TEXAS HOLD’EM RULES

Texas Hold’em is a poker game in which players compose their best possible 5-card hand from the two cards dealt face down to them, combined with the five community cards dealt face up and shared among all players.

The main form of Hold’em is played using Small and Big Blind bets, which are forced bets by two players.

A dealer button is used to represent the player in the dealer position;  the dealer button rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position of the dealer and blinds. The deck of cards will function as the dealer button at tables that do not have a dedicated dealer.

The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is always equal to half of the big blind (rounded down).

The big blind, posted by the player to the left of the small blind, is equal to the minimum bet. After one round of betting is done, the next betting round will start with the person in the small blind. In tournament poker,  the blind structure periodically increases as the tournament progresses.  This is not the case in Ring Game poker, which maintains the same blinds throughout the duration of the game.

When only two players remain, special ‘head-to-head’ rules are enforced, and the blinds are posted differently. In this case, the person with the dealer button posts the small blind, while his/her opponent places the big blind. The dealer acts first before the flop. After the flop, the dealer acts last
and continues to do so for the remainder of the hand.

The most common variation of Texas Hold’em is No Limit.

No Limit: No Limit games allow each player to bet or raise as much as their entire chip stack all at once, or any lower amount. However, bets must be equal to or higher than the big blind, and raises must be equal to or higher than the current bet in the round.

ASSIGNING THE BUTTON

Starting with a single 52-card deck, the dealer deals a single card to each player. The player with the highest ranking card is assigned the  Dealer Button, also known as "The Button."

In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen based on the Suit ranking of the card. The button indicates where the dealer will start dealing cards for each hand. The two players to the left of the button are responsible for seeding the pot with mandatory bets called the Small Blind and the Big Blind.

The Button moves one player to the left at the start of each hand and continues to do so until the game is over. This is so everybody gets a chance to contribute to the pot.

When there is no dedicated dealer at a table, the high card will be dealt by the player who is at the highest level at the table.

Moving Button Rule: The Moving Button Rule affects how the button is moved and the blinds are handled when players join or leave a Ring Game. The button moves forward to the next active player, and the blinds adjust accordingly. This repeats as necessary until the big blind has moved at least one seat forward. If the big blind skips any player, that player must pay the big blind. Over the next few hands, there may be more than one big blind, more than one small blind, no big blind, or no small blind. No player will pay the big blind twice in a row, no player will have the button twice in a row, and no player will avoid paying the big blind and small blind.

Dead Button Rule: The Dead Button Rule affects how the button is moved and the blinds are handled after any players who posted the big or small blinds are knocked out, or leave a tournament.

The big blind moves forward to the next active player, the small blind moves to the previous big blind, and the button moves to the previous small blind. If the small blind is on an empty seat, no small blind is posted. A player can effectively be the button two or more times in a row when the button lands on an empty seat. No player will pay the big blind twice in a row, and no player will avoid paying the blinds.

BLINDS

A blind is a forced bet placed into the pot by two 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:

Small Blind: The player after the dealer blinds 1/2 of the big blind; this is called the small blind.

Big Blind: The player next to the small blind blinds a small percentage of the table's starting chips or buy-in; this is called the big blind. The big blind is normally 1/100th of the table's starting chips.

Two Player Blinds: 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.

Two Player Blinds: 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 the 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.

PLAY OF THE HAND

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down, with the player in the small blind receiving the first card and the player in the button seat receiving the last card dealt (In Prominence, as in most poker games, the deck is a standard 52-card deck containing no joker). These cards are the players’ hole cards. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown, making Texas Hold’em a “closed” poker game.

Pre-Flop: The hand begins with a “pre-flop” betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind and continuing clockwise. A round of betting continues until every player has folded, put in all of their chips, or matched the amount put in by all other active players.

Note that the blinds are considered “live” in the pre-flop betting round,  meaning that they are counted toward the amount that the blind player must contribute. If all players call around to the player in the big blind position, that player may either check or raise.

