Poker Rules: Hold'em & Video Poker
Both game modes explained: betting rounds and hand rankings in Texas Hold'em, plus bets, holding cards, and the payout table in video poker.
Two Game Modes
Poker Game offers two different kinds of poker, and their rules are not the same. Texas Hold'em is played against other people at a shared table, where the best hand takes the pot. Video poker is a single-player game against a paytable, where your payout depends only on the combination you make. Pick the mode you want to learn.
Texas Hold'em Rules
Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker variant in the world. Every player is dealt two face-down hole cards, and five community cards are placed on the table one stage at a time. Your goal is to make the best five-card hand using any combination of your hole cards and the community cards. A single hand consists of four betting rounds.
Blinds and the Dealer Button
Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer button post mandatory bets — the small blind and the big blind. The big blind is usually twice the small blind. These chips create the starting pot so there is something to play for. After every hand the button moves one seat clockwise, so everyone pays the blinds in turn.
Preflop: Your Hole Cards
Each player receives two face-down cards (hole cards) that only they can see. The first betting round begins: in turn, you can call the big blind, raise, or fold. Each turn is time-limited; when the main timer runs out, your time bank kicks in.
The Flop: Three Community Cards
Three community cards are dealt face up at once, and every remaining player can use them. The second betting round follows, starting with the player to the left of the dealer button. If nobody has bet, you can check and see the next card for free.
The Turn: The Fourth Card
A fourth community card is revealed, followed by the third betting round. At this point you have seen six of your seven cards, so it is usually clear whether a strong hand is still realistic.
The River: Final Card and Final Bets
The fifth and last community card is revealed. The final betting round takes place — pots are usually biggest here, because every hand is already decided and any bluff has to be deliberate.
The Showdown
If more than one player is still in the hand after the river, the cards are revealed. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards. The strongest hand takes the pot; completely identical hands split it evenly. A losing player may choose not to show and discard face down instead — this is called mucking.
Player Actions in Hold'em
When the action reaches you, one of the following moves is available. Which buttons you see depends on whether anyone has already bet in the current round.
| Action | When available | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Fold | At any point on your turn | Discard your cards and leave the hand. Anything you have already put into the pot stays in the pot. |
| Check | If nobody has bet in this round | Pass the action along without adding chips. You stay in the hand. |
| Call | If there is a bet in front of you | Match the current bet and stay in the hand. |
| Raise | If there is a bet in front of you | Increase the bet. The minimum raise equals the size of the previous bet or raise — opponents then have to pay more to stay in. |
| All-in Everything | At any point on your turn | Put all your chips in. If you have less than the current bet, you still play the hand but can only win the part of the pot you covered — the excess goes into a separate side pot. |
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings
Hands are listed from strongest to weakest. Unlike video poker there are no fixed payouts here: you do not earn a multiplier, you take the pot if your hand is the best one at the table.
| Hand | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | A straight flush from ten to ace. The best hand in poker — it cannot be beaten. |
| Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order. |
| Four of a Kind | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 4♦ | Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card. |
| Full House | K K K 7 7 | Three of a kind plus a pair. |
| Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦ | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Ties are settled by the highest card in the flush. |
| Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. The ace plays both high (10-J-Q-K-A) and low (A-2-3-4-5). |
| Three of a Kind | 8 8 8 K 4 | Three cards of the same rank. |
| Two Pair | J J 5 5 A | Two different pairs. Ties are settled by the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the kicker. |
| Pair | 10 10 A 7 3 | Two cards of the same rank. In Hold'em a pair of any rank counts as a hand. |
| High Card | A Q 9 5 2 | No combination at all. Hands are compared by the highest card, then the next one, and so on. |
When two players hold the same combination, the winner is decided by the kicker — the highest card that is not part of the combination but still belongs to the best five cards. If the kickers match too, the hands are equal and the pot is split evenly between the players.
Video Poker: Gameplay
Video poker is a single-player mode. There are no opponents: you play against the paytable, and your payout depends only on the combination you make and the size of your bet.
