— Rules

How we play

Everything you need to know about the format, rules, scoring system, and the basics of poker strategy.

— Club rules

01 · No money

·Every tournament is played without money at stake. Chips have no cash value.

·Non-monetary prizes (e.g. trophies, power banks or merchandise) are sponsored by partners or funded through voluntary contributions from participants.

·There is no claim to any monetary payout of winnings.

·Prizes or drink vouchers are never exchanged for cash.

02 · Tournament format

·We play tournaments, usually No Limit Hold'em freezeout.

·No rebuys or comparable top-ups.

·No GTO Wizard or similar real-time assistance tools are allowed during tournaments.

·Phones may be kept at the table, but must not be used while a hand is in progress.

03 · Membership

·Open to every enrolled student at LMU, TUM, HM or any other university.

·Voluntary and free — there are no membership fees.

·Non-members can join single events when there is room for them.

04 · Conduct

·Treating everyone at the table with respect is a condition of playing.

·We analyse strategy and game theory; we do not promote gambling.

·Anyone who violates these rules may be excluded from the event or from future events.

05 · Cost contribution

·Single events may ask for a voluntary contribution to costs.

·It only covers expenses such as the room, equipment or drink vouchers.

·It is not a membership fee and is never paid out to members.

— How to play

Texas Hold'em

The Basics

Texas Hold'em is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt two private cards (hole cards). Five community cards are dealt face-up. Your goal: make the best 5-card hand using any combination of your hole cards and the community cards.

Betting Rounds

·Pre-flop — After hole cards are dealt. Action starts left of the big blind.
·Flop — Three community cards revealed. Action starts left of the dealer.
·Turn — A fourth community card is revealed.
·River — The fifth and final community card is revealed.

— Hand rankings

Ten ways a hand beats a hand.

Strongest → weakest

Royal Flush

A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit.

A♠

K♠

Q♠

— Theory

Game Theory Optimal (GTO)

GTO poker is about making balanced, mathematically sound decisions that are difficult to exploit. It uses concepts like ranges, frequencies, pot odds, and expected value to improve decision-making.

You can study GTO through online resources, charts, solvers, or during our strategy tutorials and club sessions. Please use these tools for learning only — do not use poker apps, solvers, or real-time assistance while playing in a tournament.

— Starting hands

Which hands to play, and from where

All 169 starting hands are shown in the chart: pocket pairs run along the diagonal, suited hands are above it, and offsuit hands are below. The colour indicates from which position a hand can usually be played — the later your position, the more hands you can enter the pot with because you have more information about the actions before you.

The chart gives a simple recommendation for each hand, but it should be used as a guideline rather than a fixed rule. Suited hands generally play slightly better than their offsuit versions, while position, stack depth, previous action, and table dynamics can all change the correct decision. That is exactly what we cover in our strategy sessions.

— Statutes

Statutes of the student group

Purpose, membership, conduct, liability and dissolution — adopted at the founding assembly on 4 June 2025.

Open the statutes (PDF) →