Find out how the betting works when you play online poker here at Spin32 Poker.

All variations of poker include some form of betting. This means that before a player can show down a hand and win the pot (if holding the best hand), the player must match the bets of the other players. The number of betting rounds in each hand differs between the different poker variations. But regardless of the variation, individual betting rounds follow more or less the same pattern.

A Typical Betting Round

In a typical betting round, there is already a pot of a certain size from earlier betting rounds. The player that should start betting is decided by the rules of the variation being played. The betting turn then moves to the player on the left and so on around the table.

Fold, check, bet or raise

When it is your turn to bet, you have a number of choices. If you do not like your hand, you can always fold - that is, lay down your hand and leave the pot for the other players to contest. If no one has bet before you in this betting round, you may check.

Checking means betting nothing and passing the turn on to the player on your left.

However, if a player before you has bet in this betting round, you cannot check. You can always fold, but if you want to play, you have to either call that bet or raise.

You call by putting in a bet of the same size as the last bet made before you.

You raise by putting in a bigger bet than the last bet before you.

Example

If, for example, a player before you bet $1, you can call by betting $1 or raise by betting more than $1.

Ending the betting

When all players have either folded or put an equal amount of bets into the pot, the betting round is over. Now the next card is dealt. Or, if it was the last betting round, the remaining hands are compared to find out who wins the pot. This is called the showdown.

Winning without showing your hand

If you put in a bet or a raise and all remaining players fold, you win the pot without showing your hand. This is a common event in poker, and it is the reason why it is possible to bluff in poker. You don't have to show a winning hand to win the pot. Bluffing may not be as common as people think, but is still a typical characteristic of the game of poker.

The First Betting Round

The first betting round is a bit more complicated than the consecutive, typical, betting rounds described above.

Blinds or antes

Before even the cards are dealt, some or all of the players must put in a mandatory bet, either blinds or antes (see below). This is to create an initial pot to compete for. If no player was forced to bet, players could sit around waiting for the very best hands before playing, and it would cost them nothing. Like that, poker could really be like watching paint dry.

When the mandatory bets have been posted and the cards have been dealt, the first betting round starts. It looks a bit different depending on whether antes or blinds are being used as the mandatory bet.

When playing with antes

An ante is a forced bet that all players must put in before the cards are dealt. It is usually about 10% of the small bet.

When the cards have been dealt, the player to start betting is decided by the rules of the specific variant. When the first player has bet, the betting turn moves to the left around the table just like the typical betting round described above.

When playing with blinds

A blind is a forced bet that some but not all of the players have to put in before the cards are dealt. Usually, it is the two players to the left of the dealer who must each put in a blind. Usually, the first player must put in a smaller bet, called the small blind, while the second player must put in a bigger bet, called the big blind.

Blinds, as opposed to antes, are considered as being live. They count as valid bets in the first betting round.

When the cards have been dealt, the first betting round is initiated by the player to the left of the big blind. Since the big blind counts as a bet, this player may not check. He can always fold, but if he wants to play he must call or raise.

To call, he must put in a bet the size of the big blind. To raise, he must put in a bigger bet than this (at least twice the size of the big blind).

Then the betting moves to the left around the table, much like in the typical betting round described above.

Small blind

If you are in the small blind position when the betting comes around to you, you can either fold, call or raise. Since the small blind counts as a bet, it is a bit cheaper for you to call. If, for example, the small blind is $1, to call a bet of $4 you need to put in another $3. Calling means matching the last bet, and since the blinds are live, you can include your small blind when you calculate the amount needed to call.

Big blind

If you are in the big blind position, when the betting comes around to you, you can still fold, call or raise. Since the big blind also counts as a bet, now it is even cheaper for you to call. In order to call a certain bet, you need to put in an amount equal to that bet minus the size of the big blind.

If, for example, the big blind is $2 and a player has bet $4, you call by simply putting in another $2.

Checking in the big blind

If you are in the big blind, the first betting round is a bit special. When the betting turn comes around to you, if no player has raised your big blind, you have the right to either check or bet.

This is a bit different from the typical betting round, and can be a bit confusing for the starting poker player. Not to worry, you will get the hang of it in no time!

