Limits
Fixed Limits
Choose from:
$.25/$.50, $.50/$1, $1/$2, $2/$4, $3/$6, $5/$10, $10/$20, and $20/$40 fixed
limit games.
Pot Limit & No
Limit
Current Limits:
$.25/$.50 with a maximum buy-in of $50.00
$.50/$1.00 with a maximum buy-in of $100.00
Game Description
Hold 'em, also known as "Texas Hold 'em", is a poker game in which each
player receives 2 cards dealt face down, while 5 cards are dealt face up
on the table. All players play with their best 5 cards in any combination
of their 2 down cards and the 5 common cards on the table. The best five-card
poker hand wins.
Betting
The betting is started after 2 cards are dealt to each player. These are
called "pocket cards". These cards are unique to each player. The next 3
cards are then dealt and called "flop cards". These cards are community
cards and are used by all players in the hand. Betting occurs again. The
4th card for the table, the "turn card", is dealt, followed by another round
of betting. The final card is called the river card", after which betting
resumes. The "turn" and "river" cards are also community cards used by all
players. When all bets are in, the showdown takes place between remaining
players where the winner is declared. A player uses his best five cards
from his pocket cards and the community cards to determine his hand. (See
Order Of Winning Hands)
Check and Raise is
allowed in all games. The maximum allowable wager is always indicated on
the Bet prompt and the lowest allowable wager is the default in the Bet
window.
Bet Limits
Fixed Limit Games
- The software enforces the bet limits which are determined by the stakes
being spread at the particular table." For example, at a $3-$6 table, the
limit on any bet is $3 on the first two betting rounds and $6 on the final
two betting rounds. At Planet Poker we allow a bet and 3 raises in each
individual round.
Pot Limit Games
- The minimum bet at the start of each round is the amount of the big blind
wager. The maximum eligible bet is the amount of money currently in the
pot. The maximum allowable bet is calculated as the pot size after an individual
calls all existing wagers. For example, if there is $10 in the pot and Player
1 wagers $5 then Player 2 could Call $5 and Raise up to an additional $20.
During the course of a round of betting, a bet size cannot decline. If someone
bets or raises $5, then the next player's minimum Raise would be $5.00.
No Limit Games
- The minimum bet at the start of each round is the amount of the big blind
wager. The maximum eligible bet at all times is a player's table stake (The
amount of money a player currently has on the table). During the course
of a round of betting, a bet size cannot decline. If someone bets or raises
$5, then the next player's minimum Raise would be $5.00. Any players can
go All-in at any point during the play of the hand.
Rake
Our house rake is 5% capping at $3 using a variable
rake structure.
Tips & Strategies
New players can enter a game in the big blind position to avoid paying the
new player post which is equivalent to the big blind. A new player can choose
to post the equivalent of the big blind to enter the game at any time except
when he is between the button and the big blind position. A returning player
who has missed the big blind and/or small blind can choose to post the missed
blinds and re-enter the game as long as he is not between the button and
the big blind position.
 Hold'em
Game Buttons
|
Each play option is
identified on your screen as a button. Some buttons only appear when it
is your turn. Listed here are the descriptions and usage of each of them.
Join Game -
Players are seated on a first come first serve basis. Once a table is selected,
players can select "Join Game" at any time in order to be seated. Until
"Join Game" is selected players will be listed on the Viewing List (Railbirds).
The software will seat a new player in a Hold'em game in the first available
seat clockwise from Player #2.
Fold - If you
want to stop betting this hand and forfeit your current bets select this
button.
Fold in Turn
- To speed up the game we have a Fold in Turn button. This is located in
the upper right corner. Use this button if you intend to fold your hand
the next time the bet comes to you.
Call/Check
- This button changes between Call and Check depending on the circumstance.
-
Call -
Use Call to match the current bet of other players. As an example, "Call
(3)" means you are matching the bet that is 3 dollars.
-
Check -
If someone does not raise and you don't want to raise, you can pass
or "Check" to the next player.
Bet/Raise -
This button changes between Bet and Raise depending on the circumstance.
Help - Click
on Help to retrieve a standard Windows Help Box. When Help is selected from
the Planet Poker table area, you will be presented with a series of help
topics. From the control bar above the window, you can select "Contents"
- a list of available topics, "Search" - a key phrase search capability,
or use the right arrow key to move to the next available topic.
Suggestions
- If you have any suggestions or comments about our games, please feel free
to e-mail to support@planetpoker.com.
Options - This
is a direct link to your account and table balance as well as an interface
with the Cashier functions permitting access to the P$e-Cash sytem. There
is also the ability to request hand histories should you wish to review
the outcome of a hand.
Sit Out/Sit In
- This button toggles between Sit Out and Sit In depending on the circumstance.
-
Sit Out
- Select this button to sit out without losing your seat. You will be
allowed to sit out for up to 15 minutes at a time for a maximum of three
times without being removed from the table. If you want to sit out,
simply select the Sit Out button on the screen. To return, toggle the
Sit Out/Sit In button.
Note: The sit out time for 5 player max tables is 10 minutes.
-
Sit In
- Toggle the Sit Out/Sit In button to begin play again after sitting
out. You also need to select this button if you have waited too long
to play. When this occurs, the software automatically sits you out.
The
Order Of Playing A Hand
|
Buy-in - When
you are seated at the table, you are prompted with "enter the amount to
buy-in with". The amount displayed to you is set to default to your entire
Planet Poker account balance. If you wish to take a lesser amount to the
table, simply override the amount with the desired buy-in amount. Minimum
buy-in at Planet Poker is 10 times the small bet.
