]> http://www.pokerlaunch.com/taxonomy/term/382/0 en http://www.pokerlaunch.com/node/9 <p>The descriptions below assume that you are familiar with the general game play of <a href="http://www.pokerlaunch.com/Play" target="_blank">poker</a>, and with <a href="http://www.pokerlaunch.com/Play" target="_blank">poker</a> hands. They also make no assumptions about what <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term110"><acronym title="betting structure: The set of specific rules for any game covering how much one may or must bet at any point in the game, including forced bets, limits, and raising cap. See betting structure.">betting structure</acronym></a> is used. In casino play, it is common to use a <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term262"><acronym title="fixed limit: A betting structure in which a player never chooses the amount to bet, only whether to bet a fixed amount or not.">fixed limit</acronym></a> and two blinds, one for half of the first-round <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term379"><acronym title="betting: The act of wagering money during the play of a hand.">betting</acronym></a> limit and one for a full <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term107"><acronym title="bet: Any money wagered during the play of a hand. ">bet</acronym></a>. (This double-<a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term119"><acronym title="blind: A term applied to any action taken by a player before seeing some piece of information to which that player would normally be entitled before that action. For example, a player who would be first to act after the draw in a draw poker game might discard cards and then announce &quot;I bet $10 blind&quot; before looking at his replacement cards. One can similarly check blind, raise blind, etc. Also &quot;dark&quot; or &quot;in the dark&quot;.">blind</acronym></a> structure is relatively recent; until 20 or 30 years ago, a single-<a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term120"><acronym title="blind: A type of forced bet.">blind</acronym></a> structure was most common.) The limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is generally double that of the first two rounds. Occasionally, the fourth <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term108"><acronym title="bet: More specifically, the opening bet of a betting round.">bet</acronym></a> is larger still (a big <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term361"><acronym title="river: The fifth card dealt in communal card games such as Texas hold 'em.">river</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term109"><acronym title="bet: In a fixed limit game, the standard betting amount. There were six bets in the pot when I called.">bet</acronym></a>), and the big blind is sometimes less than the normal first-round bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term137"><acronym title="bring-in: A kind of forced bet.">bring-in</acronym></a> is treated in <a class="glossary-term" href="glossary/2#term371"><acronym title="stud: A card placed upwards in Stud poker; also, that form of poker itself.">stud</acronym></a> <a href="http://www.pokerlaunch.com/Play" target="_blank">poker</a>. Antes may be used instead of or in addition to blinds; this is especially true in tournament play. The game also plays very well at the no-limit level, and many tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series championship event) are played that way.</p> Sun, 12 Dec 2004 03:36:18 -0500