F.A.Q Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens if a player bets more chips than I have?
A: You still have the possibility to call, of course, but the profit you'll collect will only be up to your own stack. Let's say two players are all-in for 10 euros each. If I call with my 5 euros stack, it will create a 25 euro pot, but my maximum expected profit will only be 15€, three times my stack. The two other players will compete for a 10 euro side pot.

Q: Can I buy more chips DURING a hand?

A: Absolutely not! While you'll see this in many bad movies, this is a big no-no in the real world. You can still buy more chips in a cash-game, but only between hands.

Q: What's the difference between a cash-game and a tournament?
A: During a chash-game, you can buy more at any time betweend hands, as long as you can still afford it, of course. Tournaments are different. The most commong tournament format is the « freezeout », where everyone starts with the same amount and where once you lost all of your chips, you're eliminated. and cannot re-enter. However, there are also some tournaments where you can « rebuy » (buy more chips), during the first rounds only.

Q: What happened to good ol'five card draw?
A: Five Card Draw is a dinosaur among poker games. Nowadays the most majority of players prefer flop games, No Limit Hold'em being the most popular of them. However, there are some Five Card Draw tables available on Winamax for those of you who want to do a little time travelling.

Q: Are there any other forms of poker?
A: Of course, there are many different games. Some of them involve 4 cards, some others 5, even 7 sometimes ! The three main families are Hold'Em, Stud and Omaha.

Q: Are there any other forms of betting than No Limit?
A: There are actually three main forms of betting in poker : Limit, Pot-Limit and No-Limit. In Limit, you bet and raise according to fixed amounts. In Pot-Limit, you can only bet up to the current size of the pot. In No-Limit, you can bet as much as you want at any time. Limit is very popular in the United States and on the Internet. Pot Limit is big in Europe. No Limit is considered the most spectacular, subtle – but also dangerous – form of poker.

Q: At the showdown, which player has to show his cards first?
A: Usually, if you think you have the best hand, show your cards first. Otherwise, rules dictate that the the last player to force the action on the river (ie who bet or raised) has to show his cards first. In the case where nobody has bet, the first player on the left of the button will show first. In a tournament, where two or more players are all-in, they both have to show their cards, even if the river hasn't been dealt.

Q: When I watch poker on TV, I often see players turning their hands face up before the hand has ended. Why that?
A: In a tournament, whether it is televised or not, as soon as ALL of the remaining players in the hand are « all-in », they have to reveal their hole cards, even if the flop hasn't been dealt. It's good for the drama, but most importantly to avoid collusion, for example if someone with a winning hand wanted to keep a friend of him in a tournament by mucking it.

Q : Can I stay in a hand without betting?
A: Before the flop, you can't check because there's already a bet to match : the big bling. However, the player acting from this big blind still have the possibility to see a flop for free if no one has raised before him, since he already put the bet down. On the subsequent rounds, it's possible to stay in the hand for free as long as no one bets, thus giving the players « free cards ».

Q: What's a check-raise?
When nobody bet before you on the flop (or turn or river), you have the possibility to do as well: this is called « checking ». It's like betting zero chips. In that case, you're staying in the hand for free. If everyone checks as well, the next card is dealt. However, if someone bets, you have the option to raise him. This strategy will usually be used with a big hand, giving you the opportunity to extract more chips from your opponent.

Q: My opponents bet 100. I want to raise him. Can I raise him something like 120 or 150?
A: Definitely not. You raise has to be at least the double of the first bet. But you can also raise 3 or 4 times more. You can also go all-in. By the way, if I you don't have enough chip to raise the double of the bet, you're still allowed to go all-in, even though you only have 120 or 150 left.

Q: If I call a bet and someone behind me raises, what are my options?
Well, you can fold, giving up the hand and the chips you already put into the pot. You can also call by matching the bet. And of course, you can reraise yourself, creating more action.

Q: Should I play like the champions I see on TV?
A: Yes... And no! For three reasons:

1/ Not every player you see on TV is a champion. However, all the best players in the world are artists, they know every strategy, every possible situation. They know how to read their opponent, they have deep analysis skills, and know the psychology of the game well. As a result, they are capable of making inspired, complicated, yet bizarre plays. Sometimes when they win a hand, you'll be left wondering how could they do this and that. Don't try to play like them when you're still or beginner.
2/ In a tournament, strategy is different than in a cash-game. Also, strategy changes whether you're at the beginning or the end of the tournament. On TV, what you'll most often see is the last table, a stage where the strategy is very specific: you have to be very aggressive and take a maximum of risks, especially if you are short-stacked.
3/ Poker TV shows only show us an edited montage of the actual final table. Most often, only the most spectacular hands are selected. What most TV shows doesn't show us, however, are the dozen of hands where not much happened. Not much happened, on the surface that is.All those hands where no big pot was played, where no one was eliminated are apparently uneventful. Don't get fooled: it's often during such hands that the pros have the upper hand.

All in all, TV gives us an incomplete picture of how the champions play their card. It wouldn't be a good idea to repeat exactly what you saw on TV. Stay humble, remember that you're not as good as them... yet!