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In Texas Holdem, each player is dealt two personal cards, called “pocket” or “hole” cards, to be used in combination with the five face-up community cards to make the best possible poker hand. To indicate which person is the dealer from round to round, a disc or other such marker, called the “button,” is placed in front of them. Different from the poker you may be used to, players do ante but there are also what are called the Small Blind – posted by the person to the left of the dealer, and usually half of the minimum bet – and the Big Blind – posted by the person to the left of the Small Blind, and generally equal to the minimum bet. These count as bets, and are called “blind” because they are posted before the two players look at their cards.
Players are then dealt the two pocket cards, face down, and the person on the left of the player who posted the big blind will begin the first round of betting. In the first round, a player can call, raise or fold. In order to call, the player must place a bet that is equal to the previous bet. After the first bet, subsequent players are given the option to raise on the call bet by matching it and then adding some additional amount. All the other players at the table must match this if they wish to stay in play. If not, they have the option of folding their cards and not play the rest of the round.
After the first round of betting is finished, the dealer takes the top card and sets it aside (called “burning”), and then places the three community cards face up on the table. This is called the Flop. This and all other betting rounds afterward now start with the first player to the left of the dealer. Players now have the option to check, showing that they want to continue playing but aren’t interested in betting. All players can check on a round, but if any player bets the other players must at least call, and can raise, or sit out the round.
After betting is finished another card is burned and the fourth card, called the "Turn card" or "4th Street," is added to the community cards. Players bet again, but in a limit game, the minimum bet is is now double the previous minimums. After the third betting round, another card is burned and the fifth and final card, known as the "River" or "5th Street," is dealt. There is one last round of betting, after which the remaining players turn up their pocket cards. The highest hand that can be made using both the pocket cards and the community cards wins the pot, but if two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in the player’s hand (called the "Kicker") is used as a tie breaker. If the kicker is the same, or both players used both pocket cards in their hand, the pot is split equally between the players involved.
After the hand is finished, the Button moves clockwise to the next player, who becomes the dealer and play begins again.
There are three different types of Texas Hold’em; though the basic rules stay the same, the method of betting changes:
In a standard Limit game, bets and raises are set at a predetermined amount, usually $10/$20, where $10 is the minimum bet for the first two rounds, and $20 is the minimum for the subsequent rounds. Usually betting and raising per round are capped at a certain maximum, depending on the rules of the game.
In No Limit Hold’em, the maximum bet is determined only by the amount of chips a player has in front of them. Bets and raises can be made of any amount, and at any time a player can go “All In,” meaning they have bet all of their money. For the other players to call they must match their opponent’s All In bet. This is the type of play you see on the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker.
Pot Limit Hold’em is a lot like No limit except that the maximum bet is determined by the number of chips in the pot, not by what a player has in front of them. Pot Limit games generally have a maximum buy-in to keep the game interesting, but it is a good way to experience the thrill of No Limit without the threat of losing a huge bankroll.