Choose your Bet
Adjust the amount you want to risk in the current round (limits from 1 to 10 coins). Payouts increase with larger bets.
Get first deal
Click "Deal". The dealer will deal you 5 random cards from a standard deck.
Hold your best cards
Evaluate your hand. Click the cards you want to keep. A HOLD badge will appear on selected cards.
Draw new cards
Click "Next". The cards not marked as HOLD will be discarded, and the dealer will replace them with new cards.
Get paid
If your final 5 cards make a winning combination, you receive a payout. You can collect your win immediately ("Pick Up") or try to multiply it ("Double").
Video Poker: Hand Rankings & Payouts
Payouts are listed as multipliers of your current bet size and apply to video poker only. Texas Hold'em has no fixed payouts — there you win the pot at the table.
| Combination | Payout Multiplier (x) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | x500 | A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit. |
| Straight Flush | x100 | Five cards of the same suit in sequence (e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of Hearts). |
| Four of a Kind | x25 | Four cards of the same rank (e.g. four Queens). |
| Full House | x9 | Three of a kind and a pair (e.g. three Kings and two Sevens). |
| Flush | x6 | Five cards of the same suit (not in sequence). |
| Straight | x4 | Five cards in sequence of different suits. |
| Three of a Kind | x3 | Three cards of the same rank (e.g. three Eights). |
| Two Pair | x2 | Two different pairs (e.g. two Jacks and two Tens). |
| Bonus (Pair of 10s or Higher) Special | x10 | A pair of cards of the same rank, provided their rank is 10 or higher (10, J, Q, K, A). |
Video Poker: Risk Game (Double or Nothing)
Want a larger payout? After any win, a «Double» button becomes available. This is a risk game where you can multiply your winnings several times.
In the risk game, you will see a closed card. Your goal is to correctly guess its color (Red or Black):
- Correct guess — your current winnings are doubled (x2). You can continue or pick up your coins.
- Incorrect guess — your winnings for the current round are lost, and the round ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
In video poker you play alone against a paytable: make a combination and you get paid a fixed multiplier of your bet. In Texas Hold'em you play against other players at a shared table, and the whole pot goes to whoever holds the best five-card hand. Table position, bet sizing, and reading your opponents matter here — not just the luck of the deal.
Tables come in three formats: 2 seats (Heads-Up), 6 seats (6-max), and 9 seats (9-max). A table can be public, so anyone can join, or private, requiring a password known only to you and your friends. Empty seats can be filled by bots, so there is action even outside peak hours.
The buy-in is the amount of chips you bring to the table. Every table has a minimum and a maximum buy-in, and if you run low you can top up your stack within that maximum. Blinds are mandatory bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button before any cards are dealt, creating the starting pot. The big blind is usually twice the small blind, and in tournaments the blinds grow level by level.
Yes. Every Hold'em hand is stored in your hand history, showing the board, every player action, and the cards that went to showdown. Any hand can be played back step by step at adjustable speed, and exported as TXT or JSON so you can analyse it in third-party software.
The game is completely free-to-play and created for entertainment. Upon registration, you receive 100 free coins. No real money deposits are needed. You play purely for fun and strategy practice.
If you run out of coins, you can create a new character in the account selection menu (you can create up to 10 characters in total). Each new character starts with a balance of 100 coins. Additionally, log in daily to receive tickets for the Wheel of Fortune, where you can win coins.
There are two types of tournaments: System (created by administration) and Custom (created by hall owners). Pay the entry fee, register, and play a set number of hands (e.g., 20) within the time limit. Winning players split the tournament prize pool. You can watch other participants live too.
Gaming halls are a unique business mechanic. Accumulate enough coins to purchase a hall. As the owner, you can host tournaments, set a custom commission (0% to 15%), and earn passive income from all tournament entry fees.
Bots in Video Poker are virtual players with an AI logic. They participate in tournaments, chat in global chat, and compete on the leaderboard, keeping the game active at all times.