The generic term for those rules of a game that limit the amount of bets and raises is "betting structures." Many places they are referred to simply as "limits." This page explains all the details of such limits or betting structures. Even though players in live card rooms have dealers to remind them of the limits, and online players have software that makes the betting choices clear, it is really essential for the new player to become completely comfortable with the rules about betting limits. There are too many other things that deserve the player's full attention! Stakes in poker games are often described as something like "$2/$4." That designation is the code to knowing what the limits or betting structure is. In "No Limit" games, this expression refers to the blind bets used to start a specific game, but in all others, the expression refers to the "small bet" and the "big bet" of the betting structure to be used. Context should always make it clear which of the two possible meanings should be applied.

Summary of Betting Structures

Different Kinds of Starting (Forced) Bets

In virtually all poker games one of three systems (or a combination of a couple) is used to get the action started: Antes, Bring-in Bets, Blinds

Antes

In ante games, before cards are dealt, everyone "chips in" a pot-priming amount, sometimes equal to half a small bet, but often a much smaller amount. After the deal, play commences with the person to the dealer's left (if no cards are visible) or, in the case of stud games, with the person showing the highest board card. Antes are considered when calculating the value of a pot, but are not considered to be "bets" for purposes of raising. In other words, in an ante game, players in the first round of betting can "check" if the antes are not combined with the use of blinds as well.

Antes are common in home poker games of all sorts. Generally they occur in card rooms (real or virtual) without blinds only in stud games. Often, to simplify things, the table will adopt the convention that the dealer puts in the antes for everyone. For so long as the "deal" rotates fairly, it all comes out even in the end.

Bring-ins

A bring-in is a forced bet based on the initial deal. It is common in stud. Play commences with the person showing the lowest board card, but that person may be required to post a Bring-in bet. It is usually is a fraction of the "small bet." (In lowball games the highest board card gets to make the bring-in bet and start play). Ties of rank are broken by suit order. The Bring-in player may opt to open with a full bet, or just the bring-in amount. Subsequent players may call the below-norm bet or "complete" it by raising it to the small bet minimum.

Blinds

Blinds are much different from antes and similar in concept to Bring-in bets. In blind games, before cards are dealt, only two players "chip in" something to get the pot started (unless antes are also required of everyone). The "small blind" puts up half a small bet (the first of the two numbers in the designation of the stakes), and the "big blind" puts up a full small bet. The "small blind" is to the immediate left of the dealer, and the "big blind" is to the immediate left of the "small blind." The illustration shows how it works. It is possible to have only one blind or more than two, but two blinds - big and small - is the most common of blind structures.

Unlike antes, blinds are considered to be real bets, so a player can not "check" in the opening round. The choices are to fold, call or raise. Play always commences with the player to the big blind's left, so that the big blind gets to go last (as compensation for having to put up a bet before the cards were dealt.) The small blind gets to go second to last. That player's option is to fold (for the cost of a half bet) or play (adding the other half to complete the bet). Everyone else can fold on the first round for free, unless antes have also been required.

Blinds are used normally in Hold'em games (including Omaha) and Draw games.

How Betting Proceeds

In both the cases of antes and blinds, the stakes designation will tell the amount of the betting units, as in the above example, "$2/$4". For most games, the first number is the "small bet" and the second number is the "big bet." At the outset of a game, anyone who wants to make a bet or a raise will have to do it by the amount of the "small bet." Later on, usually after half the betting rounds have occurred, the unit of betting moves to the "big bet."

Once cards have been dealt, and antes or blind bets made according to the game in question, the first round of betting takes place. In each case, betting opportunities will go around the table clockwise, starting from the left of the dealer, the left of the big blind, the low (or high) board card, or whatever other rule is in place. Remember that it is really important not to speak out of turn, as it will give some players an unfair advantage over others.

Recall also that betting is accomplished by placing chips in front of the player towards the center of the table, but not "splashing" into the pot, as that makes it hard for others to discern the amount of the bet. Players are supposed to be held to their first action or utterance in betting. Thus a two-part or "string raise" (popular in old Western movies) will not be permitted. The phrase "I see you and raise you" should be taken just as a call. The raise part should be disallowed. Likewise, calling a bet with chips and then raising with more chips will run the risk that the second stack will not be permitted. The bet should be made all at once.

Finally, recall that sometimes an opening bet requires a minimum-strength hand. Be sure to not to muck your "openers" in case you win the hand.

Different Kinds of Betting Limits

Procedures will vary according to the pre-determined betting structure. The many possibilities really come down to one of three basic types: Limit (and Spread Limit), Pot Limit, and No Limit.

