Poker is a family of card games in which players compete to make the best hand using a combination of their own cards and the community cards. A number of variations exist, ranging in the number of decks in play, the betting structure, and the number of hands that are played. In general, each game is based on a series of betting rounds that are repeated until one player is left with the best hand.
The most common poker structures are no-limit, pot-limit, and fixed-limit. No-limit poker is usually played with a standardized betting amount, while pot-limit allows any amount of money to be wagered in a specific amount of time. Pot-limit is the most popular structure for online poker. Both games require a minimum ante, but different poker variations may include a ‘blind’ bet or a’re-raise’.
Each player is dealt a set of cards, either face down or face up. Players are permitted to replace one or more of their cards, discard all of their cards, or take a new set of cards from the top of the deck. Cards are then dealt to each player in a clockwise fashion.
After a round of betting, each player reveals his or her cards. The winner of the round receives the pot. If more than one player remains in contention, a showdown occurs.
Players must match the previous bet. If all the players fold, the game ends. An “all-in” bet indicates that a player is willing to place all of his or her chips into the pot. Another type of forced bet is the blind bet, also known as a ‘ante’, which is an amount of money that a player must pay to bet into a pot. These bets are only made in cases where a player feels that he or she is being bluffed.
Many poker variations have the possibility of splitting the pot between the lowest and highest hands. For example, in seven-card stud, the highest five-card hand wins, while a straight or flush is considered a tie. However, in other games, the pot is awarded to the hand that has the lowest ranking.
IDNPoker is a Philippine-based B2B provider of online gaming platforms. It is headquartered in Makati, Metro Manila, and has operated in Asia since 2010. IDNPoker opened its doors in Cambodia in 2010 and has now grown to become the second largest poker network in the world. Although it did not receive much attention in the international market, it has developed a huge following in the Asian region. IDNPoker has been able to capitalize on the popularity of Asian poker by participating in local tournaments, charity events, and gaming conferences.
IDN Poker offers a simple, minimalistic design. There is no waiting list, and the lobby is fully translated into English. Instead of downloading a standalone client, IDNPoker uses HTML5 clients that run on desktop computers. This provides a user-friendly interface that doesn’t require any additional software.