Central Boardgaming: Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Holdem Poker (& Omaha) sociably!

The venue is The Bull Inn, 1 Price St, Birmingham B4 6JU. Please arrive promptly at 12:15, especially if you need to brush up on the rules or the betting system

We will play friendly Texas Holdem Poker for low stakes (e.g. maximum loss £3 per game of 45-60 minutes), so suitable for beginners as well as those who already enjoy poker. Cash not credit/debit card.

If enough people wish to play Omaha Poker as an alternative, we will assign one table for this purpose. We have not played Omaha (much) before, so this is on a trial basis to see if members would enjoy it

We are not expecting a huge meetup, which should suit those preferring more modest attendances, although our previous poker afternoons have been very popular, and the event has consequently been re-requested on a two-monthly basis.

We do need to ensure there is a healthy number participating to complete games, so please don't abandon us mid-way through a game.

Minimum attendance = 6, Maximum attendance = 20 ( if there are 2-3 tables with enough players fully familiar with the game). We have multiple sets of poker chips and cloths if required.

Texas Holdem: Notes for Beginners

(*) Hand rankings
https://www.pokerstars.uk/poker/games/rules/hand-rankings/

(*) Rules
http://www.briggsoft.com/docs/pmavens/Rules_Holdem.htm

(*) Best Start Hands
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yourpokercash.com/website_images/8574/misc/handchart1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://icpf662janean8orso.blogspot.com/search/label/Texas%2520HoldEm%2520Poker%2520Hands&h=382&w=609&tbnid=wnCR3QC8sW_jfM:&docid=zNIBzpSFs4frHM&ei=n-dNVsa6EsiBU6aVjfAH&tbm=isch&ved=0CCoQMygnMCc4ZGoVChMIhoaa3OOcyQIVyMAUCh2mSgN-

Omaha Poker: Differences to Texas Holdem

We will play with the same house rules as for Texas Holdem, using just the two official game differences:

1. Every player gets four cards in Omaha (instead of two in Holdem)
2. You MUST use two of them to make your best poker hand
   https://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-rules-omaha

House Rules (either version):

The aim here is to keep things simple and fair. If you are new, these will be explained, do not be put off!

1. £3 game entry fee, we then play with chips. Games length is 60 minutes completing the final hand, with winner taking 2/3rds of the stake money and second place taking 1/3rd.
2. Small/Big blind values are 1&2 initially, doubling every 15 minutes, with a minimum raise always being the size of big blind
3. During the pre-flop, pre-turn and pre-river betting rounds, only one raise per player who hasn't previously checked/passed during that round
4. During the showdown (4th) betting round, multiples raises are allowed, per player who hasn't previously checked/passed during that round
5. During pre-flop betting, the maximum raise is what is on the table, and 'going-all-in' is prohibited until the flop is visible
6. Private supplies of chips are kept visible and off the playing mat, and folded hands are placed out of reach on the discard pile.
7. Chips may be exchanged for equivalent value chips to allow an intended bet to be made.
8. Cards are shuffled between hands to counter card memorization
9. Called player must reveal their hand, other players are only obliged to reveal theirs if they claim to have a better hand.
10. In the event of betting continuing beyond the means of one or more players, a split pot will apply.