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Poker FAQ

Updated

WHAT

  • The most common and popular type of poker is No Limits’ Texas Hold’em or NLHE, this is a Poker game where players try to make the best 5 card hand out of the 2 cards that are dealt to them, and the 5 community cards that are dealt for the entire table.Players typically bet according to the perceived value of their hand and its worth, compared to other players. The person with the best hand out of all other players ends up taking home everything that was bet previously.

  • Pot Limit Omaha, or PLO, is a Poker game that operates very similarly to Texas Hold’em. The main difference is that players have 4 cards dealt to them and must make the best possible hand using only 2 of their cards and 3 of the 5 community cards. Additionally, as the name would suggest, the maximum bet amount that’s allowed depends on the size of the pot. Unlike No Limit Hold’Em, you can’t bet an unlimited number of chips, you must only bet amounts that go up to the pot limit, or less.

WHERE

  • You can quickly join a poker table based on your current bankroll by navigating to your Holotable in your Casino One Suite and selecting “Poker” and then “HOLD’EM” for No Limit Texas Hold’em (NLHE), or “POT LIMIT OMAHA” for Pot Limit Omaha (PLO).

    You can also quick join the poker tables from your Menu by selecting "PLAY QUICK GAME" on the bottom left of your menu, and selecting "HOLD'EM POKER" for NLHE, "OMAHA POKER" for PLO, and "SPIN & GO POKER" for NLHE Spin & Go tournaments.

    You can browse through existing tables by selecting "FIND EXISTING GAME" and selecting "POKER CASH GAMES" or "TOURNAMENTS MULTITABLE + SIT & GO". In the "POKER CASH GAMES" section, you can look through tables based on your criteria for filters, either for HOLD'EM or PLO by changing your settings at the top of this menu. Press the refresh circle to update the list if needed, while the settings icon to the left of the refresh button will allow you to choose filters for this list.

    Selecting the "TOURNAMENTS MULTITABLE + SIT & GO" option will allow you to browse Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) open for registration, as well as any running Sit & Go tournament tables.

    You can choose to host your own poker Cash style or Sit & Go tournament tables on the browsing screen. From here you can choose the number of players, the table stakes, the location, password protection, as well as ante and straddle options (NLHE only) for Cash games. For Sit & Go tournaments, you can choose the max players, buy-in for the tournament, the location, password protection, and the speed of the tournament.

    Spin & Go tournaments cannot be hosted and are only accessible through quick join options. These tournaments start automatically when 3 players are seated at the table.

  • There is also a poker tutorial where you can learn the basics of the game. Open your Menu and select “Poker” on the main page. On the left side will be an option for “Poker Tutorial” (VR only). Select “Yes, learn” to begin the tutorial.
    • Note: You will get 100 Creds for completing this tutorial

