rebuy tournaments, a player cannot miss a single hand. If a player announces his intention to re-purchase chips (Re-buy), then chips are placed before the start of the distribution, and he is obliged to make a re-purchase.

“Additional spinning” or opening further cards at the request of players after the end of the game is prohibited. “Additional spin” is the opening of any subsequent flop (board) cards that would have come if the hand had not ended.

Tournament management should only time the player after the player has had sufficient time to make a decision. Any player participating in a tournament has the right to ask for a timer. If the manager times the time, then the player gets 25 seconds to make a decision. If the player has not made a decision within the time given to him, then he is given the last 5 seconds to think, which are counted down out loud. If the player “under bet” (thinking about the opponent’s bet) has not made a decision before the end of the 5-second report, then the player’s cards are automatically counted as a pass and taken by the dealer. If the player who is timed is “not under the bet”, then a “check” is accepted. The word passes to the next player. The Tournament Director may reduce the player's cooling time and take other measures to accommodate the game format and stop persistent game delays. (See rule #2 and #70).

Player presence at the table / Waiting for his word

The player must be in his place at the gaming table at the moment when the deal is dealt last card during the initial distribution of cards “preflop”, otherwise his cards are considered in the pass (“dead”). The player who was not in his seat at that moment cannot look at his cards and his cards will be moved to the “out” immediately after the end of the pre-flop cards being dealt. His blinds and antes must be posted and in play, and in stud games he must place a mandatory bet (bring-in). * The player must be in his seat at the gaming table to request a thinking time. (Rule 29) “In your seat” means being within reach of your seat. This rule is not intended to condone players who are not in their seat while they are playing a hand.

A player whose cards are in play (“live”), including players who are “all-in” or otherwise finished bets, must remain at the table during all rounds of betting and until all cards have been revealed ( Showdown). Leaving the table early goes against the rule that a player must protect his cards and monitor the progress of the game. Failure to comply with this rule is punishable by a fine (penalty).

Button, blinds

Tournaments use the dead button rule. (A "dead button" is a button that is placed in the place of the eliminated player (empty space).

A player who deliberately avoids the blinds when moving from a broken table will be subject to a penalty.

In a Heads-up game, the button is in the small blind and is the first to make a decision before the flop. After the flop, the player in the Big Blind makes the first decision. The last card before the flop is dealt to the Button's position. When starting a Heads-up game, the button is placed so that the same player is not in the Big Blind position twice.

Card distribution rules

A) A mulligan is declared in situations (including, but not limited to): 1) two cards are face up (“face down”) in the deck when cards are dealt “preflop”; 2) The distribution of cards started from the wrong place; 3) Cards are dealt to a place that is not involved in the game; 4) The player who should have received the cards did not receive them. 5) In stud games, if any of the players, by mistake of the dealer, are dealt two cards face up; 6) In games with a flop, if by mistake of the dealer the first or second card in the hand was turned over, or when cards are dealt (preflop), two cards are revealed. For draw games, the poker club/casino house rules apply. (For example: lowball).
C) The player in the Button position may receive two cards in a row during the deal if his first card was revealed by mistake by the dealer. (See rule #37).
C) If a mulligan is declared, the hand must be played in exactly the same way as the canceled one: the button does not move, new players cannot enter the hand and the limits remain the same. If during the initial deal the player was given a penalty or was not present at his place at the beginning of the deal (rule 30), then during the mulligan the dealer deals cards to all participants and immediately takes the cards of these players for a pass. For a player who receives a penalty, the deal and mulligan count as one.
D) If such active actions have already been made in the hand, after which the game must necessarily be continued, then it is impossible to declare a mulligan, and it continues (See rule No. 36)

Active actions, after which the game must be continued, are: 1) any two active actions, in turn, in one of which the player placed chips in the bank (i.e., any 2 active actions, excluding 2 checks or 2 passes (fold)). 2) any combination of three active actions in turn (check, bet, raise, call or fold). Placing mandatory bets (Small Blind, Big Blind) does not equate to active actions. (See also Rule No. 35-D and No. 43-B).

If the player in the “button” position has received an insufficient number of cards provided for a given game, he must immediately declare this. A missing card may be added even if active action has occurred, as long as this is allowed in the game. However, if the player has already made an active action (“check” or “bet”), then his hand is considered “dead”.

“Burning” cards (cutting) is a precautionary measure. This way, players cannot see or recognize the top card from the back. It is not intended to keep the cards in order. If the incorrect number of cards is revealed after active actions have been taken, then that hand is considered "dead". Cutting is done in the usual manner, one card at each betting round. (See examples in appendices).

If the flop contains four (not three) cards (open or not), then the dealer must cover them and call the manager. The dealer must shuffle these 4 cards face down, then the Manager selects one of the 4 cards to be used as a cut and the remaining 3 cards become the common flop. (see recommended procedures - No. 5).

Game: Betting and Raising

A) A bet can be made by verbally announcing the bet and/or placing chips. If a player does both (announces a bet and places chips), then the action that was done first determines the bet. If both actions are made at the same time, then a clear and reasonable verbal statement takes precedence, otherwise the chip bet is accepted. In an unclear situation or when a verbal announcement and a chip bid conflict, the Tournament Director will make a decision based on the circumstances and Rule 1. (See examples in the appendices, as well as rule No. 57).
B) Verbal bets can be standard (“Call”, “Raise”), specifying the amount (“One thousand”), or both (“Raise, one thousand”).
C) For all bets, the rule is that the verbal announcement of the bet, determining its amount, is the same as placing the same number of chips. Example: announcing “two hundred” is the same as silently betting 200 in chips.

A) Players must act solely on their turn by making a verbal announcement and/or placing chips. The bet made in turn is binding and the chips placed in the pot must remain in the pot.
B) Players must wait until the previous player's bet amount is clearly announced before making their betting decisions. Example: THNL. Player A says “raise” (but does not say the bet amount), and player B quickly folds. Player B must wait before taking any action until Player A has clearly announced his bid.

A) Basic verbal statements in turn (for example: “Call” or “Raise”) determine the player’s actions and are binding. (See examples in appendices).
B) A player is under the bet (Undercall) and announces or makes a bet less than necessary to answer the previous bet of another player without first announcing “Call”. The player is obliged to deliver chips before the previous bet is fully answered in the following cases: 1) If this is any bet in a heads-up game; 2) If this is a response to the first (opening bid) bet in any of the multi-move rounds. In any other situations, the decision of the Tournament Director/Manager applies. The opening bet is the first bet with chips on each betting round (checks do not count). The Big Blind (BB) is considered the first (opening) bet in the first round of betting in games with blinds. All-in buttons can significantly reduce the frequency of the above errors. (See recommended procedures #1). This rule is for those cases when a player must deliver up to the previous player's full bet or when the decision of the Tournament Director applies and the player may lose the chips placed in the pot and fold the cards into the Pass (fold).
C) If two or more bets have been made in succession out of turn by the players under the bet, the floor returns to the first player who must decide and bet (Rule 42B). The tournament director makes a fair decision based on the circumstances.

A) In Limit and No-limit games, if the bet or raise is less than the minimum allowable amount, then the player must deliver chips to the minimum allowable amount at any time during the betting round (if this is the last betting round, then before the showdown begins). For example: NLHE 100-200, on the flop player A bets 600, and player B raises 1000 (200 is short of the minimum allowable increase). Players C and D call this bet, Player E folds and after that an error is detected. In this case, all players who made bets are required to deliver chips to the minimum possible bet - 1200 at any time before the fourth card is revealed (turn). If the fourth card is on the board (turn), then the erroneous bet is considered 1000 accepted and not subject to change. For Undercall situations, see rule No. 42.
C) In Pot-limit games, if a player placed a “Bank” bet, the amount of which was calculated incorrectly, then: if the amount is greater than it should be, then the bets must be adjusted to the correct ones for all players during the current betting round; if less than the required amount, then the bet can be corrected until the next active action occurs. (See examples in appendices).

A) Any bet out of turn (check, call or raise) entails a penalty, and if this happens, the action first returns to the player whose word was at that moment. If the bet was announced out of turn, the player cannot change it, unless the player whose word was missed has raised the bet. If there was a raise, the player who bet out of turn has all the options to change his bet, including call, raise or fold. A check, call or pass by a player whose word was missed does not give the right to change the bet. Passing (fold) out of turn is the final action.
B) A player who is passed over while betting out of turn must defend his right to move. If after performing an extraordinary action a sufficient amount of time has passed and Active Actions have been taken, after which the game must be continued (see rule No. 36), and the player who missed his turn did not say anything, then the extraordinary action is considered mandatory. In this case, the Tournament Director must be called and will decide how to proceed in this situation, taking into account the circumstances, including declaring the hand “dead” or passive. (See examples in appendices).

Standard and acceptable ways of responding to a previous bet: 1) verbal announcement of “call”; 2) moving to the bank the number of chips required to respond to the previous bet; 3) silently place one chip of a higher value than is required to answer the previous bet; 4) Silently bet a few chips, provided that if you remove one chip, the remaining amount will be less than enough to answer the previous bet (see rule No. 50).
Replying to a previous bet with a chip (several chips), the value of which is much less than necessary to “call” (For example: NLH, blinds 2000/4000. Player A bets 50,000, player B silently throws a chip with a value of 1000) is not standard, is strongly discouraged, may result in a penalty and will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director, even to the extent that the player will be required to wager the full amount of the previous bet.

