Playing the Bel-Aire Poker

The Bel-Aire poker begins when each poker player receives four personal cards. The number of personal cards is one-card lower than the Cincinnati poker, and one-card more than the regular Six-Pack poker. And the maximum number of poker players a Bel-Aire table can accommodate is 10. When all poker players have their four personal or hole cards, the first round of betting occurs.

After the first round of betting, the dealer places four community cards in a straight row. But even with four community cards, none of the poker player has formed a complete hand. This is because only one of the four community cards can be used in the final hand. Still, after placing the four community cards on the board, the dealer signals the beginning of the second betting round.

After the second betting round, three more community cards are placed on the board. These three cards are placed below the first row of four community cards, forming a second and shorter row. Like the first row, only one of the cards in the second row can be used. This means that no poker player can still form his final hand. With two rows of community cards, the third betting round is conducted.

After the third betting round, the last two community cards are dealt. These last two cards are placed in a row below the second row of three community cards. Then, the fourth and final betting round immediately follows. If two or more poker players stay in the hand, there is going to be a showdown.

At showdown, the poker player may form his final best hand by using exactly two of his personal cards together with three community cards. But the poker player cannot just pick up three cards. The three community cards must be composed of cards coming from different rows. That is, a poker player must choose one card from the first row, another card from the second row, and a third and final card from the third row.