Mon, 09/12/2011 – 07:07 – PokerPages Staff

If you’ve visited PokerStars and not fully explored the range of poker variants available to players, you’re missing a whole range of exciting poker play. Games like Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw offer a different style of game, with new challenges and tactics needed to succeed, as well as slightly different poker rules.

The Deal

Unlike Texas Hold ‘em, there are no community cards in a game of Seven Card Stud. All cards are held only by the player that they are dealt to. The object of this game is to make the highest five card poker hand using the seven cards received from the dealer. To begin with, each player is dealt three cards, known as the Third Street. The first two of these cards are kept secret, whilst the third is turned over, so that your opponents can see. Following this deal, there is a round of betting.

Subsequent rounds

After all bets have been placed in the first round, each player remaining in the game is dealt a further face-up card. There then follows another round of betting. This continues until every player has six cards, of which two are face down and the remaining four are uncovered.

Seventh Street

Once the betting has been completed following the fourth face-up card, a final card is dealt that remains face down. At this point, there is a final round of betting. If a multitude of players remain after the final betting round, a showdown will take place. All players still with a chance to win must turn their cards over, and the player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot.

Visit PokerSchoolOnline to learn more about Seven Card Stud and other varieties of poker.

Tue, 09/06/2011 – 07:11 – PokerPages Staff

As we’re all aware, there is a rather large amount of betting that goes on in a poker game. Working out how the betting works can be difficult for the beginner poker player. This article aims to help you through the minefield of the betting rounds of a game of Texas Hold ‘em and understand the way the game works.

Ante or Blind
Depending on the game you are playing, you may need to bet a blind or an ante. This is a bet placed before you’ve seen your hole cards and ensures that there is money in the pot to be won.

First Betting Round
The first actual betting round comes after the hole cards have been dealt. The player to the left of the dealer has the option to bet, check or fold. Further players can call (match) the bet, fold or raise, by adding more chips to the bet. A round of betting continues until all remaining players have bet the same amount of chips or only one player remains.

Community Cards
The second, third and fourth rounds all follow the dealing of the community cards, with the same betting rules applying throughout. The second round comes after the first three cards or flop has been dealt. The third round is after the turn and the fourth and final round comes after the river.

The Showdown
The showdown comes at the end of the final betting round. If there is more than one player remaining, all players must show their hands, and the player with the highest ranked poker hand wins the pot.