Hi, welcome to PokerStars Learn.
I'm James Hartigan, and this is our guide to 'Poker Rules and Etiquette.'
After watching this video,
you'll have a greater understanding of the rules of the game...
and what's expected of you at the table.
Now, if you're totally new to poker,
you might want to start with our 'How to Play Poker' video,
because this guide assumes you know the basics. And of course,
for all the best poker content and more tutorials...
don't forget to hit the subscribe button.
Let's start with how you would deal a poker game.
If you play online or at a casino, you don't have to worry about dealing,
but if you're playing privately with friends, it's customary...
that the player with the Dealer Button actually deals the hand.
Take the deck of cards and shuffle them all facedown.
Any good shuffle is okay,
assuming it mixes up the deck and nobody sees any of the cards.
Then, cut the deck in two and move the lower half to the top.
This is known as cutting the cards.
It's an added security measure to prevent anyone from manipulating...
the cards while shuffling them.
Next, deal to the player to the immediate left of the button - the small blind -
and then work in a clockwise direction, ending with yourself.
Continue dealing until you've dealt two cards facedown to every player.
We then have the pre-flop betting round.
Couple of notes...
In a tournament, a player has to be at their seat when the...
last card is dealt to take part in the hand;
Hole cards are dealt to every position at the table regardless,
but if a player hasn't taken their seat before the last card is dealt,
the hand is automatically mucked, or folded;
In a cash game, a player won't be dealt any cards...
if they're not at the table.
After the first betting round is complete,
you're going to deal the flop.
To do this, simply discard the card on the top of the deck.
Then deal the next three cards face-up in the middle of the table.
Why discard that top card?
'Burning' a card prevents any players knowing what's coming next,
in the unlikely event that the card on the top of the deck has become marked.
It helps protect the integrity of the game.
When dealing the turn, you also burn a card before dealing...
one card face-up to the right of the flop.
And same again with the river.
Burn a card and deal the final community card...
face-up to the right of the turn card.
So, that's the basics of dealing.
Now, let's talk about how to handle your hole cards.
First, it's important you don't show them to anyone else...
while the hand is in progress. Your hole cards are private.
Shield them when you look at them to prevent the players either...
side of you, or anyone standing behind you, from seeing them.
Players usually peel the corners of their cards up with one hand...
and shield with the other.
You can look at your hand at any time, or you don't have to look at all,
but you probably should.
Second, while playing a hand it's good practice to protect...
your hole cards from being accidentally mucked by the dealer,
by keeping them close to you, and either resting your hand on...
the cards or putting a single chip on top of them.
If your hole cards are too far forward, the dealer may think you folded,
and sweep your cards into the muck.
If this happens, it's considered to be your mistake.
It's highly unlikely you'll get your hole cards back and you'll be out of the hand.
Finally, when protecting your cards don't hide them from view.
For example, don't place your chips in front of them.
This might confuse the players and the dealer about whether...
you're still in the hand.
It could even be viewed as an underhand tactic:
A way of trying to stay in the hand without betting,
and moves like this are referred to as 'angle shooting.'
Another thing to mention is that if you're folding, you can't...
just show one player your hole cards.
Casinos generally employ a 'show one, show all' policy...
in the interest of fairness for all players.
Finally, after you folded don't announce your cards to anyone...
while there's still a hand in progress.
Imagine a situation where you make a trivial fold with Jack-Three,
and the flop comes Jack-Three-Three.
You might be frustrated or amused by the situation, but keep it to yourself.
If you're not in the hand you shouldn't do or say anything...
that might influence play.
Let's talk about the times when you will be showing your hole cards.
In our 'How to Play Poker' video, we explained how players will...
reveal their cards at showdown, after the final betting round.
The player whose bet has been called, the aggressor, is expected to show first.
In a live game, the second player doesn't have to show...
if they can't beat their opponent's hand.
If there was no bet on the river, the player to the left of the...
dealer shows first, and then it goes in order clockwise.
There is one exception to this.
If you have an unbeatable hand, known in poker as the 'nuts,'
or the near nuts, you shouldn't wait.
This is known as slow-rolling, and is poor etiquette towards...
your fellow players. Show both cards immediately.
Now, if there's a player who's gone all-in earlier in the hand...
and another player has called, providing there's no one else involved,
both players turn the hole cards face-up before any remaining...
community cards are dealt.
One word of advice.
If you're involved in an all-in situation, don't reveal your cards too early.
