Texas Hold'em
Basic Rules:
There are several aspects that one needs to be aware of when
aspiring to be a truly proficient at the game.
Firstly, there are several rounds of betting to look forward
to. The first round is called the pre-flop, the second is called the flop, the
third is called the turn (or fourth street), and the final round is called the
river (or fifth street). Players have the option to check, call, bet,
raise,
or fold,
depending on the situation and cards dealt.
Dealer:
To begin a new game, the dealer begins by shuffling a 52
card deck and passing one card face up to each player. The player with the
highest value card will be chosen to be the "dealer" and will be given
a button called the dealer button. The Texas Hold'em Poker rule is that if two players
have a card of the same value the tie is split by the value of the suit by
alphabetical order. The lowest value suit is a club and the highest value suit
is a spade.
Small and big blinds:
Once the dealer is determined the Texas Hold'em Poker game
may begin. The person directly to the left of the dealer button must place a
forced bet which is called the small blind. The small blind is equal to one
half of the lowest bet at the table. In addition to the posting of the small
blind, the person directly to the left of the small blind must post the big
blind. The big blind is equal to the smallest bet at the table. The game is ready
to begin when the table has a dealer button, a small blind, and a big blind.
Dealing cards:
The dealer can shuffle the deck several times and begin
dealing cards in a clockwise manner, starting with the small blind. The dealer
is either a dedicated dealer at a casino or the person who has the dealer
button in front of them. The Texas Hold'em Poker rule book states that each
player should receive no more and no less than 2 cards face down and may not
show them to other players at the table.
Starting hands
In Texas Hold'em, there are 169 possible starting hands.
The best starting hand is: Ace Hearts/Ace Spades
The worst starting hand is: 2 Clubs/Seven Diamonds
Pre-flop:
After each player has received their two "hole
cards" the first round of betting (pre-flop) may begin. The first person
to play is the person directly to the left of the big blind. This player has the
option to fold,
call,
or raise.
If the player just joined a game that had begun before they join the table they
have the option to check (make no bet) rather than call, because they should
have posted an amount equal to the big blind in order to join the hand.
The Flop:
After the first round of betting ends, the dealer should
"burn" the top card, by placing it aside of the deck, and take the
next three cards and lay them face up in the centre of the table. From the flop
on the player (with cards) to the direct left of the dealer begins the round of
betting. They have the option to check (make no bet), or bet.
Once this round of betting is completed, the game progresses
to the next round, the turn (or fourth street).
The Turn:
To begin the turn (fourth street), the dealer must 'burn'
one more card by moving it to the side, and then placing on card face up to the
right of the other cards at the table. Another round of betting occurs starting
again with the player (with cards) to the direct left of the dealer.
The River:
The river is the final card. Once again the dealer must 'burn'
a card and then lay the last card (the river) to the right of the other cards.
This begins the final round and players may make their final betting decisions.
After the betting ends, players will enter into a showdown.
Showdown:
This stage is where players display their cards, beginning
with the player who made the last bet and moving clockwise from there. The
player with the highest
poker hand rank wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the pot is split
amongst the players who have the equal hand.
Following this guide, and with experience and discipline,
you will become a master of the Texas Hold'em Poker!!