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The aim of the game
The aim of the game of poker is to create the strongest five-card hand possible out of the cards available. You bet based on the strength of your hand and how you interpret other players’ hands, trying to win as much money as possible.
Big blind, small blind, button
In Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker games, certain players are required to stake money to the pot before they see their cards. These bets are referred to as blinds. The player to the left of the dealer must make a bet called the small blind, and the player to his left must make a bet called the big blind (the big blind is twice the size of the small blind). A button is used to represent the dealer position, since the players themselves don’t actually deal. The dealer button moves one player to the left after each deal.
Cards are always dealt to the player to the left of the dealer first. In Hold’em and Omaha, the player to the left of the dealer must begin each round of betting (except in the first round, in which the player to the left of the player who placed the big blind must begin the betting round).
Ante
Games that don’t use blinds, such as stud and draw games, have an ante instead. All players start by putting an ante into the pot. This is determined by the table limit and is normally a tenth of the small bet. Therefore, if you are playing a $1/$2 table, the ante will be $0.10.
All-in
A player cannot bet more than he has on the table. If a player wants to call a raise that is greater than the amount of money the player has left on the table, he can do so by going all-in. For example, suppose a player has $100 left on the table and a player before him has bet $200. If the player chooses to call, he will contribute his remaining $100 and be all-in. By going all-in, he has staked his entire remaining buy-in to remain in the game and earn the opportunity to participate in the pot if he has a winning hand.
A player who goes all-in can only win a maximum amount from each other player equivalent to the amount he has gone all-in for. The chips being contested by the all-in player will be gathered into a pot and any additional betting will be gathered into a side pot. As a result, when an all-in player has the best hand, the player with the second best hand will be awarded the remainder of the pot. Several players may be all-in, possibly at different points during a hand, in which case the pot will be awarded in different segments.
Disconnect all-in
The disconnect all-in feature is in place to provide fairness in the event that a player becomes disconnected from the poker server. If a player loses a connection with the server and cannot reconnect in time to act in turn, the system will play his hand automatically by doing one of the following things:
· If possible, the player will check his bet.
· If the player is required to call, the player will go all-in, without committing additional money to the pot.
· If the player has already used a disconnect all-in in the last 24 hours, and has not requested that the all-in facility be reset, the hand will be folded.
A disconnect all-in is different from a standard all-in because the player does not need to commit any additional funds to go all-in. Once a player goes all-in, a side pot is created, and the all-in player can only win the portion of the pot up to the level of betting he made at the time he went all-in.
Because a disconnect all-in gives a player an advantage (by providing the opportunity to win without contributing money to the pot), all players are limited to one disconnect all-in per day. Players who feel they need additional disconnect all-in opportunities can contact customer service to have their account reset. Players found to be misusing the disconnect all-in feature are in violation of this poker room’s terms of use.
Sitting out
A player who is seated at a table can choose to sit out at any time, without leaving the table. If the player sits out during their blinds, they will be required to post when they return. Players sitting out will be removed from a table after missing three big blinds. In tournament play, a player may sit out as long as they wish, however the player will continue to have blinds posted while he sits out.
Slow play
Repeated instances of blatantly slow play that constantly affects the speed of the tables may be grounds for a player to be removed from future play on the poker sites. This decision is at our sole discretion. There is a Sit Out option for players who want to exit the table. Players must use this option to avoid temporary or permanent removal from playing on the site.
Rake
All cash poker tables are raked. The rake is a small percentage of the pot that is charged by the poker room as a fee. The size of the rake is displayed adjacent to the pot size on all poker tables.
Tournaments are not raked, but a small fee is charged with the buy-in.
Buy-in
Your buy-in is the initial money you must bring to sit down at the table. The minimum buy-in for a game in limit betting is typically ten times the size of the lower bet limit.
When you buy-in at a table, your money is transferred from your account to the table. After you leave the table, your remaining chips are automatically transferred back to your account. If you run out of chips, you can click the Get Chips button on the poker table screen to buy-in with more chips.
System Rules
Special rules exist that govern Online Poker. These rules are in addition to the normal game rules.
All Actions Stand
You determine the action you want to perform in a game by clicking the appropriate button. Once you have selected an action, it is final.
Chat
All poker tables offer a chat feature. The system automatically generates chat messages that track play, indicating which player wins the hand and the size of the pot. Any player that is logged in may participate in table chat.
Chat should not be abused. Sharing card information with other players is not allowed. Using obscenities, verbally abusing other players, or attempting to conspire to affect game play is not allowed. If you use such language, your hand may fold and all your contributions to the pot are forfeited.
All chat is recorded by the system. Customer service representatives routinely monitor real-time and historical chat to ensure players are adhering to the tenets of good gamesmanship. Any violations will be dealt with by contacting the offending player.
Collusion and Coffeehousing
Collusion is a type of cheating where two or more people at a table work together in order to gain an unfair advantage over other players. Collusion will not be tolerated. Players are only allowed one account and our system performs many security checks and other log-file reviews to maintain system integrity and fairness at the tables. Any players found to be participating in collusion or deceptive practices will have their accounts immediately closed. When investigation shows that two or more players have cheated in this way, they will be banned permanently. We have spent significant man-hours developing proprietary collusion monitoring and detection procedures. Our collusion detection procedures include, but are not limited to, reviewing all hands played at regular intervals. These procedures assist us in detecting any form of collusion including, using informed knowledge to alter play at the expense of others, and/or adjusting playing requirements based on the effects of removal.
Coffeehousing occurs when players chat about a hand they are involved in, with the intent of misleading or manipulating other players. Coffeehousing is not permitted.
No chat among players, that could influence the play or outcome of the game, is allowed.
Persons suspected of collusion, coffeehousing, or in breach of this section will be excluded from play on the Site and will not be entitled to collect any winnings. Any person who is knowlingly in breach of this section is committing fraud and may be subject to criminal prosecution.