In games without limiting bet sizes (No-limit) or in games with limiting bets (Pot-limit), raising the bet must be done according to the rules: 1) Chips must be put into the pot in one motion; 2) The bet must be verbally announced by the player before placing chips into the bank; 3) Verbally declare “Raise” and then deposit chips into the pot in one motion. If a player, having said “Raise”, puts forward more chips than is necessary to respond to the previous bet, but less than is necessary for the minimum increase, then he is obliged to deliver to the bank the number of chips necessary for the minimum increase. The player is personally responsible for ensuring that his actions are understood correctly.

A) The rate increase must be at least the same as the previous increase. If a player raises the bet by 50% or more of the previous increase, but less than the minimum increase increment, then he must deliver up to the minimum bet increase. If a player raises by less than 50% of the previous increase and does not first say "Raise", or if he is not All-In (see Rule 50-B), then this bet is considered a call to the previous one. bet. A verbal announcement of a bet that determines its amount is the same as placing the same number of chips (see Rule #40-C). Example: NLH, opening bet of 1000, the next player calls "Fourteen Hundred" or bids 1400 in chips - both of these bets are considered a response to the previous bet unless the player has previously said the word "Raise". (See examples in appendices).
C) If the player says: “Raise” and then names the amount, then in cases where there was no clarifying information, this amount is accepted as the total bet amount. Example: Player A bets 2000. Player B announces “Raise eight thousand.” The total bet is 8000.

In No-limit or Pot-limit games, if the All-in is greater than the previous bet (or several small All-In bets) but less than the minimum increase, then the player who has already bet in this round of betting cannot increase when it will be his turn to make a decision again. In Limit games, if the All in bet is greater than the previous bet by at least 50% of the minimum increase, then the player who has already bet in this betting round can make an increase. (See examples in appendices).

If a player throws one chip into the pot (even if it is the player's last chip) greater than the bet, and does not call a raise, he is considered to have called the previous bet. If a player wants to make a one-chip increase over the previous bet, he must voice this before the chip touches the surface of the table. If an increase is announced, but the amount of the increase is not specified, then the increase is accepted at the maximum for a chip of a given denomination. If a player makes the first bet in a given betting round, throwing one chip, and does not announce the amount, then the bet is accepted at the maximum for a chip of this denomination.

A: if a bet has been made, and the player, without announcing an increase, throws several chips of different denominations (there is no exception if these chips are the last ones), and the removal of the chip of the smallest denomination leaves an amount less than necessary before responding to the previous bet, then this action is not is taken as an increase. For example: 1) Player A bets 400. Player B increases the bet to 1100 (an increase of 700), Player C throws 2 chips of 500 and 1000 without announcing an increase. This bet is accepted as a response to the previous bet (Call), since if you remove the chip with a face value of 500, the amount will become less than what is needed to respond to the bet of 1100; 2) NLHM 25-50. On the flop, player A bets 1050, player B bets all his remaining chips (2 chips with a face value of 1000). Player B's bet is considered a response to the previous bet (Call), if the player did not declare a raise (Raise) or all-in (all-in) before placing.
Q: If the withdrawal of one of the chips leaves an amount equal to or greater than that required to answer the previous bet, then: 1) if the player still has chips left, then rule No. 47 about the 50% increase comes into effect. 2) If these are the player's last chips, then they are accepted as all-in, regardless of whether there is 50% of the minimum increase or not. (See examples in appendices).

A) If a player has made a silent bet, calling an increase that his opponent has made, and in front of him are chips from his previous bet that have not yet been moved into the pot, then these chips can affect the correct determination of this bet as: a call to the previous bet (call) or another increase (re-raise), including, but not limited to: whether the previous number of chips was greater than the bet; whether the previous chips were taken back; whether all new chips are needed to answer the previous bet (call), as well as any gestures that may be used by players. Since such cases are possible, players are advised to verbally announce their bet before adding chips to those already bet and not moved into the pot. (See examples for specific situations).
B) Player A places a bet. Player B raises. If player A takes back the chips from the previous bet, this obliges him to make a call (call) or raise (raise). The player cannot return the chips and fold the cards.

In No-limit and Pot-limit games there is no limit on the number of raises. In Limit games there is a limit on increasing the bet and even in heads-up games, until there are 2 players left in the tournament. The gambling establishment's rules regarding the number of allowable increases apply.

Poker is a game of attention and constant composure. It is the caller's responsibility to correctly size his opponent's bet before calling, regardless of what the dealer or players have called. If a player requests a bet count and receives incorrect information from the dealer or players and then places chips in the pot, he will be deemed to have accepted the full correct bet and his call amount will be adjusted to the correct bet or all in ). As in all other situations, in this case, at the discretion of the Tournament Director, Rule No. 1 may be applied.

A) Players have the right to ask the dealer to calculate the pot amount only in Pot-limit games. The dealer should not count the pot in Limit and No-limit games.
C) in pre-flop bidding, if the all-in bet is less than the mandatory bet, this does not affect the calculation of the “Bank” bet. (Example: blinds 50-100. SB bets 50, BB puts all in 75. In this case, the next player’s “Bank” bet will be 350). After the flop (post-flop), the actual bet sizes are taken into account when calculating the “Bank” bet.
C) The Bank bet is not allowed in No Limit games, but it obliges the player to make the correct bet for the game (at least the minimum) and may result in a penalty. If there has already been a bet before, the player is obliged to make a raise.

If a player, without being under a bet, announces A) “call”, then this is accepted as a “check”; C) “raise” - the player must make at least a minimal increase. The player under the bet who declares “check” has two options: “call” and “pass”. He cannot make a “raise”.

All bets and increases are accepted only by the dealer. The dealer is responsible for determining bets and increases made in installments.

The player takes the risk by using informal terms and gestures when making a bet. The interpretation of such actions may differ from what the player intended to do. Also, in situations where the announced bet has several valid values, it will be accepted at the maximum amount, which does not exceed the size of the pot. For example: NLHE. The blinds are 200-400, the pot is less than 5000. The player announces: “I bet five.” If there are no clarifications, then the bet will be accepted at 500; if the bank has 5000 or more, then a bet of 5000 will be accepted (see rules 2, 3, 40 and 46).

A “Pass” bet (fold) before the end of the last round of betting in turn, when no bet was placed on the player (for example: in response to a “Check” bet or before the start of betting, immediately after the flop cards are opened) or “Pass” " (fold) not in turn is the final decision, and that player's cards are considered "dead". In such cases, players may be subject to penalties.

A) Imposing conditions on future actions is not standard and is strongly discouraged as it may become a mandatory player action and/or may be subject to a penalty at the discretion of the Tournament Director. For example: “if-then” conditions such as “If you bet, then I will raise.”
B) In the event that player A announces that he is making a bet (bet) or raise (raise), and player B announces a call (call) before player A names the bet amount, the Tournament Director will make a decision based on the situation and may oblige player B to call a bet of any size.

Players have the right to approximate the number of chips their opponent has (see Rule 25). A player can ask to count the exact number of chips only in his turn and if he is under an All-in bet. A player who places an all-in bet is not required to count his chips. If he does not want to do this, then the chips will be counted by the dealer or manager. In this case, the rule on action taken (see Rule 53) applies. Correctly stacked chips (see Rule 25) will greatly assist in the correct counting.

Players should not use bets to exchange chips. Betting larger than necessary to match the previous bet can fool everyone at the table. All chips placed silently by the player can be counted as part of the bet.
For example: bet 325, the second player silently bets 525 (one chip of 500 and one of 25), expecting to receive change of 200. However, according to Rule #50, Multi-Chip Bet, this is an increase to 650.

If player A made an All-in bet and after player B called the bet, it was discovered that player A had more chips that were not taken into account when calculating the all-in bet, then Tournament the director must determine whether these pieces are part of an accepted action or not (see Rule 53). If the Tournament Director decides that these chips are not part of the accepted action, then if Player A wins, he will receive from his opponent only the number of chips that was put up by Player A before the discovery of additional chips, and which was called by Player B. If Player A loses in this hand, then the chips discovered later do not remain with him. At the discretion of the Tournament Director, these chips may go to Player B, who wins the hand.

Game: Additional Rules

Players may not hold or carry tournament chips in any manner that obscures them from view. A player who tries to do this will lose these chips and may be disqualified. These chips will be removed from the game. The Tournament Directors Association (TDA) recommends that players be provided with a rack to carry chips as needed.

Lost and found chips will be removed from the game and returned to the tournament inventory.

A) A player must protect his cards at all times, including during a showdown while waiting for the winner of the hand to be determined. If the dealer takes the cards by mistake, or the cards are mixed with others, and Management cannot identify the player's cards with 100% certainty, then the player cannot claim to have the cards reinstated and is not entitled to a refund. However, if a player makes a bet or raise and it is not matched, that bet or raise will be returned to the player.
C) If a player's cards were mixed with others, but can be 100% identified, then they remain in the game regardless of what happened to them during the game.

