Online Poker Playing Etiquette

Whether you are new to poker or are a seasoned veteran, it is hoped that you will extend the same courtesies to your fellow players that you expect yourself. Poker, like other games, has many unwritten rules of etiquette. Please read the following paragraphs carefully to ensure the best possible game experience for all players.

Choosing a seat: For players not familiar with online poker, we recommend starting out in lower limit games to get used to the software and the game action. Click on any empty seat at a table to sit down. To play at a table that is already full, simply sign up on the wait list and the software will alert you when a seat is available.

The Buy-in: The software will not allow a player to sit down at a table with a buy-in that is less than ten times the small bet limit. If a player chooses to sit at a $5/$10 table for example, then the minimum buy-in would be fifty dollars. This is only the minimum amount required, and many players choose to sit down with a larger buy-in in case they get involved in a big pot and don’t want to run out of chips.

Game Chat: Chatting at the table is one of the enjoyable aspects of playing poker. Friendly chat and banter are certainly a fun part of the game, but abusive, profane, or hateful chat is not. Bad beats and bad days are a reality of poker, and players should resist the urge to use the chat box as a method of venting their frustration. If a player is being abusive, rude, or disruptive at the table, we urge you to contact support via email: poker@bodog.com. Any violations of this policy will result in the offending player's chat being permanently disabled. Players will also have the option of blocking all chat, or just the chat of a particular player.

English Only: One of online poker's strengths is that it enables players from all over the world to come together and play poker. It is natural for players from the same country or region to want to speak together in their native language. In the interest of protecting everyone from collusion and team play only English will be allowed at the table.

Observing Tables and Coaching: One of the benefits of belonging to an online poker room is the opportunity to make new friends. Poker players are more than welcome to observe the play at a friend's table and contribute to the chat. Observers must give consideration to the players who are seated at the table, and should be careful to not let their chat become disruptive. Players who are not involved in a hand that is in progress should refrain from making comments about play, and should not offer advice to players involved in the action.

Let The Cards Speak: Players should refrain from commenting to the table during a hand on cards they have folded, or expressing disappointment as the cards are turned up in the course of a hand. This is to prevent players from inferring from the chat about what cards may have helped or hurt the chances of other players. Any chat or observations during a hand that may alter the outcome of that hand should be avoided at all costs.

Player Images: Players will be able to upload pictures or images to represent them at the table. This is a fun and creative way for players to custom tailor their profiles, and express themselves at the tables. In the interests of the player community, images that are deemed offensive, pornographic, distasteful, or hateful will be prohibited. This is not done to limit legitimate expression, but to ensure that all players have a comfortable and enjoyable game experience.

Timely and Courteous Play: An important part of poker is making intelligent decisions. Players are certainly allowed to take a moment to consider their actions, but are requested to do so in timely manner. Players are asked to check the 'Sit Out Next Hand' box if they need attend to a matter away from their computer. This speeds up game play and prevents excessive wait times. Players who are playing on multiple tables are asked to use the pre-select boxes whenever possible. Players that intentionally slow down play will be warned and if such behavior continues may have their accounts suspended.

If at any time you have questions or concerns while playing in the Bodog Poker Room, please contact us at poker@bodog.com.

Online Poker Game Limits

You may have noticed that the table listings in our lobby include a "Limit" column. In that column, you'll find the following abbreviations: NL, PL, and Fixed. Anyone new to online poker might wonder what these are for. This section will help to explain the game limits.

For several of our games we offer 3 different game types: No Limit, Pot Limit, and Fixed Limit. The game type you choose will decide the amount you are able to bet each turn for each betting round. We'll start with Fixed Limit:

Fixed Limit Poker

In a Fixed Limit game, both the bet and raise amounts for each round are a preset amount, which is listed under the "stakes" column for that table. For example, in a $5/$10 Fixed Texas Hold'em game, both the bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting must be $5, no more, no less. The last 2 rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10.

The Cap: In Fixed Limit games, each round of betting has a maximum number (three) of allowable raises, known as the cap. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must call, or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand the cap is increased, to a maximum of 5 raises. This rule is in effect for all the betting rounds, with the idea being to speed up play.

Fixed Limit games are popular because they're safe. While pots can still climb quickly, on average fixed limit pots stay pretty consistent in size, and stay the smallest for the three game types. In other words, it's a lot harder to lose all your chips right away. (Although if you're really determined, it can still be done!) This makes a Fixed Limit game more attractive to beginners, who are still learning the game play.

Pot & No Limit Games

Once you understand the rules for Limit games, the rules for No Limit & Pot Limit games will be easy to learn. The difference between these games is the amount a player may bet at any one time.

Pot Limit (PL)

For a Pot Limit game, you can't bet more than the current pot amount plus whatever it takes to call the previous bet. The minimum bet is the big blind, ($10 in our $5/$10 game) and if a bet is made, any raises must be equal or greater than the previous raise.

Sound complicated? Let's look at an example: let's say we're playing a $5/$10 PL game, and the pot's reached $100. A player (we'll call him John) bets the minimum $10. You've got a great hand, and you want to raise the maximum. The most you can raise is:

Original pot ($100) + Previous Bets ($10) + Call Amount ($10) = $120, making your total bet amount $130.

Now a player to your left (call her Lisa) wants to raise you the maximum amount. Just add one more step to the formula:

Original Pot ($100) + Previous Bets [John's bet ($10) + Your bet ($120)] + Call Amount ($130)= $360, making Lisa's total bet amount $490 (your bet + her raise.)

Now let's say you don't think your hand is good enough to bet the pot, but you still want to raise on John. Your raise must be at least equal to his bet, so your total bet must be at least $20. If you bet $20, and Lisa wants to raise you the minimum, her bet must be at least $40.

As you can probably imagine, the bets in a PL game climb pretty quickly, making for some exciting action. There is no cap to the number of raises per betting round, so you can keep raising until you run out of money.

No Limit (NL)

Just as the name implies, there are no maximum limits in No Limit poker. You can bet your whole stack at any time. The minimum bet is the high stake, or the big blind amount. ($10 in or $5/$10 game) Just like PL, your raise must be at least equal to the previous bets/raises. And just like PL, there are no caps to the number of raises per betting round, so a stack of chips can be lost pretty quick.

In both PL and NL, if somebody bets or raises you more than your current chip stack, you can call "All In." In this case, any further raises go into a side pot, which you aren't a part of. So, if you've got the best hand, you'll win the main pot that holds your "All-In" bet, and the side pot will go to the person with the next best hand (as long as they contributed to the side pot.)

For online poker PL and NL games a 'bet slider' is displayed when it is your turn to act. The slider's boundaries represent your minimum and maximum bet, so you're able to move the slider to bet anything in between. Or, you can type your raise amount in the bet field.

Download the Bodog Poker Room

Bodog Poker offers a software download that is fast and easy. The download is a single 3Mb file that will take about 8 minutes to download at 56kb/s and once installed you will be able to play poker online in mere seconds.

Minimum System Requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements needed to use the Bodog poker software to play poker are:

• Windows 2000 or XP
• 200MHz processor or faster
• 64MB of RAM
• 800 x 600 pixel screen resolution
• 16-bit (High Color)
• Sound card (if you desire audio)
• 20MB or greater free disk space.

Most computers purchased with in the past 5 years will meet these above requirements.

Download Instructions:

1. Start the download now.
2. Click "open" or "run this program from its current location"
3. Follow prompt of the install window to set the default location for the file location.
4. Once the download & installation process is complete, the game software will automatically open to the main lobby window.
5. To run the game software in the future, you will be able to click the icon on your desktop.

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