Poker betting rules

The action words

• Check. Pass, no bet. Only legal if nobody has bet before you.
• Bet. Put chips in first, opens the round.
• Call. Match the last bet or raise.
• Raise. Increase the bet by at least the minimum-raise amount.
• Fold. Throw the hand away. Chips already committed stay in the pot.
• All-in. Bet or call for your entire remaining stack.

Minimum raise rule

A raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. If the big blind is $2 and someone raises to $6 (that's a $4 raise on top of the $2 BB), the next raise must be at least $10 (another $4 raise, matching the previous raise increment).

All-in for less

If a player goes all-in for less than a full raise, betting is not re-opened for players who have already acted. Example: villain raises to $20, hero re-raises to $60, villain goes all-in for $85. That $25 raise on top of the $60 is less than the last full raise ($40), so hero's action is not re-opened. Hero can only call or fold. Third parties who haven't acted yet can still raise.

String bets are dead

A string bet is when you put chips in the pot with more than one motion without announcing the total first. Live dealers will rule your raise a call.

To avoid a string bet, either say "raise to twenty" first and then put the chips in however you want, or push all the chips in with a single forward motion.

Single-chip rule

If action is on you and you throw one big chip in the pot without declaring a raise, it's a call, even if the chip is worth more than the call amount. Say "raise" if you're raising. The chip only counts as a raise if you announced raise before throwing it.

Verbal declarations are binding

Say "raise" in turn and you have to raise, minimum legal amount. Say "call" in turn and you have to call. Cards-speak at showdown, but action-speaks in the middle of a hand.

Acting out of turn

Folding or checking out of turn gives information to players still to act. Live rooms warn you the first time and start binding your action after that (you have to check when it's your turn, if the action doesn't change). Online sites just don't accept out-of-turn actions.

Show one show all

If you voluntarily show your cards to one opponent during a live hand (or after folding), the dealer must show them to the entire table. This exists to stop soft angle-shooting where you show your bluff to one player to intimidate the rest.

Rabbit hunting

Rabbit hunting is asking the dealer to deal out the rest of the board after the hand is over. Some rooms allow it after every hand. Some allow it only if all players agree. Most tournament rooms don't allow it at all.

The dead-button rule

If the player who should be big blind leaves the game between hands, the button doesn't skip, it moves to where they were, and no small blind is posted that hand. Different rooms handle this differently; the classic rule is "forward moving button", where the button always moves clockwise regardless of who's left.

Angle shoots dealers actually punish

• Faking a fold to induce a bet, then not folding.
• Splashing the pot so the dealer can't count your chips.
• Hiding big chips behind smaller ones to disguise stack size.
• Discussing hand strength with a folded player during a live hand.
• Slow-rolling (holding the winning hand at showdown while pretending to be beat).

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Rules explained by the PokerGods editorial team. Reviewed against the 2026 Tournament Directors Association rules and standard casino floor procedure. Have a rules dispute? Email the desk via contact.

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