Rules and Tips When it Comes to Table Stakes
Regardless of whether you’re in a casino, at home, or somehow took a weird turn and ended up in a saloon full of desperados (!), most tables play with table stakes rules.
Table stakes rules state that each player will start the hand with a certain stake (amount of money or chips), and sticks with that stake through the rest of the deal. In other words, once play starts, that’s it – what is in front of you is your bankroll for that hand. You cannot remove money from the table, or add money. Additionally, players are not able to hide the amount of their stake from the other players. Borrowing money is typically out as well, as is throwing in your gold watch to cover a bet (however, some private games may allow this, especially if it’s a nice watch.)
If a player is faced with a bet that cannot be called with their available stake, special rules are sometimes required to handle the instance.
In these “special rules” instances, usually the player that doesn’t have enough to cover a bet, yet doesn’t want to fold, bets the full remainder of their stake and goes for an “all in” play. While the player can hold onto their cards for the remainder of the deal like they have called every bet, they cannot win any more money from other players above the amount of their bet – in other words, one could say the pot is frozen for them at that point.
While limiting, there is a certain strategic advantage to being “all in”. If you are “all in”, well, you can’t likely be bluffed, can you? You get to play in the showdown without risking any more money. But others still must, so the great thing about this tactic is that it may get rid of competition at no risk to you. However, there is a serious downside… if you bet all of your chips, and you lose, well, you’re done. Until you visit the cashier’s window (or see Loanshark Louie – he’ll be happy to help you.)
There are other special rules for “not being able to cover” plays, and they include the “full bet rule” and the “half bet rule”. A full bet rule is when the amount of an all in raise doesn’t meet the full amount of the previous raise (i.e. it’s not a “real” raise) – this type of all in doesn’t reopen the betting action. A half bet rule is when a raise is equal to or larger than half the bet being raised – this functions as a proper raise (if this rule is used, of course), and reopens the action (much to Louie’s delight!)
