Questions about the rules of poker from beginners

This article will be about answering the questions about rules of poker, that are most frequently asked by poker beginners on different forums or social networks. Moreover, if you want to get an answer to any question of yours just post it in the comments section and we will try to answer it as detailed as possible.

Q: Please suggest what should you do in a situation when a player in the middle of a game (on a turn for example) has ran out of chips, but he would like to continue his game? How the cards are dealt further on, and if that player actually wins at showdown, how the winnings are shared among the players?

A: Such situations are not uncommon at the poker tables, so you should be aware how the game will continue in that case. Let’s take a look at couple of examples.

Example 1. There are two players in the hand: you and your opponent. On the turn your opponents makes a bet in a size of all your remaining chips and you make a call. What happens next? Nothing special, as it can be considered that the hand has already finished. You have made the decision and put all your chips into the pot. Since by the rules of poker you would not be able to take chips from the table or add chips to the table during the hand, you would need just to wait until the river card is dealt and the winner is determined. The winner will be a player with the strongest combination at the table.

Example 2. There are three players in the hand: you and two other opponents. On the turn one of the opponents makes a bet in a size of all your remaining chips, you and the other opponent call the bet. What will happen next? The game will continue as follows: if opponents will make bets on river the main and side pots will be formed. Main pot will be played among the players who invested their money into it (since all players invested money in the main pot in our example, the pot will be played among three participants), the side pot instead will be played only among your opponents. Please note, that because you have ran out of chips on turn you will not be able to make bets or call bets on river, so the hand for you is finished. You have to wait until the end of the hand when the winner is determined. Your opponents will play for both pots though: side pot among themselves (only your opponents participated in it) and main pot (among you, Opponent 1 and Opponent 2).

Q: I had put all-in on the preflop. I haven’t made any bets on the other streets other than waiting what my opponents will do. Please explain if I will be able to use turn and river cards to form my combination, or I will only be able to use my own pocket cards and flop cards in that situation?

A: All players not depending on the bets made on preflop, flop, turn and river, are able to use all the 5 board cards to form their winning combination.

Q: When the reserved pot is formed in poker?

A: There is not such term as a reserved pot in poker, there are only main and side pots. You can read more about side pot in our specific article about this rule.

Q: Please explain how the game is played in Texas Hold’em when there are only two players at the tables. How much blind bets there are? What is the order of betting preflop? Is that true that Dealer acts as the second blind?

A: There are always blind bets in poker and one-on-one games (they are called heads-up games) are not an exception. Small blind will be a player sitting on a dealer’s position, second player being a big blind. Small blind will act first preflop (in our example he is a dealer as well), postflop first to act will be a big blind. Please take a look at the image below.

In that situation blue colored player will act as a dealer and small blind both.

Q: I’m a beginner. Please let me know (I haven’t find any answer to this in the rules) if I can leave the game at any time, i.e. I play real money game, winning, but I don’t have time to play anymore as I have to leave. Can I just sit out of the table and what will happen to my money?

A: You are able to leave the table at any given moment keeping all your winnings if you play ring-games (cash tables). All your funds will be immediately credited to your balance.

However, if you play a tournament (either MTT, Sit-n-go or Spin-n-Go), you will need to wait until the tournament is finished. If you will leave immediately, then you will automatically be granted Sit Out mode, but you will continue to post blinds until all your stack is gone. You will not be refunded your buy-in in that case.

Q: Please tell me, does an Ace replace any missing card in straight? For example:          ?

A: An Ace does not substitute any card, it can only act as a lower straight card          , or a higher one          . There are no other varieties of a straight with an Ace.

Q: Two players have called a big blind in a hand, but one player had raised a bet further on. Now other players have to call or raise again, or the game proceeds to the next betting round?

A: Betting rounds continue until all the players either fold their cards, or call the largest bet in the betting round.

Q: If in the game of Texas Hold’em all four players have folded their cards the betting round ends or continues until someone makes a bet?

A: If all the players have folded then a player on a position of big blind wins small and big blind bets. The given hand is finished and the new hand starts (all the players are dealt new starting hands).

Q: How many common cards are used in Texas Hold’em?

A: There are 5 common cards in Texas Hold’em: 3 on the flop, 1 on the turn and one more on the river.

Q: What happens if two players have formed similar combinations during a hand?

A: Situations when two or more players have similar combinations are not uncommon in poker. In that case the pot is just split equally among all the players who reached a showdown.