The Flop: After the pre-flop betting round, assuming there are at least two remaining players in the hand, the dealer deals a flop, three face-up community cards. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer’s left and continue clockwise.

The Turn: After the flop betting round ends, a single community card called the turn is dealt, followed by a third betting round.

The River: A final single community card called the river is then dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and the Showdown, if necessary.

In all environments, the dealer will burn a card before the flop, turn, and river. Because of this burn, players who are betting cannot see the back of the next community card to come. This is done for historical/traditional reasons, to avoid any possibility of a player knowing in advance the next card to be dealt due to it being marked.

If more than one player remains after the final round of betting, a showdown occurs. In a showdown, players reveal their cards, and the one with the best hand claims the pot. If multiple players tie for the best hand, they all split the pot.

HAND RANKINGS

ROYAL FLUSH: A, K, Q, J, 10 All of the same suit.

STRAIGHT FLUSH: Any five-card sequence in the same suit.

FOUR OF A KIND: Four cards of the same rank.

FULL HOUSE: Three of a kind combined with a pair.

FLUSH: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence.

STRAIGHT:  Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit.

THREE OF A KIND:  Three cards of the same rank.

TWO PAIR:  Two separate pairs.

PAIR: Two cards of the same rank.

HIGH CARD: Otherwise unrelated cards ranked by the highest single card.

EVENTS

Events are a way for players to gain limited-time bonuses as long as they are playing in a game, or have a specific item(s) equipped that meet the Event criteria.

Every Event has a unique set of requirements and rewards. Events will only apply to Multiplayer games. There are two types of Events: Hourly and Daily.

Featured Events: For active Featured Events, check out THE DEAL!

Hourly events occur at certain times every day of the week and reward players for participating in hands while using certain items.

Happy Hour: DRINK Table Item Boost Effects are DOUBLED.

Havana Nights: SMOKE Table Item Boost Effects are DOUBLED.

Fight Club: WEAPON Table Item Boost Effects are DOUBLED.

Daily events will occur once per certain day, per week, every week.

These events will start at 00:00 UTC within their given day, and run for  24 hours.

Muck It Mondays: TRIPLE REP from the Muck It REP Reward.

Tourney Tuesdays: 50% Bonus REP when playing Tournaments.

Affiliation Wednesdays: 50% Bonus REP with current Affiliation Outfits equipped.

Thirsty Thursdays: All Table Item REFILLS 25% OFF.

Fanny Pack Fridays: 50% Bonus REP when wearing a Tourist Outfit.

Sucker Punch Saturdays: TRIPLE REP from the Knockout REP Reward.

Suave Sundays: 50% Bonus REP when wearing a Dress or Suit Outfit.

CHALLENGES

Challenges reward REP when completing both long-term and short-term goals in Prominence Poker. Goals can be anything! Some challenges require you to play a number of hands, while others may require winning tournaments.

Challenges come in two formats: Progress and Timed.

Progress Challenges persist throughout each Affiliation Rank with  Prominence Poker and are always visible in your Rap Sheet. Completing a tier of a progress challenge will award REP and gain you access to the next tier within that challenge tree.

There are 15 tiers within each challenge tree. Challenge tiers become progressively harder to complete, and therefore reward more REP.

Bounties are time-sensitive objectives that reward Chips for completion. Players can have up to 4 Bounties at a time: 1 Weekly and 3 Daily.

Progress can be made towards multiple Bounties at the same time, and they will remain active until completed or have expired. When a Bounty expires, all progress will be lost on that Bounty, and another will instantly take its place.

Once a Bounty is completed, chip rewards are given out. New daily  Bounties are randomly selected and presented every day. No two active daily Bounties will be the same. It’s possible to see the same challenges over time, but they can be completed again for additional rewards.

TABLE ACTIONS

Radial Action Menu

The Radial Action Menu, or RAM, is the method by which players enter their desired table action during play. The RAM was created to make selecting your table action as easy as possible. Simply highlight your desired table action and press BET.

