1. Variants and cards
- A 52-card deck is used, with no jokers. Discarded cards are not redealt during the same hand.
- Texas Hold'em and Naiko mode: two private cards per player. You form your best five-card hand using zero, one, or two private cards and the necessary community cards.
- Pot-Limit Omaha: four private cards. You must always use exactly two private cards and exactly three community cards. Four cards of the same suit in your hand are not enough on their own for a flush.
- Powers are only offered in Naiko mode. They don't alter hand rankings and don't appear in classic Hold'em or Omaha.
2. Turns, blinds, and end of round
With three or more players, the small and big blinds sit to the left of the button. Preflop, the player after the big blind acts first; after the flop, the first player who can act to the left of the button starts. Seat order is followed, skipping folded and all-in players.
With two players, the button posts the small blind and acts first preflop. The big blind acts first after the flop. If you don't have enough chips for a blind, you put in what you have left and continue participating as all-in.
The round ends when everyone who can act has responded and matched the current bet, except those all-in for less. Then the next round is dealt. If only one hand remains unfolded, it wins the pot immediately.
3. Betting and raising
In No-Limit, the normal maximum is your entire stack in play. A complete opening bet must reach the big blind; a complete raise must increase by at least as much as the last complete raise of that round. The server shows the allowed minimum and maximum.
An all-in that doesn't reach the minimum increment may be legal, but it doesn't reopen the right to raise for players who have already acted. If the table is Pot-Limit or you have an active Short Anchor, the corresponding limit also applies.
For a pot-sized raise, first calculate how much is needed to call. Add that amount to the current pot and then to the current bet: that's the total you can raise to, subject to your stack and the legal minimum.
4. All-in, side pots, and ties
You can only win up to the amount of chips you contributed. If other players bet more, side pots are formed and resolved separately. What nobody called is returned to the bettor; that return is not a prize.
If nobody can continue contesting bets, the remaining community cards are dealt automatically. At showdown, the cards of all players who reached it without folding are shown.
The superior five-card combination wins. Between hands of the same category, their ranks and kickers are compared. If all five cards tie in value, the pot is split. Indivisible chips are assigned starting with the tied winner closest to the left of the button.
5. Glimmers and Carousel
- You receive 1 Glimmer for being included in a new deal, and you can hold up to 3. They cannot be purchased or obtained by paying for an advantage.
- Glimmers carry over between hands as long as you keep your seat at the table; they are not a global balance to take to another table.
- Each hand shows 3 distinct powers out of the current 4. That Carousel is shared by everyone and stays the same during the hand.
- If Seal Shield appears, Short Anchor also appears. Short Anchor can appear without Seal Shield.
- Each power can be used once per player and hand. You can activate at most one power per turn before your poker action.
- The table allows up to 3 normal activations per betting round. Seal Shield responds separately: it can still defend against a Short Anchor that took the last slot.
- A rejected attempt doesn't consume Destellos. A valid Short Anchor is paid even if the opponent blocks it with Seal Shield.
6. Tables, friends and tournaments
- Cash tables: the name describes a continuous format with virtual chips, not real money. You enter with a buy-in and play the table's hands. If you run out of stack, you can watch and voluntarily reload; the table continues.
- Private tables: the host sets up a table and invites their friends. Check the mode, the blinds and whether bots are enabled.
- Sit & Go: starts once all seats are filled. Blinds go up by levels and whoever runs out of tournament chips is eliminated. The distribution of virtual prizes is shown in its conditions.
- Spin: a short tournament with three participants and a virtual prize multiplier. Check the multiplier, the entry and the prize conditions shown by the game.
- Scheduled tournaments: they have registration, a start time, blind levels and a prize structure. They may be split across several tables and reorganized as the field shrinks.
- Tournament chips are used to compete within that tournament; they don't map one-to-one to your account balance. There are no money withdrawals or prizes redeemable for real value.
7. Time, connection and opponents
The table clock sets the deadline for your decision. If it expires without an action, the server checks when it's legal and folds when there's a pending bet. Disconnecting doesn't reset the clock or undo a bet.
During the reconnection window your seat is kept. If you return in time, you resume the state confirmed by the server; an animation or a tap without confirmation doesn't by itself change the outcome.
There may be bots to fill seats. They're identified as BOT and play under the same rules, with their own private information. They don't see other players' hidden cards and don't change their strength based on your purchases. In Naiko mode they can also use legal powers.
Colluding to cheat, exploiting errors, manipulating the client or using external automation to gain an advantage is not allowed. Purchases don't guarantee winning a hand.
