Rules of Merit Poker

Merit Poker is similar but not identical to Texas Hold 'Em. If you're familiar with that, then just know that this has pot-limit betting with a 5-pMerit ante and no blinds. If you're not familiar with Texas Hold 'Em, here's a quick overview of this kind of card game:

This is a betting game, where your only choices involve betting. Your hand is the strongest five-card poker hand taken from your two secret cards plus the five public community cards. Generally, you should bet more if you think that your hand is definitely the best out of everyone at the table, and you should fold if you think that your hand is not the best. Though you can also try to deceive the other players.

The game will tell you what strength hand you have. From worst to best, they are: high card, pair, two pair, three-of-a-kind, straight, flush, full house, four-of-a-kind, and straight flush. If two players have the same-strength hand, the player with the higher card within that hand wins.

The game proceeds in rounds. First, in the pre-flop round, you'll see only your secret two cards, and you'll have to bet based on that. Then three of the community cards will be revealed, and in the flop round you'll have to bet based on the strength of the three community cards plus your two secret cards. Then one more community card will be revealed, and in the turn round you'll bet based on the available 4+2 cards. That's repeated again in the river round, where you'll bet based on all 5+2 cards. Finally, the player who actually has the best hand wins the pot. But if at any point all but one player folds, then the remaining player wins the pot.

"Check" means that you are continuing the game without paying any additional bet. "Call" means that a previous player has bet some amount, and you are matching their bet, putting more pMerit into the pot in order to continue playing. "Bet" means that you are increasing the amount people have to put into the pot this round, signalling that you think you have a particularly strong hand. "Raise" means that you are increasing the amount people have to put into the pot this round beyond even what somebody else bet in the same round. "Fold" means that you are quitting the current game: you lose what you paid into the pot so far, but you don't have to pay the current bet, which could've caused you to lose even more.

There are some special chat commands if you want to adjust the graphics: /t+, /t-, and /t= respectively make the table bigger, smaller, and the default size. Similarly, /c+, /c-, and /c= respectively make the controls bigger, smaller, and the default size.

Have fun!