TERMS

  • Ante
    • A small bet all players are required to make before a hand is dealt. An ante is similar to a blind, but everyone has to contribute before a hand commences. Antes give the pot a value right off the bat.
  • Straddle 
    • An optional pre-deal bet, typically made by the player to the left of the big blind. The straddle amount is twice the big blind (same as a legal raise). The straddler earns the "option" from the big blind. They may re-raise when the action comes around to them. A straddle is a cash game convention and is not usually permitted in a tournament.
  • Blinds
    • The generic term for either the big blind or the small blind.  If you are one of the blinds, you are sitting either immediately to the left of the dealer button (small blind position) or one position left of the small blind (big blind).
  • Pot
    • The place in the center of the poker table where wagered chips are placed, ready to be won. The winner of the hand can win all the chips in the pot.
    • Side Pots occur when a player participating in a pot is all-in, but other participants in the hand have more unused chips in their stack that can be bet. A player who is all-in on a pot can not participate in any Side Pots created above their stack size.
    • Split Pots occur when two or more players tie at Showdown, having the exact same hand rank and card rank, including kickers (if applicable). The pot will be divided evenly to all winners, minus rake.
  • Check
    • To pass action to the next player without adding any additional chips to the pot.
  • Call
    • To contribute the minimum amount of chips to the pot necessary to continue playing in a hand.
  • Raise
    • To wager more than the minimum required to call, forcing other players to put in more chips as well.
  • Fold
    • To opt out by placing your cards face down on the table, losing whatever you have bet so far. 
  • Action
    • (1) One's turn to act during a hand.
    • (2) To bet or raise.
    • (3) Used to describe a game in which there is a lot of betting and raising.
  • Dealer or Button
    • The nominal position of the dealer. In live poker, it's usually denoted by placing a plastic disk in front of the dealer. It rotates clockwise each time the dealer shuffles for a new hand. The dealer button is an advantageous position, for they act last in a betting round.
  • Small Blind
    • The smaller of the two blind bets. The amount of chips the first player to the left of the dealer has to bet. Like an ante, it is a posted amount that makes the pot worth playing for before the action begins. It is equivalent to one complete first round bet. It's called a blind because it amounts to placing a bet without seeing the cards first.
  • Big Blind
    • The amount of chips the second player to the left of the dealer has to bet. The amount depends on the stakes. Like an ante, it is a posted amount that makes the pot worth playing for before the action begins. It is equivalent to one complete first round bet. It's called a blind because it amounts to placing a bet without seeing the cards first.
  • Hole Cards 
    • These are the two cards that are dealt face down to each player at the beginning of the game. Also referred to as "Pocket Cards".
  • Community Cards 
    • Cards that are dealt face up in the center of the table, available for all players to use in making a hand.
  • Flop
    • The first three community cards dealt out after the first round of betting is complete.
  • Turn
    • The fourth community card. Dealt face-up, by itself. Also known as "Fourth Street". 
  • River
    • The final of the five community cards.
  • Showdown
    • The point in the game where all remaining players reveal their hands to determine the winner.
  • Muck
    • Returning cards to the discard pile without revealing the cards to other players. Can also refer to the discard pile itself.
  • Kicker
    • If two or more hands tie hand rank and card rank, a kicker is the next highest single card in a given hand up to five total cards. Only High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, and Four of a Kind are able to have kicker cards.
  • High Card
    • In a hand of poker that has 5 different cards that do not form any kind of match based on their value, the highest card is the high card and it is only useful against another hand of 5 unmatched cards if a showdown takes place.
  • Pair
    • Two cards of the same rank.
  • Two Pair
    • Two pairs of two cards of the same rank.
  • Three of a Kind/Triples/Trips
    • Three of the same card of the same rank.
  • Straight
    • A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence but not in suit.
  • Flush
    • A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence.
  • Full House 
    • A hand consisting of three of a kind and a (different) pair.
  • Four of a Kind/Quads
    • Four of the same card of the same rank.
  • Straight Flush
    • A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence and the same suit.
  • Royal Flush
    • An ace-high Straight Flush, the best possible hand in NLHE and PLO poker.
  • Board
    • The community cards that everyone uses in combination with their hole cards to form the best hand.
  • Rake
    • The amount that the house takes out of a pot for a given poker hand.
  • Run it Twice
    • When one player is all in before the river, players can agree to run it twice, with the remaining streets being dealt twice.

HOW

  • Poker consists of 4 main events/stages
    • (Pre-flop) Everyone gets two cards (dealt face down) in No Limit Texas Hold’em, or four cards in Pot Limit Omaha.
      • Small Blind pays their required amount.
      • Big Blind pays their required amount.
      • All players can either fold, call the big blind, or raise.
        • If one player raises, all subsequent players have to fold, call the raised amount, or re-raise.
    • (Flop) Three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table.
    • (Turn) A fourth card is dealt face up in the middle of the table.
    • (River) A fifth card is dealt face up in the middle of the table.
    • After the cards are revealed at all of these stages, all players have the option to check, bet, call, raise or fold their hand.
    • The player with the best 5 card hand at the end of the river, wins the entire pot; in NLHE this can be any 5 of the 7 total cards available: 2 hole cards, and 5 community cards, in PLO exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards must be used to make the 5 card hand.
  • There exist a few different types/game modes for Poker in Vegas Infinite
    • Cash
      • Regular, casual mode where players can come and go whenever they please, and can continue to reload chips as many times as they want.
    • Sit & Go
      • A tournament style that starts when enough players join - with no designated start time.
      • Operates like a single table tournament - players pay a set entry fee and all start with the same amount of chips, competing to be the last one standing for a prize.
      • Sit & Go's either start when 2 or more players all throw in their Ready button, or when the table hits full capacity.
    • Spin & Go
      • 3 person game mode where players pay a set amount and spin a prize wheel at the start determining what the prize is for winning the Spin & Go.  
    • MTT (Multi-table tournaments)
      • Tournament where 100s or 1000s of players all register and pay a buy-in, and compete for a large prize pool.
      • These tournaments are all scheduled starts .
      • As player count gets smaller and smaller, players will be moved to new tables to play against other players, slowly working its way down to a final table .
      • MTTs have multiple payout structures but we employ a Top 10% payout model for most events.

