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EXAMPLE THE BETTING INTERVAL

A betting interval among seven players 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, might proceed as follows.

Betting round 1

1. Player 1 bets one chip.
2. Player 2 calls (one chip).
3. Player 3 folds.
4. Player 4 calls and raises one (two chips).
5. Player 5 calls (two chips).
6. Player 6 calls (two chips).
7. Player 7 calls and raises 2 (four chips).

BETTING ROUND 1 The state of play after the first round of betting. Only player 3 has such a poor poker hands that he folds. The seven chips in the centre is the ante.

Betting round 2

The turn bet now returns to player 1.

1. Player 1 needs to put in three chips to call, since the highest bet so far is four chips, and 1’s contribution to the pot is only one chip. He does this, making this contribution four in total.
2. Player 2 folds.
3. Player 4 calls by adding two chips to make his contribution four.
4. Player 5 raises by putting in four chips, making his contribution six. (He should announce, ‘Call two and raise by two.’)
5. Player 6 folds.
6. Player 7 calls by adding two chips to bring his contribution to six.

BETTING ROUND 2 After the second betting round, players 2 and 6 also as it’s not worth risking any more chips on their poor hands.

Betting round 3

1. Player 1 also calls by adding two chips to bring his contribution to six.
2. Player 4 folds.

Here the betting interval ends, as all three players who retain an interest in the pot have equalized their stakes. The betting interval cannot end until all players in the pot have had an opportunity to bet.

The betting interval described might also be set out as follows, where the figures indicate the number of chips the player put in on each round and (in brackets) the running total of his contribution.

			PLAYERS
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
			FIRST ROUND
1	1	fold	2	2	2	4
			SECOND ROUND
3(4)	fold		2(4)	4(6)	fold	2(6)
			THIRD ROUND
			2(6)			fold

Three players – 1, 5, and 7 – retain an interest in the pot, having contributed six chips each, while the pot totals 25 chips.

BETTING ROUND 3 The three players remaining have all contributed six chips, so their stakes are equalized.

* Checking

As mentioned on page, in some forms of poker, there is another option in addition to betting, calling, raising or folding- checking.
The first player whose turn it is to bet may check, which means he wishes to stay in the pot but not yet to bet, and he doesn’t put any chips into the pot. Checking might be thought of as a ‘bet of nothing’. Subsequent players may also check, but as soon as any player has made a bet it is no longer possible to check during that betting interval: players can stay in the pot only by calling or raising.