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44-515: The European Poker Tour ( EPT ) is a series of poker tournaments created by John Duthie , winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity. Since 2011 the EPT has been sponsored and wholly owned and controlled by PokerStars the online casino and taped by Sunset + Vine for television broadcast across Europe. By season 4
88-429: A blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player on the chair to their right cuts , and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to their left. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds,
132-461: A slot machine ; most video poker machines play draw poker, where the player bets, a hand is dealt, and the player can discard and replace cards. Payout is dependent on the hand resulting after the draw and the player's initial bet. Strip poker is a traditional poker variation where players remove clothing when they lose bets. Since it depends only on the basic mechanic of betting in rounds, strip poker can be played with any form of poker; however, it
176-482: A $ 5,200 Main Event, four $ 10,300 High Roller events, and a $ 25,000 Super High Roller. The Main Event, which had a $ 5 million guaranteed prize pool, attracted 1,304 entries. The final prize pool came to $ 6.52 million, of which $ 1,019,082 went to the eventual winner "WhatIfGod", with Timothy Adams finishing as runner-up. Poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand
220-438: A bet, they may only raise by X. In pot-limit poker, a player may bet or raise any amount up to the size of the pot. When calculating the maximum raise allowed, all previous bets and calls, including the intending raiser's call, are first added to the pot. The raiser may then raise the previous bet by the full amount of the pot. In no-limit poker, a player may wager their entire betting stack at any point that they are allowed to make
264-422: A bet. In all games, if a player does not have enough betting chips to fully match a bet, they may go "all-in," allowing them to show down their hand for the number of chips they have remaining. While typical poker games award the pot to the highest hand as per the standard ranking of poker hands, there are variations where the lowest ranked hand wins. In such games the best hand contains the lowest cards rather than
308-420: A dual purpose. In addition to the purpose explained above, blinds are also used to control how long the tournament will last. Before the tournament begins, the players will agree to a blinds structure, usually set by the tournament organizer. This structure defines how long each round is and how much the blinds increase per round. Typically, they are increased at a smooth rate of between 25% and 50% per round over
352-417: A player to fold his hand without placing a bet. The blind bets introduce a regular cost to take part in the game, thus inducing a player to enter pots in an attempt to compensate for that expense. The blinds are bets that start the betting process, and differ from antes in that regard. It is possible to play without blinds. The minimum bet is then the lowest denomination chip in play, and tossing only one chip
396-439: A positive expected value or who is trying to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability , psychology , and game theory . Poker has increased in popularity since the beginning of the 21st century (2001) and has gone from being primarily
440-509: A recreational activity confined to small groups of enthusiasts to a widely popular activity, both for participants and spectators, including online, with many professional players and multimillion-dollar tournament prizes. While poker's exact origin is the subject of debate, many game scholars point to the French game Poque and the Iranian game As-Nas as possible early inspirations. For example, in
484-428: A token called a dealer button (or buck ). In a casino , a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting. The cards are dealt clockwise around the poker table , one at a time. One or more players are usually required to make forced bets , usually either an ante or
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#1732848028539528-406: Is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, but in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game was played with just 20 cards, today it is usually played with a standard deck , although in countries where short packs are common, it may be played with 32, 40 or 48 cards. Thus poker games vary in deck configuration, the number of cards in play,
572-408: Is completely consumed by blinds and antes. A player who loses his or her chips in this manner is said to have been "blinded off." There are two main goals for the blinds structure: If desired, antes can be added to further increase the pressure to win more chips. If each player in a tournament starts with 5,000 in chips and after four hours, the big blind is 10,000 (with a small blind of 5,000),
616-411: Is considered as a call. Anything higher than that is considered a raise. Poker without blinds is usually played with everyone posting an ante to receive cards. In cash games, otherwise known as ring games , blinds primarily serve to ensure all players are subject to some minimum, ongoing cost for participating in the game. This encourages players to play hands they otherwise might not, thereby increasing
660-794: Is made up of 8 players. For the first couple of seasons, John Duthie commentated for the show alongside Colin Murray . Since the middle of Season 3, James Hartigan has been the lead commentator, with professional players Greg Raymer , Daniel Negreanu and Victoria Coren Mitchell providing analysis. Hartigan also presents the live webcast from each event. The TV show was first hosted by Caroline Flack , then joined by Natalie Pinkham . Seasons 4 and 5 were hosted by Kara Scott , while Seasons 6 and 7 were fronted by Michelle Orpe. Since Season 8, there have been four different presenters with Kristy Arnett, Sarah Grant, Laura Cornelius and Lynn Gilmartin , with commentators James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton presenting
