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Poker Nights - Betting Rules
This
is perhaps the greatest area of variation between different poker
nights, poker styles, and poker players. These rules are for
a cash game, not a no-limit buy-in tournament. I
suggest these rules as the best balance between the easiest (for
new players) and most satisfying (for experienced
players) styles available. Heeeeere we go:
-
Buy Whatever - In this
system there is not a set buy-in amount.
Players can buy any amount of chips they wish at any time,
including in the middle of a hand. However, there is no
"all-in" protection; if someone raises you
more than the amount of chips you have left, you either have
to buy more chips or fold. (This is balanced out by a
"raise limit," so things don't get out of control!)
-
Raise Limit - This is
how we keep things from getting out of control! The
maximum amount any player can raise the previous bet is, for
example two dollars. For example, player A bets 50
cents, player B raises the max $2.00 to a total of
$2.50. Player C can raise that $2.00 to a total
of $4.50. This system is balanced because it allows
players to keep raising each other if they want;
however, a player can't be bullied with too much
money. Long story short: it works!
-
Example Buy-Ins - This
is how things usually work at my poker nights:
- White chips are
$0.25; a stack of 10 is $2.50
- Red chips are
$0.50; a stack of 10 is $5.00
- Black chips are
$1.00; a stack of 10 is $10.00
- People usually buy $10.00 (2 stacks of white, 1 stack of
red) or $20.00
(2 stacks white, 1
stack red, 1 stack Black).
- Ante is $0.25
- Maximum raise is $2.00
- People end up winning or losing at most $20 over the course
of the night
-
Stakes
- Just a quick word of advice on what to set the stakes at for
poker: START LOW! At the end of the day, it's
about how well you did compared to everyone else;
$2.00 can feel like a lot of money in a poker night like this,
and then it's safe for everyone. Don't start out with
$5.00 antes and $20.00 max raises just for the thrill of it -
if you start low, it's exciting anyway! It's all in good
fun, right? Right.
Now that you know how to bet, you
just need to know what wins! Check out the Hands...
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