With the addition of the new game we just wanted to share the rules of the game and game play so everyone get can an idea of how to play.

Telesina Rules

Telesina is something as unusual as a mix of a stud and holdem poker game which is played with a short deck. Mainly, Telesina is a variant of Five-Card Stud.

In stud poker each player receives a mix of downcards (which only you can see) and upcards (which everyone can see) dealt in several betting rounds. All stud games starts with at least one card facing down to start the "guessing game". In all stud games apart from Telesina all cards are individual. In Telesina there is a shared community cards as in holdem games though. Stud games are non-positional games, also Telesina! This means the player who bets first on each round is not predetermined and does not need to be the same throughout a hand. Telesina, as all stud games, uses antes instead of blinds.

In ordinary community card poker games each player is first privately dealt an incomplete hand face down. Then community cards are cards dealt face up to the center of the table, which are shared by all players. In Teresina everyone who sticks around to fifth street gets a complete hand before the single community card hits the board. And the private cards are not all face down.

Telesina is played with six cards, whereof only the first is a downcard and the four other private cards are upcards. Similarly to Five-Card Stud the starting hand consists of one downcard and one upcard. The first betting round starts off with a forced bet from the player with the highest upcard. Thereafter one card in turn is dealt to each remaining player until they have five cards. Each new card is followed by a second, third and fourth betting round respectively. After this one community card is placed on the center of the table and there is a fifth and final betting round. The community card is called the Vela card and can be used by all players to improve their hand. At the showdown, the best five-card poker hand according to the short decked hand ranking – constructed by any mix of the six cards – wins the pot.

Telesina is played with a short deck of 32 cards from Aces to Sevens. In strip-poker the lowest ranked cards are removed from the deck. In Telesina the Twos to Sixes are stripped. A 32 card deck is sometimes referred to as a French deck. With a short deck it becomes easier to get hands higher up on the hand ranking list. Not only that the odds of getting the hands change. The most drastic change is that it becomes easier to get a full house than a flush. Therefore in the short deck, a flush beats a full house. The hand ranking used in Telesina has other minor and major tie-breaking variances involving suits and the Vela community card. With a short deck there are also fewer cards to go around and the games are by necessity short handed; there is a six player maximum in Telesina.


Sequence of Gameplay

1. Antes
Each player must place an undersized forced bet, before the cards are dealt.

2. Starting hands
Each player receives one card face down and one card face up.

3. First betting Round
The player with the highest ranking face up card (refer to bottom section in the event of a tie) has to open the betting. That player has the choice of making the bring-in bet (typically twice the ante) or making a regular full sized bet (note: they cannot check or fold, and must bet). Action continues clockwise until the betting is completed for the round.

4. Third street
Each player receives another card face up.

5. Second betting round
The player with the best poker hand showing continues action for the round. This player now has the option to check.

6. Fourth street
Each player receives another card face up.

7. Third betting round
The player with the best poker hand showing continues action for the round (the option to check).

8. Fifth street (river)
Each player receives another card face up.

9. Fourth betting round
The player with the best poker hand showing continues action for the round (the option to check).

10. Vela community card
The first and only community card is dealt face up in the middle of the table.

11. Fifth betting round.
Final betting round. The player with the best hand displayed (including community card) starts the action (option to check).

12. Showdown
Any remaining players show their hands. The first bettor or last raiser shows their hand first, followed only by anyone able to beat that hand. If there was no betting the first remaining player to the left of the dealer must show their hand first. Any card combination out of the five individual and one community card is allowed.
Additional Rules:
In the event of a tie when determining who should start the action on the first round of betting, the tie is broken by order of suit (Hearts > Diamonds > Clubs > Spades).

In the event of a tie on subsequent betting rounds, the tie is broken by position. The player who received their cards first, is also first to act (first person left of the dealer).

In the event of a tie at showdown, the tie is broken by order of suit (Hearts > Diamonds > Clubs > Spades).

FAQ:
Q: What is the minimum starting bet?
A: The minimum starting bet is always twice the ante (the bring-in amount).

Q: Does the minimum starting bet change based on the number of players seated?
A: No, the minimum starting bet is always twice the ante.

Q: When you do not have enough funds to cover the bring-in bet what should happen?
A: If a user does not have enough to pay the ante & bring-in, they are sat out.

Q: Some variants of Telesina state that if there are two players left at showdown and both have a straight flush, the lowest wins. This is contrary to the hand rank order, will this be implemented?
A: No, we will not be using this variant. This scenario occurs only once per several billion hands.

Q: Do any of the rules change based on the number of seated players?
A: No

Q: During a showdown, who must show their cards first?
A: In a live casino the last aggressor must show their hand first, however with online we only display the winning hand (other users have the option to show/muck losing hands, the same rules we use for our other games apply).

Q: Can a tie ever occur in Telesina?
A: No

Q: Who should start the betting round if there is a tie for the highest card/hand in any betting round?
A: If the cards/hand is the same, the order is determined by suit (hearts >diamonds>clubs>spades).