POKER
Which hand wins?
From highest to lowest. Five cards are compared; suits have no ranking among themselves.
Royal Flush
The highest straight flush.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank.
Full House
Three of a kind and a pair.
Flush
Five of the same suit, not consecutive.
Straight
Five consecutive cards of different suits.
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank.
Two Pair
Two pairs of different ranks.
Pair
Two cards of the same rank.
High Card
If there's no other combination, the highest card wins.
The ace can top A-K-Q-J-10 or start A-2-3-4-5. It cannot join both ends in a sequence like Q-K-A-2-3.
Four powers. Many faces of surprise.
Powers are exclusive to Naiko mode. Classic Hold'em and Omaha are played without powers.
ANTICIPATE
Sneak Peek
Destellos: 1
When and how to use it
You privately see a card from the next round: the first flop card if you are in preflop, the turn if you are in the flop, or the river if you are in the turn. The power does not move or change the cards.
When
On your turn, before acting. Cannot be used on the river.
What you must know
Once per hand. No one else sees the card you looked at. If a card is later drawn from the deck with Sleeve Swap in preflop, the next community card can change.
Imagine this hand
You have four hearts between your hand and the flop. You look at the upcoming turn: it is another heart. Now you have information to decide your bet; winning still depends on the full hand.
SWAP YOUR HAND
Sleeve Swap
Destellos: 2
When and how to use it
You choose one of your two private cards, discard it, and receive the next card from the deck without seeing it beforehand. The discarded card is not played again in that hand.
When
In preflop and before your first betting action. Paying a blind does not count as that action.
What you must know
Once per hand and only one card. You do not choose the new card and you cannot undo the swap. Your cards remain private.
Imagine this hand
You receive 7♣ and 2♦. You swap the 2♦ and an A♦ appears. Your hand is now 7♣ A♦. It could have also been a card that didn't help you.
LIMIT THE RAISE
Short Anchor
Destellos: 2
When and how to use it
You choose a rival and limit their maximum raise to the size of a pot raise during the current round. They can still check, call, or fold when those actions are legal.
When
On your turn, on a rival who can act and has not yet acted in this round.
What you must know
Once per hand. Each rival can only receive one valid Short Anchor declaration per round, even if it blocks them. Never allows betting more chips than they have, nor eliminates a minimum raise that would otherwise be legal. Expires when moving to the next round.
Imagine this hand
There are 100 chips in the pot and someone bets 40. The targeted rival has not contributed anything in this round yet: calling costs 40 and the pot after calling would be 180. Their usual max raise with Short Anchor would be up to 220, if they have enough chips.
TURN THE TABLES
Seal Shield
Destellos: 1
When and how to use it
Nullifies a Short Anchor directed at you before it is applied. The rival spends their 2 Destellos and you spend 1 to defend. Bets already made remain in the pot.
When
Only in the Short Anchor response window, even if it is not your betting turn. Must be in the Carousel and you must be able to pay for it.
What you must know
Once per hand. Not used preventively and does not cancel other powers. You currently have 8 seconds to respond. If you let it pass or time runs out, the Short Anchor is applied and you do not spend the defense Destello.
Imagine this hand
You saved a Destello. A rival tries to limit your raise with Short Anchor: you respond with Seal Shield and keep the normal table limit.
The questions that pop up mid-game
Does using a power end my turn?
No. After the power you must make your poker action. Seal Shield resolves in its own response window.
Can I save Destellos for the next hand?
Yes, up to 3 as long as you keep playing at that table. The Carousel changes on the next deal, so the power you're looking for may not appear.
Does a Seal Shield refund the opponent's Destellos?
No. The opponent pays for the valid Short Anchor and you pay for the Seal Shield. Neither of those costs is refunded.
Can I be anchored again if I defended myself?
Not in that same betting round. A valid declaration already takes up the Short Anchor slot on you, even if you blocked it.
What happens if two people use Sneak Peek?
Each one sees their own query privately. They'll see the same card if the deck doesn't change between both queries. A preflop Sleeve Swap can change which card occupies that position.
Does a hand with powers beat a royal flush?
No. Powers are not a hand category: the winner is calculated with the same poker ranking.
Do I have to use both of my cards in Hold'em?
No. You can use zero, one or two. In Omaha it's mandatory to use exactly two hole cards and three community cards.
Can I win money or withdraw my chips?
No. Naiko uses virtual chips with no redemption for money, goods or prizes of real value, even if some chips are purchased or earned by watching ads.