Dice Poker Chips

Poker games begin with a forced wager over which the players are competing. During Seven Card Stud Poker, there are two forced wagers, the ante and bring-in. In Texas Hold’em Poker, the forced wagers are known as small blinds and big blinds.

1. CHECK – If there is no wager on the current betting round, a player may check. The act of checking passes the action to the next player immediately clockwise from him or her. In this (and subsequent) rounds of betting, players can check (effectively make a bet of zero; staying in the pot), raise or fold. If all players check during a round of betting, the round is considered complete.

2. BET – If there is no wager on the current betting round, a player may bet. If a player bets, the player immediately clockwise from him or her (and any subsequent players) may fold, raise, or call. Different games are played with different types of bets, and small variations exist between cardrooms.

3. FOLD – The act of folding forfeits all interest in the pot. A player who folds is not required or allowed to wager any further money for the current game. Folding is often one of the most powerful tools in your poker arsenal. A key element to winning at poker is to control your losses (ensuring that you lose less than you win), that can only be done by folding losing hands before they cost you a substantial amount of money.

4. CALL – At this time, players can either call, raise or fold. If there has been a wager on the current betting round, a player may call.

5. RAISE – If there has been a wager on the current betting round, a player may raise. The act of raising requires the player to match the current bet, and make a greater one. All subsequent players are required to call the raise or raise again (“re-raise”) to maintain interest in the pot.

During each round of betting, betting continues until the person immediately counterclockwise the last bettor or raiser acts. When this player acts, the next round will begin, or the hand is complete.

When the last bet or raise is called, the “showdown” takes place. At this stage it is determined who wins the pot, as players show their hands one-by-one. It may be that there is no showdown. If this occurs when a player bets or raises, and no players choose to call the player’s bet. In this case, the player who does the betting or raising wins the pot amount.