(In some poker rooms, and in home games, variations are possible, such as half-pot-limit games. They are just modifications of one of the three basic patterns. "Split-pot" games are a different story altogether. See the rules of Hi-Lo games)

Sometimes a player will hear the terms "Table Limit" and "Fixed Limit." It is always good to clarify what the speaker means. "Table Stakes" has its own definition, related to how players are supposed to handle their finances in a poker session. Sometimes a person will imprecisely (and incorrectly) refer to "Table Limit" as a synonym for "Table Stakes." This confuses two separate things. (Table Stakes are discussed later on.) Sometimes "Table Limit" is used to mean "Pot Limit" - the amount on the table. This is also incorrect. It is even used to mean "Limit" as in "The Table Limit is $2/$4." This, too is wrong and confusing. "Fixed Limit" almost always means the same thing as "Limit," but every once in a while is used to refer to the ceiling that can be bet as an absolute maximum on any given hand.

Limit Games

Limit (or "Fixed Limit") betting uses the small bet and the big bet as fixed units. Suppose there are four betting rounds in a hand. Two of them are at the small bet, and two at the big bet. Usually the house rule is that a maximum of three raises (sometimes four) can be made in any given betting round. Bets can only be in the denominations of the small or big bet, as applicable. Thus, in a "Limit" game, the first round with 6 players will have, at the end, a maximum of 6 times 4 small bets (an initial bet and three raises per active player). This includes the blind bets made to get the hand started.

The same calculation applies for the second round of betting.

Then the last two rounds are capped at 24 big bets in each case.

Thus, the total maximum pot in a six-person Limit game is 72 big bets. This, of course, is virtually impossible, as it would require all six players to stay in the game through the maximum number of raises in each of four rounds of betting. In real life, a pot of 10 big bets would be quite an active hand.

The limit on the number of raises, which is what truly limits the size of pots in Limit Poker is a rule that can disappear if the table gets down to just two players, going heads-up against each other. This is because either one can simply "call" to end the struggle.

Spread Limit

A common variation of Limit Poker is Spread Limit. It is essentially the same procedure, except that raises will be allowed in amounts "up to" the applicable bet size (small or big). For example, in a $5/$10 Spread Limit Hold'em game, raises in the first rounds can go from $1 to $5, and in the later rounds from $1 to $10.

Rules about Table Stakes and Raises

Before moving from Limit structures to Pot Limit and No Limit structures, it is important to look at the general rules about Table Stakes and limits on raises. This is because Pot Limit and No Limit betting structures relax the rule common to Limit games concerning the amount by which a bet can be raised. This does not mean, however, that there is no roof on the raise. That is the function of the Table Stakes rule.

In poker, a player brings a stack of chips to the table. There is almost always a minimum-required amount to play, called a buy-in. A player can chose to buy more than the minimum, and a player may lose to the point where the available chips are much less than the buy-in. How many chips the player actually has in play are called his or her stack or stakes.

In any given hand or deal, the universal rule is that a player must play the hand with the stakes he or she had at the commencement of that deal -- no more, and no less. In other words, a player may not add money to the stakes during a hand or take money off the table during the hand.

The opposite of "Table Stakes" is "Open Stakes," which is not played in public card rooms or (obviously) on the Internet. It means that a desperate player can throw in the keys to his truck after going "All-in." Or his firstborn, or an IOU, or some other prize. In literature, open stakes games are portrayed as dramatic and emotional. They just don't occur that often in real life.

The "Table Stakes" rules have another important limitation: A player may not remove or hide part of the stake after the hand is over. Newcomers sometimes try to take some chips off the table after a fat win, a practice called "going south," which is not permitted. Chips can be withdrawn only when a player withdraws from the game altogether. During a session, it is also wrong to hide chips or otherwise mislead opponents about one's playable chips.

In any hand in which the value of a bet or a raise is not otherwise restricted (that is, in a game not like Limit poker), there is an overall ceiling to how much a player may work with at the table. In No Limit games, the lowest ceiling might be 20 times the big blind, and the highest will be perhaps 100 times the big blind. This range helps to level the playing field financially amongst players with different assets. It is a limit on the stack, however, not upon the bet or raise in the game.

To recapitulate, Table Stakes rules are imposed on bets and raises in games not otherwise subject to the small bet or big bet limits. Thus, in No Limit Hold'em, for example, a player can bet the complete set of his or her chips, thus being called "All in." [Link] Resources beyond the player's available chips can not be played. "All-in" is the absolute maximum.

Poker also imposes a rule about the minimum raise. In games where raises are not boxed in by the size of the "small bet" or "big bet" it is possible for a player to raise by less than the maximum allowed, whatever that is (the size of the pot or "All in"). The raise, however, can never be lower than the last bet or raise made. If the previous player raises a $40 pot by $40, the next player is looking at a $120 pot (including his or her call). In a Pot Limit game, the maximum raise would be $120; however, any amount less than $120 would be allowed for so long as it was equal to or greater than $40 - the amount of the previous raise.

With these rules in mind, it will be easier to consider the two remaining betting structures: Pot Limit and No Limit.

