Full Rule Specification
- Physical marker that rotates one seat clockwise after every completed hand.
- Grants last action on every post-flop street.
- Determines blind placements.
| Seat Index (relative to Button) | Common Name | Mandatory Bet? | Pre-Flop Action Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Button (BTN) | No | 5th (last) |
| +1 | Small Blind (SB) | $1 | 1st |
| +2 | Big Blind (BB) | $2 | 2nd |
| +3 | UTG | — | 3rd |
| +4 | LJ | — | 4th |
| +5 | HJ | — | 5th (BTN) |
With 5 or fewer players, keep SB and BB left of the Button; eliminate names beyond BB as seats disappear.
| Role | Blind | Pre-Flop Order | Post-Flop Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Button | SB | First | Last |
| Opponent | BB | Second (last) | First |
- SB posts $1, BB posts $2.
- If a blind poster lacks sufficient chips, post all remaining chips and declare all-in.
- Deal two hole cards one at a time clockwise, beginning with the SB.
| Street | New Community Cards | First To Act |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Flop | — | UTG (first active seat left of BB) |
| Flop | 3 | First active seat left of BTN |
| Turn | +1 (4th) | Same as Flop |
| River | +1 (5th) | Same as Flop |
A betting round ends when:
- All active players have contributed identical amounts for that street, or
- All but one player have folded.
- Minimum opening bet on any street = current BB ($2).
- Minimum raise = previous bet/raise size added to call amount.
- Example: Bet $10 → minimum reraise brings total to $20 (call $10 + raise $10).
- No cap on raise count or size other than player stack (No Limit).
| Action | Preconditions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fold | Anytime facing action | Hand dead; chips already in pot remain. |
| Check | No outstanding bet | Pass action with no chips. |
| Bet | No outstanding bet | Wager ≥ $2. |
| Call | Facing bet | Match bet; all-in allowed if stack < call. |
| Raise | Facing bet | Call amount + minimum raise increment (or more, up to all-in). |
| All-In | Any turn | Commit entire stack; if < legal min-raise it does not reopen betting to prior actors. |
Action proceeds clockwise until betting closes by the rules in §3.1.
- Track each player’s effective stack (chips behind) when they act.
- When one or more players go all-in and others continue betting:
- Form a main pot equal to the smallest all-in amount × number of active players.
- Excess contributions create side pots in ascending order of all-in sizes.
- Only players who contributed to a given pot can win that pot.
- Once every active player is all-in or betting completes normally, deal out any remaining community cards with no further betting.
- Reveal order: Last aggressor on the final street shows first; if no bet, SB (or first seat left of BTN) must show first.
- Evaluate each hand’s best five-card combination from hole + board.
- Award pots sequentially: main pot, then side pots from earliest to latest creation (order does not affect result).
- For each pot:
- Highest ranked hand among eligible players wins.
- Identical best hands split that pot (see §7).
If all but one player folded earlier, skip showdown; sole survivor wins all pots.
- If two or more eligible players hold exactly equal five-card hands, divide that pot equally.
- Odd chip (if total is not divisible) goes to the player closest clockwise to the Button among those tying.
- Apply split logic separately to every side pot.
- After pot distribution, push chips; muck all cards.
- Advance Button one seat clockwise.
- New SB and BB post blinds; begin next hand at §2.
- Straddles, antes, dead blinds, time controls, and table etiquette are out of scope; this file governs only core gameplay mechanics.
- Deck misdeals, exposed cards, or run-it-twice variants require separate handling logic and are not covered here.
- For pot division, always perform integer chip accounting to avoid rounding drift in long simulations.
This document is designed to be machine-readable and unambiguous for enforcement in a 6-max $1/$2 no-limit Hold’em bot.