When do the cards appear?
A street does not finish simply because you have acted once. A raise brings the decision back to players who must respond to the increase. Betting ends when the required actions are complete and contributions are matched, except for players already all-in.
If only one player remains, the hand ends immediately. If multiple players remain but no further betting decisions are possible because stacks are all-in, the necessary cards are dealt for showdown. “No limit” does not let you add fresh chips in the middle of a hand.
| Street | Community cards visible | Action begins |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-flop | None | After the big blind, except heads-up |
| Flop | 3 cards | First remaining player after the button |
| Turn | 4 cards | First remaining player after the button |
| River | 5 cards | First remaining player after the button |
How do you find the minimum raise?
In No-Limit Hold’em, a normal opening bet is at least one big blind. A full raise must increase the current wager by at least the last full raise increment. Compare the increases, rather than doubling every displayed total.
At 5 / 10 blinds, suppose a player raises to 30. That is an increase of 20 over the big blind, so the next minimum full raise is to 50. A player who has already committed 10 and raises to 50 adds another 40 from their stack.
A short stack may go all-in for less than a full raise. This does not automatically reopen raising for everyone who has already acted. Follow the legal options displayed at the table; live tournament procedures do not replace the digital table’s rules.
Showdown compares exactly five cards
When two or more players finish the river betting, their best five-card hands determine the winner. You may use zero, one or two hole cards. There is no sixth-card tiebreaker, and suits do not outrank one another in a hand comparison.
On a board of A♣ K♦ Q♠ J♥ 10♣, every remaining player has an ace-high straight under these stated conditions. Holding another ace does not make yours stronger. This is a clear example of playing the board and splitting the pot.
Why is there a side pot?
A short stack cannot win contributions it could not match. Suppose three players commit 40, 100 and 100 to a hand. The main pot is 120: forty from each player. The extra sixty from each deeper stack forms a separate side pot of 120.
The player who committed 40 can win only the main pot; the other two can contest both. One player can win the main pot while another wins the side pot. An excess wager that nobody matches is returned to its owner rather than becoming an extra prize.
Common questions
Does the big blind always act last?
The big blind acts last on the initial pre-flop pass if the hand continues, but not necessarily last in the betting round: raises can return the action to other players. It may check when no raise is outstanding. After the flop, action order is based on the button rather than the blind size.
Does no limit let me wager my whole wallet?
No. Your limit is the stack available at the table for the hand, not your whole wallet or fresh chips added during the hand.
Are Hold’em and Omaha rules identical?
They share the community-card streets, but Omaha requires exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards. Pot-Limit Omaha also has a different betting cap.
Rules and references
These references explain general poker rules. Hoot’s current product details are described in our fair-play guide.