What is Table Stakes in Poker?
The table stakes rule prevents poker players from betting with more chips than they already have at the table. Before the table stakes rule, players might be able to force their opponents out of pots by betting more than their opponent could afford to lose. We could be playing a game for a few hundred bucks when our opponent suddenly throws his private yacht or Ferrari into the middle. With the table stakes rule, once a player is all in for his effective stack, he has the right to see a showdown without being forced to invest any additional chips.
What is Suited in Poker?
Suited simply means that two of our cards are of the same suit. For example, the starting hand Ace of Spades, King of Spades in Hold’em is referred to as “Ace King suited” since both hole cards are of the same suit. PLO (Pot Limit Omaha) hands can be referred to as both suited and double-suited depending on whether there is one set or two sets of suited cards.
What is Stud in Poker?
Stud refers to collection of poker variants that have similar characteristics. Stud games don’t use hole cards but rather a selection of upcards and downcards dealt to each player. Upcards are visible to the entire table while downcards are secret (like hole cards in Hold’em). The most popular Stud variant is Seven Card Stud which involves 5-betting rounds. Stud games are typically played in fixed limit format and don’t make use of a dealer button. The action order is instead determined by the strength of players’ upcards.
What is Structure in Poker?
Structure typically refers to the features of a poker tournament including level times, blinds, antes, and payouts. It would also refer to any additional features of the tournament such as it being a bounty tournament or a tournament that offers rebuys/addons. Structure may also refer to the distribution of card ranks within our hand. For example, imagine the following preflop hand in PLO; T876. We can describe this as a starting hand that has a gap at the top of its structure.