The RAM’s Betting Dial is broken out into sections known as Ranges. These ranges double and halve as you increase or decrease the range of the dial. This allows you finer control of the bets you want to make.

Presetting Actions

A Preset Action is a table action that you have locked in prior to your turn.

In Prominence, Presetting actions can be used in a few ways. You can use this to speed up the rate of the game and even trick your opponents into thinking you are going to make a move that you have no intention of actually following through. Just make sure you cancel your Preset Action before it commits!

To cancel a Preset Action, simply press the CANCEL button. You may do this at any time before it is your turn. Beware, Preset Actions are committed the moment it becomes your turn, so think fast!

CHECK  CALL  BET  RAISE  ALL IN

PRESET ICONS

Preset Action Icons will look similar to standard Action Icons, except that Preset Icons are not contained within a circle and will be slightly transparent. Preset Actions are broadcast to the table via gestures only; other players will NOT see your Preset Icons.

TURN TIMERS

Each player will have a set amount of time to perform an action when it is their turn to act at the table. This time is represented at the table via  Turn Timers. You will get more and more time added to your turn timers as the hand progresses.

If a player does not act before the timer runs out, they will automatically check/fold, and the turn will pass to the next player. These timers are used to ensure that multiplayer games can progress steadily even if one player steps away from the game.

Your opponents’ Turn Timers will appear above their heads while it is their turn. Your Turn Timer is displayed around your Radial Action  Menu, but will only appear when it is your turn and the timer is at 50%.

Pre-Flop: Players will have 15 seconds to act on their turn.

The Flop & Turn: Players will have 20 seconds to act on their turn.

The River: Players will have 25 seconds to act on their turn.

Single Player: In single-player games, you will have no Turn Timer at all. But never fear, your opponents will still act on their turns in a timely fashion.

GAME TYPES
Single Player

Prominence Poker is a multiplayer-focused game, but you can still practice your skills in single-player practice Mode. While playing in Single Player, test your skills against a table of AI players or compete against the Cons in Solo Mode. Single Player does not deplete or add chips to your bankroll, so you can always come play a few Single Player games while waiting for your next chip bonus.

Single Player Reputation: Since Single Player is considered a practice environment, players will only be allowed to earn as much REP as their Single Player REP Challenge will allow. From there, players must continue on to Multiplayer, where the real action is.

RING GAMES

Ring Games are fairly casual in that you can join them while they’re in progress. Just grab an empty seat and start playing at the start of the next hand. Your starting chips at the table are equal to your buy-in for the game. You can step away from the table whenever you like, taking your current chip stack with you. If you bust out, you may rebuy to the table’s starting chip amount using the chips in your bankroll.

Pot Rake: In Ring Games, a rake is taken from pots that are won during or after the flop. A rake is a small fee that the house takes out of an active pot.

The total amount of rake per pot will never exceed the Big Blind multiplied by one less than the total number of players that participated during the current hand. For instance, playing at a full table of 6 players with a big blind of 10, the rake will never exceed 50 chips.

TOURNAMENTS

Tournaments are competitive games where your goal is to be the last person left at the table with chips. Prominence Poker features Freeze Out tournaments, where each player must be present at the start of the game, and latecomers aren’t allowed. In tournaments, you play with tournament chips, which are not necessarily the same amount as the buy-in paid to join the tournament. If you bust out, you cannot rebuy and must either leave the tournament or stick around and spectate the remainder.

When the tournament ends, the top players receive a payout drawn from the pool of chips the players paid to buy into the tournament (not including each player’s tournament Entry Fee). In the event of a tie among players, the highest prize goes to the player who had the highest chip stack before busting. If there is still a tie, players are ranked in order from the left of the dealer button.

If you quit or bust out, you forfeit your buy-in, but you may still earn a payout if your table ranking was high enough when you quit. In the event of a disconnection, you will automatically sit out of the tournament.

