We have all watched it on the TV and is probably one of the most popular variants of poker played today but where do you start.
Let's start of by getting to know what Texas Hold'em is.
Texas Hold'em is a fast paced card game and the aim of the game is to make the best five card hand from the two card dealt to you and the five cards or community cards that are dealt to the entire table of players.
The Dealer
At the start of each hand in Texas Hold'em Poker a player gets the dealer button, the button moves clockwise at the end of each round of Texas Hold'em Poker and looks like a casino chip with Dealer written on it. The dealer deals the cards starting off with the player to his left and deals clockwise.
Blind Bets
Blind Bets in Texas Hold'em Poker are compulsory bets and are made by the players sitting to the dealers left. There are two blind bets in Texas Hold'em Poker, one small and one big and are used to get some money on the table and are placed before you see your cards, hence they are called "blind bets".
The big blind in Texas Hold'em Poker is usually double the size of the small blind and the amount of the blind bets are dictated by the stakes of the game.
Starting
After the blind bets have been posted by the first two players, small first then big, the dealer deals out the cards in a clockwise deal starting with the player to his left until everybody has two cards each facing down and not seen by any other player.
Betting (First Round)
Betting starts in Texas Hold'em Poker with the player sitting in the third seat from the dealer or the player next to the one who posted the big blind. As there are only the cards that have been dealt to each player on the table each player is making a bet based on what he could potentially create during the game.
You now have three choices, you could fold, raise or call. If you fold then you are throwing in your cards and your out without it costing you anything unless you have posted one of the blind bets. Calling will cost you the same amount as the highest bet that has been placed on the table at that time and raising is making a bet that is higher than any bet that has been placed on the table so far.
The betting in Texas Hold'em Poker goes round the table in a clockwise direction until all the players have either folded, raised or called. If, by the time the betting gets back to the player who placed the big blind, no-one has raised the betting then this player has three options, fold, raise or check, Checking is the term used when there is no bet to match and you want to stay in the game but don't want to place a bet.
If any of the players has raised the bet then the betting starts over as before with each of the players having the same options as at the start, fold, raise or call and continues until either all but one player folds or all the players that haven't folded have put an equal amount of money in to call.
The Flop
Now that the first round of betting is finished we get to the flop. The flop in Texas Hold'em Poker is when the dealer places 3 cards face up in the middle of the table at the same time.
Now we have five cards in play, the two in our hand and the three in the centre of the table. You will now be in a better position to judge how good a hand you could potentially create.
Betting (Second Round)
Now that there are five cards out betting starts again but this time there are no blind bets. The betting starts with the first player still in the game that hasn't folded sitting to the left of the dealer and because there have been no blind bets posted in this round the player can either fold, raise or check.
The betting goes round like that in the first round of betting but this time if nobody bets and everybody checks then the betting ends without the pot increasing.
The Turn Card
It's now time for the next card to be dealt and unlike the previous round only one card is dealt this time.
Now you have six cards to play with and the chance of making a better hand increases as there are more cards to use in your hand.
Betting (Third Round)
Betting in this round is the same as that in round two and again ends when either everybody has either checked, called or all but one player has folded.
The River
This is the final card in Texas Holdem Poker to be dealt in the game and now all the players still in the game decides what their best five cards are from the seven cards they have to choose from, the two in their hand and the five community cards face up on the table.
Betting (Final Round)
Betting in Texas Hold'em Poker in this round is the same as the previous two rounds of betting and at the end of the betting its time to see who has won the money. The winner is determined by the player who has the best hand and this is decided using the universal hand rankings. The player that was the last person to bet shows his hand first and then proceeds clockwise around the table.
You do not have to show your hand in Texas Hold'em Poker and can still choose to fold at this time rather than show your hand.
Now you know Texas Hold'em Rules