In stud poker, if a player raises his up cards while it is his turn to make a decision, his hand is considered dead. To correctly discard cards in Stud games, you need to turn them all face down and move them away from you towards the center of the table.

Etiquette and Fines

Players are required to respect the interests of other players in the tournament. Therefore, players, regardless of whether they are in the game or not, cannot:
1. Discuss the contents of “live” or passed cards.
2. Advise or criticize the game at any time.
3. Discover the meaning of cards that were not brought up for discussion.
The rule “cards in only one hand” applies. Among other things, this rule prohibits showing your cards or discussing strategy with other players, spectators or other consultants.

A player who reveals his cards before all betting rounds have been completed may be penalized, but his cards will not be considered "dead" and he will continue to play. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand. You need to discard the cards low above the table or simply move them along the table; you do not need to throw them high or twist them when throwing. (See also Rule 66).

Poker is an individual game. Playing along with another player will result in penalties, which may include confiscation of chips and/or disqualification. "Transferring" of chips and/or all other forms of collusion will result in disqualification.

Violation of etiquette may result in enforcement action under Rule 71. Examples include, but are not limited to: persistently delaying play, touching other players or their cards or chips, placing a bet so that the dealer cannot reach the chips, repeatedly acting out of turn , offensive behavior and excessive talkativeness.

A) Types of fines: verbal warnings, penalties of “missed hands”, “missed rounds of hands” and disqualification. In cases where a player is given a fine in the form of “missed rounds of hands”, this punishment is applied in the following order: the offender misses one hand according to the number of players at the table, including the offender himself, multiplied by the number of rounds indicated in the punishment. Repeated violations are subject to increasing fines. Players ejected from the table or penalized will have all mandatory bets (ante, small and big blinds) taken away during the penalty.
C) A player may be fined for violation of etiquette (Rule #70) if he reveals at least one of his cards while “under bet”, throws cards off the table, violates the “cards in one hand only” rule, or similar incidents. The player will be fined in cases of playing along (soft play) with another player, insulting, disruptive behavior, or fraud. If the player whose word is last, having the highest possible combination in hand, checks on the last round of betting, this is not automatically considered a soft play; The Tournament Director makes a decision based on the situation.
C) During the penalty period, the offender must remain away from the table. Cards will be dealt to him, all mandatory bets will be taken (ante, small and big blinds), and his cards will immediately go into the “pass” at the end of the preflop cards being dealt. In “stud” games, all mandatory bets will also be taken from the player, including the “bring-in” bet.
D) The chips of a player who is disqualified will be removed from the game.

October 24, 2017 Version 3.0

TDA Recommended Procedures are a set of suggestions aimed at reducing errors and improving management processes. They can be used in situations with a large number of variations that cannot be described in one universal rule. In such cases, reaching a fair decision may require the use of multiple rules, an assessment of all the circumstances, and the use of Rule #1 as a general guide.

It is advisable to use the All In Button to clearly indicate that the player's bet is an All In bet. This button must be with the dealer (not every player). When a player makes an "All In" bet, the dealer must place the "All In" Button in front of him, and in such a way that all players at the table can see it.

Constantly collecting bets and raises into the center of the table as soon as they have been placed is bad practice. This can affect the flow of the hand, create confusion and increase the risk of errors. Dealers should not touch players' bets until they need to calculate their size. Only the player whose turn it is to make a decision can ask the dealer to collect all the chips in the center of the table (in the “Bank”).

The surface of the table is of great importance for the conduct of the game: accepting bets, dealing cards and players managing their stacks. The table and the space around it (legroom and aisles) should not be cluttered with unnecessary personal items. Tournament organizers must have a clear stance on what items can and cannot be in the tournament area.

In cases where the distribution should continue, but the order of the remaining cards in the deck was accidentally disrupted, you should:
1) Try to restore the original order of the cards, if possible.
2) If this is not possible, then the remaining cards in the deck are shuffled (cards that were “burned” and thrown into the pass are not shuffled). The cards are shuffled face down on the table (Chemmy Shuffle), then the standard “shuffle” of the deck is done, trimmed, and the game continues.
3) If the cards remaining in the deck are mixed with the cards thrown into the pass and “burnt”, then all these cards are mixed together (in the same sequence as described in the previous paragraph), and the game continues.

Sometimes, by mistake, dealers prematurely reveal burn and board cards before the previous betting round is completed. The following are general procedures for dealing with these situations:

A) If the dealer opens the flop prematurely (the first three open cards), that is, before all bets have been made, then the dealer:
1. Leaves the burned card unchanged.
2. Completes the circle of “trading” (having corrected his mistake).
3. Shuffles three cards that were revealed at the wrong time with the remaining deck.
4. Opens three cards (flop), but without the burned one (since it is already lying).
5. Continues the game.

C) If the dealer reveals the fourth card (turn) prematurely, then the dealer:
1. Leaves the second burned card in place.
2. This card, opened at the wrong time, is moved to the side (leaving it lying face up).
3. Completes the betting round (having corrected the error).
4. Burns the third card and reveals the next (river) card, placing it in place of the fourth card (turn).
5. Starts the betting circle and, having completed it, takes the prematurely opened (turn) card lying open on the table and mixes it with the remaining deck, then opens the fifth (last) card, but without the burned one. there are already three of them.
6. Begins the last round of betting.

C) If the dealer prematurely opened the fifth (river) card (along with the burned one), then he:
1. Leave the burned card in place.

3. The fifth card opened at the wrong time (river) is mixed with the remaining deck.
4. Reveals the fifth (last) card without the burned one.
5. Begins the last round of betting.

D) If the dealer opens a card prematurely in stud poker, then he:
1. in the dark, deals the cards that would have been dealt to all players who participate in this hand in this round of betting and puts them aside along with the card that was opened at the wrong time (without cutting).
2. Completes the betting round (having corrected the error).
3. burns the card and distributes one card to all remaining players in the game. (Thus, the next "street" is dealt instead of the cards from the prematurely revealed "street").
4. Continues to distribute the following “streets” in the usual manner.
5. Before revealing the cards of the last street, all the postponed cards are mixed with the remaining deck.
6. Reveals the cards of the last “street” without the burned one.
7. Begins the last round of betting.

The movement of players during table balancing and dismantling must be prompt so that they do not miss blinds and delay the game. If possible, players should have special chip trays (racks), and players should increase the value of their chips so that they do not have to carry large numbers of chips. (See Rule No. 9, 10 and 68).

TDA recommends that you do not change dealers at tables less than 90 seconds immediately before scheduled breaks or before changing levels in a tournament. This will avoid the previous round running out of time (not hand played in the previous level) due to a change of dealer.

A: The right to claim a payout begins with the announcement: “End the current distribution. We are starting to play synchronized hands (Hand for Hand).” If enough players finish the tournament in a given hand to get into the money, then all these players will qualify for the payment of the last prize(s). For example: there are 50 prize places in a tournament. 52 players remain in the game when the last hand is announced before Hand for Hand. In this hand, 3 players are eliminated from the game. All 3 players will share the prize for 50th place.
B: During synchronized hands (Hand for Hand), each hand will last a predetermined amount of time, regardless of how long it actually takes. By TDA standards, each hand will last 2 minutes. The 2-minute countdown starts from the current hand before the start of synchronous (Hand for Hand). For example: there are 17.5 minutes left before the end of the current level when the manager announces the start of synchronous distributions. At the beginning of the next distribution, the time remaining until the end of this level will be set to 15.5 minutes. At the beginning of the next time the time will be advanced to 13.5 minutes and so on.
C: Since players need to be as aware as possible when the next level is coming, if possible the time should be adjusted to 2 minutes after each hand rather than to the total number of minutes after several hands.
D: The blinds continue to increase as the level expires at 2 minutes per hand and the next level occurs.
E: It is encouraged (but not required) if players remain seated during synchronized hands.
F: During synchronized hands, if the table is all-in and the bet is called and all possible bidding has been completed, the players' cards must remain face down. Dealers must not reveal further cards until the manager gives instructions to continue playing.

A: If the last card that should have been dealt face-up (river card) was dealt face-up by mistake, then in a heads-up game the second player's card is also dealt face-up; if there are several players in the game, their cards will be dealt face down. In any case, the first word is made by the player who opened bets on the 6th open card. Players whose card is revealed by mistake may declare all-in (and not bid further for the main pot), but they must do so before any player opens a bet on the final round of betting.
B: If a player is not in his seat when the first cards are dealt (see rule #30), then his cards are immediately taken away and the next card to be dealt at the end of bidding will not be dealt in that player's seat.
C: If there are two or more identical high hands in Stud (or Stud-8) or lowest hands in Razz, then the first player to open bets is the one with the highest card by suit (in both games).
D: If the player who has placed all his remaining chips (all-in) as an ante has the lowest card by suit, then the player to his left starts betting. Any player who has chips left must at least make a minimum bet (bring-in) or throw cards into the Pass to continue the game.

Illustrations and additions to the 2017 TDA Rules and Procedures.

October 24, 2017 Version 3.0

The 2-step random draw process ensures that there will be no special "rigging" of the draw cards when the table is broken up and a player's new place in the tournament is determined.
Example: 1) the players on the table being disbanded are shown the toss cards with new places, then they are shuffled and placed in a pile. 2) the dealer shuffles the deck and distributes one card face up to all players, starting from the first box, then the toss cards are dealt in turn (from left to right), starting with the player to whom the dealer dealt the highest card by face value and suit.

