Then, copy that formula down for the rest of your stocks. But, as I said, dividends can make a huge contribution to the returns received for a particular stock. Also, you can insert charts and diagrams to understand the distribution of your investment portfolio, and what makes up your overall returns. If you have data on one sheet in Excel that you would like to copy to a different sheet, you can select, copy, and paste the data into a new location. A good place to start would be the Nasdaq Dividend History page. You should keep in mind that certain categories of bonds offer high returns similar to stocks, but these bonds, known as high-yield or junk bonds, also carry higher risk.
In addition, the player can also wager on one or both of two optional side bets, called Trips Plus and Pocket Bonus. The player is dealt two cards, and the dealer is dealt two cards, face down. Players have the option to make an additional bet, known as the raise, of 3x the ante bet. After the first round of betting is complete, the dealer deals three community cards, known as the flop.
If the player checked before the flop was dealt, they can now make a raise of 2x the ante bet, or simply check again if they prefer. Once the second round of betting is complete, the dealer deals the fourth and fifth community cards, known as the turn and river. This means there are now five community cards revealed on the board. If the player checked on both of the previous two betting rounds, they must now make a raise of 1x the ante bet, or fold their hand. The blinds ensure there will be some level of 'action' on every hand.
In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same. As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind.
The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent on the game being played. The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind.
This position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. The first player has three options: Call: match the amount of the big blind Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game Fold: throw the hand away If the player chooses to fold, he or she is out of the game and no longer eligible to win the current hand. Players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind the minimum bet allowed up to the total amount in the current pot.
The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played. In a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack an "all-in" bet. There are other betting variations in hold'em poker.
In fixed-limit hold'em or just "limit hold'em , a raise is always exactly twice the big blind. In pot-limit hold'em played much less often than the other variations , players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind the minimum bet allowed up to the total amount in the current pot.
After the first player 'under the gun' acts, the play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold. Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the "flop. After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already. A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.
In this betting round and subsequent ones , the action starts with the first active player to the left of the button. Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand. Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called which closes the action. It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.
Call — match the amount of the big blind The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the flop. Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play. Again players have the option to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play.
Spinner's Bet 3. The spinner attempts to spin either three pair of heads or three pair of tails, and will win if they do so before either a getting the opposite result or b odding out. The Ringie selects a player as the spinner generally greeted to loud calls of "Come in spinner! The spinner tosses the coins in the air using the kip until they win and continue spinning , lose and the kip is offered to the next player around the ring , or toss the kip take their winning wagers and retire.
The basic format of the game: Two heads means the spinner wins. Two tails means the spinner loses both their bet, and the right to spin. Odds "one them" means head or tail bets are frozen, and the spinner throws again. The spinner is required to place a bet usually on heads before their first throw which must be covered equaled by another player.
If the spinner wins they keep the bet and cover, minus a commission which the boxer takes out of this bet. If the spinner loses, the entire bet goes to the player who covered the bet. This makes throwing the coins a slight losing proposition compared to a side bet, however this is balanced by the interest of throwing the coins and the chance of adding a personal "lucky" touch to the spin. The disadvantage cost of running the game is shared about the School by the Kip being passed about the Ring during subsequent spins.
The taking of commission has been made illegal for unlicensed games in most states, even when play is permitted e. ANZAC day. The other members of the school place side bets bets against each other on whether the coins will Head or Tail. These bets are offered by shouting the amount and preference i. The combined amount of the bet is traditionally held by the tail-better until the bet resolves i.
Heads is thrown, and the combined bet is handed over to the head-better, or Tails is thrown and the combined bet is pocketed by the tail-better. Variations[ edit ] Some variations include: Throwing three coins, instead of two: As at least two coins will always match, this results in a decision on every throw two heads or two tails, with the third coin being redundant - "sudden death" , and thus a faster game, with more action, as the bets are resolved on every throw - there is no pause in gambling when odds are thrown.