         

CONTROLS

VR:

  • Pick up chips and cards with the grip buttons on your controller (Meta). To view your cards without removing them from the table, press front trigger button (Meta) and rotate the controller to peel back the top parts of the cards

  • CHECK: Move your finger against the check icon on the table twice.
  • CALL: Pick up chip stack from betting circle and throw them in to the middle of the table. You can also select an equal or lower number of chips than the minimum required to call and throw them in to the middle of the table. If your call is less than the minimum amount required, the difference in chips required to call will be taken from your stack.
  • BET/RAISE: Add additional chips to your betting circle before throwing them in the middle of the table, or grab a stack greater than the minimum required to call (if raising) / greater than zero (if betting) and throw them in to the middle of the table. If your bet is less than the minimum amount required, the differences in chips required to bet/raise will be taken from your stack.
  • ALL-IN: To go all-in, you can use the "All-In Button" by pressing the left thumbstick (Meta), selecting the right quickslot item, and throwing the All-In Button in to the center of the table. You can also go all-in by pressing both wrists together and pushing your stack in to the center of the table, by calling a bet that is equal to or greater than your current stack size, or by adding all of your chips to your betting circle before throwing them in to the center of the table.
  • FOLD: To fold your hand, pick up your cards and throw them in to the center of the table.

  • At the conclusion of a hand in NLHE poker, if all players have folded to you, you can choose to reveal one or both hole cards, or keep them hidden. To show both cards, pick up your hand with the grip button (Meta) and press the joystick button to flip the cards. To show a single card, press the thumbstick left with your avatar hand hovering over your hole cards until the left card rotates slightly, and then follow the process above. To show the right card, follow this process but press your thumbstick right.

  • Chip stacks in the poker game mode can be changed to higher or lower chip value.
    • To increase a stack of chips in to a higher chip value, pick up a stack containing chips that are divisible for the next chip value. After doing so, a button should appear on your wrist on the opposite arm that allows you to consolidate the stack as a higher chip value.
    • To decrease a single chip in to a stack of lower value chips, hold a single chip in your hand and repeat the process above.
    • Different stakes have different minimum and maximum chip values, and you will not be able to change values beyond these predesignated limits.

 

 

NON-VR:

  • On PC, press (C) to toggle your camera angles.

  • To view your hole cards, you can click them with your mouse on the UI, on the table in front of your avatar, or on PC by pressing the (Space Bar) button.
  • CHECK: Select the "Check" option, or press (F1) .
  • CALL: Select the "Call" option or press (F1).
  • BET/RAISE: Add additional chips to Bet or Raise by moving the slider on the left to the desired chip amount and selecting the "Bet" or "Raise" option (F2 on PC). Divisions of pot size are also available for quick selections.
  • ALL-IN: To go All-In, increase your bet or raise amount to your total stack before selecting the usual "Bet" or "Raise" option.
  • FOLD: To fold your hand, pick up your cards and throw them in to the center of the table.

  • At the conclusion of a hand in NLHE poker, if all players have folded to you, you can choose to reveal one or both hole cards, or keep them hidden. You can select "Show Left", "Show Right", or "Show Both". For PLO poker, you can choose to "Show" or "Muck".



No action taken by the player when the turn timer expires will result in an automatic check if no bet is present to call, and an automatic fold if a bet has been placed by a previous player action. Depending on the game mode, multiple automatic timeout actions may result in your account sitting out until you toggle the "sit in" button found in your menu.

If you are currently sitting out, you may be blinded/anted out depending on the game type and settings. Full cash NLHE or PLO tables will begin a table kick timer that will stop if you sit in before the timer completes, or if a player leaves, opening at least 1 seat.

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