“All cards must be revealed, once one player has bet all his chips - All-in, this bet has been accepted, and all other betting actions have been completed.”
This rule means that the cards of all players who remain in the game at the end of all betting rounds will be revealed if at least one of these players is in an all-in situation and has no chance of continuing to bet with others players (player). Don't wait for everyone to reveal their cards; do not expect the sidepots to be split before the player who is all-in and only participating in the main pot shows his cards; If all possible bets have been made before the deal ends, then you must immediately turn over the cards of all players remaining in the game and then continue the deal.

Example 1: NLHE. Two players in the hand.
On the turn, player A (with a small number of chips) bets all his chips (all-in), player B responds to this bet. At this point, both players must open their cards, after which the dealer makes a “cut”, opens the river and determines the winner.

Example 2: NLHE. Three players in the hand.
Pre-flop, player A (with a small number of chips) bets all his chips (all-in), players B and C call this bet. In this case, players should not reveal their cards immediately, since players B and C still have chips left and can continue betting.
On the flop (flop) B and C check (check); cards are still not opened as bets are still possible.
On the turn, player B puts all his chips (all-in) and player C calls this bet. At this moment, all players must reveal their cards (A, B and C), since further continuation of bets is impossible. Next, the dealer must make a “cut”, open the river and begin the procedure for determining the winner. First, it is necessary to determine the winner of the secondary pot (sidepot), in which only players B and C participate, and then determine the winner of the main pot. Note that Player A's cards must be revealed before the winner can be determined in the sidepot, which is limited to Players B and C.

Example 3: NLHE. Three players in the hand.
Pre-flop, player A (with a small number of chips) bets all his chips (all-in) - 700, his bet is answered by players B and C, who still have several thousand chips left. In this case, players should not reveal their cards immediately, since players B and C still have chips left and can continue betting.
On the flop (flop) B and C check (check); cards are still not revealed as bets are still possible.
On the turn, player B bets 1000 and C calls. Since these players still have chips left and there is another round of betting, the cards are still not revealed as bets are still possible.
On the river B and C play check; At this point, all players must reveal their cards (A, B and C), as all betting rounds are completed and the procedure for determining the winner begins. First, it is necessary to determine the winner of a sidepot of size 2000, in which only players B and C participate, and then to determine the winner of the main pot. Note that Player A's cards must be revealed before the winner can be determined in the sidepot, which is limited to Players B and C.

Example 1: NLHE. There are 3 players left in the game. In the hand on the last round of betting, no player bet (everyone checked), and no player is All in. When the cards are revealed Player A discards his cards without opening them, and the dealer takes them to the mack. Player B shows his cards - “trips”. Player C Player B may ask you to open your cards Player C, since he showed his cards. However, please Player B remains at the discretion of the Tournament Director (TD)/Manager. U Player B no inalienable right to look at maps Player C, since no bets were placed on the last round of betting and he did not "pay to see the cards" Player C». Players A And WITH they also cannot ask to see their opponents' cards, since they have not revealed their cards and have not saved them.

Example 2: NLHE. There are 4 players left in the game. On the last round of betting Player A makes a bet of 1000, Player B answers (call), Player C increases to 5000. Players A, B And D answer (call). No player is All in. Player B opens his cards - “trips”. Player D immediately discards his cards without opening them, and the dealer takes them to the stand (muck). Player C discards his cards without revealing them. In this situation Players A And IN may be asked to open cards Player C, because: 1) “they paid to see the cards Player C", since he was the last aggressor in the last round of bidding and 2) Players A And IN kept their cards in hand. PlayerD(who also responded to the bet Player C) waived his right to look at the cards Player C, since he folded his cards without showing them. All other requests to reveal other players' cards, such as a request Player B see maps Player A(i.e. see the cards of the remaining players who responded) remain at the discretion of the TD/Manager.

When players' combinations have the same value (for example: "wheel" in Omaha/8), then the pot should be divided equally as much as possible.

Example 1: Omaha High/Low. Division by senior (High) and junior (Low) combinations.
Both players won the high and low hand with 2-3-4-5-6 offsuit. Player A has a combination of 2-3-4-5-6 (spade). Player B has the combination 2-3-4-5-6 (clubs). In total, the bank contains 66 chips of the smallest denomination (for example: in a bank of 6600 - this is 66 chips with a par value of 100 each).

Correct division of the bank: as evenly as possible. 33 to player A and 33 to player B.
Incorrect division of the bank: first, the entire bank is divided in half, 33 per bank for the highest combination and 33 per bank for the lowest combination. Then we give player A the odd chip from the bank in the highest combination, since he has the highest card 6 (spade) and the odd chip from the bank in the low combination, since he has the highest card 6 (spade). As a result, Player A receives 34 chips when Player B receives 32 chips.

Example 2: 7-Card Stud High/Low. Division by high and low combinations.
Both players won the high and low hand with 2-3-4-5-6. Player A has a combination of 2-3-4-5-6 (spade). Player B has the combination 2-3-4-5-6 (clubs). In total, the bank contains 66 chips of the smallest denomination (for example: in a bank of 6600 - this is 66 chips with a par value of 100 each).

Correct division of the bank: as evenly as possible. 33 to player A and 33 to player B.
Incorrect division of the bank: see example 1.

Example 1-A: THNL 50-100. Small Blind (SB) / Big Blind (BB) on Boxes 1 and 2. Preflop, starting cards are dealt to all players. The player on the 3rd box (UTG) folds and the player on the 4th box calls the BB bet. At this moment, the player in the 5th box realizes that he has only been dealt 1 card. His hand is considered “dead” because active actions have been made, after which the game must continue. At the end of bidding, the dealer must burn one card and reveal three flop cards. The dealer does not have to burn two cards to reveal the "original flop".

Example 1-B: THNL 50-100. Small Blind (SB) / Big Blind (BB) on Boxes 1 and 2. Preflop, starting cards are dealt to all players. The player on the 3rd box (UTG) folds and the player on the 4th box calls the BB bet. At this moment, the player in the 5th box realizes that he has been dealt 3 cards. His hand is considered “dead” because active actions have been made, after which the game must continue. At the end of bidding, the dealer must burn one card and reveal three flop cards. The dealer should not count the player's 3rd card on the 5th box as a burn card and open the flop without it.

“In an unclear situation, or when a verbal announcement and a chip bid conflict, the Tournament Director will make a decision based on the circumstances and Rule 1. (See examples in the appendices, as well as rule #57).”

Example 1: THNL. The game has 2 players (heads-up). On the last round of betting, Player A verbally announces the bet “forty-two thousand,” but only bets one chip with a face value of 5000. Not everyone at the table heard that Player A made a verbal announcement of the bet. Player B throws a 5000 chip to call the bet. Both players reveal their cards and Player A has the winning cards. Interpretations of the rules in this case are ambiguous: at first there was a verbal announcement of the bet, but it was not made clearly, and the thrown chip was “read” as a bet of 5000. In such unclear and contradictory bets, the decision must be made by the Tournament Director, guided by the fairness of the game, in including using rule No. 1.

Example 1: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. Bidding after the flop cards are revealed. Player A Player B makes an increase – 8000, Player C silently places a bet of 2000. In this case Player C makes a bet in turn, being in a situation “under the bet” (Undercall). According to the rule 39-B, because Player B did not open bets (did Player A), and the bidding round is multi-way, then by the decision of the TD/Manager, Player C will have to answer full time Player B or he will lose the chips that he put into the bank (2000) and throw the cards into pass.

Example 2: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. Bidding after the flop cards are revealed, there are 4 people in the game. Player A opens bets – bet 8000, Player B silently places a bet of 2000. According to the rule 39-B, since the rate Player B is response to the first (opening auction) bid Player A, then he must add chips until the bet is fully answered at 8000, i.e. put another 6,000 in the bank.

Example 3: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. Bidding after the flop cards are revealed, Player A opens bets – bet 2000, Player B makes an increase – 8000, Player C says: “Call.” According to the rule 39-B, Player C made a verbal statement of the bet (“Call”) in turn, which determines the player’s action and is mandatory. In this case Player C obliged to respond to the bet Player B – 8000.

Example 1: PLO. Blinds 500-1000. Post-flop, the pot is 10,500. Player A wants to make a “Bank” bet and asks the dealer to count it. The dealer says: “Nine thousand five hundred.” Player A bets 9500. Player B folds, and Player C calls 9500. Thus, active actions were taken after the first erroneous bet. At this point, the dealer realizes that the bet should have been 10,500. Since the accepted bet was less than the Bank, and there was active action after which the game must continue, the bet of 9,500 remains final and will not be increased to 10,500.

Example 2: the same as in example 1, only after Player B has folded his cards does the dealer realize that Player A's bet should be 10500. Since no active actions have been taken after which the game should continue, Player A should increase his bet to 10500.