The spinner only wins after a successive run of heads: I. Casinos pay this at 7. This speeds up play as the Spinner can't "Toss the Kip" after a single throw selecting a new spinner takes time, interrupting play. If the spinner throws successive odds they lose: I. Ante[ edit ] An ante is a forced bet in which all players put an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. Often this is either a single unit a one-value or the smallest value in play or some other small amount; a proportion such as a half or a quarter of the minimum bet is also common.
An ante paid by every player ensures that a player who folds every round will lose money though slowly , thus providing all players with an incentive, however small, to play the hand rather than toss it in when the opening bet reaches them. Antes are the most common forced bet in draw poker and stud poker but are uncommon in games featuring blind bets see next section. However, some tournament formats of games featuring blinds impose an ante to discourage extremely tight play.
Antes encourage players to play more loosely by lowering the cost of staying in the hand calling relative to the current pot size, offering better pot odds. With antes, more players stay in the hand, which increases pot size and makes for more interesting play. This is considered important to ensure good ratings for televised tournament finals. Most televised high-stakes cash games also use both blinds and antes.
Televised cash games usually have one of the players, normally the dealer, pay for everyone to accelerate play. If there are six players for example, the dealer would toss six times the ante into the pot, paying for each person. Tournaments which employ antes, often do so only in the later rounds. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal.
During such times, the player can be given a special button indicating the need to pay an ante to the pot known as "posting"; see below upon their return. Some cardrooms eliminate these inequities by always dealing all players into every hand whether they are present or not. In such cases casino staff or neighboring players under staff supervision will be expected to post antes and fold hands on behalf of absent players as necessary.
Main article: Blind poker A standard Texas hold 'em game with blinds A blind bet or just blind is a forced bet placed into the pot by one or more players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates bets made during play. The most common use of blinds as a betting structure calls for two blinds: the player after the dealer blinds about half of what would be a normal bet, and the next player blinds what would be a whole bet.
This two-blind structure, sometimes with antes, is the dominating structure of play for community card poker games such as Texas hold 'em. Sometimes only one blind is used often informally as a "price of winning" the previous hand , and sometimes three are used this is sometimes seen in Omaha hold 'em. In the case of three blinds usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet amount , the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid by the dealer.
A blind is usually a "live bet"; the amount paid as the blind is considered when figuring the bet to that player the amount needed to call during the first round. However, some situations, such as when a player was absent from the table during a hand in which they should have paid a blind, call for placing a "dead blind"; the blind does not count as a bet. If there have been no raises when action first gets to the big blind that is, the bet amount facing them is just the amount of the big blind they posted , the big blind has the ability to raise or check.
This right to raise called the option occurs only once. As with any raise, if their raise is now called by every player, the first betting round closes as usual. Similarly to a missed ante, a missed blind due to the player's temporary absence e. Upon the player's return, they must pay the applicable blind to the pot for the next hand they will participate in. The need for this rule is eliminated in casinos that deal in absent players as described above.
Also the rule is for temporary absences only; if a player leaves the table permanently, special rules govern the assigning of blinds and button see next subsection. In some fixed-limit and spread-limit games, especially if three blinds are used, the big blind amount may be less than the normal betting minimum. Players acting after a sub-minimum blind have the right to call the blind as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet.
When a player in the blinds leaves the game[ edit ] When one or more players pays the small or big blinds for a hand, then after that hand permanently leaves the game by "busting out" in a tournament or simply calling it a night at a public cardroom , an adjustment is required in the positioning of the blinds and the button.
There are three common rule sets to determine this: Simplified: The dealer button moves to the next active player on the left, and the small and big blinds are paid by the first and second players remaining to the left. This is the easiest to track and always rotates the button, but results in "missed blinds".
For instance, a player "under the gun" when the player in the big blind busts out ends up paying the small blind; they have "missed" the big blind they would have paid had the leaving player remained in the game. Similarly, a player in the small blind who busts out means the player in the big blind gets the button, missing the small blind. In the special case of three players in a tournament being reduced to the two-player showdown, any leftover blinds from other rules are "written off" and the Simplified method is used, with the player "on the button" paying the small blind.
