Players may freely buy into or cash out of a cash game between hands.[1] However, it is normally prohibited for 🌞 a player to remove a portion of his or her chips from the table. This is known as "going south".[2] 🌞 For example, if a player buys in forR$100, then winsR$100 (for a total stack ofR$200), the player may not remove 🌞 the originalR$100 buy-in while remaining seated. He would have to forfeit his seat, possibly wait to rejoin the game, and 🌞 buy in again forR$100; however, many cardrooms prohibit the practice of buying in again unless a certain time period has 🌞 elapsed before the player rejoins. Similarly, cash games are played for table stakes. If a player attempts to put additional 🌞 money onto the table (from his/her wallet) in the middle of a hand, he may not do so until the 🌞 conclusion of said hand.

In "no limit" poker cash games, some cardrooms have a maximum buy-in for cash games. In limit 🌞 poker games, there is seldom a maximum buy-in because betting limits already limit the amount a player can wager on 🌞 each hand.

In a casino, a rake is usually taken from a pot if a flop is shown and the pot 🌞 reaches certain values.[3] Some games take a time rake instead of a pot rake. In these games players pay a 🌞 seat charge every half-hour.

Other differences between cash games and tournament poker are that, in cash games sometimes straddles and chops 🌞 are allowed. A live straddle is a dark bet of two big blinds by the player first to act, who 🌞 is then entitled to bet again if the bet is not raised. A chop is an agreement between the players 🌞 in the blinds to retract their blind bets if no one else has bet. A chop prevents the casino from 🌞 taking a rake from the pot. Also, cash games sometimes allow players to reduce the element of luck (often called 🌞 "variance", especially by professional players) by splitting large all-in pots. Since online platforms can instantly calculate each player's pot equity 🌞 at the time they go all-in, some online cash games allow such pots to be split based on this equity. 🌞 Players who opt for such an arrangement will receive a share of the pot based on his or her odds 🌞 of winning (from the time all players still in the pot exposed their cards) once all of the cards have 🌞 been dealt. An alternative method of reducing variance, used both online and in live games, is to run the board 🌞 multiple times to ensure that the person with the best odds of winning gets the largest share of the pot 🌞 more often.

Examples [ edit ]