Please wait for the dealer to confirm that the action has closed,
and there are no more bets.
If you're too quick, you could lose some calls,
or worse, gain some calls from dominating hands.
Right, let's move on from cards to chips.
For as long as you're playing at the table you will have a stack
of chips in front of you.
You might see players shuffling or riffling their chips, but...
chips must stay on the table at all times for everyone to see.
Players need to make decisions based on how many chips their...
opponents have.
A couple of notes related to this.
You must make sure your higher-value chips are visible.
For example, if you had a stack of 1000s behind a stack of 25s,
it could be judged that you were intentionally...
trying to hide them to trick players,
and you could receive a penalty.
For the benefit of the dealer and other players, it's good...
practice to keep your chips in countable stacks.
Ideally, level stacks of 20, with your highest value chips at the front.
As a tournament progresses and the blinds increase,
low value chips are removed from play when they're no longer needed.
The dealer organizes this and replaces them with higher value chips.
For example, four 25s can be traded for one 100.
This is called coloring up.
In a situation where there are odd chips -
for example, four players at the table each have a single 25 -
the dealer will run a chip race.
They will deal a single card to these four players with the...
highest card earning the 100 chip.
This isn't going to impact your tournament life at all, but it...
does explain where your single green chip went while you...
were on break.
When it comes to betting your chips,
you must be aware of string-betting and avoid doing it.
String-betting is making a single bet in several actions.
A classic example is the movie cliché...
where the villain says "I call your 1,000," - throws a 1,000 chip -
"and I raise you 5,000."
This doesn't happen in real life. It's actually against the rules.
You must put your bet forward in a single motion.
Alternatively, you can verbally announce your bet. That becomes binding.
So you can say "Raise 5,000," and then you can take your time...
counting out your chips and putting them out one at a time.
One time when it's really important to announce your bet...
is when you are raising with one chip.
In a casino, throwing one chip into the middle without saying...
anything is always a call.
Inexperienced players are often caught out by this when they're trying...
to raise with a single chip but fail to verbally announce it.
This rule applies for both larger and smaller chips.
If there's a bet of 100 and you put in a 500 chip, it's a call of a 100.
If you put in a 25 chip by mistake, it's still a call of 100.
And if you place two or more chips into the pot in a single motion...
without saying anything you are likely to be held to a raise.
Here's an example. Your opponent bets 225.
You want to call but you don't have any 100 chips.
You want to make life easy for the dealer,
so you put in a 1000 chip and a 25, so you can get 800 in change.
Unless you say the word call before putting in those chips...
It could be ruled that you have raised to 1,025.
Ultimately, it's good practice to announce all your bets clearly,
while you’re getting comfortable with handling chips,
and to keep your chips in clear view and easily countable.
In the next section, we're going to cover the general etiquette...
of players at the table.
First of all,
you should always be respectful of your fellow players and the dealer.
Players who don't will receive a warning and may be...
asked to leave the casino.
If you're in a multi-way pot -a hand...
with three or more players - then you can't say anything that could...
be seen to influence the actions of the other players.
This is relaxed when only two players are in the hand, at which point...
those players are free to say almost anything they like.
Another issue is when players act out of turn.
A lot of the times it's done by mistake, when players aren't paying attention.
But it's considered unsporting and disrespectful, and can result in...
players being penalized. Just wait for your turn.
Using a phone at the table during a hand is forbidden in a casino.
You're also not allowed to take a phone call at the table, whether...
you're in a hand or not.
You shouldn't have your phone on the surface of the table either.
In fact, there shouldn't be...
anything on the playing surface other than your chips and cards.
As for listening to music, that's okay, as long as you use headphones.
Just make sure you can still keep track of what's happening at the table.
You can also wear a hood, wear a hat, wear sunglasses. All fine.
Finally,
you can take your time when playing a hand within reason.
In tournaments, the blind levels increase at regular intervals.
So taking 15 minutes over a decision in a game with 20 minute...
blind levels will agitate other players.
Players may 'call the clock' and ask the tournament director to put...
a time limit on your decision.
Also, many tournaments now play with a shot clock giving players a fixed amount...
of time for each action on each betting street.
The most important takeaway from this is to be respectful and be alert.
So, now you know the general rules of playing poker,
and you're ready for your game.
I'm James Hartigan. This has been the guide to 'Poker Rules...
and Etiquette from PokerStars.
Please, don't forget to like this video and subscribe for more poker content.
Thanks for watching.