Example 3: PLO. Blinds 500-1000. Post-flop, the pot is 10,500. Player A wants to make a “Bank” bet and asks the dealer to count it. The dealer says: “Eleven thousand five hundred.” Player A bets 11,500. Player B folds his cards, and Players C and D call 11,500. Before burning the card and revealing the next card, the dealer realizes that the bet is higher than it should be. In this case, regardless of the fact that active actions after which the game should continue have been made, since the bet is greater than the maximum possible bet, it will be reduced to 10,500 for all players who responded to it at any time on this round of bidding. If the next card has been opened, then the bet remains 11500.

Example 1: NLHE, blinds 50-100. Post-flop, the player on the 3rd box opens bets - 300, the player on box 4 folds his cards, the word of the player on the 5th box, but the player on the 6th box announces the bet: “Rise - eight hundred.”
Step 1: the word returns to the player on the 5th box, in front of whom there was a bet of 300.
Step 2: If the player on box 5 calls the previous bet or folds, the action has not changed (bet 300), so a raise from the player on box 6 is mandatory (raise 800). However, if the player on box 5 makes an increase (to 600, for example), then the action in front of the player on box 6 has changed from 300 to 600. Since the action has changed, the 800 bet can be returned to the player on box 6, and he has all the options open: he can answer the bet of 600, increase the bet (at least to 900) or fold the cards.

Example 2: NLHE. 50-100. Post-flop, the player on the 3rd box says “Check”, the player on the 4th also bets “Check”, the player on the 5th box says, but the player on the 6th announces: “Check”.
Step 1: the word returns to the player on the 5th box, in front of whom there were no bets.
Step 2: If the player on box 5 says “Check”, then the action has not changed and therefore a “Check” from the player on box 6 is mandatory. However, if the player on the 5th box makes a bet (for example, 300), then the action in front of the player on the 6th box has changed from “Check” to 300. Since the action has changed, then the player on the 6th box has all options open : He can call the bet 300, increase the bet (to at least 600) or fold the cards.

A player who is passed over while betting out of turn must defend his right to move. If a sufficient amount of time has passed after performing an extraordinary action, and active actions have been made, after which the game must be continued (see rule No. 36), and the player who missed his turn did not say anything, then the extraordinary action is considered mandatory. In this case, the Tournament Director must be called, who will decide what to do in this situation.

Example 1: NLHE, blinds 100-200. UTG (seat 3) makes a bet of 600. The player from seat 4 thinks, at this moment the player from seat 5 calls the bet 600 out of turn (call). The player on the 6th box thinks a little and folds his cards (pass). There are currently two players who have made active actions after place 4. These qualify as active actions after which the game must continue. (Rule 35) Also, the player on the 4th box, whose word was missed, had enough time to bring to the dealer's attention that he had not yet said his word and was missed. The bet not in player 5's turn must remain in the pot and player 6's pass is also the final decision (rule 58), since there were active actions after which the game must continue. The manager must be called to make a decision on the situation with player 4.

Example 2: NLHE, blinds 100-200. Four players in the hand after betting on the flop. The dealer opens the turn. The player in the UTG position (place 3) opens bets - 600. The player in position 4 is thinking about making a decision. Player in position 5 checks and player 6 calls the bet 600. In this case, the manager must be called to make a decision on the situation with player 4.

This item applies to last step increasing the previous bid in the current round of bidding. The current betting round is any of the betting rounds on the pre-flop, flop, turn or river in board games; any of the betting rounds on the 3rd – 4th – 5th – 6th or 7th card in seven-card poker (7-stud), etc.

Example 1: NLHE, blinds 100-200. Trading on the flop. Player A opens the bidding with a bid of 600. Player B increases the bid by 1000, bid 1600. Player C increases the bid by 2000, bid 3600. If Player D wants to make an increase, then he must make an increase at least equal to the previous increase that Player C made .i.e. Player D must make an increase of at least 2000 or more, and his bet must be a minimum of 5600. Note that the minimum increase for Player D is not 3600 (player C's full bet), but only 2000, the number of chips by which the previous bet increased player C (increase step).

Example 2: NLHE, blinds 50-100. Preflop trading. Player A in the UTG position bets all his chips (all-in) – 150 (i.e. increases the previous bet by 50). Since the big blind is 100, and the all-in increase was only 50, what is the minimum increase step? In this case, the minimum increase increment is 100, so if Player B wants to re-raise, he must raise the previous bet by at least 100, and his total bet must be 250.

Example 3: NLHE, blinds 100-200. Player A bets all his chips (all-in) – 300. Player B increases by throwing two chips of 500 each, i.e. bet 1000 (increasing player A's bet by 700). If player C wants to call the previous bet, he must bet 1000. If he wants to raise, then he must "increase the bet by at least the last increase from the bet or raise in this betting round", which is an increase of 700 by the player V.I.e. Player C's minimum increment would be 700, and his total bet would be 1700. Note that the minimum increment is not 1000, which was Player B's total bet.

Example 4-A: NLHE, blinds 25-50. Player A raises by 75 for a total bet of 125. Note that the total bet of 125 is the response to the previous bet of 50 plus an increase of 75. The next increase in this round of betting must be "an increase in bet at least equal to the last increase from the bet or raise ( raise) in this round of betting", which is 75. Player B makes the minimum increase (75), the total bet is 200. Player C also increases by 300, the total bet is 500. In this case, there was a "blind bet" of 50, two increases in 75 and an increase of 300, i.e. the total bet is 500. If player D wants to make an increase, then “the increase in the bet must be at least equal to the last increase from the bet or raise in this betting round,” which is currently 300. That is, Player D must raise by at least 300 and his bet will be 800.

Example 4-B: The same as in example 4-A. The bet was 500 in front of player D, but there was only one increase of 450 from player A for a total bet of 500 and players B and C called that bet. In this case there was a “blind bet” of 50 and an increase of 450. “The increase in the bet must be at least equal to the last increase from the bet or raise (raise) in this round of betting,” which is currently the increase of player A by 450. That is . if player D wants to call the previous bet, then he must bet 500, and if he wants to make an increase, then he must increase the bet by at least 450, making the total bet 950.

Example 1: A series of small All-in bets that add up to a full raise and thus reopen the bets.
NLHE, blinds 50-100. Trading on the flop. Player A opens the auction with a minimum bid of 100.
Player B bets all-in at 125. Player C responds to this bet with 125.
Player D bets all his chips (all-in) 200.
The word again returns to player A, who needs to deliver 100 to respond to the previous bet. In this case, 100 is a full increase, so all possibilities for continuing the game are again opened for player A: refuse to continue the game (pass), answer the previous bet (call ) or make an increase (raise). Note that Player B's increase of 25, or Player D's increase of 75, are not in themselves a full minimum increase, but together they form one and thus re-open the possibility of making increases for players who are faced with the need to respond to an increase that is at least equal to the minimum increment when it is their turn to make a decision again.”

Example 1-A: At the end of example 1 (see above), player A calls the bet (adds 100). Currently, it is player C's turn to make a decision, who is facing an increase in the bet of only 75. Before this, he responded to the bet of 125 and now must respond to the bet of 200 (increase by 75). Since 75 is not the full minimum increase, the option to re-open bets is not available to Player C, so he has only two options: answer the previous bet by adding 75 or fold. He cannot raise.

Example 1-B: At the end of Example 1 (see above), Player A makes the minimum raise (100), making a total bet of 300. Player C previously put 125 in the pot and now needs to call a raise of 175 to continue playing. 175 is more than the minimum increment step. Since player C has already made bets in this round of betting and now “in order to continue the game, he again faces the need to respond to an increase in the bet, which is greater than the minimum increase step,” then reopening bets is possible for him, and he can: refuse continue the game (pass), respond to the previous bet (call) or make an increase (raise).

Example 2: Short All-in (all-in), 2 options for the development of events.
NLHE, blinds 2000-4000. Preflop trading. Player A calls the Big Blind (BB) and bets 4000. Player B folds and Player C all-in 7500 (that's an increase of 3500 from the big blind, which is now 4000). All other players fold (pass), including the player who is in the Small Blind (SB) position.

Example 2-A: That's a 3500 increase for a player in the BB position who hasn't yet received word in this betting round. The player in the BB position can refuse to continue the game (pass), call the previous bet by adding 3500, or raise by at least 4000 (minimum increase step), and his bet will be 11500. The player on The BB simply calls the previous bet and now Player A needs to add 3500 to continue playing. Since he has already participated in this round of betting, an increase of 3500 is not the full minimum increase for him, so Player A can only refuse to continue playing , folding his cards (pass), or call the bet by adding 3500. He cannot make increases, since there was not “a full minimum increase step before him when the word came to him again in this round of betting.”

Example 2-B: The player who is in the BB position makes the smallest possible increase (4000), his total bet is 11500. Now player A needs to add 7500 to continue playing. Since the increase is 7500 more than the full minimum increase, then reopening bets for him it is possible, and he can: refuse to continue the game (pass), respond to the previous bet (call) or make an increase (raise).

“A: If a bet has been made, and the player, without announcing an increase, throws several chips of different denominations (the exception is if these chips are the last ones), and the removal of the chip of the smallest denomination leaves an amount less than necessary before responding to the previous bet, then this action is not taken as an increase; Q: If the withdrawal of one of the chips leaves an amount equal to or greater than that required to answer the previous bet, then: 1) if the player still has chips, then rule No. 47 about the 50% increase comes into effect. 2) If these are the player’s last chips, then they are accepted as all-in, regardless of whether there is 50% of the minimum increase or not.”

