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Introduction to Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold 'em is probably the best known and most popular form of poker played today.

The rules of poker are actually quite simple so most players can learn the basics in just a few minutes.

However, learning the full complexities of the game with its many strategies and tactics is a far greater challenge, hence the common phrase, 'It takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master'.

The Basics

At the start of each game players are dealt two cards known as Hole Cards.

Five cards are dealt in three rounds of Community Cards. These are dealt face up in the middle of the table for every player to use.

Three cards are dealt after the first round of betting, this is known as The Flop.

A further card is dealt after the third round of betting and is known as The Turn.

The last community card is dealt after the fourth round of betting. This is known as The River.

The best 5-card hand using any combination of the five community cards and two hole cards wins.

Pre-Flop

All games start with a small and big blind. These are forced bets, the big blind being twice the value of the small blind.

Each hand one player puts in the small blind. The player directly to their left then puts in the big blind. The small blind moves by one player in a clockwise direction every hand.

In Pure Hold’Em, any player joining a table must also put in the value of the big blind at the start of their first hand.

In tournaments, the value of the blinds are raised every ten hands played.

Once all of the blinds have been put in, the first round of betting begins. Each player in the hand must either Call the big blind, Raise, or Fold.

To call means to match the current bet.

To raise means to increase the current bet. Pure Hold’Em is a No Limits game so the amount a player can raise is only restricted by the amount of chips they own, although the minimum bet is always the value of the big blind. Raising with all of your remaining chips is known as going All-In.

To fold means to throw your cards away and drop out of that hand.

The first round of betting is only complete once all active players have put in the same amount of chips.

The Flop

Once the first round of betting is complete, the first three community cards, or 'The Flop' is dealt.

The second round of betting now takes place on the flop. In this round, and all that follow, betting starts with the first active player to the left of the big blind.

Along with the options to call, fold and raise, a player is now able to Check if no betting action has occurred before them. A check simply means to continue in the hand without having to add further chips.

Once all players have put in the same amount of chips or folded the betting round is complete.

The Turn

Once the second round of betting is complete, the fourth community card or 'The Turn' is dealt and another round of betting begins.

Once all players have put in the same amount of chips or folded the betting round is complete.

The River

Once the third round of betting is complete, the fifth community card known as 'The River' is dealt and the final round of betting begins.

Once all players have put in the same amount of chips or folded the betting round is complete.

The Showdown

After all betting action has been completed, the remaining active players reveal their hole cards to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.

The player with the best combination of five cards will win the pot. For a full breakdown of the possible hands see the Hand Guide also located in the help section.

When hands are the same (like two pair vs two pair), a winner can often be decided by the highest card not used in the players hand. This is known as the Kicker.

It is important to know that you only use five-cards, a sixth or seventh card never determines the winner.

If the hands still cannot be separated, the pot is split evenly among all the winning players. This is simply known as a Split Pot.