One of the most popular
variations of poker is
Texas Hold'em.
Conveniently it is also
the easiest to learn.
To begin with players
are dealt two 'hole'
cards that only they can
see and use. Then, five
'community' cards are
dealt in the middle of
the table that everyone
can see and use with
their hand. Players can
make their five-card
hand from both, one or
none of their hole cards
in combination with the
community cards.
The game is split
into four rounds of
betting, and the game
moves clockwise around
the table. Betting
starts from the player
position next to the
dealer button, which
moves one place to the
left after each hand. In
online games, the dealer
button replaces the
'real' dealer.
If two or more
players hold
equally-strong winning
five-card hands and tie,
the pot will be split
between the two players.
If there is an odd chip
left from the winnings,
the player sitting
closest to the left of
the dealer button will
receive this. At
PartyPoker.com the value
of an odd chip is 1 cent
The Blinds
Before the game
starts, the two players
sat to the left of the
dealer post 'blind'
bets, these are called
blinds because they are
made before the players
have seen any cards. The
blinds ensure that there
is some money in the pot
to play for as the game
starts. The player to
the left of the dealer
posts the 'small blind',
and the player
positioned to his left
then posts the 'big
blind'.
Pre Flop Action
Each player is dealt
two cards, face down.
These are called hole or
pocket cards. The action
begins on the player to
the left of the big
blind. He or she has
three options: either
call the bet, raise the
bet, or fold.
- Call
- match
the amount
bet in the
big blind
- Raise
- increase
the amount
bet
- Fold
- give up
the cards
and any
stake in the
hand
This betting
procedure continues
clockwise around the
table until each player
has had a chance to act
on their hand.
If one of them
raises, then all players
wishing to remain in the
pot must match the raise
amount, re-raise it or
fold without having to
invest any more money.
The player in the big
blind (the first
compulsory full bet),
can 'check' and opt to
stay in the game without
adding anything to the
pot. However, if an
opponent has raised,
then the big blind has
three options: fold,
call, or re-raise.
Once all players have
folded or matched each
others’ bets, the flop
is dealt.
The Flop
This stage involves
dealing three
'community' cards face
up on the table. Players
can use these to make
their five-card hand. A
second round of betting
follows.
The Turn
The fourth community
card is dealt face up on
the table. The third
round of betting
follows.
The River
The fifth and final
community card is dealt,
followed by the final
round of betting.
The Showdown
If there is more than
one player left in the
game, there is a
showdown in which the
players reveal their
cards and the highest
hand wins (see
Rank of Hands). If
two players share an
identical hand, the pot
is split.
For a more detailed
explanation of how to
play Texas Hold'em,
download our PDF guide:
Texas Hold'em (316k)
You
will need a copy of
Adobe Acrobat to
open the PDF files.