704-622: Is that poker was popularized in the American South in the early 19th century, as gambling riverboats in the Mississippi River and around New Orleans during the 1830s helped spread the game. One early description of poker was played on a steamboat in 1829 is recorded by the English actor, Joe Cowell . The game was played with twenty cards ranking from Ace (high) to Ten (low). In contrast to this version of poker, seven-card stud only appeared in
748-417: Is usually based on simple variants with few betting rounds, like five card draw. Another game with the poker name, but with a vastly different mode of play, is called Acey-Deucey or Red Dog poker. This game is more similar to Blackjack in its layout and betting; each player bets against the house, and then is dealt two cards. For the player to win, the third card dealt (after an opportunity to raise
792-523: The University of Auckland amongst others. In a January 2015 article published in Science , a group of researchers mostly from the University of Alberta announced that they "essentially weakly solved" heads-up limit Texas Hold 'em with their development of their Cepheus poker bot . The authors claimed that Cepheus would lose at most 0.001 big blinds per game on average against its worst-case opponent, and
836-417: The big blind . The small blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer button and the big blind is then posted by the next player to the left. The one exception is when there are only two players (a " heads-up " game), when the player on the button (the dealer) is the small blind, and the other player is the big blind. (Both the player and the bet may be referred to as big or small blind.) After
880-505: The 1937 edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle , R. F. Foster wrote that "the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of As-Nas." However, in the 1990s the notion that poker is a direct derivative of As-Nas began to be challenged by gaming historians including David Parlett . What is certain, however,
924-531: The TV shows. On 6 March 2010 four masked men, armed with knives and at least one hand gun robbed the EPT event in Berlin. According to the police, the robbers got away with €242,000. No one was seriously injured, only one guard got a minor cut while trying to detain one of the robbers. The panic which gripped the crowd was briefly captured on the live webcast before the camera cut away. The attackers were caught several days after
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#1732848028539968-460: The average size of the pots and, by extension, increasing the amount of rake earned by the cardroom hosting the game. In cash games, the amount of the blinds are normally fixed for each particular table and will not change for the duration of the game. However, many cardrooms will allow blind levels to change in cases where all players unanimously agree to a change. Larger cardrooms will often include tables with different blind levels to give players
1012-409: The bet) must have a value in-between the first two. Payout is based on the odds that this is possible, based on the difference in values of the first two cards. Other poker-like games played at casinos against the house include three card poker and pai gow poker . A variety of computer poker players have been developed by researchers at the University of Alberta , Carnegie Mellon University , and
1056-571: The big blind is equal to the minimum bet. The small blind is normally half the big blind. In cases where posting exactly half the big blind is impractical due to the big blind being some odd-valued denomination, the small blind is rounded (usually down) to the nearest practical value. For example, if the big blind in a live table game is $ 3, then the small blind will usually be $ 1 or $ 2 since most casinos do not distribute large quantities of $ 0.50 poker chips. The blinds exist because Omaha and Texas hold 'em are frequently played without antes , allowing
1100-414: The button has passed them. At that point, the player must "super-post" (post both the big and small blinds) in order to rejoin the game and be dealt cards. Of these, only the big blind is considered "live" while the small blind is "dead"—it is placed in the center of the pot apart from the big blind and will not count towards calling any additional bets or raises by other players. If the player has only missed
1144-564: The buy-in for most EPT events was increased to € 8,000 (due to increased popularity and lack of space in participating casinos). At 2007 exchange rates, this is approximately equal to the US$ 10,000 which is the buy-in for most major poker events. This single move made the EPT the largest poker tour in the world, eclipsing its nearest rivals significantly. The WSOP was larger, but was only run in Las Vegas. The final table like most other major poker events
1188-431: The cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind is the first to act during the first betting round. If any players call the big blind, the big blind is then given an extra opportunity to raise . This is known as a live blind . If the live blind checks, the betting round then ends. After the flop, turn and river, the first person to act is the player seated to the left of the dealer position. Generally,
1232-424: The highest cards; some variations may be further complicated by whether or not hands such as flushes and straights are considered in the hand rankings. There are also games where the highest and lowest hands divide the pot between them, known as "high low split" games. Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to as poker . Video poker is a single-player video game that functions much like
1276-424: The maximum buy-in is 50 big blinds or less and/or "deep stack" tables where the minimum buy-in is 100 big blinds or more. In cash games that do not deal cards to players who are absent from the table at the start of the hand (or, in online games, are designated as "sitting out"), special rules are necessary to deal with players who miss their blinds. Players who miss their big blind will not be dealt in again until
