Texas Hold'em Rules
Introduction
This article is meant as a quick overview of the rules of NL Texas Holdem Poker.
The rules of the game are fairly simple. Each player is dealt 2 cards. There is a round of betting and then 3 community cards are dealt. They are called community cards as all the players in the hand are able to use them with the two cards they were dealt. These three cards being dealt is called the flop. After the flop there is another round of betting followed by another community card, this card is called the turn card. There is another round of betting followed by the last community card, the last community card is called the river. There is a final round of betting which leads to a showdown. This is when all the players remaining in the hand show their cards and the person with the best combination of 5 cards wins the pot.
Preflop
Before the cards are dealt, the two players sitting directly to the dealers left will place the small and the big blinds. The big blind is normally twice the value of the small blind. They are called blinds because the players haven't seen their cards yet. The position of the dealer moves clockwise around the table after the completion of each hand. To help players see who is next to act a chip called the button or dealer button is place where the dealer would be and moves around the table accordingly.
Order Of Play
In order for there to be a standardised way of playing the game, there are a few rules to know who's next to act. In a nutshell, the action goes clockwise around the table. When one player has acted, the player to his immediate left can act. In the first round of betting the player on the left of the Big Blind goes first. From the second round on, it is always the first player on the left of the Dealer Button.
Once everyone has acted all the bets are collected and placed in the middle of the table. This is called the pot. Whoever wins the hand wins the pot.
Betting Actions
Once you have received your cards you will then enter the first round of betting. You have some options in deciding how to proceed:
FOLD
This is when you do not like your hand and give the cards back to the dealer. Once the hand is finished you are dealt into the next round.
BET
When no one before you has acted you can add chips to the pot. By doing this, all the other players who want to continue in the hand must at last match your bet. Otherwise they have the option of folding their hands. When you bet all of your chips, that is called going all-in. When you have gone all in you no longer have to match any more bets and therefore do not have to fold. You will see all of the community cards and the hands will be shown with the winning player taking the pot.
RAISE
If someone has already made a bet you can raise their bet. This makes the hand more expensive again for people wishing to play it.
CALL
This is when someone has made a bet and you want to continue in the hand without making it more expensive.
CHECK
If no one has made a bet and it's your turn and you don't want to, then you can check.
Showdown
Once all the community cards have been dealt and two or more players are still in the hand, the hand goes to showdown. This is where all the players involved show their hands and the player with the best hand according to the hand rankings wins the pot. So, what kind of hands are there in poker?
Royal Flush
This is when you have AKQJ10 of any one of the 4 suites (spades, diamonds, clubs, hearts)
Straight Flush
This is when you have 5 consecutive cards in order and it's not a Royal Flush. So something like 9,8,7,6,5 of clubs. If 2 players have a straight flush the player with the higher straight flush is the winner.
Four of a Kind
This is when a player has 4 cards of the same rank. If more then one player has 4 of a kind the person with the highest 5th card is the winner.
Full House
This is a combination of having 3 of a kind and a pair. If 2 people have full houses the player with the higher 3 of a kind wins. If that is also equal then then it's the player with the highest pair.
A Flush
This is when you have 5 cards of any rank in a particular suit.
Three of a kind
This is when you have 3 of the same ranked cards
Two pair
This is when you have 2 pairs. If more then one person has 2 pairs then the person with the highest pair wins. If they both have the highest pair then it goes to the second pair and then the kicker.
One Pair
This is when you have matched 2 cards of the same rank. When you have done this your other card is called your kicker. If two people have the same pair, the person with the highest kicker wins.
High Card
This is when you have missed all 5 community cards. If both of you have not made a hand then the person with the highest 5 card combination wins.
After reading the above, you should now grasp the idea behind the game of NL Holdem. You understand that each player is dealt 2 cards, with 5 community cards available for everyone to use. You also understand that there are 4 rounds of betting; one before the flop, then once again on the flop, then the turn and then finally on the river. Texas Holdem can be seen as a relatively simple game which is why it is loved by millions of people around the world. However, there are various levels of complexity involved in the game which can easily get the better of the inexperienced players. If you are new to the game of NL Holdem then initially you will need to employ a basic strategy.
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