Showdown

If more than one player remain in the hand when the last betting round is completed, there is a showdown. This means that the remaining players show their cards to decide who has the best hand.

The showdown starts with the player who was first to put in the last bet. That is, the player who made the bet that the other players called.

Examples

If one player bets $5, another player folds and a third calls the bet, the first player must show his cards first.

If one player bets $10, a second player raises to $20 and the first player calls the raise, it is the second player who must show his cards first, since he was the first player to bet $20.

Not showing when you lost

In a showdown, when a player before you has shown a hand that beats yours, you do not have to show your hand.

Betting Limits - Or No Betting Limits

When the betting comes around to you, and you decide to raise, how much can you raise? Well, this depends on the betting structure used in the game you play. The most common structures are fixed limit, pot limit and no limit.

Fixed limit

In a fixed limit game, the amount you can raise is fixed. If you want to raise, you must raise that particular amount.

Small bet and big bet

The fixed limit often varies between betting rounds. For example, when playing fixed limit Texas Hold'em, all bets and raises in the first two betting rounds must be in multiples of the big blind. In the last two betting rounds, bets and raises must be in multiples of twice the big blind.

For example, with a big blind of $2, if you want to raise during the first two betting rounds you must raise $2, that is, you must bet $4. If another player wants to re-raise your bet, he too must raise another $2, that is, he must bet $6. However, during the last two betting rounds, if a player has bet the minimum $4 and you want to raise, you must raise $4, that is, you must bet $8. If another player wants to re-raise your bet now, he too must raise $4, which means he must bet $12.

Capping

When playing with a fixed limit, the number of raises allowed in a betting round is limited to four. That is, the first bet, a raise, a re-raise and than the final raise - the cap.

For example, in a game with a $2 limit, after the maximum four raises, the total bet for each player is $8.

Raise or fold

Raise or fold is a variation of fixed limit poker. In this variation, just like the name says, each time it is your turn to bet, you must either raise or fold. Checking or calling is not allowed.

No limit

In a no-limit game, as soon as it is your turn to bet, you can raise as much as you like. You may even bet all your chips at once if you want. Nevertheless, there are a few restrictions.

Table stakes

Even though you play no limit, you cannot bet more than the amount you have on the table. So players cannot get crazy and bet their farms. And you cannot throw in your car keys.

The minimum bet

In spite of a game being played as no limit, there is always a downward limit for your bets. For example, if you play with blinds, you can never bet or raise less than the big blind.

The minimum re-raise

If, in a betting round, a player has raised before you and you want to re-raise, you must raise at least the amount of the last raise.

Example

Suppose the big blind is $2 and a player to your right bets $10, thereby raising with $8. If you want to re-raise that player, you must raise at least another $8, which means you must bet at least $18. Obviously, since it is no limit, you may also bet more than $18.

Pot limit

Some people may consider fixed limit games a bit lame. On the other hand, some people consider no limit games a bit too far on the wild side. As a sort of compromise, there is a betting structure called pot limit.

Pot limit means that each time the betting comes around to you, you cannot bet more than the amount already in the pot. In early betting rounds, this may be far less than all your chips. In later betting rounds, however, the pot can grow really fast and you can bet all you have, if you like.

Example

If the big blind is $2, the pot is $20, and you are first to bet in that betting round, you may bet anything from $2 (the minimum bet) to $20, the pot limit bet.

Sometimes, calculating the maximum bet in pot limit games is quite complicated.

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Going All In

Now, you may ask, suppose I hold a really, really strong hand. If someone bets more than I have on the table, and I am not allowed to bet my farm, or throw in my car keys, what can I do? Will I be forced to fold my hand and give up the pot even though I'm probably holding the winning hand? Of course not.

You can always call a bet. Even if an opponent bets more than you have left, you can call that bet by pushing in the remainder of your chips. Thereby you get to show down your monster hand and may win a nice pot. This is called going all in.

However, you cannot win more from your opponent than what corresponds to the chips you bet. If a player bets $100 and you call by betting $40 all in, the other player will get back $60 before the hands are shown down.