Example 1: In this example, removing one chip leaves the amount less than what is needed to call the previous bet.
1-A: Trading on the flop. Player A opens the bidding with a bet of 1200, player B throws two chips worth 1000. This is accepted as a response to the previous bet (call), since when one chip is withdrawn, the amount remaining is less than what is needed to respond to the bet of 1200.
1-B: NLHE, blinds 250-500. Preflop trading. The UTG player makes a 600 raise for a total bet of 1100. The next player rolls 1500, one 500 chip, and one 1000 chip. This is accepted as a call, since removing the lower value chip (500) leaves the amount is less than necessary to respond to the bet of 1100.

Example 2: same as Example 1-B, except that the next player bets one 1000 chip and five 100 chips. Four 100 chips may be removed to leave the amount needed to match the previous 1100 bet. In this In this case, the decision is made in accordance with Rule No. 41. The minimum increment is 600. 50% of 600 is 300, so if a player bets 1400 or more, then he is required to make the full minimum increase to 1700. In this example, since he bet 1500, he must add chips up to full minimum increase (raise).

Example 3: Same as example 2, except the next player bets one 1000 chip and three 100 chips. The two 100 chips can be removed to leave the amount needed to match the previous bet of 1100, so in this case Rule No. 41 also applies. Since the player bet less than 50% of the minimum increase, this bet is accepted as an answer to the previous one (call) and 200 is returned to the player.

Example 4: A bet made with multiple chips when that is all the chips the player has. A) if all the chips are needed to answer the previous bet, then this case is considered in exactly the same way as for the player in example 1 (see above). C) If the withdrawal of one of the chips leaves an amount equal to or greater than that required to call the previous bet, then if these are the player's last chips, then they are accepted as all-in, regardless of whether there are 50% of the minimum increase or not.

Situation 1: if the previous chips were not touched and there are not enough of them to answer the previous bet. Example: NLHE 25-50, the player on the BB bet 2 chips with a value of 25, and the player on the button raised to 600 (increased by 550 relative to the BB).
1) If one chip is thrown, then this is a response to the previous bet (call). (1 chip with a face value of 1000 is thrown to 2 chips with a face value of 25).
2) Several new chips delivered are the answer to the previous bet if all of them are needed to answer: a) 2 chips with a face value of 500 are placed on the already standing 2 chips with a face value of 25; c) 2 chips with a face value of 100 and 500 are placed on the already standing 2 chips with a face value of 25.
3) If several chips are added, and the removal of one of them leaves a sufficient number of chips to answer the previous bet, then rule No. 50 is applied (2 chips with a face value of 1000 and 500 are thrown onto the already standing 2 chips with a face value of 25 - this is a bet of 1550) . According to Rule #50, a multi-chip bet is an increase to the previous bet if it reaches 50% of the increase increment, otherwise it is a call to the previous bet.

Situation 2: if previous chips have been touched. Example: NLHE 25-50, the BB player bet 2 chips with a value of 25.
1) If the player took back all the chips that were bet earlier and bet one high denomination chip, then this is considered a response to the previous “call” bet (took back 2 chips with a denomination of 25 and bet 1 chip with a denomination of 1000).
2) If the player took back all the chips that were bet earlier and bet several other chips, then this bet is governed by rule No. 50 (took back 2 chips with a value of 25 and bet two or more new chips).
3) If the player partially took back the chips that were bet earlier (took back one chip with a face value of 25, left a second chip with a face value of 25 and bet one or more new chips), then this bet is governed by rule No. 50.

Situation 3: If the previous chip or chips are larger than needed to answer the bet and the player bets new chip(s), then the bet is governed by Rule No. 50 on Multi-Chip Betting. Example: NLHE 50-100, the BB player bet 1 chip with a value of 1000. Preflop increase to 700 (600 increase from the big blind). The player's previous chip in the big blind is larger than what is needed to call the bet, so when adding any chip or chips, that bet is governed by Rule No. 50.

Situation 4: Regardless of the above, the gesture of combining and pushing or throwing all the chips forward can be interpreted as an intention to place all the chips.

A poker hand is like a negotiation, although until it’s over it’s not always clear who the seller is and who the buyer is.

Let's say you and I are playing a hand of no-limit Texas hold'em. You got in late position and raised, and I called in the big blind with and check-called your continuation bet on the flop. The turn brings another small card, say , and I check again.

You have determined the strength of my hand and are quite confident not only that your pair of kings is better than my combination, but also that I am most likely a “telephone” and am willing to pay with a worse hand. Given the development of the distribution, you are the seller in this situation, and I am the buyer, although in reality neither of us is 100% sure of our roles.

When you're about to bet on the turn, you're trying to find the perfect size. Bet too much and I won't pay. Bet too little and I'll watch the river for cheap.

You can find other examples of this kind of negotiation in a poker hand - for example, when two players with strong hands alternately move each other several times preflop, or when a player who missed a flush draw bets big on the river with an ace-high, trying to “sell” an idea (false information that he has a strong hand) and bluff his opponent.

But you get the idea... in hands against each other we "buy" and "sell" a lot, constantly establishing the value of our cards, both real and perceived, and making purchases with our bets.

I used this analogy as an introduction to the topic of making deals at the end of poker tournaments. I'm talking about situations that often occur in live tournaments, even with small buy-ins, and also in certain cases online, when there are only a few players left and there is a discussion about the division of the remaining prize money, which does not happen in tournaments where sharing is prohibited .

In a series of three articles, I would like to (1) introduce you to divisions in tournaments; (2) talk about the usual methods for resolving such “negotiations” at the end of a tournament and (3) consider the pros and cons of such deals for dividing prize money in the final stage of tournaments.

Final table trades and risk minimization

The art of conducting such negotiations seems to be a completely different “game” than the one that had to be played up to this point. But I'm guessing that the actual negotiations during division are not much different from the negotiations that occur during tournament hands.

Sometimes there is little or no “bargaining” in a deal, just like in a hand when one player calls all of the other's bets or makes an easy pass to a bet or raise. In other cases, there is a lot of “trickery” and pulling the blanket over each side, as in more complex hands in which players guess and “level” each other, forcing them to make difficult decisions.

PokerStars' MicroMillions series last year clearly showed that sometimes people get into the game without knowing how to succeed at the “game” the same way they do at poker. Given the nature of MicroMillions - small buy-ins and large payouts - there are a whole host of situations at the final table where players who have little (or no) experience making trades find themselves in situations that force them to make trade decisions. In fact, sometimes players don't realize that they need to think actively and be as prepared to negotiate as they are during the hand.

A quick look at the results shows that 55 of the 100 MicroMillions 6 tournaments resulted in final table deals where the prize money was split between multiple players. Some of them took place heads-up, while others took place at an earlier stage and between a large number of people.

For example, there were six players left in Event #13, a $3.30 seven-card stud event, when one of them suggested splitting and the others agreed to discuss the matter.

At that time, there was $8,300 left in the prize pool, of which, according to the payout structure, $2,623.92 would go to the winner, and only $466.12 to the 6th place finisher. But the players negotiated other payouts, guaranteeing themselves between $1,125 and $1,720 and leaving another $200 for the winner to compete for.

In this case - as in many others when the deal was made - the stakes in the tournament became so high that the players chose not to “gamble” and make elimination in sixth place less offensive. The division guaranteed all six a worthy four-figure prize for a modest contribution of $3.30.

When the sharing becomes the “last distribution”

At one of the $1,050 Super Tuesday tournaments on PokerStars, with five players remaining, play was suspended to discuss the division. At that time it did not take place, but when there were four players left, they successfully concluded a deal.

At PokerStars, when making a division, they usually require that a small part of the prize fund be left for the drawing, which will go to the winner. This practice is always used in the MicroMillions series, all online “COOP” championships (WCOOP, SCOOP, TCOOP) and in large weekly tournaments like the Sunday Million and Super Tuesday.

However, in some cases, when concluding a transaction, it is not necessary to leave a certain amount for the drawing. For example, last November, PokerNews covered the 2013 Seneca Niagara Fall Poker Classic and, in particular, the $500 no-limit hold'em tournament with re-entry, in which four players split all the remaining prize money, immediately after which the tournament ended.

Then the prize fund remained $27,427, $11,765 of which was planned to be given to the winner, and only $3,493 for 4th place. But the remaining players decided to smooth out the differences in payouts and distributed them as follows: $9,127 went to chip leader Rick Block, $7,500 went to Badway Salhab with the second stack, and $5,400 each went to Tom Urbanski and Erik Gjerlinger, who at that time had almost equal stacks.

By the way... take a look at the photo above, which shows the winner of this tournament, Rick Block. See how he holds two aces as the winning hand? Of course, after the deal was concluded there was no final distribution, but be that as it may, for the photo he was asked to take the cards in his hands. And in fact, we're all happy to see the two aces, so they make this photo even better.

Ending a tournament without a final hand can feel a little disappointing. It's as if in the hand I gave earlier - in which you have , and I have on the board - we decided not to play the river and simply divided the pot according to the strength of our hands at that moment.