Moving button: As in Simplified, the button moves to the left to the next active player, and the blinds move to the next two active players. However, any "missed blinds" are paid by the player whom they skipped as if they were due for the upcoming hand, with one blind paid per player, per hand, biggest blind first.
Any blind a player misses on a given hand because a bigger blind was due will be paid by the player in the following hand. This is the most complex ruleset to implement, especially if multiple players leave, but it is the fairest method overall in terms of paying all due blinds and rotating last action. Dead button: Spots vacated by leaving players who would pay the small blind or get the button during the next hand remain open for the purposes of shifting blinds and button.
Thus, the small blind may not be paid in the subsequent hand if the player due to pay the small blind has vacated the spot and, therefore, is considered "dead". However, there is always a big blind even if the spot is vacated by the player who is due to pay the big blind; in such case, the player seated to the left of the vacated spot pays the big blind. When the dealer button moves to an empty seat, it also is considered "dead", and the last active player before the empty seat retains the "privilege of last action" by default.
While simple in tournament formats and the most equitable in terms of paying blinds as due and when normally expected, it can result in inequitable strategic situations regarding last action, and becomes harder to track if the table is "open" players can come and go as in a casino. In tournaments, the dead button and moving button rules are common replacement players are generally not a part of tournaments.
Online cash games generally use the simplified moving button as other methods are more difficult to codify and can be abused by players constantly entering and leaving. Casino card rooms where players can come and go can use any of the three rulesets, though moving button is most common.
When a player immediately takes the place of a player who leaves, the player may have the option to either pay the blinds in the leaving player's stead, in which case play continues as if the player never left, or to "sit out" until the button has moved past him, and thus the chair is effectively empty for purposes of the blinds.
Many card rooms do not allow new players to sit out as it is highly advantageous for the new player, both to watch one or more hands without obligation to play, and to enter the game in a very "late" position on their first hand they see all other player's actions except the dealer's.
For these reasons, new players must often post a "live" big blind to enter regardless of their position at the table. When there are only two players[ edit ] The normal rules for positioning the blinds do not apply when there are only two players at the table. The player on the button is always due the small blind, and the other player must pay the big blind.
The player on the button is therefore the first to act before the flop, but last to act for all remaining betting rounds. A special rule is also applied for placement of the button whenever the size of the table shrinks to two players.
If three or more players are involved in a hand, and at the conclusion of the hand one or more players have busted out such that only two players remain for the next hand, the position of the button may need to be adjusted to begin heads-up play.
The big blind always continues moving, and then the button is positioned accordingly. For example, in a three-handed game, Alice is the button, Dianne is the small blind, and Carol is the big blind. If Alice busts out, the next hand Dianne will be the big blind, and the button will skip past Dianne and move to Carol.
On the other hand, if Carol busts out, Alice will be the big blind, Dianne will get the button and will have to pay the small blind for the second hand in a row. Main article: Kill game A kill blind is a special blind bet made by a player who triggers the kill in a kill game see below. It is often twice the amount of the big blind or minimum bet known as a full kill , but can be 1.
This blind is "live"; the player posting it normally acts last in the opening round after the other blinds, regardless of relative position at the table , and other players must call the amount of the kill blind to play.
As any player can trigger a kill, there is the possibility that the player must post a kill blind when they are already due to pay one of the other blinds. Rules vary on how this is handled. Bring-in[ edit ] A bring-in is a type of forced bet that occurs after the cards are initially dealt, but before any other action. One player, usually chosen by the value of cards dealt face up on the initial deal, is forced to open the betting by some small amount, after which players act after them in normal rotation.
Because of this random first action, bring-ins are usually used in games with an ante instead of structured blind bets. The bring-in is normally assigned on the first betting round of a stud poker game to the player whose upcards indicate the poorest hand.