PAYOUTS: The top players in a Tournament receive payouts based on the size of the Tournament and the buy-in amount. The number of players who receive a payout depends on the size of the tournament. Payouts can be viewed within the Lobby.

Entry Fees: In lieu of a Pot Rake, tournaments have an Entry Fee, which allows for easy calculation of the prizes. The tournament fee is taken at the beginning of the tournament along with the buy-in.

AFFILIATIONS

Everyone begins in Prominence as a Tourist. That’s just how it goes. But if you know your way around a poker table and can prove yourself useful, you might just be able to join up with one of the Affiliations in  Prominence. To do so, you will have to make it through a gauntlet of  Henchmen just to gain a chance to take a beating from the Boss.

If you can make it in, you will be rewarded heavily. As you gain REP  with each Affiliation, you will receive greater and greater rewards. Once you reach the maximum potential in your current Affiliation Rank, you may then Rank Up. But as with all things in Prominence, this has a cost.  The higher the Rank, the higher the Rewards.

The Hearts are Prominence’s branch of the Italian Mafia. You can tell  The Hearts by their red Suits and Dresses. The boss of The Hearts is  Italia “The Godmother” Drago, an elderly woman, full of surprises. The  Hearts can be found at the Prominence Kleaners Laundromat.

The Clubs are Prominence’s Biker Gang. You can tell the Clubs by their  Leather attire. The Clubs’ boss is Alice “The Beast” Basham, a hyper and impulsive maniac who despises nothing more than boredom, and is also extremely easy on the eyes. The Clubs can be found in their bar, The Renegade.

The Spades are Prominence’s branch of the Russian Mafia. You can tell a  Spade by their Dark Green Pea Coats. The Spades earn most of their money keeping Prominence safe. If you need something or someone taken care of, go to the Spades. The boss of the Spades is Yuri “The Hammer” Volkov, a middle-aged brick of a man. The Hammer doesn’t work a lot these days and spends most of his time in his Butcher’s Shop doing what he loves most: Cutting meat.

The Diamonds are Prominence’s branch of the Japanese Mafia. You can tell The Diamonds by their upper-class business suits. The Diamonds’ boss is Mazuchi "The Outlaw" Katsu, a middle-aged man with an obsession for Western films. The Diamonds can be found in The Diamond Suite.

JOINING AN AFFILIATION

You will be allowed to join one of the four Affiliations after both reaching the maximum level as a Tourist and beating the Affiliations  Boss in Solo Mode. All REP accumulated will be applied directly to your progress within the joined Affiliation.

Joining an Affiliation will reward the player immediately with a specific  Nickname, as well as other fancy rewards!

Oh, and all of the Affiliations in Prominence work together, so you are free to swap freely between each Affiliation as you see fit.

RANKING UP

As you gain REP with your Affiliation, you will also gain a series of Rewards. Once you have maximized your REP within the current rank of the Affiliation, you will be given the opportunity to Rank Up. This Ranking Up has a Cost, so save your chips.

Once you have reached the maximum amount of REP within your current Rank of your Affiliation, you must either opt to Rank up or change Affiliations in order to continue gaining REP.

Opting to Rank up will do just that. Rank you up within your Affiliation.  The higher rank you are, the more rewards you’ll get!

Rewards: With promotion comes a reward! An array of unique items and rewards awaits you in your journey to the top, and they are all for FREE! These rewards are only available to those who opt to advance through the ranks of each Affiliation. Expect a range of Affiliation Exclusive Outfits, Headwear, Glasses, Table Items, and Tattoos!!

Challenge Reset: Additionally, Challenges will reset upon Ranking Up in order to allow you to progress at a steady and expected rate. This reset will only occur for that Affiliation’s Challenges.

Solo Mode Reset: When ranking up, bosses and henchmen are reset for the affiliated faction. This means you can go back into Solo Mode and try your hand at beating the Boss and their Henchmen again for additional REP and Chip rewards!