The game is
Texas Hold 'em Limit Poker. It takes ten minutes
to learn and a lifetime to master. You'll be playing in a three-round,
shootout tournament against up to 27 simulated opponents. When
you run out of chips, you're out. But if you win everyone's chips, you
keep advancing to the next round until you're the champion!
|
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
|
| Starting Chips: |
1,000 |
10,000 |
100,000 |
| Starting Blinds: |
10-20 |
100-200 |
1,000-2,000 |
- The blinds increase every 10 hands.
- This is limit poker, so all bets (and raises) must be
equal to the Big Blind.
- Maximum raises per betting round (by all players): 3
- Table stakes are played. This means if you run out of
chips by going all-in during a hand, you may only win a
side pot consisting of the current pot plus each other active
player's call, up to the amount of your stack at the start
of the hand.
How to Play
You're in Seat 1. The Dealer button
marks the player who gets the advantage of acting last in each betting
round. The Small Blind
and Big Blind
buttons mark the players who must place bets of 10 and 20 chips blind,
before seeing any cards dealt. These buttons rotate around the table
each hand.
- Click the Deal button (or press the D key) to
start the hand. Each active player is dealt two pocket cards
face down. (Yours will be shown face up, but the other players can't
see them.)
- The first betting round follows, starting with the player after
the Big Blind and rotating clockwise. Here are the actions that
can be taken in a betting round:
- Check (C key): To choose not to place a bet,
but to stay in the pot "for free" until someone else
places a bet and forces you to act. Only available when the
betting round has not been opened by a previous bet.
Also called a pass.
- Call (C key): To match, or see any
previous bets and stay in the pot.
- Bet (B key): To open the betting round by
adding chips to the pot.
- Raise (R key): To simultaneously call all
previous bets and add even more chips to the pot, forcing everyone
else to call, raise or fold.
- Fold or Check Out (F key): To surrender
your cards and any chips you have invested in the pot.
- In this first round (only), when the action gets back around
to the Big Blind, that player still has the option to check
or raise, unless another player has raised.
- Once the pot is good (all players have put in the same
number of chips), the next card is burned and then three
cards are dealt face up to the community hand in the middle
of the table (which is shared by everyone). These three cards are
called the flop.
- The second betting round starts with the first active player
after the Dealer.
- Another card is burned and then the turn card
is dealt.
- There is a third betting round.
- One last card is burned and then the river card
is dealt.
- After a fourth and final betting round, there is a showdown
between the remaining hands. You make your best five-card poker
hand from any combination of your two pocket cards and the
five community cards. The best hand takes the pot, but if
there is a tie the pot is split.
Before the Flop
The first two cards you're dealt face down are called your hole
or pocket cards. If those two cards are considered playable by
most pros, Scenario Poker will display its "Group" ranking, according
to the chart above.
For example, Ace-King Suited is a Group 1 (premium) starting hand,
while King-Nine Offsuit is in Group 8 (playable with caution). Any starting
hand that isn't ranked in a group should generally be folded unless
you're on one of the blinds or the table is short-handed.
To learn more about the iPoker Card and how to order a physical
one, just click it above.
After the Flop
Here are the five-card poker hands, listed in descending order of
power. Note that no suit is more powerful than the others:
- Straight Flush: Any five cards all of the same suit and
in sequential order. Aces can be used high or low. An ace-high straight
flush is known as a Royal Flush.
High: A-K-Q-J-T, Low: 5-4-3-2-A
- Four of a Kind: Any four cards of the same rank.
High: A-A-A-A-K, Low: 2-2-2-2-3
- Full House: Any three cards of one rank, plus two cards
of another rank.
High: A-A-A-K-K, Low: 2-2-2-3-3
- Flush: Any five cards, all of the same suit. It doesn't
matter which one.
High: A-K-Q-J-9, Low: 7-5-4-3-2
- Straight: Any five cards in sequential order. Aces can
be used high or low.
High: A-K-Q-J-T, Low: 5-4-3-2-A
- Three of a Kind: Any three cards of the same rank.
High: A-A-A-K-Q, Low: 2-2-2-4-3
- Two Pair: Any two cards of one rank, plus two cards of
another rank.
High: A-A-K-K-Q, Low: 3-3-2-2-4
- Pair: Any two cards of one rank.
High: A-A-K-Q-J, Low: 2-2-5-4-3
- High Card: No pair and no better hand.
High: A-K-Q-J-9, Low: 7-5-4-3-2