For example, in traditional high hand stud games and high-low split games, the player showing the lowest card pays the bring-in. In low hand games, the player with the highest card showing pays the bring-in. The high card by suit order can be used to break ties, but more often the person closest to the dealer in order of rotation pays the bring-in.
In most fixed-limit and some spread-limit games, the bring-in amount is less than the normal betting minimum often half of this minimum. The player forced to pay the bring-in may choose either to pay only what is required in which case it functions similarly to a small blind or to make a normal bet. Players acting after a sub-minimum bring-in have the right to call the bring-in as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet.
In a game where the bring-in is equal to the fixed bet this is rare and not recommended , the game must either allow the bring-in player to optionally come in for a raise, or else the bring-in must be treated as live in the same way as a blind, so that the player is guaranteed their right to raise on the first betting round the "option" if all other players call. Post[ edit ] Some cash games, especially with blinds, require a new player to post when joining a game already in progress.
Posting in this context means putting an amount equal to the big blind or the minimum bet into the pot before the deal. This amount is also called a "dead blind". The post is a "live" bet, meaning that the amount can be applied towards a call or raise when it is the player's turn to act. If the player is not facing a raise when the action gets to them, they may also "check their option" as if they were in the big blind. A player who is away from their seat and misses one or more blinds is also required to post to reenter the game.
In this case, the amount to be posted is the amount of the big or small blind, or both, at the time the player missed them. If both must be posted immediately upon return, the big blind amount is "live", but the small blind amount is "dead", meaning that it cannot be considered in determining a call or raise amount by that player. Some house rules allow posting one blind per hand, largest first, meaning all posts of missed blinds are live.
Posting is usually not required if the player who would otherwise post happens to be in the big blind. This is because the advantage that would otherwise be gained by missing the blind, that of playing several hands before having to pay blinds, is not the case in this situation. It is therefore common for a new player to lock up a seat and then wait several hands before joining a table, or for a returning player to sit out several hands until the big blind comes back around, so that they may enter in the big blind and avoid paying the post.
For this same reason, only one set of missed blinds can be accumulated by the player; old missed blinds are removed when the big blind returns to that player's seat because the player was never in any position to gain from missing the blinds. In online poker it is common for the post to be equal in size to a big blind and to be live, just like the big blind. This can create a tactical advantage for the player if they choose not to play during the time they would otherwise spend in the blind in full ring games.
Straddle and sleeper bets[ edit ] A straddle bet is an optional and voluntary blind bet made by a player after the posting of the small and big blinds, but before cards are dealt. Straddles are typically used only in cash games played with fixed blind structures. Some jurisdictions and casinos prohibit live straddles. Straddles are normally not permitted in tournament formats and are rarely allowed online. The purpose of a straddle is to "buy" the privilege of last action, which on the first round with blinds is normally the player in the big blind.
A straddle or sleeper blind may count as a raise towards the maximum number of raises allowed, or it may count separately; in the latter case this raises the maximum total bet of the first round. For example, straddling is permitted in Nevada and Atlantic City but illegal in other areas on account of differences in state and local laws. The straddle must be the size of a normal raise over the big blind.
A straddle is a live bet; but does not become a "bigger blind". The straddle acts as a minimum raise but with the difference being that the straddler still gets their option of acting when the action returns to them. In a no-limit game if any other player wants to make a raise with a straddle on board, the minimum raise will be the difference between the big blind and the straddle. Example: small blind is at 5, big blind is 10 then a straddle would cost The minimum raise would be 10, for a total of 30; it doesn't need to double to Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle.
If action returns to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. This is part of what makes a straddle different from a sleeper because a sleeper does not have the option to raise if everyone folds or calls around to him. Some casinos permit the player to the left of a live straddle to re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.
Depending on house rules, each re-straddle is often required to be double the previous straddle, so as to limit the number of feasible re-straddles. Straddling is considered poor long-term strategy by most experts, since the benefit of obtaining last action is more than offset by the cost of making a blind raise.
