Rules of Greek Hold 'em

Greek hold 'em combines the rules of Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em. By adding a level of complexity, this poker game becomes an ideal strategic challenge for players who wish to hone their hand building skills.

Aim of the game

The aim of the game is to place strategic bets to accumulate as many chips as possible, forming the best hand using the two hole cards. The bets are added together in a pot, which is won by the player with the best hand. Also, a player can win if all the other players decide to fold.

Deck of cards

A French 52-card deck is used.

Number of players

Two to ten players are seated at the gaming table.

Distribution of cards

Each player gets two hidden cards, known as “hole cards”, which only he can see. This is followed by several phases in which a total of five cards, known as "community cards", are placed on the table.Each player must combine their two hole cards with three of the community cards to form the best hand.

Betting structures

At the gaming table, there is always a "small blind" and a "big blind", which are mandatory bets that must be made before the cards are dealt. A button signals the position of the dealer and rotates clockwise after each hand. The player to the left of him posts the small blind, while the following player posts the double, which corresponds to the big blind.

During the following betting phases, players can choose to check, call, raise or fold.

Pre-flop

After receiving their hole cards, each player has the option to call the big blind or raise. The round begins with the player to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise around the table until each player has either folded, bet all their chips or matched the amount bet by the others.

Flop

At the end of the first betting round, the flop cards are revealed, consisting of three community cards that are available to all active players. The round starts with the first player to the left of the button and proceeds with a new round of betting.

Turn

After the round of flop bets, the fourth community card, known as the turn, is revealed. The action starts with the first player to the left of the button. In this round, bets are doubled from the small blind to the big blind; for example, in a game with blinds of 2/4, bets are placed in increments of 4.

River

When the turn betting round is over, the river is revealed, which is the fifth and final community card in a game. This round starts with the first active player to the left of the button.

Showdown

If one player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player takes the pot and is not obliged to show his hole cards. In the event that two or more players remain after the last betting round, a showdown will be held. The first player to show his cards will be the one who made the last bet or raise. If there were no bets in the final round, the player to the left of the button will be the first to show his cards. The player with the best five-card combination wins the pot. If several players have the same hand, the pot is split evenly between them.

Order of the cards

The value of the cards, from highest to lowest, is as follows:

A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

Classification of hands

The hands are described below in ascending order of value:

• High card -->Simple value of the card. Lowest: 2 – Highest: Ace
• One pair -->Two cards with the same value
• Two pairs -->Two times two cards with the same value
• Three of a kind -->Three cards with the same value
• Straight -->Sequence of 5 cards of increasing value (the Ace may precede the 2 or follow the King, but not both), not of the same suit
• Flush -->Five cards of the same suit, not in sequential order
• Full house -->Combination of three of a kind or a pair
• Four of a kind -->Four cards of the same value
• Straight flush -->Straight of the same suit
• Royal flush -->The highest straight of the same suit

Don’t wait any longer to join the table and show off your skills! The next jackpot could be yours!