Each Poker game has different rules but the approach is always the same – to end up with the best possible five-card hand and WIN.

This is achieved by either obtaining the highest-ranking hand or by making the other players think (bluffing) you have the highest-ranking hand and thereby forcing them to withdraw (fold).

Each Poker game at The Star also has a minimum buy-in amount, which you will find displayed along with the table limits applicable to each particular game.

The Star will provide a dealer, the necessary equipment and offer a variety of games in a secure and exciting environment. In return for these services, The Star will take a small fee or commission. This commission may be either a percentage of the pot, a fee per hand, or a time charge on each player participating in the game and will be displayed on a sign in the Poker area.

POKER CODE OF CONDUCT

The Star management has established a Poker Code of Conduct to establish and maintain a pleasant environment for our guests and employees. The management reserves the right to refuse any person from participating in any game and may ask any player to leave a game, if their conduct is considered to be unacceptable. The etiquette tips on this page are offered to assist you to feel comfortable at the table among the other players. A more comprehensive Poker Code of Conduct is located in the Poker area and you should familiarise yourself with its contents before you commence play.

Poker Etiquette
All Poker players should endeavour to play to these standards.

Play at a reasonable speed
Once in a while, a decision may take significant thought, however consistently taking time to make decisions frustrates other players. It is also reasonable to expect players to follow the game, know when it is their turn and what the action is.

Players must protect their own hand
When handling your cards, every attempt must be made to conceal them. If you show your cards to another player, you have a duty to show your cards to the rest of the table. If a dealer mucks a player’s hand in error, the player will have no recourse, as it is the player’s responsibility to protect their own hand. The dealer may enforce this.

The removal of chips
An active player shall not add to or reduce their table stake during any round of play. A player not in a hand may add to their stake as per the table limits, but shall not remove chips from the table; except for the purchase of goods and services from a casino employee, (food and drinks). Chips shall remain in full view at all times in neat stacks of each denomination, with the largest denomination at the front.

If you're not in the hand, keep quiet
Unruly and continual chatter can cause those players in the hand to lose concentration. Never make comments about the hand in progress. While the hand is in progress, avoid body language or gestures that may signal your intentions.

Player integrity
Any player who sees an error made or about to be made has an obligation to point out the error to the dealer. Colluding with other players or cheating will not be tolerated. English only must be spoken whilst a game is in play. Obscene or profane language will not be tolerated.

Announce your intentions
If raising, you should announce, “raise.” If going all-in you should announce, “all-in.” All bets and raises, unless verbally declared, should be placed in one hand motion. Placing bets and raises in a delayed motion is known as string betting or string ​raising and is deemed to be unacceptable conduct.

GLOSSARY OF POKER TERMS

Action means 
A players turn to act during a hand
To bet or raise
To describe a game high in betting and raising.

All-in means a player who has invested all of their remaining chips in the outcome of a round of play. An all-in player can only win that portion of the pot or pots to which they have contributed. 

Ante means a predetermined contribution to the pot placed by all players prior to the first card being dealt in a round of play. 

Bet means a player’s wager, or the action of a player making a wager. 

Betting round means a period of play during which each active player, in order, has the option to check, bet or fold until all wagers have been matched or reached the maximum number of raises. 

Blind means a predetermined contribution to the pot placed by a selected player or players before the first card is dealt. The blind is a live wager, which can win the pot if no further contributions to the pot are made.

Small blind means the predetermined amount the player to the immediate left of the button places before receiving their cards.

Big blind means the predetermined amount the player to the immediate left of the small blind places before receiving their cards.

Burn means a card which is removed from the top of the deck by the dealer without exposing its value and placed face down, separate from the discards.

Buy-in means a required amount necessary to enter a game or tournament.

Call means a wager made in an amount equal to the immediately preceding wager or going all-in for their remaining chips.

Check means to abstain from wagering but continue to stay in contention for the pot. A check shall only be an option if no blind is placed or bet made.

Commission or Rake means an amount due to the casino operator for hosting the game.

