SOME STANDARD RULES

A maximum of four bets, which includes one bet, and three raises are allowed for each betting round per player. The term cap is used to describe the final raise in a round since betting is then capped and no one can make another raise. Once capped, players will have the option of calling or folding only. Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action of folding basically shows the player cards being moved to the dealer. The player from then on would not be considered as part of the game. He/she would not have any rights over any pots created on the table.

Apart from the fold option, a player could also get the option of “Check”, in which the player can pass his/her turn without placing a bet. This option would not always be available to the player, and depends on the actions taken by the previous player in the hand. The player HAS TO equal the amount of bet placed by any other players for each round in the hand.

Poker is typically played "table stakes", meaning only the chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be used throughout the hand. This means that the player cannot get additional funds from the cashier while he is in the midst of a game. The table stakes rule has an application called the "All-In" rule, which states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a hand because the player does not have enough chips to call a bet.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE VALUE OF BETTING IN EACH ROUND

A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is declared All-In. The player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of his final wager. All further action involving other players takes place in a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player who has already gone All-In. When a player goes All-in, the pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which the All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in, all the new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing players have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights over the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning combination.

As this is a multi player game, the players are expected to play within a set time frame, the actions during their turn. On EmpirePoker we provide players with approximately 30 seconds to play with. Initially the player is given 10 seconds, after which there is a timer countdown, which is displayed on the table for 20 seconds. The user goes all-in if he has contributed some money to the pot; otherwise his hand is folded in case he/she does not respond in time. The system is intelligent in detecting if the player has got disconnected or not. This means if a players gets disconnected and reconnects back and he has some seconds left for his turn, then he is given an additional 20 seconds to play his turn. But if the player is not able to connect back to the table before the time elapses, then the player goes All-in. All-in basically means that the player is in the game, but would not be an active player (placing any bets). Whatever pot is collected till this time is referred as the main pot, and the all-in player has rights (if he wins) to this pot only. After this the money that is bet on the table is added to a side pot, over which the all-in player does not have any rights (if he wins).

THE SHOWDOWN

After the final round of betting, it’s time for – Showdown. This refers to the action of deciding who the winner of the pot is and display of the cards from all players (though this is optional for the player, he/she need not show the cards). Five cards of the total of hole and community cards are to be used for deciding on the winning hands. A combination of the following may be used -

• Both hole cards and three community cards
• One hole card & four community cards
• All five community cards (playing the board)

The highest hand according to the standard POKER HAND RANKINGS wins. In the event of a tie, the pot is split amongst the players holding the winning hand. This may occur for example if the cards on the table are K, Q, J, 10, 3 with no more than 2 cards of any suit, and 2 or more players hold an ace. The winning hand is a straight ACE high.