Poker etiquette refers not to rules, but to manners that help uphold the orderly maintenance of the game and civility among those who participate. A player who repeatedly violates poker etiquette is a disruption to the game. Things to avoid include:
- Deliberately acting out of turn
- Deliberately splashing chips into the pot
- Agreeing to check a hand out when a third player is all-in
- Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multihanded pot before the betting is complete
- Needlessly stalling the action of a game
- Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck. Cards should be released in a low line of flight, at a moderate rate of speed (not at the dealer's hands or chip-rack)
- Stacking chips in a manner that interferes with dealing or viewing cards
- Making statements or taking action that could unfairly influence the course of play, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot
- Using a cell phone at the table.
How to Play – A quick start guide to Texas Hold’Em
Playing Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold’em uses a dealer button to indicate the theoretical dealer. After each hand is complete, the button moves clockwise to the next active player. This player is referred to as "the button" and is considered to be “the dealer” for that hand.
The First Round
The player to the left of the button is required to post an ante. The player to the left of them must also do so; these initial bets are called’blinds’. Different variations of ante structures are played in different clubs, where you may have to post a small and big blind, beginning with the dealer. All antes in hold’em poker are considered live bets and the players who posted them have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting returns to their position.
After the blinds have been posted, two hole cards are dealt to each active player, after which the first betting round begins with the player to the left of the antes.
A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is declared "All-In". That player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of his final wager, the "main pot". All further betting action involving other players takes place in a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player who has already gone All-In.
The Second Round
After the first round of betting, the dealer burns one card and turns three community cards (The Flop) face-up on the table. The community cards are common to all the players participating in the hand.
The second betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
The Third Round
After the second round of betting, the dealer burns one card and turns the fourth community card (The Turn) face-up on the table.
The third betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
The Fourth Round
After the third round of betting, the dealer burns one card and turns the fifth community card (The River) face-up on the table.
The fourth, and final, betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
The Showdown
After the final round of betting, there is a card showdown. Each player displays their cards and one or more winners are declared. All five cards must be shown to win. A combination of any of the following may be used:
- Both hole cards and three community cards
- One hole card and four community cards
- All five community cards (playing the board)
If two or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is the one having the higher cards. If the hands are tied, the highest card not being held in common (the kicker) determines the winner. The suit order of the cards is not taken into account while determining the winning hand(s). Should poker hands be absolutely identical in ranking, the pot will be split evenly between the winning players.
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