Community card(s) or Board means a card or cards dealt to the centre of the table, which may be used by all players to complete their best possible hand. 

Cut-off refers to the player to the immediate right of the button.

Dead hand means a hand that is ineligible to win the pot.

Designated player or Button is the last player to receive cards in the initial deal and is indicated by the use of the dealer button.

Flop means three community cards dealt face downward and turned face up simultaneously.

Fold means a decision by a player to no longer continue with their hand for that particular round of play.

Hand means the cards dealt to each player in a round of play.

Hole cards means a player’s concealed cards.

Indicate means a verbal announcement or motion by a player to check, call, bet, raise or fold, all of which are binding.

Live cards means cards that are still active in a round of play and have not been mucked.

Muck means both

The pile of discards
The act of moving a folded hand to the pile of discards.

No-limit means the structure of the game where a player can wager up to the value of their entire table stake.

Pot means the sum of the antes, blinds and bets wagered.

Pot-limit means the structure of the game where a player can wager up to the total value of the pot at that point in time.

Raise means a bet within the table limits that is an implicit call plus an amount in excess of the previous bet or raise by at least as large an amount, except in the case of an all-in raise.

River means the fifth and final community card dealt in flop games.

Round or Orbit means a period of play where the dealer button moves around the table and it has reached a particular player a second time.

Round of play means the period of play at a table commencing with the dealing of the first card by the dealer and concluding when the dealer announces a result and passes the pot to the winning player.

Side pot(s) means a separate pot or pots created in a game of poker due to one or more players being all-in.

Sitting fee or Time charge means a set fee charged to a player that will cover the period of time from when the player commences play at a table until the player ceases play and leaves the table.

Showdown refers to the end of the final round of betting where the players turn their hole cards face up.

Split pot means the equal division of the pot between two or more players due to them holding hands of the same value when contesting a pot.

Straddle means an optional blind bet made by a player after the posting of the compulsory blinds and before cards are dealt.

String bet means a bet made in more than one motion without verbally announcing intent.

Structured limit means the betting range and structure designated for each game variation.

Substantial action where two or more players have acted on their hands, including check, bet, call, raise and fold.

Table stake or Stack means the amount of chips a player has on the table and in plain view before the start of any round of play. An active player may only wager up to the amount of chips on the table and may not augment their table stake whilst a round of play is in progress.

Time refers to either
A player requesting more time to think about their action
A casino supervisor imposing a time restriction on a player to speed up the game.

Turn means the fourth community card dealt in flop games.

Under the gun means a player who is the first active player to act in a betting round.

Void means invalid with no result.

Tournament Terminology

Add on means a once-only purchase of an additional bank of tournament chips at a specified time, purchased by the tournament player(s) during the play of the tournament.

Bubble means the last player to exit the tournament before any prizes have been awarded.

Re-buy means the purchase of an additional bank of tournament chips that may be purchased by the tournament player during a pre-determined time period of the tournament whenever the tournament player has less than the starting bank of chips.

Heads Up means a game of poker where two players in a tournament play exclusively against each other.

Satellite means a tournament with a smaller entry fee which pools all the entrant’s funds and awards seats to a tournament with a higher entry fee as prizes rather than cash.

Starting Stack means the total value of the initial bank of tournament chips given to a player entering the tournament.

Poker Hands

High Card A hand consisting of five unmatched cards where the value of the hand is based off the highest ranking card.

Pair A single matching pair of cards, combined with three unmatched cards.

Two Pair Two matching pairs of cards, combined an unmatched card.

Three of a Kind or Trips Three matching cards, combined with two unmatched cards.

Straight Five cards in numerical sequence, not all in the same suit, the highest of which is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten.

Flush Five non-numerical cards all of the same suit.

Full House One pair and one three of a kind, the value of the three cards has priority when comparing hands.

Four of a Kind or Quads Four cards of the same value, plus one other card.

Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit in numerical order, the value of which is determined by the highest card, where an Ace can be low.

Royal Flush An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.