Because straddling has a tendency to enrich the average pot size without a corresponding increase in the blinds and antes if applicable , players who sit at tables that allow straddling can increase their profits considerably simply by choosing not to straddle themselves. Mandatory straddles[ edit ] Straddling is voluntary at most cardrooms that allow it, however house rules can make straddling obligatory at times by using a special token called "the rock" at the table.
Whoever is in possession of the "rock" is obliged to place a live straddle for double the big blind when they are in the UTG position. The winner of the ensuing pot takes possession of the "rock" and is obliged to make a live straddle when the UTG position comes around to this player. If the pot is split the "rock" goes to the winner closest to the left i. This is very similar in principle to the "kill blind" of a kill game, but does not necessarily occur in the same circumstances, and the betting amounts do not have to be affected beyond the first round as in a kill game.
Mississippi straddle[ edit ] A Mississippi straddle is similar to a live straddle, but instead of being made by the player "under the gun", it can be made by any player, depending on house rules one common variation is to allow this left of big blind or on the button. House rules permitting Mississippi straddles are common in the southern United States.
Like a live straddle, a Mississippi straddle must be at least the minimum raise. Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle in a common variation, action starts left of the big blind, skips over the straddle who is last. If action gets back to the straddle the straddle has the option of raising. The player to the left of a Mississippi straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle. A sleeper bet is not given the option to raise if other players call, and the player is not buying last action; thus the sleeper bet simply establishes a higher minimum to call for the table during the opening round and allows the player to ignore their turn as long as no one re-raises the sleeper bet.
Sleepers are often considered illegal out-of-turn play and are commonly disallowed, but they can speed up a game slightly as a player who posts a sleeper can focus their attention on other matters such as ordering a drink or buying a tray of chips. It can also be an intimidation tactic as a sleeper raise makes it unfeasible to "limp in" a situation where a player with a mediocre starting hand but acting late only has to call the minimum to see more cards , thus forcing weaker but improvable starting hands out of the play.
Alice is in the small blind, Dianne is in the big blind, Carol is next to act, followed by Joane, with Ellen on the button. The hole cards are dealt. Because of the straddle, Joane is now first to act; she folds. Ellen calls the straddle. Alice folds. Ellen folds. Dianne calls the raise, ending betting on this round. Because of the straddle, Alice, the small blind, is now first to act; she folds. Carol folds. Joane calls the straddle. Ellen has the option of checking or raising; she checks, ending betting on this round.
She calls. There is no additional bet to Joane and she has no option, so play passes over her to Ellen. Limits[ edit ] Betting limits apply to the amount a player may open or raise, and come in four common forms: no limit, pot limit the two collectively called big bet poker , fixed limit, and spread limit.
All such games have a minimum bet as well as the stated maximums, and also commonly a betting unit, which is the smallest denomination in which bets can be made. It is also common for some games to have a bring-in that is less than the minimum for other bets. In this case, players may either call the bring-in, or raise to the full amount of a normal bet, called completing the bet.
Fixed limit[ edit ] In a game played with a fixed-limit betting structure, a player chooses only whether to bet or not—the amount is fixed by rule in most situations. To enable the possibility of bluffing and protection , the fixed amount generally doubles at some point in the game. This double wager amount is referred to as a big bet. Some limit games have rules for specific situations allowing a player to choose between a small or big bet.
For example, in seven-card stud high , when a player has a face-up pair on the second round 4th street , players may choose a small or big bet e. Maximum number of raises[ edit ] Most fixed-limit games will not allow more than a predefined number of raises in a betting round.
Oct 14, · An open raise, or any raise that increases the active bet from the amount of the blind, is known as a 2-bet. 3-Bets, 4-Bets, and 5-Bets Preflop. Let’s continue with the above . For example, if the pot is $2, that is the max you can bet. But once you bet $2 (and make the pot $4), the next person can raise another $4 (bringing it up to $8), then the next guy can raise $8 . Apr 19, · In fixed-limit poker, the size of each bet is fixed in advance. In Hold'em and Omaha, the first two betting rounds use bets and raises the size of the big blind (called the .