According to poker calculator PokerNews, I can only improve my hand on the river 11.36% of the time. But imagine there's $100 in the pot and you say, “Forget about the river—you take $25 and I get $75.” I will accept such a deal so as not to receive less than $25 (that is, zero). And you offer it for the same reason - that is, to avoid getting less than $75 if I'm lucky.

Of course, in reality this does not happen in individual hands - although there is so-called “insurance” in a hand, the meaning of which is approximately the same. The same principle applies to divisions at the end of tournaments, when players are motivated by the desire to avoid failure in the final stage of the tournament, due to which they may receive a smaller amount than they expected.

In that tournament at the Seneca Niagara casino, Block had big advantage in chips and therefore the best chance of winning and winning $11,765 among four players. But there was also a small chance that he would finish fourth and only take home $3,493, so he thought it prudent to accept the $9,127 offered to him by other players and remove any doubt about the outcome of the tournament.

Learning to divide in tournaments

Now we have an idea of ​​what the final table split is, but how do players arrive at these different payouts than the pre-announced payouts? When do negotiations begin? How do players know what to ask for when negotiating a deal?

In the next article I will look at two commonly used dividing methods - (1) by chips and (2) by ICM or Independent Chip Model (literally - “independent chip model”). Both are heavily used on PokerStars and other sites during the division, so those who play a lot of tournaments should at least be aware of the significant differences between the two methods.

Which are most often asked by novice poker players (or “dummies” as they are called) on various forums, as well as in VKontakte groups. Moreover, if you want an answer to your question, post it in the comments and we will try to answer it as thoroughly as possible.

Q: Question. Tell me what to do in a situation when one player runs out of chips in the middle of the game (for example on the turn), but wants to continue the game? How are the cards then revealed and if such a person wins, how is the winning stack distributed among the players?

Answer. Such situations are not uncommon at the poker tables, so you should be aware of how the game will develop further. Let's look at this with small examples.

Example 1. There are two players in the hand: you and your opponent. On the turn, your opponent bets the rest of your chips and you call. What will happen next? But nothing, we can assume that the hand is already over. You made your decision and put all the chips in the pot. Since according to the rules of the game of poker you cannot add and/or remove chips from the table during the hand, you must simply wait until the river card is revealed and the winner is determined. The winner will be the player with the stronger combination.

Example 2. There are three players in the hand: you and two opponents. On the turn, one opponent bets the remainder of your chips, and you and the other opponent call. What will happen next? Then the game will develop as follows: if opponents place bets on the river, then a main bank and a side bank (side bank) will be formed. The main bank will be played between those players who contributed funds to it (since everyone contributed, then it will be played between all three participants), and the side bank will be played only between your opponents. Please note that since you are out of funds on the turn, you cannot bet or call on the river, i.e. The hand is over for you. You must wait until the end of the giveaway to determine the winners. Your opponents will play both pots: the side pot between themselves (since only they took part in it) and the main pot (between you, Opponent 1 and Opponent 2)

Q: Question. I went all in on the flop. In the following rounds of betting, I did not make decisions, but waited to see what my opponents would do. Please explain, can I use the turn and river cards to make a combination, or can I only use the flop cards and my pocket cards in this situation?

Answer. All players, regardless of whether they put all their chips in the center of the table preflop, flop, turn or river, can use all 5 community cards to make a winning hand

Q: Question. In what situations is a reserve bank created?

Answer. There is no concept of a “reserve bank” in poker, there is only the concept of a side bank or side bank. Read more in our separate article poker rules - side bank.

Q: Question. Please explain how things stand if at the table in Texas Hold'em played by two people. How many blinds are there? What is their betting order preflop? Is Diller the second blind?

Answer. There are always blinds in poker, and heads-up games are no exception. The small blind is the player in the dealer position, and the big blind is the second player. The first decision to be made preflop is the small blind (in our case, he is the dealer), and the big blind is the first to decide postflop. See our picture below

In this situation, the player marked in blue is both the dealer and the small blind.

Q: Question. I am newbie. I am interested in the following question (it is somehow not explained in the rules of the game): can I leave the game, i.e. I play for cash, I win, but I don’t have time, I have to leave. Can I just interrupt my game, and what will happen to the deposited funds?

Answer. You can leave the table at any time with all your winnings if you play at cash tables (cash tables). The funds will be immediately credited to your gaming account.

But if you are playing a tournament (multi-table tournament or Sit-n-go), you must wait until the end of that tournament. If you leave, you will be automatically put into Sit Out (no player), but you will continue to automatically post blinds until you run out of chips. In this case, no one will return the invested funds to you.

Q: Question. Please tell me, in a straight, an ace replaces the missing card? For example: ?

Answer. An Ace does not replace any card; it can be either the first card in a straight or the last. There can be no other options for a straight with an ace.

Q: Question. In the hand, 2 people called the big blind, and then another player raised the bet. Now should everyone else call or raise again, or is there another round of betting?

Answer. Betting rounds continue until all players have either folded their cards or called the highest bet.

Q: Question. If in Texas Hold'em let's say there are 4 people playing and EVERYONE folds, does the round end or does it continue until someone makes a bet?

Answer. If all players have folded, then the player in the big blind position takes the big and small blind. The hand ends and a new deal begins (all players receive new starting cards).

Q: Question. How many community cards are used in Texas Hold'em?

Texas Hold'em uses only 5 community cards: 3 on the flop, 1 on the turn and 1 on the river.

Q: Question. What to do if during a distribution two players have the same combinations?

Situations in poker when two or more players have the same combinations are not uncommon. In such cases, the total pot is simply divided equally between the players who reach the showdown.

Poker is at the same time one of the simplest and most challenging games. And there is no mistake in this expression. The simplicity is that rules can be learned in minutes, just like learning combinations. But to achieve mastery, like in sports, will take you years and years. Moreover, even having reached a certain level, you cannot simply stop. When you stop developing and mastering new skills, you immediately lose your skill.

But any progress begins with something simple - in this case, with mastering the basic rules. And it is their study and detailed review that we will engage in in this material.

We'll consider Texas Hold'em as it is the most common and fastest growing poker variation. Although, believe me, once you learn how to play it, it won’t be difficult for you to understand the rules of classic poker and its other types.

Poker rules

In order to simplify the learning process, let's say right away that Conventionally, the entire game of poker can be divided into two parts: trading and collecting combinations. Separately, one could add elements of strategy, but since this part is wedged into the rest, there is no point in singling it out.

Trading is about betting, calling, raising and bluffing; combinations are the main goal in the game; they are also responsible for determining the winner

Let's go from the very beginning in order.

Betting circle in poker rules

The first thing that happens at the table in each individual hand is setting blinds(from English “blind”). These are like this minimum mandatory rates, which are necessary so that the game does not end without a bank at all. Yes, sometimes they are annoying, especially when a player with a weak hand is sent to the next stage of the game only because he has already placed chips, albeit against his will.

To make it easier to determine who will make these blinds, there is a special dealer chip on the table. At the beginning of the hand, one of the players has it, and after each batch it is passed further around the circle counterclockwise.

Total There are two blinds: big and small. In most cases, the first is twice the size of the second. You can find them out from the names of the tables (this information is indicated there at the very end) or a special column in the poker room.

For example, a table with blinds of $0.04/$0.08 provides 4 cents for the small blind and 8 cents for the big blind

In some tournaments there is also ante. This is a mandatory bet that every player makes. But this is not typical for cash tables, so at the beginning of your acquaintance with the world of poker, this knowledge will not be useful to you.

After the blinds have been posted, each player receives two pocket cards.

This stage requires the presence of a specific strategy. The fact is that, starting from the strength of combinations (we will consider them later), each of starting hands carries with it a certain chance and a certain probability of what it can grow into.

Although this is not part of the rules of playing classic poker, it would be worth mentioning these points in passing. Ability to analyze the first two cards- one of the most important, on which depends how much money you will lose until, by pure chance, you get a really strong combination.

Since in Hold'em players only have 2 cards, their strength can be predicted even intuitively (of course, knowing all these combinations).

Suited aces, ace and king, other strong pairs - this is something that is likely to bring victory and something that must be played, even if the opponent is acting too aggressively.

After the cards are dealt, the first round of betting occurs. According to the rules of the game of poker, it, together with the issuance of cards, is called preflop.

We'll look at the options a little later, but now let's talk about how the hand formally ends.

After completing the betting round, three community cards are laid out on the table - flop. Bets are placed again. One more card – another round of bets. This thorn And finally river The final map and final financial machinations.

After this, the cards are revealed and the winners are determined. In online poker this happens instantly, although in real life professional players and the dealer determines the collected combinations and the winners in a split second.

Possible actions in the game

What can you do during a deal according to the rules of playing cards and poker?

First, you must simply understand the nature of trading in order to understand what actions are available.

To put it roughly in layman's terms, all players must be on an equal footing at each stage of the betting round for the game to move to the next phase.

There are three options for this: skipping a move, equalizing (calling) or discarding cards.

The pass is available at all stages of the game except preflop. Since there is already a big blind preflop, every player must call it in order to continue playing (except for the one who posted it). Further, if players do not see prospects, they may not raise, and just continue playing without betting. If all three stages of the game are played out in the same way, then in the end only the initial pot formed by the blinds and the chips that equalized them will be played.

