Official Poker Rules

When it comes to playing poker, there are many rules and regulations that players must adhere to. These are often a combination of local and international poker rules. The Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) has worked to create a standard set of rules that are used globally.

Official Poker

The game is played against the house with a fixed number of cards being dealt to each player. The game is divided into betting rounds, with one player acting as dealer (in a casino this will be provided) and two other players taking forced bets of a pre-determined amount. After the forced bets are made the players receive their cards. Each player is dealt two cards that are face down and these are called their hole cards.

It is important that the card dealing is done correctly. There are a few key rules that need to be followed. These include not showing cards to other players and making sure that a hand is declared before showdown. In some cases, a dealer will expose a card, but if the player has a winning hand they must still play it.

Verbally declaring an action is binding, so if you say that you are going to raise, then you must raise (Rule 3). A player may ask for a deck change but only if there is OOT action before it is needed. Players, dealers and the floor are entitled to a reasonable estimation of their opponents’ chip stacks but must request a more precise count when facing an all-in bet (Rule 25). Visible and countable chips greatly improve counting accuracy.