# styles of poker **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474 "2004-05-04T15:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/21 "2004-05-05T13:50:15Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m starting to doubt my self here, and I haven’t played for several months, but I do remember that a huge number of pots were split. I’ll have to get back to you on that. OK, here’s my cite: > [@](#): > > Highest pair wins. If players have the same pair, the highest side card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest and third-highest side card can be used to break the tie. Alrighty then. I was wrong. So why were there still so many ties? I’m guessing it was because of there being so many community cards, it was bound to happen. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/22 "2004-05-05T13:59:28Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > OK, here’s my cite: wanna link with that? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/23 "2004-05-05T14:13:20Z")
OK, this is getting more complicated than it needs to be. Here’s how it works. The game is Texas Hold-em. All five cards are on the board (the flop, turn, and river card). They are the follwing: 2h 4h 5h 9h Jh My hole cards are: 5s 4s My best hand is a flush with Jack high. Your hole cards are: 8c 7c Your best hand is a flush with Jack high. We split the pot. It doesn’t matter that your hole cards are higher than mine, since you’re not using them to make your best five card hand. Now this scenario: The board: 2c 3d 4h 10s Js My hole cards are: 2d Ah My best hand is a pair of twos, Ah Js 10s Your hole cards are: 2s Kd Your best hand is a pair of twos, Kd Js 10s We both have a pair of twos, but my Ace kicker gives me the higher hand. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/24 "2004-05-05T14:18:30Z")
> [@counsel wolf](#): > > there are effectively two varieties of Hold’em, which differ in how the betting works. > > In limit hold’em the bet amounts are set for each round and you either raise that amount, call the amount coming in to you, check if you don’t owe the pot anything or fold if you don’t want to pay. There is a limit of 3 raises per round of betting, as described [here](http://www.pokersyte.com/holdem.htm) > > In no limit hold’em the bet amounts are not set, but each player is limited to one raise each round of betting. Kind of – even in no limit hold 'em, you can raise more than once per round. You bet, I raise, you raise. . . it comes back to me, and I certainly can raise again. There’s another kind of poker called Pot Limit. In Pot Limit, I don’t think there’s a limit on the number of raises, either. In Pot Limit, a player can bet any amount up to the amount of the pot, including what’s in there after his call if the action is on him. e.g Pot is 1. You bet 1. I can raise 3 because that’s what the pot would be if I essentially called your bet (making the pot 3) and then raised. You can play limit, no limit, or pot limit with any form of poker but they aren’t all perfect with all games. In terms of popularity, I’d say right now the order would be. . . Texas Hold 'Em Omaha Hi-Lo Split/8 or better 7 stud high 7 stud high-low/8 Omaha high and then maybe various forms of 5 draw, 5 stud, played low-ball or high. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/25 "2004-05-05T14:25:00Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Alrighty then. I was wrong. So why were there still so many ties? I’m guessing it was because of there being so many community cards, it was bound to happen. Well, the odds of a pot being split while playing texas hold 'em are relatively small, but it does happen. However, some games, such as Omaha 8, some 7 card stud, and others, are split pot games, meaning the best hand and the worst hand split the pot. I don’t know if this was what you were involved in, but if almost every hand is being split, you ain’t playing regular texas hold 'em. ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/26 "2004-05-05T16:10:10Z")
Also, in my experience playing on line I think you are more likely to have a split pot than in a casino. Especially if you’re playing the cheap/free tables. People are more likely to chase the straigt, flush, play the small pair etc. on a table where it won’t cost anything or not much to call. Therefore I think you see the board having the best hand more often, resulting in the split pot. Cards are also dealt much quicker online. The number of hands per hour is much higher online than any other table I’ve ever seen. You never wait for the dealer to shuffle, people are less likely to take too long to call/fold/raise, and every online table I’ve seen limits you to about 30 sec. maybe 45. When I play where I can see the people I try to take about 30 sec. every single time, even though I may know what I’m planning to do as soon bet is to me. So with the increase in hands you’re more likely to see more split pots. Maybe I’m making stuff up in my head, but that’s what I’ve taken from what I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474/27 "2004-05-05T16:42:15Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > I don’t know if this was what you were involved in, but if almost every hand is being split, you ain’t playing regular texas hold 'em. I never said almost every hand. Or if I did, I didn’t mean it. What I meant was pretty often, and as **whatami** suggests, in a free online game hands happen pretty fast. In the course of several hours (my usual session length), you’ll see 50-100 hands, so seeing a split pot a good number of times. I tended to remember those and probably amplified their frequency a bit. And the situation that **x-ray vision** described is exactly what I was talking about. Oh, here’s the link I was referring to: [Poker? I hardly even know her!](http://www.absolutepoker.com/game_hands.asp) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/styles-of-poker/243474.md?page=1)