How To Play Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is easy to learn, but difficult to master. The more you play, the better you get. Here's how the game works:

Each player is dealt two cards. These cards combined with the five cards dealt to the center of the table are a player's hand. The best five card hand from these seven cards is their final hand, and whoever has the best hand wins.

Simple, right? There's alot more to it than that, so here's the game in a bit more detail:

Posting Blinds

Before the hand is even dealt, the two players to the dealer's left post what is called a "blind". The player immediately to the dealer's left posts the "small blind" and the person to his left posts the "big blind". The big blind is half of the small blind.

The amount of the blinds vary depending on the table. The blinds will stay in the pot, even if the player chooses to fold. If the player stays in the hand, the blind will be applied towards the first round of betting.

Pre-Flop Betting

The dealer shuffles the standard deck of 52 cards, and deals two cards to each player, starting with the player to his left. These two cards are referred to as "pocket cards" or sometimes "hole cards". After all players have received their cards, the first round of betting starts, known as pre-flop betting. In a Limit game, the maximum single bet or raise during the first round of betting is the same as the big blind. In a No-Limit game, there are no limits to how much can be bet at any time.

The first bettor is the player to the left of the big blind. To stay in the hand, he must bet at least the big blind amount. The player may fold, call or raise.

If a player folds, it means he is out of the hand. If he has bet any money, he loses it all. Many players fold pre-flop to avoid risking money on a poor hand.

To Call means to bet the same amount as the highest bettor this round. In the case of pre-flop betting, the first bettor would need to bet the same amount as the big blind in order to stay in the game.

To Raise means to bet more than the amount the highest bettor has put in this round. After a raise, all bettors must bet at least as much as the new highest amount to stay in the game.

By the end of the round of betting, everyone still in the hand will have put the same amount in the pot. Anyone unwilling to match those bets is now out of the hand, even if they had bet some money.

The Flop

By now, the number of players still in the hand has probably decreased significantly. Sometimes, the hand ends before we even arrive at this point. If there are still at least two players remaining, the dealer deals one "burn card" face down to prevent cheating, and then three cards face-up on the center of the table. These three cards are called the "Flop".

The three cards in the flop are communal cards that combine with the pocket cards in each player's hand to create the best possible five card poker hand. Betting resumes with the player to the left of the dealer going first. Players can Check/Call Raise or Fold.

Until the first bet is made in a round, the player may "Check", which simply means to bet zero. If everyone at the table checks, the round of betting ends with no bets. If anyone bets, all players must match the bet or fold.

There is no good reason to fold a hand until after a bet is made. Even if you have terrible cards, checking costs you nothing, and you never know what the remaining cards will be.

Calling means matching the highest current bet at the table.

The Turn

After betting concludes, if at least two players still remain, the dealer burns one more card, and then deals one card face up into the center of the table. This card is called the "Turn".

Betting resumes in the same manner as before, with each player having the option to check/call, raise, or fold.

The River

After those round of betting concludes, if at least two players still remain, the dealer burns one more card, and then deals one final card face up into the center of the table. This card is called the "River".

All cards have been dealt at this point, though the hand is not quite over. Betting resumes one last time in the same manner as before, with each player having the option to check/call, raise, or fold.

The Showdown

After betting has been completed, the players must reveal their hands, starting with the player to the left of the last player to call. This is known as the "Showdown". The player with the best five card poker hand wins. If the best hand is shared by two or more players, the pot is split between them.