Texas Holdem Poker Rules

Texas Holdem Poker is very easy to learn and it is without doubt the reason why it has become the most popular version of poker played online and in casinos. The game is simple and complex at the same time so once you know the rules, which take less than 15 minutes to learn, it will keep you entertained for years to come. This article, aimed at beginners, will help you understand and master the basic rules of Texas Holdem Poker.

Introduction
Texas Holdem Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck, poker chips, and as many as 10 players at the table. There are two kind of games: cash games and tournaments. In cash games, each hand is played with real money and there is no time limit. In tournament games, the players begin with the same amount of chips, and the winner is the player who gets all the chips. Tournaments can also be played with real cash buy-ins where the winner takes all or a fraction of his opponents’ money.

The Shuffle, the Deal and the Blinds
The game starts with the dealer shuffling the 52-card deck. If there’s no specific dealer, the cards are self-dealt by each player each hand in a clockwise direction. The “Dealer Button,” a button that says dealer on it, is passed around the table from player to player after each hand to indicate which player is the dealer.

The two players sitting to the left of the dealer put up a fixed sum of money into the pot before the cards are dealt to guarantee there’s always some money to compete for on each hand. That’s called “posting the blinds.” The “Small Blind,” which is the player sitting next to the dealer, usually pays half the minimum bet. The “Big Blind” pays the full minimum bet.

Then each person is dealt one card and then a second card. Both cards are face down. Those are called the “Hole Cards.” This is where the fun begins.

The Preflop
The first round of betting takes place, starting with the player to the left of the “Small Blind” and the “Big Blind.” The first player to speak has three possibilities: call, raise, or fold. Calling means putting the same amount of money as the big blind. Raising means adding an additional sum of money. Note that in No Limit games, this amount is limited only by the quantity of chips the player has. Folding means getting out of the hand and forfeiting any bets made. This shouldn’t be done because at this stage, it’s still free for the first player who speaks to see the flop, as no other bets have been made.

The other players have the same three possibilities, plus the possibility to reraise. A reraise has to be at least equal to the size of the previous raise.

After the preflop, a total of five community cards will be dealt face up on the table in three distinct stages described below.

The Flop
When the first round of betting is over, the dealer discards, or “burns,” the top card of the deck. Burning the card is done to prevent cheating in case someone accidentally saw it.

Then the dealer turns over three community cards from the deck and place them on the table. This is called “the flop.”

After the flop has been dealt, another round of betting occurs, always beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this round and all upcoming rounds of betting, players will have the possibility to check, call, raise, or fold when it’s their turn to play.

The Turn (or “Fourth Street”)
The dealer burns a card of the deck again and then deals one more card face up onto the table. The fourth community card is sometimes called the “Fourth Street.”

Then the player on the left of the dealer (the button) initiates the third betting round.

The River (or “Fifth Street”)
The dealer burns yet another card before placing the fifth and final card face up on the table. This card is the “river,” or “Fifth Street.” Players can now use any combination of seven cards (the five cards on the table and the two hole cards known only to them) to form the best possible five-card poker hand.

The fourth and last betting round starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button).

The Showdown
The players who are still in the hand reveal their cards, starting with the player who made the initial bet. The player who has the best hand wins. If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in each player’s hand (the Kicker) is used to pick up the winner. If there is no kicker card, the pot is split between them.

After the showdown, the button to the next player clockwise, and a new hand is dealt.