Despite pokers many variations, all games follow the same basic pattern of play.
Play always begins to the left of the dealer and proceeds in a clockwise direction.
Each hand is also marked by the clockwise rotation of the “dealer” button, puck
or buck.
The dealer is, of course, fixed in casino poker and online poker; the position of
the button thus determines the blinds and the order of betting.
At the start of each hand one or more players make obligatory bets called either
“blinds” or the “ante”, this is to create an initial stake or “pot” for which the
players will contest. The appropriate number of cards are then dealt to each player
either face-up or face-down depending on the variant of poker being played.
Once each player has had a look at their cards, the first of what may be several
betting rounds begins, all bets being added to the pot. The game and the player’s
hands often develop in some way; usually by the dealing of communal cards or by
the replacing of cards that were previously dealt.
At PokerTime we offer:
Texas Hold'em: The fast-paced
7-card variation of the game that is the most popular form of poker currently being
played. If you've been watched poker on telly chances are that you've been watching
Texas Hold'em. Its popularity and comprehensive adoption is echoed by the fact that
it is the game played in the final of the World Series of Poker.
Omaha Hi: Played in a similar way to Hold'em;
except that 9 cards are used, creating a wider range of possible combinations. This
makes for a more intricate and crated game of poker, one where you can’t rely on
blind luck.
7-Card Stud: An easy game to learn and
one that is as popular in home games as it is in professional poker rooms. This
variant requires an observant eye and a reliable memory. Seeing as so many of the
cards are exposed on the table, it becomes a calculated game of odds and choices
over the likelihood of a winning hand appearing for you.
5-Card Stud: The original stud poker game
whose popularity was unsurpassed until the invention of 7-Card Stud early in the
Twentieth Century. That being said, it has much in common with 7-Card Stud except
that each player receives 5 cards; only one of which is dealt face down. It’s still
a popular game among poker purists.