The
Complete Rules for Colorado
Colorado
A Card Game
Game Rules
The Blinds
1. A minimum bet is defined at the beginning of the game
and this bet is referred to as the “Big Blind.”
The betting begins with the two players to the left of the
dealer posting the blinds. The “Small Blind”
– the player to the left of the dealer places half
the minimum bet. The "Big Blind" -- the player
to the left of the “Small Blind” places the
full minimum bet. The “Big Blind” (minimum bet)
increases at predetermined time intervals.
The
Shuffle
2. The dealer shuffles up a standard deck of 52 playing
cards.
The Deal
3. The dealer deals the cards clockwise from player to player
beginning with the player to the dealers left and concluding
with the player in the dealer’s position receiving
the last card. The deal moves clockwise from player to player
with each hand. A round disc -- known as a "dealer
button" -- moves clockwise from player to player with
each hand to identify the dealer position. The “dealer
button” indicates which player is the dealer.
The “Hole or Pocket” Cards
4. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called
the “hole or pocket” cards for each player.
The First Round of Betting
5. The first round of betting takes place starting with
the player to the left of the player who posted the “Big
Blind”.
6. The minimum amount a player can bet must be equal to
the “Big Blind.”
7. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn
to act in the first round of betting.
The First Three “Community” Cards
8. After the first round of betting ends, the dealer discards
the top card of the deck. This is called a burn card. This
is done to prevent cheating.
9. The dealer then deals the next three cards face up on
the table. These are “community” cards that
any player can use in combination with their “hole
or pocket” cards to form a five card poker hand.
The Second Round of Betting
10. The second round of betting takes place starting with
the player to the left of the dealer and this is the order
of betting for the remainder of the hand.
11. The minimum amount a player can bet must be equal to
the “Big Blind.”
12. Players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their
turn to act in the second round of betting.
The Fourth “Community” Card
13. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another
card and deals the fourth and final “community”
card onto the table. These are the four “community”
cards that any player can use in combination with their
“hole or pocket” cards to form a five card poker
hand.
The Third Round of Betting
14. The third round of betting takes place starting with
the player to the left of the dealer.
15. The minimum amount a player can bet must be equal to
the “Big Blind.”
16. Players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their
turn to act in the third round of betting.
The Final “Hole or Pocket” Card
17. Finally, the dealer burns a card and each player that
has not folded is dealt a third “hole or pocket”
card face down. The dealer deals the cards clockwise from
player to player beginning with the player to the dealers
left and concluding with the player in the dealer’s
position receiving the last card or the player nearest to
the right of the dealer (see Note 1 below). Players can
now use any five card combination of the four “community”
cards on the table and the three “hole or pocket”
cards to form a five card poker hand.
The Fourth and Final Round of Betting
18. There is a fourth and final round of betting starting
with the player to the left of the dealer.
19. The minimum amount a player can bet must be equal to
the “Big Blind.”
20. Players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their
turn to act in the fourth and final round of betting.
The Players Reveal Their Hands
21. All of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal
their hands. This begins with the player to the left of
the last player to call. Players use any combination of
their three “hole or pocket” cards and the four
“community” cards to form a five card poker
hand.
The Winner
22. The player who shows the best ranking five card poker
hand wins! Players with equal hands share the winnings.
Hand ranks are determined at the beginning of the game.
Commonly, the hand ranks are those of traditional five card
poker.
Note
1: If the third “hole or pocket” card is dealt
face up to a player that card becomes a burn card. The cards
continue to be dealt in the order described in Rule 3 and
the player that was dealt the third “hole or pocket”
card face up will be dealt the last card following the last
card dealt to the dealer or the remaining player nearest
the dealer.