Pot Limit

The difference between Limit and Pot Limit structures is that in Limit, a raise can not be by more than the stated bet - for example, the "big bet" in the final betting round or rounds, depending on the game. In Pot Limit games, it is possible to raise an opponent by 100% of the value in the pot.

The value in the pot normally includes whatever the player making the Pot Limit raise had to chip in to see or call outstanding bets. Some local rules might have a hybrid situation, with limits on bets and raises in the early rounds, with pot limit bets permitted only post-flop.

If pot limit raises are permitted in the opening round, it is important to clarify whether the pot value includes the value of the small blind or presumes the small blind is fully paid in. Tournament rules often state what the maximum opening bet is for a pot limit game, just to avoid that ambiguity. For example, the rule might state that the maximum opening raise will be 4 times the big blind (indicating that the presumption for purposes of bet calculation is that the small blind will stay in the game and complete his or her forced bet.)

No Limit

No Limit betting means that any player may bet or raise at any time by any amount. The rules relating to Table Stakes and minima on raises will still apply. Because there is no "small bet" and "big bet" structure, it makes no sense to interpret the "$2/$4" designation as a small bet/big bet structure, but rather as the size of the blinds. Thus $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em would start off looking much like $4/$8 Limit Hold'em, since the blinds would be the same in the two games.

Moving the Blinds

When a player in a blind leaves the game (busts or withdraws), the positions will need to be reallocated. The "moving button rule" is used in online games in a simplified version. It simply moves the dealer button along as if nothing had happened, redefining the blinds accordingly. This may cause a player to miss a blind. The not-so-simplified "moving button rule" specifies that when the button moves, the player two seats forward posts a big blind, as well as any other player that missed the big blind because of the button move. There will be a small blind before the first big blind. Thus, it is possible, depending on the number of players and their positions, as well as the number who exit the game, to have more than one big blind and more than one small blind posted in a hand. Sometimes it takes a few hands for the rule to resolve things and get back to normal.

An alternative to the "moving button rule" is the "dead button rule," and it is now the main way brick-and-mortar card rooms solve the problem. Under the "dead button rule," the big blind is passed to the player who would otherwise receive it, and the small blind and dealer buttons are adjusted in relation to the big blind. The small blind or dealer may thus be an empty seat. This may give the cutoff player two straight hands of last action, or it may cause the absence of a small blind altogether.

Blinds with Two Players

The blind rules are simpler when the table is down to two players. The player with the dealer button is the small blind and the other player is the big blind. The player on the button acts first on the first betting round, but last for remaining betting rounds. When the table shrinks from three or more to two, the big blind is identified first as the next person in turn to the left, and the button is adjusted to it.

Other Rules about New and Missing Players

Ring games often enforce a rule that a player newly entering an ongoing game must sweeten the first pot with a bet equal to a big bet. This is called "posting" before the deal. Like the big blind, it counts as a bet or a call when that player's turn comes around. In that sense, the bet is "live."

If a player misses a blind by being absent from the game, it is usually required that he or she post a big blind (or a big blind and a small blind if both were missed). Big blind bets are "live" but small blind bets count in the value of the pot but do not count towards calls or raises (that is, they are "dead").

Other Betting Situations

Straddles. A player not seated in a blind may decide for some reason that the hand about to be dealt is worth a shot in the dark - a blind bet.

Live Straddles. In ring games, "straddles" are allowed (but not in tournaments). A "Live Straddle" is a pre-emptive blind bet placed by the player to the left of the big blind, and it must represent a raise over the big blind. Play then shifts, so that the straddle bettor is the last to act pre-flop. If no one raises the straddle bet, the person who made it has the option to raise, and the player to his or her left may "re-straddle" by placing a blind bet that raises the straddle.

Mississippi Straddle. A variation not widely implemented in Las Vegas is the Mississippi Straddle, which is a straddle that preemptively buys last action before the flop regardless of the player's position. Some rules limit it to the button or the person to the right of the button. Like live straddles, these bets must represent a raise, and can themselves be raised and re-straddled.

Sleepers

A blind raise from any position other than under the gun is called a "Sleeper."

Kill Game

Optionally, a Limit game can be played as a "kill game." A third blind (called the "kill blind") is defined, and can be anywhere at the table. Usually it must be twice the big blind. ("Half-kills" are equal to the big blind). In essence, they move the limits upwards from a small bet of $x to $2x by doubling the pot and the legal raises. Half-kills increase the stakes by 50%. The pot is a "kill pot." The kill blind usually gets the right to act last, even if it is otherwise out of turn. After the flop, betting proceeds as normal. Kill Games come around by agreement at the table or house rules. Usually the trigger is a big pot, say 10 times the big bet (the winner posts the kill blind on the next hand.) Sometimes it is triggered if someone wins two pots in a row, and keeps going until the string is broken. Sometimes a kill pot will happen if, in a Hi-Lo game, a player "scoops" the pot.