Kestrel Poker

A hill railway climbs past eight card rooms, from a shed in an apple orchard to the Aerie above the last station. Each room plays its own kind of tournament and keeps its own regulars, and the standings board in every one of them lists the same thirteen names you have to pass.

No-limit Texas Hold'em against computer rivals or friends. Play chips only: no real money, nothing to buy or cash out. For adults.

Every player gets two cards face down. Five more are dealt face up in the middle in three steps: three cards (the flop), one (the turn) and one (the river). Your hand is the best five cards out of those seven. Before the deal two players post the blinds, the small blind left of the dealer button and the big blind next to it; heads-up the button posts the small blind. There is a betting round after the deal and after each step. On your turn you fold (give up the hand), check (stay in when nobody has bet), call (match the bet), or bet and raise: drag the slider or press Min, Half pot, Pot or All-in to pick the amount, then press the bet button. A raise must be at least as large as the last bet or raise, and you may bet all your chips at any time; a bet of half your stack or more asks for a second press, so a slip of the thumb never puts you all-in. If everyone else folds you take the pot without showing. Otherwise the hands left are compared at the showdown: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. A player who is all-in for less can win only what the others matched; the rest goes into a side pot. Equal hands split the pot. The blinds rise every few hands, and a tournament ends when one player holds every chip. The chips are play chips: nothing is bought, paid out or carried from one tournament to the next. Keys: F folds, C checks or calls, R bets or raises, minus and plus change the amount, Enter deals the next hand. To play friends online, press Play with a friend, pick two to four players, the starting chips and the blind speed, and send the link; bots fill the empty seats.