How does a poker game work?

Question from the reader – Andressa Melo,

Feira de Santana, BA

1. The table can have between two and ten players. The first step is to define who distributes the cards (dealer). For this, everyone takes cards from the cake. Whoever rolls the highest is the dealer. He deals the cards, one by one in a clockwise order, until everyone is dealt two.

2. The player to the left of the dealer makes a small blind bet (small blind), that is, without seeing the cards that the dealer will turn over on the table, to start the round (or «stop» in the players’ slang). He needs to leave at least half of the minimum bet previously agreed by the participants on the table.

3. The next competitor, obligatorily, doubles the initial bet, also blind. It’s the big blind. This is the minimum bet, which can increase following each player’s call or after a predetermined time limit (doubling every 15 minutes, for example)

4. The next player decides whether to pay the table’s minimum bet (call), increase the amount (raise) or give up the game (fold) before knowing the cards that will be turned over on the table. The following players do the same until it is back to the small blind, who only needs to complete the remaining minimum bet to continue in the game.

5. If no one raises in the first round, the big blind just needs to check. When someone raises the bet, the other participants must fold or call until the new amount is equal. If everyone folds, the raiser takes the bet chips and a new game begins.

6. With all bets on the table, the dealer opens three cards (flop), which can be combined with the cards each one has in hand. There is another round of betting, always starting with the small blind. Each player decides whether to proceed without betting (check), betting (bet), raising a bet, matching a raise, or folding.

7. The dealer turns over a fourth community card on the table, which is called the turn. A new round of betting begins, based on the four cards turned over. Then the dealer turns over the fifth and final card on the table (river) and the last round of betting takes place. If there are still two or more players left in the round, then…

8. … it’s time to show your cards. Whoever has the best combination of five cards, joining the two in hand with the five community cards, wins. The order in which they appear on the table does not matter: the player only needs to assemble combinations that are part of poker (see boxing). The winner takes all the bets (pot) in the round

9. A new round begins, with the dealer, small blind, and big blind positions moving to the left, clockwise. The game ends when someone takes all of the rivals’ chips. For this reason, home poker games are often multi-handed (ranging from one to five minutes) and last from two to four hours.