The Bodog Online Poker Room is your single source for poker information, poker strategy, news and online gambling information. Feel free to navigate through our online poker section and once you feel comfortable with the game of poker, join up and play for free or for real money. The Bodog Online Poker team is dedicated to giving you the most comprehensive information on poker strategy, information and news. Poker Hand Rankings One of the most confusing things for any new poker player is the order of hand rankings. The poker hands listed below are ranked from the Royal Flush (highest) to the High Card (lowest). These hand rankings are generally consistent throughout every variation of online poker. The hand rankings in all poker games at Bodog Poker follow the method used in any standard poker card game. Texas Holdem, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Stud games are played with the player holding the highest ranking hand winning the pot. Omaha Hi/Lo and 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo are played with the pot being split between the highest ranking hand and the lowest ranking hand when a qualifying low hand exists. Poker Hand Rankings One of the most confusing things for any new poker player is the order of hand rankings. The poker hands listed below are ranked from the Royal Flus.

h (highest) to the High Card (lowest). These hand rankings are generally consistent throughout every variation of online poker. The hand rankings in all poker games at Bodog Poker follow the method used in any standard poker card game. Texas Holdem, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Stud games are played with the player holding the highest ranking hand winning the pot. Omaha Hi/Lo and 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo are played with the pot being split between the highest ranking hand and the lowest ranking hand when a qualifying low hand exists. Got it already? You can practice poker for Free at Bodog Online Poker Room. Poker Hand Ranking for High Royal Flush Hand Ranking Royal Flush Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all in the same suit. If two or more Royal Flushes exist at showdown, the pot is split. Straight Flush Hand Ranking Straight Flush Five cards in numerical sequence all in the same suit. Tied Hand: If two or more Straight Flush exist at showdown, the highest ranked card at the top of the sequence wins the pot. If two or more identical sequences exist, the pot is split. Four of a Kind Hand Ranking Four of a Kind Four cards of the same rank with fifth card being the highest eligible card. Tied Hand: If two or more Four of a Kinds exist in a hand, the highest four of a kind wins. Games played with community cards where players have the same four of a kind, the highest fifth card by rank (kicker) wins. If the kicker is also of the same rank, the pot is split. Full House Hand Ranking Full House Three cards of matching rank with two cards of different matching rank. Tied Hand: If two or more Full Houses exist at showdown, the highest three matching cards wins. Games played with community cards where players have the same three matching cards, the highest value of the two matching cards wins. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Flush Hand Ranking Flush Five cards of matching suit. Tied Hand: If two or more Flushes exist in a hand, the player holding the Flush with the highest ranked card is the winner. When necessary, the second, third, fourth or fifth highest cards are used to break a tie. If two or more exactly ranked flush hands exist, the pot is split. Straight Hand Ranking Straight Five cards in ranked sequence. Tied Hand: If two or more Straights exist at showdown, the player holding the Straight with the highest ranked card is the winner. If two or more exactly ranked straights exist, the pot is split. Three of a kind Hand Ranking Three of a kind Three cards of matching rank with two cards of different ranks. Tied Hand: If two or more Three of a Kinds exist at showdown, the highest Three of a Kind wins. Games played with community cards where players have the same three matching cards, the highest ranked fourth (or fifth when necessary) card wins. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Two Pair Hand Ranking Two Pair Two cards of matching rank with two additional cards of a different matching rank. The fifth card is an unrelated rank. Tied Hand: If two or more players have Two Pairs at showdown, the highest pair wins. If the highest pair is the same rank, the highest second pair wins. If both pairs are identical, the highest fifth card by rank (kicker) wins. If the kicker is also of the same rank, the pot is split. One Pair Hand Ranking One Pair Two cards of matching rank with three additional cards of unrelated ranks. Tied Hand: If two or more players have One Pair at showdown, the highest pair by rank wins. If pairs of the same rank exist, the highest ranked unrelated card wins. The second and third highest ranked unrelated cards are used when necessary. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. High Card Hand Ranking High Card Five cards that are not of the same suit, are not ranked sequentially and uniquely ranked. Tied Hand: If two or more players have High Card at showdown, the highest ranked card wins. The second, third, fourth and fifth highest ranked cards are used when necessary. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Poker Hand Ranking for Low For low hand rankings, the individual rank of each of the five cards must be unique. Suits and ranked sequences (flushes and straights) are not considered when ranking low hands making these hands eligible for both the low and high hands. Along with Aces being the highest card for High hand ranks, Aces are used as the lowest card for low hand ranks. Five High Hand Ranking Five High Also known as the 'bicycle' or 'wheel' - Five, Four, Three, Deuce and Ace. Tied Hand: This is the lowest possible 'Low' hand. If two or more Five High exist at showdown, the pot is split. Six High Hand Ranking Six High Five uniquely ranked cards with the highest card being a Six. Tied Hand: If two or more Six High exist at showdown, the lower second ranking card wins. The third, fourth and fifth highest ranked cards are used when necessary. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Seven High Hand Ranking Seven High Five uniquely ranked cards with the highest card being a Seven. Tied Hand: If two or more Seven High exist at showdown, the lower second ranking card wins. The third, fourth and fifth highest ranked cards are used when necessary. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Eight High Hand Ranking Eight High Five uniquely ranked cards with the highest card being an Eight. Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four is the weakest hand that qualifies for the 'Low'. Tied Hand: If two or more Eight High exist at showdown, the lower second ranking card wins. The third, fourth and fifth highest ranked cards are used when necessary. If the hands are identical in rank, the pot is split. Poker Rules of Omaha This variation of Texas Holdem is quickly gaining international popularity as an action style game that creates big pots. Omaha and Texas Holdem are played the same way, except that in Omaha, instead of two pocket cards face down, each player starts with four, and at the showdown players must use two (only two) of their four cards in combination with three (only three) of the community cards to create the best five-card hand. If you're new to poker, or you haven't played Texas Holdem yet, here are the full rules: Basic Rules for Omaha Our poker room has three different types of Omaha, with the only difference between them being the amounts and limits available for each betting round. In a Fixed Limit game, both the bet and raise amounts for each round are a preset amount. For example, in a $5/$10 Fixed game, both the bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting must be $5, no more, no less. The last 2 rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10. In a Pot Limit Game, the maximum bet/raise can't be more than the current pot amount. So, if the pot is $30, you can't bet more than $30. One thing to note: If you are raising on a player's bet, your call is already included in the pot. So, for example, let's say the pot is $100. Player X opens the betting with $100. Your maximum bet is now $300 (Pot = Initial $100 + Player X's $100 + your $100) The final game type is No Limit. The name says it all; there are no maximum bet limits. You can bet as much as you like during any round of betting, with the minimum bet the same as the big blind amount. No Limit Omaha makes for some pretty big pots, and lots of action. Now that you've chosen a game type, it's time to talk about 3 other betting concepts... The Stakes, The Cap, and The Blinds. Got it already? You can practice poker for Free at Bodog Online Poker Room. The Stakes: The stakes are tied directly to the game type you select. For a Fixed Limit game, the stakes dictate the bet and raise amount for each round. Let's use our $5/$10 stakes example again. In the first two rounds of betting, both the bet and the raise must be $5, no more, no less. The last 2 rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10. The Cap: In 5-card stud, each round of betting can consist of one bet and has a maximum of three of allowable raises, known as the cap. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must call, or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand the cap is increased, to a maximum of 5 raises. In both the Pot Limit and No Limit games, the stakes represent the amounts posted as the blinds. More on the blinds next... The Blinds: The blinds are mandatory bets posted by two players at the start of each hand, before any cards are dealt. The player directly to the left of the dealer posts the small blind, which in a fixed limit game is half the small stake, rounded down to the nearest dollar, and in pot limit/no limit games is equal to the small stake. The player to the left of him posts the big blind, which in a fixed game is equal to the small stake, and in pot limit/no limit games the big stake. Sound complicated? It really isn't. Let's use our trusty $5/$10 stakes again. In a fixed limit game, the small blind posts $2 (half of $5 rounded down). The big blind posts $5. In a $5/$10 pot limit/no limit game, the small blind posts $5, and the big blind posts $10. In Omaha we use blinds as an incentive for players to play a hand, and build the pot. Consider the blinds like a mandatory bet and raise; any players that want to play the hand must match the big blind to stay in. The blinds are considered live bets, so when the action goes around the table and returns to them, they have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding as they see fit. Some other notes about blinds: Any player has the option of sitting out and waiting for the big blind to reach them. However, if a player sits out and misses posting the big blind, then that player will be required to post a big blind and a small "dead" blind before returning. This rule is in place to prevent potential abuse from players who join a table and then leave before having to post the blinds. One thing we haven't talked much about is the dealer. In poker each player in turn plays as the dealer. At the table we represent the dealer position with... The Dealer Button: The Button is a graphic symbol that represents the theoretical dealer. After each hand the button moves clockwise to the next active player, who becomes the dealer for that hand. This player is considered to be "on the button," and is the last person to act in the betting round. The first player to the left of the button is the first player to be dealt cards, and is the first player to act in each betting round. The Gameplay: OK, let's play some Omaha. You've bought in to a table, sat down and posted your big blind. What's next? Pre Flop...The Pocket Cards: (AKA the Hole Cards). The dealer deals each player 4 cards face down. Only the player can see his/her hole cards. After the deal, the next player after the big blind decides whether to call, raise or fold the big blind. Each player in turn is given these options, until all bets are called and the big blind checks. Don't forget, in a fixed limit game, any raises are limited to the lower stake amount, and in a pot limit game, the bet can't exceed the pot amount. The Flop: Now the dealer turns over the first three community cards, called "the flop". All betting rounds start with the player directly to the dealers left. For fixed limit games, this round of betting still uses the lower stake, so in our example $5/$10 game, any bets or raises must be $5. The pot limit and no limit rules don't change. The Turn: (AKA Fourth Street). The fourth community card is dealt, and a new betting round begins. The bet amount for fixed limit games increases to the upper stake. Betting continues until all bets are called. The River: Here the final community card is shown, and the last round of betting takes place. The bet amount for fixed limit games is still the big stake. The Showdown: All the bets have been called, it's time to show the cards. The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round will show their hand first. If all the players checked through (nobody bet) the river, the player to the left of the dealer will show first. The remaining players' hands will be automatically revealed moving clockwise, unless a hand is weaker than the winning hand shown. In this case, you'll have the option to show, or muck (fold without showing). The best five card hand takes the pot. Remember, a winning Omaha hand must use 2 hole cards and 3 of the community cards to make the hand. For a complete list of hand rankings, please consult the Hand Rankings page. Buying the pot: If during a betting round you make a bet and all players fold to you, you've bought the pot. You have the option to show or muck your cards. Bodog Poker - Bringing you online poker information, poker strategy, news and online gaming inf