Guide · Virtual chips · 18+
Poker rules: Texas Hold’em, Omaha and hand rankings
In poker you play against other players, not the house: each player gets hidden cards, uses the shared community cards and the best 5-card hand takes the pot — or whoever makes everyone else fold. IS Casino has No-Limit Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, with virtual chips.
By IS Casino · Published · Updated
A hand of Texas Hold’em
- The two players left of the button post the small blind and the big blind.
- Every player gets 2 hidden cards. First round of action: fold, call or raise.
- Flop: 3 community cards face up, another round of action.
- Turn: the 4th community card, another round.
- River: the 5th community card, final round.
- Showdown: the best 5-card hand wins, built from any of your 2 cards and the 5 on the board.
No-limit: you can raise any amount up to all your chips at the table (all-in).
What changes in Omaha
- Every player gets 4 hidden cards.
- The final hand uses exactly 2 of your cards and exactly 3 from the board.
- Pot-limit: the maximum raise is the size of the pot at that moment.
Hand rankings
| Hand | Example | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Ten to ace in one suit |
| Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five in a row in one suit |
| Four of a kind | Q Q Q Q 7 | Four cards of one rank |
| Full house | J J J 4 4 | Three of a kind + a pair |
| Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | Five cards of one suit |
| Straight | 10 9 8 7 6 | Five cards in a row |
| Three of a kind | 7 7 7 K 2 | Three cards of one rank |
| Two pair | A A 9 9 5 | Two different pairs |
| Pair | 10 10 K 6 3 | Two cards of one rank |
| High card | A Q 9 6 3 | None of the above |
Rake: why poker has no RTP
Because players compete for chips among themselves, poker has no RTP. The house takes a small fee per pot, the rake, in virtual chips: at the standard tables, 5% of the pot capped at 3 big blinds, and no rake when the hand ends before the flop.
AI players, private tables and a verifiable deck
- When few people are online, labelled AI players join the tables; they follow the same rules and never see anyone’s cards.
- Private tables: create your own table and invite friends by link.
- Before every hand the server publishes the hash of its seed; the deck is shuffled (Fisher–Yates) with the server seed plus every seated player’s client seed, and 10 minutes after the hand the participants get the seed to recompute the deck.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Texas Hold’em and Omaha?
In Hold’em each player has 2 cards and may use any combination with the board; in Omaha they have 4 and must use exactly 2 of them with exactly 3 from the board.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush (five of one suit) is stronger than a straight.
How much is the rake on IS Casino?
At the standard tables, 5% of the pot capped at 3 big blinds, with no rake when the hand ends before the flop.