For Pot Limit and No Limit games, the maximum buy-in amount is 100 times
the big blind.
Texas Hold'em Dealer
- (Our dealers never sleep, and they don't accept tips!) The dealer always
sits at the top of the table and deals for all players. The dealer position,
or dealer button, starts at the left of the dealer and moves clockwise one
player after each hand.
To start a hand, the
cards are dealt in a clockwise direction from the dealer button. All new
players to the game must either post the equivalent of the big blind or
wait for their turn in the big blind. This prevents players from gaining
an advantage by avoiding the blinds and jumping in and out of games. Each
time the cards are dealt, a new betting round begins. A hand starts when
the first card is dealt and ends when a winner is declared.
Burn Cards -
The dealer will discard one card at the beginning of each betting round.
These are the burn cards. You won't see the dealer actually burn cards,
but the game software takes care of this.
Dealer Button
- The yellow disc that moves from player to player at the beginning of each
hand is called the dealer button. It identifies the current dealer position
as if that player were actually dealing the cards. The player at this location
is considered to be "on the button". After each completed hand, the dealer
button is moved one player to the left of the last player.
The Hold 'em cards
are dealt in a specific order and betting also takes place in a specific
order. The order is as follows:
Blind - The
small blind is a forced ante made by the player to the immediate left of
the dealer button when facing the table. The big blind is a forced ante
made by the player to the immediate left of the small blind.
Small Blind -
In our Hold'em game, the small blind is a bet/ante equal to one half the
minimum bet, rounded down to the nearest dollar. (Ex. $3-$6 game, small
blind = $1)
Big Blind -
In our Hold'em game, the big blind is a bet/ante equal to the minimum bet.
(i.e. $3-$6 game, big blind = $3)
Missed Blinds -
Players are required to post the small blind and the big blind once per
round or their equivalent upon re-entry to the game if the blinds are missed.
Pocket Deal
- After the blinds bet, the dealer deals two cards (pocket or hole cards)
to each player at which time each player can see their own cards but not
those of their opponents.
Raise/Call/Check/Fold
- Once a betting round has started you must select one of these options.
If you select Leave or Exit after a round has started, your bet will be
considered a fold. If your connection is lost, your hand will be played
as an all-in bet (this feature
will be restricted to a maximum number of times per day, to prevent individuals
from gaining an advantage by purposely simulating a timeout).
Option - The
players that bet blind are given the option to raise, check, call or fold
when it is their turn. Once the betting is completed for the round the dealer
deals the flop.
Flop - After
the first betting round, three community cards, referred to as the flop,
are dealt.
Raise/Call/Check/Fold
- Once a betting round has started you must select one of these options.
Turn Card -
The fourth community card dealt is called the turn card.
Raise/Call/Check/Fold
- Once a betting round has started you must select one of these options.
River Card -
The last card of the five community cards dealt is the river card.
Raise/Call/Check/Fold
- Once a betting round has started you must select one of these options.
Showdown -
When all the betting is done, and if more than one player is still in for
the pot, then the showdown determines who wins. The last player to open
or raise is required to show their cards first, and anyone else can fold
/ muck their cards if they decide they have lost. Players who elect to fold
do not have to show their cards. (The hole cards of all players who stay
in to the showdown are included in the hand history.)
Order
Of Winning Hands
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These are the winning hands listed from highest to lowest. Any disputes arising from these descriptions,
or lack of description, will be settled by Cardroom personnel at support@planetpoker.com,
whose decision will be final.
Royal Flush - This is a straight flush with an Ace as the high card.
Straight Flush - A straight with all five cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank. I.e. a hand where you hold four Aces.
Full House - Any three cards of one rank plus any two cards of another rank makes a full house.
Flush - Five cards of the same suit.
Straight - A hand with five consecutive cards like 2,3,4,5,6. An Ace can be high or
low. When you compare two players with a straight, the straight with the
highest card in it wins.
Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank.
Two Pair - Any two cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank.
Pair - Two cards of the same rank.
Highest Card - If there is nothing better, the highest card wins. If there is more than
one player with the same hand, the five highest cards that play is the winning
hand.
Here are some examples:
If two players have a similar high flush, the highest card not being held
in common wins, i.e.: a 9,7,5,3,2 flush beats a 9,6,5,3,2 flush. If the
highest hand is the board (i.e. the community hand on the table), then the
players that have not folded split the pot. If player one is playing an
Ace-Jack, and player two is playing an Ace-10, and the board cards come
Ace, two, two, five, six, both players have two pair but player one would
win because he has a better "kicker". The "kicker" is the highest hand unpaired
card that plays and adds to the strength of your hand.
Winning Hands For Hi-Lo Games - The pot is split between the best high hand and the best
low hand holding 5 cards ranked 8 or lower. Aces can be high or low.
At Planet Poker, when involved in split pot games of Omaha or 7 Card Stud, straights and flushes
do not count against you for low hand.
For example, the best low hand possible is 5,4,3,2,A. It would be the same strength hand for the
low half of the pot whether it was mixed suits or of the same suit. The
worst low hand possible (that is, the highest hand that would still qualify
for the low hand) is 8,7,6,5,4.
Low hands are typically described from the worst card (the highest card), on down to the next highest
card being used. For example, 8,6,5,2,A is a better “low” hand than 8,7,5,2,A.
If the highest card is common when comparing the strength of two hands, then you will continue
to evaluate the next highest card on down until a winner is determined.
For example, 6,5,4,3,2, would lose to 6,5,4,3,A.
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