The essence of the second is that all players take turns make a bet with the same amount of chips. After the circle ends, all the money is collected in a single bank and the next stage of the game begins.

And finally, folding is the best option if someone promoted before you, and you don't want to spend your chips because you don't see any prospects. The most annoying thing is that in this case everything that has already been delivered is lost. And even if you called once, and then someone in the circle decided to raise, and you don’t want to call again, then you won’t be able to take back what you bet.

The basic rules of poker provide for several types of limits: no-limit, fixed and pot-limit. The first one is the most popular. IN this mode Players' bet sizes are limited only by the number of their chips. Secondly, there is a specific minimum and maximum amount that can be bet. In pot limit, bets are limited by the existing pot. That is, with each new circle, their sizes grow.

Combinations for complete poker rules

Combinations can be learned before you even know how to play. They are very simple and logical and are used in several varieties of poker.

Each of them has its own characteristics and nuances that you need to know not only in order to play better, but so as not to be caught off guard by a detail “that you weren’t told anything about.”

It should be said that, despite the fact that in poker you, roughly speaking, have 7 cards, two of your own and five of the common ones, you can use no more than five in total, regardless of which ones. Thus, there are situations when a very strong combination becomes a combination of all players at once, and, in this case, the pot is divided between them all. But such things are sorted out at later stages.

The main thing to know is that you always use 5 cards, no more and no less.

• Kicker. Some people don't even highlight this combination, but it is important. It determines the winner if none of the players was able to collect anything stronger; or used to judge players with the same combinations of cards. Those who use less than 5 cards. Accordingly, an ace is the best kicker, a two is the worst.
• Pair– two cards of the same rank. The combination occurs quite often. It can appear preflop and consist of two pocket cards, or be common on the table. The strength of a pair is determined by the rank of its constituent cards. If they match, the winner will be determined using the kicker. Since 5 cards are used for a combination, and a pair uses only 2, then we are left with as many as 3 cards, the seniority of which will help determine who won. If they all match, then it’s a draw.
• Two pairs. Although this combination is at the very beginning of the list, it already forces a good half of Hold’em players to raise bets, seeing the prospects for it. The fact is that she has a very good draw (the probability of making a stronger combination) to a full house. We'll look at it a little later.
• Set– three cards of the same rank. Depending on how this combination is put together, it is called differently. But this does not change the strength. Trips, three and set - It is the same. If they match, then only two kickers will determine the winner.
• Straight– five consecutive cards. One of the favorite combinations from the rules of the poker game among novice players. This is explained by several factors: to collect it you need all 5 cards, and it looks “impressive”, although in reality it is quite simple to assemble, due to the fact that the sequence can be searched in both directions.
  There are several nuances here. Firstly, we need to remind you once again that there can be only 5 cards, and strength is determined by the highest card in the straight. Even if you have it consisting of 7 at once, but two additional ones are weaker, then this will not play any role.
  There is another straight combination that beginners forget about. Straight from ace to deuce. He is the weakest according to the rules of simple poker. But be careful, the Ace can only be used in two straights. From Ace to Two, where it becomes the weakest card, and from Ten to Ace. CombinationsJ, Q, K, A, 2 and others do not exist.
• Flash– five cards of the same suit. But this combination is often underestimated, although according to probability theory, it appears less often. Here, too, there can be only five cards, and the winner, if there is a match, will be determined by the higher one in the flush.
• Full house– combining two combinations: a pair and a set. Has a very good draw with two pair, but still comes up rarely.
• Kare– four cards of the same rank. Despite the fact that the combination consists of only four cards, It's quite difficult to assemble. However, it is possible to receive several four of a kind in one hand. The stronger one will consist of higher cards. And if, for example, it lays out entirely on the table, then one kicker will be able to decide the fate of the game.
• Straight flush– the second strongest combination according to the rules card game poker Texas Hold'em. This is again a combination of several combinations - flush and straight. It is subject to all their characteristics and collection conditions.
• Royal flush (or royal flush) is the strongest hand in poker. It is also called the strongest flush straight. This is a suited straight from ten to ace. The probability of collecting it is more than 600,000 to 1. However, having received such a combination, you definitely become a winner.

Although combinations are easy and quick to remember, it would be a good idea to download these poker rules and place them in front of you. This way, you will always be sure that you are making a choice when betting, bluffing or folding.

A few words about strategy

Poker rules have absolutely no strategy.. This is a component that the player must take care of on his own, however, it is very complex and important. The basic conditions of the game are learned in 20-40 hands, but even the most experienced won’t tell you how to play to win. But there are a few recommendations:

1. Study your opponents. By understanding how each player behaves in a particular situation, you will understand how to respond to their actions.
2. Develop your own strategy. Bluffing, aggression, playing only with strong hands - only you decide how best to play, but try to do it in a way that is not clear. Make your opponents sweat when playing with you.
3. Study the odds. Knowing the probability that you will collect this or that combination, you understand exactly what to do at a particular moment. So, being on the river (last round) with one pair, you are unlikely to raise, but a flush on the flop will definitely force you to compete for the pot.
4. Learn everything. Sometimes, bluffing is just as useful as just playing smart. Explore different options and practice them periodically.
5. Use any learning tools - from books to communicating with people.

If the text version is difficult for you to understand, you can use video training in Russian for the rules of the game of poker. Due to the fact that it uses a visual component (tables, players, cards, chips), it will be easier and faster for you to understand and understand all the nuances.

Learning the basic rules of poker is just the beginning. Real learning is ongoing - as long as you play.

The tips given here are the result of the extensive gaming experience of your predecessors. It's your choice whether to follow poker tips or not, but you'll make more money if you follow them.

Watch your opponents and write notes. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this for successful game in poker. Especially while you are playing without special programs that display opponents' statistics, notes will be the most important guide for making decisions in difficult situations.

Notice the hand ranges your opponents are holding and how they play those hands. Over time, you must learn to accurately determine what your opponent can play with, and, do not get hung up on specific combinations, you must play against the range, the set of hands that he may have.

Over time, you will be able to change your poker game to suit specific opponents. For example, if you notice that a player is raising half of his hands, you will realize that you can avoid folding some combinations after such a raise that should not be played after an unknown opponent raises. Or, conversely, if a person bets only on AA and KK, then you will not answer him with JJ or AK.

Your goal is to not butt heads with anyone unless you have a monster on your hands. Therefore, without a doubt, part with even fairly strong hands like AQ after your opponents raise. When you get a statistics program, you will be able to more individually adjust your game to specific opponents. Without statistics, notes are indispensable; they must be written, recording all the characteristics of the opponents (however, even with statistics, notes must be written).

Try to bluff less. If you don't bluff at all, you will win significantly more than if you do it too often (especially against unsuitable opponents, which is the majority at the micros). Actually, in the latter case, you will simply lose.

Do not elevate your opponents to the rank of personal enemies who need to be punished - this only leads to losses. If someone moved your premium hands three times in a row on any kind of garbage, this does not mean at all that you need to react to every entry into the bank of this opponent and also start playing on garbage. Your task is not to win against anyone in particular, but simply to play poker optimally in order to win over the long haul. Any deviations from the optimal game are equivalent to a loss. In the same way, there is no need to compete with anyone and look for equal opponents. The goal of the game is to win money, and for this, weak gambling opponents are better suited - the fish we love so much.

If you are outplayed and your opponents are uncomfortable for you, don’t prove anything to yourself, leave the table.

A short stack player's strongest weapon is all-in, which very often forces opponents to fold stronger hands than you have, or less cautious opponents to call you with weaker hands. But you need to use this weapon wisely - limit yourself to the cases described in the Strategy. Be especially careful about all-in when playing with a larger stack. What is profitable with a short stack can lead to losses with a larger one.

Stay strategic when determining when to fold a hand if your raise is followed by a . In most cases you will have to click Fold. And don’t let it bother you that you have already deposited money into the bank. Having placed a bet, you must say goodbye to it in advance. This is no longer your money, and you should not take into account how many of your bets are in the general bank.

In poker, in the short term, much is determined by chance, but the art of the game is to lose little in bad situations and win a lot in successful ones. Therefore, especially at the micro-limits, try to increase the pot only in cases where you have a really strong hand. Give away small pots easily (for example, you need to learn to fold even top pair, especially with a bad kicker, or low, when freeplaying). You cannot answer bets out of curiosity - to find out what your opponent had. This leads to losses. But step on the gas when you have a really good hand. At low limits there is practically no place for slowplay - there your bets will be called just fine as is. Just wait for that strong hand.

A good poker player differs from a bad one in that it is almost impossible for him to win much - he simply folds weak hands. Set a goal so that it is impossible for you to win much. Let you fold a weak hand five times, even suspecting that your opponent is bluffing, but on the sixth you get a strong one and pay it all off with interest.

When in doubt, remember the main poker wisdom: the most profitable button is Fold. Always look for a reason to fold your hand.

So, first he plays for you - about 30-40 thousand hands, play exactly according to the strategy, eliminate mistakes, get used to it, so that most decisions are made “automatically”. You have to adopt the appropriate playing style as a stereotype.

After that, study the articles on further development strategies, and begin to carefully apply the acquired knowledge in practice.