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Betting
Without betting, poker
would be a game of luck and the best hand would always win.
It would be pretty boring too - about as exciting as flipping
coins. Betting is the key to poker. Remember, poker is a game of money played with cards: Maximizing wins with your
good hands while minimizing losses when you're beaten is
what poker's all about.
- In fixed-limit games, the most common type online, bets
and raises are made in tiered, predetermined amounts. In
fixed-limit Omaha and Texas hold'em games, bets double on
the last two betting rounds. If you're playing a $4-$8 games,
the first two rounds of betting are based on four-dollar
increments, while the last two rounds are based on eight-
dollar limits. In stud games, betting doubles on the third
betting round, when you have five cards in front of you.
Poker players call this round "Fifth Street."
It's a term you'll hear a lot, so you might as well learn
it now.
- In spread-limit games, bettors can wager any amount within
given limits. If the limits are $2-$10, bets can be made
at any amount of even dollar increments at any time, as
long as a raise is at least equal to the bet or raise that
preceded it.
- Many games and tournaments online are played pot-limit.
In them. bets or raises are limited only by the amount of
money in the pot when it's time to act. Beginners, be warned:
This can be a big games! A player who raises may count his
call as part of the pot. So if the pot contains $20 and
someone wagers $20, a raiser may match that $20 bet - thus
making the total pot $60 - and raise another $60. When the
raiser is done, he'll have tossed $80 into the pot, making
the total amount of money in the pot $120.
- In a no-limit games, a player may bet or raise any amount
of chips in his stack at any time. This games structure is
very popular for Internet tournaments, and there are some
no-limit cash games online as well. This is a game with
no brakes, so when played for cash, it's not for beginners.
That said, in either pot-limit or no-limit games, the amount
you have on the table is the most you can lose in any one
hand. If you have just ten dollars in chips, that's the
most you can lose unless you buy more.
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