Index

§ 1 Introduction

1.1 About the FAQ. Redistribution. How to submit updates and suggestions.

1.2 Who pays for the FAQ? How do I get the best online poker sign-up bonus? And why are those questions related?

1.3 Useful poker links.

§ 2 Poker games and rules

§ 2.1 How to play

2.1.1 What are the basic rules of poker? What are the hand rankings?

2.1.2 What happens if two players have the same hand? How do you divide the pot?

2.1.3 What should I expect the first time I play poker in a casino or card room? What etiquette should I follow?

2.1.4 What is a poker tournament? How does one work? What is a chip race? What is a satellite?

2.1.5 What are some good books about poker?

2.1.6 What are some good magazines about poker?

2.1.7 What are some good poker-related software programs?

2.1.8 What do all these poker terms mean? Table stakes, no limit, all-in, the nuts, drawing dead, and a thousand more...

§ 2.2 Popular poker games

2.2.1 What are some fun home poker games?

2.2.2 How do you play Texas Hold'em?

2.2.3 How do you play Omaha?

2.2.4 How do you play Chowaha?

2.2.5 How do you play no-limit seven-card stud? What is Mississippi Stud?

§ 2.3 More advanced topics

2.3.1 What does pot-limit mean?

2.3.2 What does half-pot-limit mean?

2.3.3 What is a kill pot? What is a game with a kill? What is a half kill?

2.3.4 What is a straddle bet?

2.3.5 What is Hi-Lo declare? What if someone declares both ways but ties?

2.3.6 What is a burn card and why is it dealt?

2.3.7 What happens if there aren't enough cards in the deck to deal the final card in 7-card stud?

§ 2.4 Odds and probabilities

2.4.1 Why are poker hands ranked the way they are?

2.4.2 What is the correct ranking for 3-card poker hands?

2.4.3 Why are ace-hi flushes ranked highest, when it's much harder to get a seven-hi flush? And similarly for two pairs?

2.4.4 What are my chances of sucking out on my opponent in Hold'em?

2.4.5 What are my chances of sucking out on my opponent in Stud?

2.4.6 How many fundamentally different Omaha or Omaha-8 starting hands are there?

§ 2.5 Miscellaneous

2.5.1 What is the difference between a shill and a proposition player? What skills are needed to be one?

2.5.2 What is the Dead Man's Hand?

§ 3 Poker strategy

3.1 What skills are important for Texas Hold'em?

3.2 What is a good preflop strategy for limit Texas Hold'em?

3.3 How does tournament strategy differ from that of regular games?

3.4 Is "checking it down" in a tournament implicit collusion?

3.5 Can one overcome the rake at low limit poker games?

§ 4 Poker community

4.1 When can I meet and play poker with fellow r.g.pers? What are BARGE, FARGO, etc?

4.2 What the hell is Rumple Mintz?

4.3 What is the World Series of Poker?

4.4 What is IRC poker and how can I play?

§ 5 Online poker

5.1 Where can I play online poker against real people for real money? Is it legal? Is it safe?

5.2 What are some advantages of online poker over cardroom poker?

5.3 How do I find out what games are available and how many tables are active at each online site?

5.4 What is the online "cash-out curse"? Is the curse evidence that the sites are rigged?