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Texas Holdem Poker Rules
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When you think Texas Holdem, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the last crack-core, no-limit table you watched on ESPN. In fact, there are tons of ways to play the game. But, while betting structures and strategy change significantly from one form to another, the same basic rules always apply.
For a type of poker to be considered "Holdem," it must start with the dealer dealing each player two facedown "hole" cards. The game must then proceed through three more rounds in which the dealer deals five community cards that each player uses in combination with his hole cards to build a "hand" (or a set of cards ranked in relation to other combinations). After the initial deal, the two players sitting in the "blind" positions must pay a set amount before they can look at their hole cards. The other players may look at their cards without betting anything but must "see" or "call" (that is, match) the blinds and any subsequent "raises" (or money wagered in addition to the blinds) if they wish to stay in the game.
Once the players who wish to stay in have called the blinds and any raises, the dealer removes one card from the top of the deck (a "burn" card) and deals three community cards, called the "flop." Another round of betting follows in which the player who was the "small blind" (the blind player who had to pay only half the lower limit before seeing his cards) makes the first bet. At this juncture, every player can "check" (i.e., pass the betting option to the next player without betting) if no one raised before the "action" (or betting option) passed to him.
Each of the final two rounds (the "turn" and the "river") see the dealer dealing one community card and the players taking part in a susequent betting round. Any players remaining after the final betting round must then reveal their hole cards (the "showdown"), and the player with the best hand wins.
Texas Holdem Terminology
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Blinds: There are two blind positions in Texas Holdem, the "big blind" and the "small blind." The big blind must pay the full lower limit for the game and the small blind must pay half the lower limit, before either player is allowed to see his cards. To "see the flop" (or stay in a game until the flop is dealt), every player has to call the blind but only the big and small blinds must do so before seeing their cards.
Community Cards: A maximum of five cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table, for all to see and use. These are also called "common cards" or "shared cards," and are referred to as the "flop" (the first three cards), the "turn" or "Fourth Street" (the fourth card) and the "river" (the fifth card). The flop is dealt all at once, but the turn and river are each dealt individually, with intervening betting rounds between each deal. Players can use any number of these cards towards their final five-card hand.Dealer: Not to be confused with the guy handing out and shuffling the cards, the dealer is the last seating position to the right of the blinds at a Holdem table and is marked with a "dealer button," a pastic token with the word "Dealer" printed on it. The dealer is arguably the most powerful seat in the game because it gives the player sitting in it the ability to see what a majority of the other players are doing before deciding whether to bet himself.
Hole Cards: In Texas Holdem, each player is dealt two facedown cards called "hole cards." Each player should be the only one able to see his hole cards (though there is no special rule against looking if your opponent is too daft to keep them concealed). You can use both, one or none of these cards to make up your five-card hand.
Other names for these two cards exist, including "pocket cards," "down cards" or, simply, "hand." But, because some of these terms can be confused with the names of other Holdem elements, "hole cards" has become the accepted term.
Limit: A limit is a set amount that a player may not bet less or more than at one time. There are normally two kinds, the "lower limit," which is the least a player can bet, and the "upper limit," which is the most a player can bet. All Holdem games, in fact, have a lower limit, and what distinguishes a limit game of Holdem from a no-limit game is that the latter has no upper limit and the lower limit rises at regular intervals.Texas Holdem Game Flow and Betting Structure
Step 1: The Dealer is Set -
The dealer button rotates around the table, to indicate the dealer of each hand. In online poker rooms, the cards are dealt automatically by the central game system.Really, the dealer button is only used to establish the relative position of the players. Position is key in poker, so the dealer button rotates clockwise throughout the game, to give everyone a fair chance.
Often, the first player to sit at an empty table will be the dealer, but if several people sit down at once - or if it's the regular policy of a casino to do so in all cases - each player will be dealt a card, and the one with the highest card will get the button first. Similarly, in online Holdem a room's software will randomly select a player to give the button to at the start of the first game.
Step 2: The Blinds are Paid - In order to ensure that there is at least some action every hand, two players must place "blind" bets at the beginning of every round. These players haven't seen their cards yet - hence, the term "blind" - but the player immediately to the left of the dealer posts the small blind - which is equal to half the lower stake of the game (See: Betting Structures) - so he's not entirely put out if he gets scrubbed on the deal.
The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to exactly the lower limit. For example, in a $2-4 limit game, the small blind will post $1, and the big blind will post $2. In pot-limit and no-limit games, there is still a lower limit but it rises regularly (usually every so many minutes) and is generally an arbitrary figure set by the house.
Step 3: The Hole Cards Are Dealt -
After the blinds pay up, the first two cards are dealt. Remember: Every player gets two cards facedown.
Step 4: Betting Round I Begins - Betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continues clockwise around the table. Every player can bet, check, fold, call or raise, depending on his position and the other players' actions. For more details, we have a page dedicated to player actions here. Also, betting is explained in more detail on the Betting Structure page, as it varies slightly between different Holdem types.
Step 5: The Flop is Dealt - Three cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the "flop." They are the first three "community" cards and are shared by all the players at the table.
Step 6: Betting Round II Begins - The second round of betting follows. This is carried out exactly like the first betting round.
Step 7: The Turn is Dealt - After the second round of betting, a fourth "community" card is dealt face-up in the middle of the table. This is called the "turn." It is followed by a third round of betting.
Step 8: Betting Round III Begins - This round, again, is carried out just like the first and the second.
Step 9: The River is Dealt - A fifth and final "community" card is dealt. It is called the "river" and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.
Step 10: Betting Round IV Begins - This final betting round is carried out exactly like the third.Step 11: The Game Goes Into a Showdown - After the final betting round, players reveal their hole cards and the best five-card poker hand is determined. Both a player's pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up his hand. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot.
Players can also split the pot if they have the same hand or if no one has a hand. In the rare case that the best hand consists of community cards only, the pot is divided between all the players left in the game at the showdown. Also, if you don't have a hand and are likely to lose, you can "muck your cards" (or fold your hand and lose the pot) to keep the other players from knowing what cards you actually had. Otherwise you must "show" (or compare your hand) with the others. The last player to initiate action (that is, to bet or raise) is the first to show his cards. This player cannot muck his cards.
Step 12: A New Game Begins - After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved clockwise (one player to the left), and the next hand begins.Tip! Your goal in any form of poker is the same: to win as many chips as you can off your opponents. But considering that you won't always be holding the best cards in Holdem, you should treat each hand dealt as a separate game. If you've got scratch in the hole (that is, your hand is pretty weak) you can - and should - fold and wait for the next hand.
