Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is without a doubt the most popular game of poker in the world today. A huge reason for the immense popularity is the massive exposure the game has had on television. Big tournaments like EPT, WSOP and especially WPT along with poker shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker have brought Texas Hold'em to every corner of the world.
The fact, that Texas Hold'em is basically such a simple game that everyone can learn to play it, has done absolutely nothing to diminish the game's popularity.

Texas Hold'em is a poker game played by 2-10 players at the same table, and it's a so-called "flop game". Flop games are games of poker characterized by each player being dealt their own cards and then five cards are placed face up on the table in full view of all player. The cards each player holds are called "hole cards" or "pocket cards" and can only be seen and used by that player. The cards placed face up on the table are called "community cards" and can be used by all players.
The cards on the table are not placed face up all at once. First three cards are turned over called "the flop", then one card called "the turn" and finally the last card called "the river". In between the placing of these cards there are rounds of betting.

Ultimately the goal of each player is to create the best possible five-card poker hand by combining their own two hole cards and the five community cards.
Other popular flop games include Omaha, Omaha High/Low and Crazy Pineapple.


1. The First Round of Betting ("Preflop")
2. The First Community Cards ("The Flop")
3. The Last Community Cards ("The Turn" and "The River")
4. Texas Hold'em Hand Ranking



1. The First Round of Betting ("Preflop")

A game of Texas Hold'em begins with a player chosen to be the dealer. If the game is just starting, and it's the first hand, the dealer is found by each player at the table drawing a card, and the highest card determines the dealer.
If you play at home with your friends, it's the responsibility of the dealer to shuffle the cards and deal. Playing online the poker room will take care of that part.
A small marker – the dealer button – is placed in front of the dealer on the table.

Then the two forced bets called the blinds are placed on the table by the two players to the left of the dealer.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind, and the next player posts the big blind. The big blind is the minimum bet, and the small blind is half the minimum bet.

An online Texas Hold'em table is named by the size of the blinds. On a table called "Texas Hold'em $1/$2" the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2. Blinds are a part of the game to make sure there's always a pot to play for.

Once the dealer is found and the blinds posted, each player is dealt to cards face down. These are the hole cards.

Now the first of four rounds of betting begins.
Starting with the player sitting to the left of the big blind each player must now in turn decide if they want to:
Notice, that a raise must always be double any previous bet or raise. This means, that if a previous player has bet $2, you must as a minimum raise it up to $4.

If no player has made a raise, when it's the the big blind's turn, this player can opt to check. Check means that the player does not wish to bet or raise any further.

In Texas Hold'em you are never allowed to bet or raise less than the size of the big blind. How much you can bet or raise depends entirely on what kind of limit you are playing, and Texas Hold'em is usually played with one of these three limits:
The first round of betting continues until all the players have either folded or called the same amount, effectively contributing the same amount of chips to the pot.
If only one player remains in the hand – i.e. everyone else have folded – the hand is over, and the one player remaining takes down the pot.
If more than one player remains in the hand, it's time for the flop.




2. The First Community Cards ("The Flop")

Three cards known as "the flop" is placed on the table face up for all players to see. These cards are part of the community cards and can be used by all players. If you play at home, the dealer will place the cards on the table, but online it will happen automatically.

When the flop has been dealt, the second round of betting takes place. This time the player to the immediate left of the dealer acts first. If this player folded during the first round of betting, the first player still active in the hand to the left of the dealer acts first.

The options in this and the following two betting rounds are:
The betting round continues until all the players have either folded or called.
If only one player remains in the hand – i.e. everyone else have folded – the hand is over, and the one player remaining takes down the pot.
If more than one player remains in the hand, it's time for the turn.




3. The Last Community Cards ("The Turn" and "The River")

The fourth community card called "the turn" is placed face up on the table next to the flop and another round of betting – just like the one after the flop – is initiated. Once again the first active player to the left of the dealers acts first.
Should this round of betting result in more than one player still in the hand, the fifth and final community card, "the river", is placed face up on the table next to the flop and turn.

All the five community cards are now on the table, and the players still in the hand go through the final round of betting. The possible actions are the same as in the previous two rounds, and again the first active player to the left of the dealer acts first.
If two or more players have not folded after this final betting round, the players show their hole cards and the player able to combine for the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. This is called a "showdown".

In Texas Hold'em a player can choose to use both hole cards, one of them or none of them in combination with the community cards in order to construct the best five-card poker hand.
When the hand is finished, the dealer button is shifted one seat to the left and a new hand will begin with the two players to the left of the new dealer posting blinds.




4. Texas Hold'em Hand Ranking

In Texas Hold'em the five-card poker hands are ranked as follows – from the best to the worst hand:


Royal Straight Flush
A, K, Q, J, T of the same suit.

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Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence and of the same suit. If more than one player has a Straight Flush, the player with the highest card in the Straight Flush wins.

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Quads (Four of a Kind)
Four cards of the same rank. If two or more players hold quads, the player with the higher ranked cards wins. If two or more players have quads with the same rank, the player with the higher fifth card – "the kicker" – wins. Such a situation can only exist, if the quads are on the table as community cards.

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Full House
Three cards of the same rank plus two cards of the same rank. If more than one player has a Full House, the player with the higher ranked set of three wins. Should two or more players have the same set of three, the player with the higher ranked pair wins.

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Flush
Five cards of the same suit. If two or more players both have a flush, the player with the highest ranked card in the flush wins. Should the players have the same ranked card as high card, the second-highest ranked card decides the winner and so forth.

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Straight
Five cards in sequence with the Ace representing both the highest and smallest card. Should two or more players have a Straight, the player with the highest ranked card in the Straight wins. If two or more players have a Straight with the same highest ranked card, the pot is split.
Remember that it's not permitted to combine for a Straight "Going Around the Horn" – i.e. having the Ace inside the sequence. For instance Q, K, A, 2, 3 is NOT a valid Straight.

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Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. If more than one player has Three of a Kind, the player with the highest ranked set of three wins. Should two or more players have the same set of three, the player with the highest ranked card on the side – "kicker" – wins. If still no winner is found, the rank of the fifth and last card is decisive.

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Two Pair
Two cards of the same rank plus another two cards of the same rank. When more than a single player holds two pair, the winner is the player with the highest ranked pair. Should more than one player hold the same highest ranked pair, the rank of the second pair is decisive. If still undecided, the rank of the fifth card – "the kicker" – determines the winner.

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A Pair
Two cards of the same rank. With two or more players holding a Pair of the same rank, the rank of the players' highest ranked unpaired card is used to decide the winner. If still no winner is found, the second-highest unpaired card is compared – and eventually if needed the third highest ranked unpaired card is compared.

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High Card
None of the above mentioned hands. If two players both have only High Card, the rank of their cards are compared starting with each their highest ranked card.


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