1320-511: The middle of the 19th century, and was largely spread by the US military. It became a staple in many casinos following World War II and grew in popularity with the advent of the World Series of Poker in the 1970s. Texas hold 'em and other community card games began to dominate the gambling scenes over the next couple of decades. The televising of poker was a particularly strong influence increasing
1364-418: The next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, distinguishing it from other vying games and from other games that use poker hand rankings . At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown , in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to
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1408-407: The number dealt face up or face down, and the number shared by all players , but all have rules that involve one or more rounds of betting . In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form of a forced bet (the blind or ante ). In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank they believe their hand is worth as compared to
1452-444: The option of playing at whatever stakes they are most comfortable with. In online poker , blinds range from as little as one U.S. cent to USD1,000 or more. The minimum and maximum buy-in at a table is usually set in relation to the big blind. At live games, the minimum buy-in is usually between 50 and 80 big blinds, while the maximum buy-in is usually between 100 and 250 big blinds. Some online cardrooms offer "short stack" tables where
1496-402: The other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn must either match (or "call") the maximum previous bet, or fold , losing the amount bet so far and all further involvement in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise" (increase) the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round,
1540-420: The players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot. At any time during a betting round, if one player bets, no opponents choose to call (match) the bet, and all opponents instead fold , the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and
1584-470: The poker variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand comprises five cards; in variants where a player has more than five cards available to them, only the best five-card combination counts. There are 10 different kinds of poker hands, such as straight flush and four of a kind. Poker has many variations , all following a similar pattern of play and generally using the same hand ranking hierarchy. There are four main families of variants, largely grouped by
1628-408: The popularity of the game during the turn of the millennium , resulting in the poker boom a few years later between 2003 and 2006. Today the game has grown to become an extremely popular pastime worldwide. Straight flush [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by
1672-553: The previous round. As the blinds increase, players need to increase their chip counts (or "stacks") to stay in the game. The blinds will eventually consume all of a player's stack if he or she does not play to win more. Unlike many cash games, it is not possible for a player to "miss" blinds in a tournament. If a player is absent from the table, he will continue to have his or her cards dealt and mucked and will have blinds and, if applicable, antes taken from his stack as they are due, either until he or she returns or until his or her stack
1716-403: The protocol of card-dealing and betting: There are several methods for defining the structure of betting during a hand of poker. The three most common structures are known as "fixed-limit," "pot-limit," and "no-limit." In fixed-limit poker, betting and raising must be done by standardized amounts. For instance, if the required bet is X, an initial bettor may only bet X; if a player wishes to raise
1760-401: The remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed, and the player with the winning hand takes the pot. With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who either believes the bet has
1804-779: The robbery and later convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. In 2017, the series was discontinued and rebranded as the PokerStars Championship . However, this only lasted one year and the EPT returned in 2018. In 2020, three scheduled stops on the EPT (in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Prague) were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic – a fourth event (in Sochi) continued as planned. An inaugural EPT Online series took place on sponsor site PokerStars instead, running from 8–18 November 2020. The series comprised 20 tournaments, including
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1848-423: The small blind, then the same procedure applies except that the player only has to post the "dead" small blind to rejoin the game. Most cardrooms allow players to relieve themselves of these obligations if they wait until they are again due to post the big blind before rejoining the game. Some cardrooms hosting live cash games do not allow players to miss their blinds in this manner. Rather, all players with chips on
1892-419: The strategy is thus so "close to optimal" that "it can't be beaten with statistical significance within a lifetime of human poker playing." Blind (poker) Blinds are forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer button in flop-style poker games. The number of blinds is usually two, but it can range from none to three. When there are two blinds they are called the small blind and
1936-413: The table are dealt in whether or not they are present at the table. Any blinds due will be posted from the player's stack - depending on the cardroom's rules, this will be done either by the dealer, another cardroom employee or a nearby player under staff supervision. Players who do not return to the table by the time it is their turn to act are automatically folded. In poker tournament play, blinds serve
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