Betting Rounds in Poker

There are lots of versions of poker, but the general idea is this: some cards of dealt – either community cards or your own private cards – and you evaluate what hand you can make, then bet based on how strong your hand is.

At any time, there are three places money can be:

• In your own private stack of chips; this is your money
• In your active bet – this is money you have in front of you, designated for the bet on this hand; this is not your money anymore – if you don’t win this hand, this money is lost
• In the pot – this is money that has been committed to this hand from prior bets; this is not yours anymore, but you’re hoping you have the best hand so you get it back, along with everyone else’s

In Texas Hold ‘Em, there are four rounds of betting:

• Two cards are dealt private to each player
• First round of betting
• Three community cards are dealt (the “flop”)
• Second round of betting
• One community card is dealt (the “turn”)
• Third round of betting
• The final community card is dealt (the “river”)
• Fourth round of betting
• Hands are evaluated

The key: a round of betting ends when all active bets are equal.

In each round, the first player can do three things:

• Fold: quit the hand, withdraw, and lose any prior bets that are now in the pot; folding in the first round is only a player can get out of a hand without risking any money
• Check: do nothing
• Bet: put some money at risk on that hand – so move money from their private stack to their active bet

Then, going clockwise, every player after the first has three or (possibly) four options:

• Fold: quit the hand, withdraw, lose their active bet, and any prior bets that are now in the pot
• Check: do nothing, but they can only do this if every other player to that point as checked; but if the player before them has bet or raised, they have to equal (call) that bet or fold
• Call: put enough money in to equal the active bet – move money from their private stack to their active bet; a player who calls is staying in the hand, but not raising the stakes
• Raise: put more money than the prior player into their active bet – again, moving money from their private stack to the active bet – at which point the round continues because the bets are no longer equal

Logically, if someone raises, the betting has to then go all around the table again, because no one else is equal to the player who raised. They have “raised the stakes,” and everyone has to choose what to do about it.

When all active bets are equal, all the bets are then committed to the pot (that money is not yours anymore – you’re just trying to win it back now), and the betting round ends. After every betting round, one or more cards are dealt (as above).

Why I Looked It Up

I had never understood it, totally. I was watching Casino Royale, and a big part of that film is based around a poker game. In particular, I didn’t understand when the betting rounds ended. I had some concept of them having to proceed until something happened, but I didn’t know what.

Also, I only had a vague idea of what “call” meant. I had no idea what “check” meant.