Texas Hold'em 

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Texas Hold’em

The most popular and best know form of poker today is undoubtedly Texas Hold’em, or simply “Hold’em”. 

The goal: to make the best 5 –card poker hand using any combination of cards of the two “hole cards” that are dealt to you, and the 5 community cards displayed on the table.  You can use one, both, or neither of your hole cards to make the hand.

Types of Texas Hold’em:

The game is offered in limit, pot limit and no-limit texas hold’em.

• No Limit: Players may bet all of their chips at any time.
• Pot Limit: Players may bet an amount equal to the pot size.
• Limit: Players may bet a fixed amount for each round.

How to Play Texas Hold’em

Blinds

In Hold’em, a disc called ‘the button’ or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. “Blinds” are designed to stimulate betting, forcing one player to post the minimum bet and another player to post half the minimum bet each hand. The player to the immediate left of the dealer’s button posts the “small blind,” and the player to the immediate left of the small blind posts the “big blind.” The size of the blind depends on the game. For example, in a $2/$4 game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2. After the blinds are posted, each player is dealt two cards, face down, called hole cards. Texas Hold’em is played with a single deck of cards, shuffled every game.

Hole Cards

Two cards are dealt face down to each player, after the blinds are posted, in a clockwise manner around the table starting with the player to the left of the dealer button. The player may call the big blind, raise any amount within the raise limit guidelines for the game, or fold and surrender his hand. The betting proceeds clockwise around the table and continues until all players have either bet the same amount of money or folded. In Limit games, bets and raises are restricted to one bet and three subsequent raises per round (on the initial deal, the big blind is counted as the first bet). In No-Limit games, you can raise from the big blind to all your chips (“all-in”). If no player raises the big blind by the time the betting returns to the player who posted it, the player that posted the big blind can either check (no additional bet), raise, or fold if he wants. If no players call the big blind, the player who posted the big blind wins the pot.

The Flop

After the first betting round completes, the first three community cards, otherwise known as “the flop,” are dealt face up on the board. The first active player to the left of the dealer begins the betting. He can either check, bet, or fold. Play continues clockwise around the table with each player having the option to either check, bet, call, raise, or fold. When all players have either folded, called the last raiser, or put all of their chips in the pot, the betting round is complete and the cards are dealt for the next round.

The Turn

An additional card, called the “turn card,” is dealt face up on the table after the flop betting round completes. The betting process is the same as after the flop, except in Limit poker all bets must be made at the higher bet limit (For example, in a $2/$4 game, betting after the turn would start at $4). The turn card is also called “fourth street.” 

Play continues clockwise around the table with each player given the same set of options (check, bet, call, raise, or fold). When all players have either folded, called the last raiser, or put all of their chips in the pot, the betting round is complete and the cards are dealt for the next round.

The River

The last card, called “the river” is dealt face up on the table after the turn betting round. No more cards are dealt. Betting begins again with the first active player to the left of the dealer. He can either check, bet, or fold, with betting at a minimum of the higher blind level (Again, in a $2/$4 game, betting on the river would start at $4). Play continues clockwise around the table with each player given the same set of options (check, call, raise, or fold). When all players have either folded, called the last raiser, or put all of their chips in the pot, the betting round is complete. The river is also known as fifth street. 

After the above betting is complete the showdown occurs.

Showdown

After the final betting round ends, “the showdown” occurs to determine the winner. The player with the best hand wins the pot unless when he goes all-in in response to a bet or raise he doesn’t have enough chips to cover the bet. In that case, the player only wins the amount that he contributed to the pot. Any player who wins a part of the pot reveals his two hole cards to the rest of the players. The player who raised displays his cards first. If no players have raised, then the first active player to the left of the dealer displays his cards first.

No Limit Texas Hold’em

In No Limit Texas Hold’em, the minimum amount a player can bet must be equal or greater than the big blind and a raise must equal or be greater than the last bet or raise within the same round. There is no maximum amount to bet, a player may bet his entire stack at any time. The number of raises is only limited to a player’s chips total.

Pot Limit Texas Hold’em

In Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, the minimum amount a player can raise must equal or be greater than the last bet or raise within the same round. The maximum a player may bet is equal to the amount in the pot including his call before making the raise. (Example; a player’s call is $5 and the pot is $20, he may raise to a maximum of $50. His call of $5 brings the pot to $25 and he may raise the amount equal to the pot of $25, thus the raise is $25.)

Limit Texas Hold’em

In Limit Texas Hold’em, players must bet a pre-determined fixed amount per round. The betting amount is equal to the big blind for the first two rounds of betting and doubles up for the last two rounds of betting. A maximum of 4 bets is allowed per round which includes a bet and three raises. (Example; in a $5/$10 Limit Texas Hold’em game, players must bet $5 and raise by $5 up to a maximum of $20 for the pre-flop and flop rounds, they must bet $10 and raise by $10 up to a maximum of $40 for the turn and river round).