Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
The Betting After the Draw
The Betting After the Draw The player who opened the pot has the first turn of play after the draw, and the play goes on to each active player, starting with the player to the opener's left and moving clockwise. A turn of play now consists of either checking, betting, calling, dropping out, raising or reraising. But a player cannot check at his turn of play after a bet has been made. The play continues around the table until one of the following situations develops:
A player has made a bet
A player has made a bet and is not called by any player, in which case he wins the pot and does not have to expose his hand, unless he was the opener. Then he is compelled to show his openers only. 2. All players have passed; and now the opener must be the first player to expose his hand for the showdown. This is done by announcing the rank of his hand and turning his five cards face up on the table. The same holds for all the remaining players, continuing with the first remaining player to the opener's left and rotating clockwise. 3. Or, an equal amount has been put into the pot by betting on the part of two or more active players. In this case the first bettor or raiser is being called, and he must be the first to announce the rank of his hand and turn it face up on the table for the showdown. The first active player to his left does the same, the showdown rotating clock wise. The player holding the highest-ranking hand wins the pot. For rules pertaining to two or more tied hands see "Object of the Game," under General Rules for Poker, page 39.