Q: If the Vela card (Ace of Hearts for example) is used by both players to complete a straight, which player wins the pot?
A: The player whose next card of the highest suit wins the pot (in the case, whoever has the highest ranking King).

Q: What happens if action is on player for the bring-in and they time out?
A: That user is forced to pay the minimum bring-in, and then sat out. As with our other games, the user will be folded if another player bets and action is upon them… otherwise they may rejoin the hand if they sit-in in time.


Current Implementation:

Also apart from the specific rules implemented on Telesina ALL the other items such as Tournaments, Sitting Out, All-in rule etc…works the same as the games we currently have.
So here are the implemented mentionable rules apart from the web links above:
-If the player does not do a bring-in automatically the system does it (twice the ante) and sits out the player out. The player can retake their sea if no other player have raised during their absence.
-Rake is placeholder (using same values as Hold’em)
-Player which does not have enough ante sits out
-Player which does not have enough money for the bringin phase or other (except for the ante) puts an All-in bet
-Showdown cards all players show the cards at the same time
-To determine who should start the action on betting rounds, if there is a tie for the highest hand suits are applied
-Minimum starting bet is twice the ante
-All in works the same like Holdem

I think I would play this if it got traffic just not sure it would

Hey Shane here's an idea how bout instead of the "lock lotto" and these random bull**** ideas you maybe just expedite cash out and focus on those sort of things. Great "signing" of grinder too, I'm sure that helps get funds off quicker than 3 months+. Get your priorities together.

Our priorities are cashouts and the effects of those priorities has started to show over the last few days and will continue in the coming weeks and months.

You should edit the OP to inform players that this game is played with a 32 card deck. 2 through 6 is pulled out, I believe?

Good pickup, really needed those extra details so I just put the entire description up.

I'm really confused why Lock would spend the time to introduce a new game to the network, especially this one. Honestly, why not spend the time trying to get PLO or O8 more traffic. If Lock really wanted to introduce a new game why not Open Face Chinese. Go after something that is hot right now.

Yes, but remember: even fixing a font takes months for their developers. making a new game probably takes them years, and this one was probably being developed ever since Lock was founded, or shortly after.

why take the time to create better software/quicker cashouts when you can develop telesina!

I agree that adding chinese poker next would be sweet

Agreed, Open Face Chinese would have been 100x as popular as this.

New games actually take several months to plan, develop and test. So these plans were put in place long before we came on the network, and the network team felt they were at a point where they should continue and finish what they started.

Assumingly the CEO agreed with them and thought it would be a better use of their time than working on the many many improvements that can and should be made to the software?
Or did the network team just go ahead and take this decision on their own?

i dont know why but this literally made me laugh out loud... pretty sad really,<sigh>...

Ninja please... I haven't been able to get a response to my emails for two months now. Just mailed you a few days ago again. Cashout requested 1-07 and not a thing yet but changed statuses.

I'm interested in giving this a try. I can't see the tables anywhere, tho. Am I correct in assuming they aren't available yet?

correct.

So... when will the tables be open?

Play Money tables are running.

I don't see any tables running on either play money or real.

Didn't see it either. I would like to try it out too.

They were running the day I posted that but you're right, I went to try this game out tonight and they are no longer running...

Any ETA on adding 7 stud/7stud8?

i have played this game for living ~5years at B2B/entraction/IGT network and that network got a good software and rakeback system, telesina was as popular game as PLO in this network and bad players won easier than at NLHE/PLO. 77 vs AK is 50:50, AK vs 88 is 49:51, and QQ vs JJ is ~60:40 for example.

many players loved that game and it was VERY EASY TO LEARN PLAY WINNING POKER (for example ive teached that game for 6 players and every1 are winning players)

yes you can now play telesina at revolution network but that software sucks and there's no traffic at telesina cause regulars are just bumhunting there and dont play against each other..

but for example, if pokerstars will add telesina to their games, i am 101% sure it will be more popular game there than stud games, 5c omaha and all the other smaller games than PLO/texas. IT WAS AS POPULAR AS PLO AT ENTRACTION! i made over 2k€ rake few times in one day at PL10-PL50 tables for example. everyone who played that game loved that and i dont see a reason for that why for example pokerstars/fulltilpoker have not added it to their games yet.. AND REVOLUTION DID..? i dont play at revolution just because their software is unclear and i know 90% of those telesina players who are bumhunting there.

ive sent few mwssages to pokerstars support (some kind of vpi support cause im supernova?) and the answer have been always same; TY, your message will be forwarded to PIG PIIPOL IN UPSTEIRS AND THEI HÄVE ANSWERRET TSERO TIMES TO ME IN 10 MONTHS FROM THERE. thats very VIP SUPPORT.

nothing else this time but, that igt network died because thei did nothing right in upstairs, and pokerstars dont answer for me, point is id like to play telesina in future also and all the pokersites upstair people suck or the software just sucks this much no ones interested to play there. very tired now i wont read that message i wrote so please forgive me.

Why is this still not going after being up for so long? Either take the tab away or get it running. It kind makes Lock look bad to be sitting there with no progress for 6 months.

LOL