How to Play Online Poker
The secret to playing online poker? Simple - obtain the best hand from a deck of 52 cards. To help you get started Download Skybook Poker and login. It allows you to watch live games where built-in hints explain what's happening at each event.
Skybook Poker has three types of games:
Take a look at the rules and descriptions of how to play the games. And once you’re ready to get started, don’t forget to consult the Skybook poker glossary or contact our Help center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Texas Hold'em Poker: Rules and Description
1. Sit down - Up to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.
2. Shuffle - The dealer shuffles a deck of 52 playing cards.
3. Post Blinds - Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the 2 players directly to the left of the dealer button must post blinds (bet prior to receiving cards). The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the small blind, equal to half of the minimum bet (e.g. $5 for a 10-20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, equal to the amount of the minimum bet (e.g. $10 for a 10-20 game).
4. Pocket Cards - The first round of cards are dealt. These consist of 2 cards (‘hole’ or ‘pocket cards’) face down to each player. Players can see their own pocket cards.
5. Betting - The first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a 3/6 table, bets are $3 in the first 2 rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be 1 bet and 3 raises in each round. This round is usually referred to as pre-flop.
6. The Flop Cards - Next, 3 cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop. All the players at the table can use all 3 cards to make up their hand. A 2nd round of betting takes place beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. (All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to the left of the dealer button).
7. The Turn Card - The dealer flips another card onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players can use this 6th card now to form a five-card poker hand. It is followed by a 3rd round of betting.
8. The River Card - The dealer places a final card face up on the table. It is called the river card and is followed by a 4th and final round of betting.
9. Showdown - Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card hand they can make using any combination of their pocket cards and the ‘community’ cards. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. In a tie, the pot is split.
See Poker Hand Rankings.
Now that you know the rules for Texas Hold’em, you are ready to play online with Skybook. Click here to download our poker software now and then play for fun or money.
Omaha Poker
Omaha poker follows the same play sequence as Texas Hold'em poker, but with 2 differences:
a) players are dealt 4 ‘pocket’ cards instead of 2
b) players must use 2 ‘pocket’ cards and 3 ‘community’ cards to make the best high hand
Omaha Hi/Low Games
Hi/Low Omaha plays the same as regular Omaha, except that there is an additional way to win a share of the pot.
As in a regular game of Omaha, the Hi winner has the best poker hand. In addition to a Hi winner, there can be a Low winner. The Low winner has 5 different cards below a 9. For example, if between your 2 pocket and 3 community cards, you had a hand consisting of a 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 of mixed suits, you would have a Low hand. If your qualifying Low hand is the best (i.e. lowest) you would be entitled to the Low share of the pot. Your share depends on how many other players won and there may not be a Low winner every hand. You may play 2 different or the same pocket cards for Hi and for Low, along with any 3 community cards.
Pot Limit
We offer Pot Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha table games and tournaments. The progressively higher bets make pot limit very exciting and different from a limit game.
General betting rules for Pot Limit Poker
The mechanical difference between regular Limit games and Pot-Limit games is the betting amounts. In Pot-Limit, a player is permitted (assuming he has enough chips in front of him at the start of the hand to do so) to raise any amount within a certain range, up to the pot size at the time it is that player's turn to act.
Minimum eligible raise: The minimum allowable raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $10 then the second player must raise a minimum of $10 (total bet of $20).
Maximum eligible raise: The maximum allowable raise is the size of the pot. The size of the pot is defined as the total of the pot in the middle plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.
Example: Let's consider an example where the blinds are $1-$2. The next player to act can fold, call the $2, or raise by placing any amount between $4 and $7 in the pot.
If the player bets $4, he has raised the minimum, because the previous bet was $2, and he is doubling that.
If the player bets $7, he is betting the maximum, because he is first calling the $2 blind bet, creating a total pot size of $5, and then raising the size of the pot. The $2 call plus the $5 raise yields the $7 bet.
Our poker software calculates the proper raise range allowed and will not allow a player to make a raise too small or too large. As you can see, if several players in a row decide to make pot-sized raises, the size of a pot can escalate rather quickly.
Our pot limit and no limit tables have a betting ‘slider’ which allows you to bet many amounts between the minimum and maximum bet size. You can customize the location of the ‘slider’ bet feature in the game.
No Limit Poker
The rules of No-Limit Holdem are very similar to the rules for Limit Holdem. The main difference is the betting amounts permitted.
In No-Limit, any player is allowed to raise any amount he or she has in front of him at any time. If the blinds are $1-$2, and the first player to act has $200 in front of him, and wants to put all $200 in (a raise of $198), he is entitled to do so.
Minimum eligible raise: The minimum size of raises that are allowed must always be at least the size of the previous bet or raise.
Example: In a game with $5-$10 blinds, the first player into the pot could not bet a total of $15, because that would only be a raise of $5. The minimum bet in this situation would be a bet of $20, which is a raise of $10.
In the more likely case that the first raiser makes a somewhat larger bet, for example, a bet of $40 (which would be a raise of $30), the next player could fold, call the $40, or raise.
If he raises, he would have to place at least $70 in the pot, because his raise would have to be at least as much as the previous raise. The only upper limit on the size of his raise is the number of chips he has in front of him when the hand begins.
Maximum eligible raise: The total amount of chips you have at the table!
All games are table stakes.
Players may not buy additional chips in the middle of a hand, but can always (unless they exceed their daily, weekly, or monthly limit) decide to buy more chips in between hands.
If a player bets more chips than you have in front of you, you are not forced out of the hand. You are allowed to call for whatever number of chips you have (go all in). If no one else is in the pot, the bettor simply takes back his excess chips, and the hand is played to conclusion without any additional betting. If there are other players remaining in the pot, it is possible that a side pot may be created.
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