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How to play

Enter your name.
Select the visual style you prefer. You can choose from Standard, Casino and Traditional.
Select the game type. You can play either 5 Card Draw or 7 Card Stud.
Select whether you wish to play over the net against human/computer opponents, or solo against the computer.

Controls

The game is mainly controlled via menus and the mouse. When it is your turn to play, you will be given a series of options such as Bet, Check, Fold etc. On occasion you will also have the opportunity to modify your stake by selecting the up and down arrows in the menu box - note that the 'Raise' option can only be selected once you have increased the amount of money you wish to bet. You can use the mouse pointer to rearrange your hand; simply click on the card you wish to move and drag it to the position you require. You can also select cards when you have the opportunity to discard from your hand; click on the cards you want to get rid of, and select 'Discard'.

If you wish to chat to other players during a multiplayer game, press 'T' when in the game window. This will bring up a speech bubble in which you can type your message. Press Enter or Return to send the message. There is a window at the bottom of the game window which lists each player's actions or comments. Move the mouse over this window to expand it.

5 card draw

This game involves players being dealt five cards each, with the opportunity to discard and draw new cards at certain points during the game. The game begins by each player placing an ante of $10 in the pot. Each player in turn then bets, checks (passes the betting onto the next player) or folds (quits for that round). If all players check or fold, then the cards are thrown in and the hand redealt with a new ante.

Players then proceed to raise (increase their stake), stay (keep their stake at the same level) or fold (quit for that round). If all players but one fold, the remaining player wins the round by default. Once there are no new raises from the players, the draw takes place. In the draw players may discard and receive new cards from the deck to improve their hands. Following the draw, there is a second round of bet, check or fold to see who will open the betting; then, if there are still two or more players in the game, another round of raising. If two or more players are still in the game at this point, a showdown takes place where the remaining players reveal their hands to see who has won, and who will collect the pot.

7 card stud

After the ante is placed, each player is dealt 3 cards - 2 face down, and 1 card face up. Players may then either bet or fold; once a bet has been placed, players may raise, stay or fold until there are no new raises or only one player has not folded.

If two or more players remain in the game, another card is dealt to each face up. Players may now bet, check or fold until a new bet is made, after which the players raise, stay or fold as before. This continues for two more rounds with cards dealt face up, then one round with another card dealt face down. At this stage, once there are no new raises, a showdown occurs, and all players still in the game must reveal their hidden cards to determine the player with the best hand.

Texas Hold'Em

To start, the player to the dealer's left puts in $10 and the player to their left puts in $20. These are called the blinds, and are not optional like an ante.

Then 2 cards are dealt to each player face down, and a round of betting follows. 3 cards are then dealt face up, which are shared between all the players in the game. These cards are called "the flop", and are followed by another round of betting. A fourth card, "the turn", is then dealt, again face up and shared between all players, and another round of betting follows. Finally a fifth shared card, "the river", is dealt and followed by the final round of betting.

The winner of the hand is the player who has the best poker hand made up of 0, 1 or 2 of their hidden cards, with the remainder of the hand made up from the shared cards.

Omaha

This plays the same as Texas Hold'Em, with the differences being that 4 cards are dealt face down at the start to each player (rather than 2), and the final hand has to be made up from 2 of the 4 hidden cards and 3 of the 5 shared cards.