How to Play
Texas Holdem Poker
Texas Holdem poker
is an easy game to learn how to play. Read
through this page and you'll be up and running
in no time.
These are the
basics on How to Play Texas Holdem Poker.
The Language of
Betting:
Make sure you know the language of betting (it’s
easy and you probably already know it):
1. Fold
2. Call – matching the bet that is in
front of you
3. Check – pass the action to the next
player without betting
4. Bet
5. Raise
The betting
structure of
Texas Holdem Poker
games is as follows:
A Limit Texas
Holdem Poker game means that the size of the
bet is fixed on each street. An example of this
would be, in a $1/$2 Texas Holdem poker game,
the bets are made in increments of $1 before and
after the flop. On the turn and the river the
bets increase to $2. If you are new to the game
I highly recommend that you play in a structured
limit game.
A Pot Limit
Texas Holdem Poker game is a combination of
structured limit/ No limit, in which you can
make a maximum bet at any time up to the amount
of money that is in the pot.
In a No Limit
Texas Holdem Poker game there is no limit to
the amount that you can bet. But there is
usually a minimum for each bet.
How To Play Texas Holdem Poker
The Shuffle,
The Deal and The Blinds
The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.
When playing in a casino, the dealer does not
play. If you are playing with a group of friends
then the dealer can and usually is a player.
A round disc --
known as a "dealer button" -- moves clockwise
from player to player with each hand. The button
marks which player would be the dealer if the
deal were advanced from player to player as the
game went along.
The two players to
the left of the dealer start by putting a
predetermined amount of money into the pot
before any cards are dealt, ensuring that
there's something to play for on every hand.
This is called "posting the blinds."
Most often, the
"small blind" -- the player to the left of the
dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the
"big blind" puts up the full minimum bet. For
example, in a $4/$8 game the "small blind" would
be $2 and the "big blind" would be $4.
Each player is
then dealt two cards, face down. These first two
cards are "hole cards."
A round of betting
then takes place, beginning with the player to
the left of the two who posted the blinds.
Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their
turn to bet.
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The Flop
After the first betting round, the dealer
discards the top card of the deck. This is
called burning the card. This is done to
ensure that no one accidentally saw the top
card, and to help prevent cheating.
The dealer then
flips the next three cards face up on the table.
These cards are called the "flop."After the flop,
another round of betting takes place, beginning
with the player to the left of the dealer (the
button). During this and all future rounds of
betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold
when it's their turn to bet.
The Turn
The dealer burns another card and plays one more
face up onto the table. This, the fourth
community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth
Street." The player to the left of the dealer
(the button) begins the third round of betting.
The River
The dealer burns another card before placing the
final face-up card on the table. This card is
called the "river" (or "Fifth Street"). Players
can now use any combination of seven cards --
the five community cards and the two hole cards
known only to them -- to form the best possible
five-card Poker hand.
The fourth and
final round of betting starts with the player to
the left of the dealer (the button). After the
final betting round, all players who remain in
the game reveal their hands. The player who made
the initial bet or the player who made the last
raise shows their hand first.
The player with
the best hand wins. |