Side pots

When more than two players remain in the hand, and a player with fewer chips than the others goes all in, the situation gets a bit complicated. The player with fewer chips is allowed to call, as we saw above, but the other players will continue betting against each other and put more chips into the pot.

The player who is all in cannot win any of the chips that are put into the pot after he went all in. The all-in player is entitled to compete only for the part of the pot corresponding to the amount he put into it. To handle this, the pot is split into a main pot containing the chips that the all-in player will win if he has the best hand, and a side pot made up of the continued betting, that is, the chips that the all-in player cannot win even with the best hand.

If several players with different chip counts go all in during the same hand, there will be several side pots. This gets quite complicated. But don't worry, the poker client takes care of the calculations and sees to it that every player gets the correct share of the pot. You don't need to be the new Einstein to push in all your chips!

Made Hands Versus Drawing Hands

A frequent situation in poker is when one player holds a made hand while another player holds a drawing hand.

A made hand is a hand that is already good. It already contains a valuable combination like, for example, a high pair or three of a kind.

A drawing hand is a hand that is not good yet, but might turn into a good hand when the next card comes. For example, if a hand contains four cards of the same suit, it will turn into a flush if the next card is of that same suit. On the other hand, if the next card is of another suit, it will still not be good.

If the player with the made hand bets, the player with the drawing hand must decide whether it is worth calling the bet to see the next card. Or if it is too expensive, in which case he will fold.

In order not to lose too many chips with drawing hands, you might want to think about the pot odds.

A Word On Pot Odds

When deciding if you should call a bet, do not forget to compare the bet with the size of the pot. If the pot is very large compared to the bet, you should be more willing to call. But if the pot is small and the bet is big, you will pay a high price for the chance to win a little. If you do that a lot, you may lose some of your money.

Example

Let's look at a couple of situations in Texas Hold'em. The fourth community card has just been dealt (the turn). You and one other player remain in the hand. You have four spades and one of them is the ace. If another spade hits on the river, you will make the nut flush. You feel convinced that it will be good enough to win the pot for you. Your opponent bets into you. How much would you be willing to call? The pot is $10.

First, let's look at your chances of making the flush. Six cards are known to you: four on the board and two in your hand. That leaves 46 unknown cards. Nine of those are spades, 37 are not. So, the odds against you making the flush is 37:9, that is, about 4:1.

In the first situation, your opponent bets $2, making the pot $12. It costs you $2 to call. That is, you pay $2 to win $12 - the pot odds are 12:2, or 6:1. Since the pot odds are greater than the odds against making the flush, it will be profitable for you to call the bet in this situation (in the long run).

In the second situation, your opponent bets $10, making the pot $20. Now you have to call $10 to win $20. The pot odds are only 2:1. This is worse than 4:1, the odds against you making the flush. Therefore, in this situation it will probably be unprofitable for you to call. Again, in the long run.

A Word On Position

A thing that will (or should) affect the way you bet a hand is your position at the table. That is, if you are one of the first players to bet (early position) or one of the last (late position). In some variants your position shifts from one betting round to another (Seven Card Stud), in others it remains the same throughout the hand (Texas Hold'em).

In late position, most of the other players will have acted before you, so you have some information about their holdings. If you are in early position, other players will be waiting for your action, ready to throw in calls or raises depending on what you do. They have an information advantage over you.

In poker, information is money. When you have less information than your opponents, you need a better hand to make up for it.

In early position, play stronger hands.

Calculating Pot Limit Bets

As mentioned above, calculating the maximum bet in pot limit games can get quite complicated.

Suppose there is $10 in the pot. If you are the first player to bet, you can bet a maximum of $10. So far it is easy.

But let's say another player bets $7 before the betting comes around to you. Now the pot contains $17. So you can bet a maximum of $17, right? Wrong, you can bet more.

You actually have the right to first call the last bet, and then raise the amount that is in the pot after you have called that bet.

Let's see, first you call $7. That brings the pot up to $24. Then you can raise the amount of the pot, that is, $24. So your total maximum bet would be $7 plus $24 which amounts to $31.

In live play, this requires some attention from the players. But on our poker site, you will not have to bother with these calculations.

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