The
rules of Texas Hold'em are
simple and quick to learn.
Becoming a good player takes
practice, but it's well worth
the effort.
The game begins as a dealer, and
at times, up to 9 or more
players vie for the pot. The
deck is a standard 52 card deck
with no wilds. Each player is
dealt two 'Hole Cards' and there
are Five Cards dealt in the
middle of the table. These are
called the 'Community Cards'.
The object of the game is to be
the player with the best hand
after all the cards have been
dealt. There are many strategies
to this game, and many people
develop their own after much
practice. What we'll cover here
are just the basics of play,
which you can build on to
perfect your game and develop a
solid strategy of play.
The Blinds: There are two
'Blinds', the 'Small Blind' and
the 'Big Blind'. The 'Small
Blind' is the first player to
the left of the dealer and this
player kicks of the betting by
wagering half of the minimum
bet. The 'Big Blind' must next
wager the full minimum bet. The
dealer begins by dealing each
player one card face down going
around the table until each
player has two cards. The next
player to bet is seated fourth
from the dealers left and may
call, raise or fold. If this
player calls, he must wager the
maximum table bet. Once the
betting has gone around the
table and gets back to the
'Small Blind', then the 'Big
Blind', these players have the
choice of making a call, check,
raise of fold.
The Flop: After the first
round of betting has ended, the
dealer will place three cards in
the middle of the table (
community cards ) face up. The
'Small Blind' again starts the
betting off and goes around the
table with each player now also
having the option of checking as
well as calling, folding or
raising.
The Turn also called Fourth
Street: With the betting
complete for 'The Flop', the
dealer deals another card to the
'Community Cards' and another
round of betting commences.
The River also called Fifth
Street: This is the round
where the dealer deals the final
card to the 'Community Cards'.
This is where fortunes are made
and lost as the pot can be quite
large by now and everyone who is
still in the game has their eye
on it.
Table Limits and Betting
Variations:
Limit Texas Hold'em: A time
limit is set for each game and
each round of betting.
No Limit Texas Hold'em: A player
can go all in, betting all of
his chips at any time.
Pot Limit Texas Hold'em: Maximum
bet is what is in the pot.
Standard Poker Hank Rankings
apply to Texas Hold'em and are
listed below. It's very
important that you know these so
you don't look like the 'Sucker'
at the table. The actual suits
of the cards don't matter much
except in two of the hands, the
Royal Flush and the Straight
Flush. In these hands the cards
must be sequential and in the
same suit.
Royal Flush - 10, J, Q
and King of suit.
Straight Flush - any five
sequential cards of suit. For
example, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of
suit.
Four of a Kind - Four
card of the same face value such
as Four 3's or Four Jacks.
Full House - Three of a
Kind plus a Pair. For example.
Three 9' and Two 4's.
Flush - Five cards of the
same suit and in no particular
order.
Straight - Five
sequential cards of any suit.
Three of a Kind - Three
cards of the same value. For
example Three 6's.
Two Pair - Two sets of
cards with each set being a
pair. For example Two 10's and
two K's
One Pair - Two cards of
equal value. For example, Two
Aces or Two 2's.
There are many very good Poker
Rooms that you can play in to
learn the ropes, define your
game or just pass a few hours
with buddies in a friendly game.
We've played at a lot of them
and have evaluated each one. The
Poker Rooms we list on this site
have passed the tests we've put
them through. Game fairness,
player friendly, solid variety
of games and tournaments and
overall reputation are just some
of the things we look for in a
good Poker Room. Browse through
the sites you find here and we
know you'll find one or more
that suit you. Take with you
some of what you've learned here
and come back, we'll be more on
a regular basis.
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