Poker Rules - A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Texas Hold’em

By Clearspine

Texas Hold’em is undoubtedly the most popular poker game played in the world today. It is the game played at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker, as well as the featured game in almost every major tournament played either in casinos or online. The game can be played in limit format (where each round of betting has a fixed amount that can be bet), pot limit (where a player can bet up to the amount currently in the pot at any time) and no limit (where players can put in any amount up to their entire chip stack on any single bet). Some cash games and tournaments also feature a combination of these limits, where, for example, half the time is spent playing limit and half playing no limit. Let’s explore the basic poker rules for this exciting game.

A full table (or ring game) at Texas Hold'em usually has either 9 or 10 players. A white plastic disc (the dealer button) denotes who the dealer is in each hand, and this disc is passed clockwise after each deal.

• The two players directly to the left of the dealer are forced to post blind bets before the cards are dealt.
• The player two away from the dealer is called the big blind, who puts up a full bet, as determined by the table limits.
• The player next to the dealer is the small blind, and his bet is usually half of what the big blind puts in, although this amount can vary at different stakes and card rooms.
• Once the blind bets are in, each player is dealt two cards face-down, one at a time, beginning with the small blind player.
• The player to the left of the big blind acts first, and is commonly known as being Under The Gun (UTG) and must either fold, call, or raise the big blind.
• Each player then acts in turn, and the action returns to the blinds and they are the last to act in the first round of betting.
• If the pot has not been raised, the small blind needs to complete the half-bet he already has on the table in order to continue, while the big blind has the option to raise or simply to check his initial bet.
• There is usually either a three or four raise maximum for each round, while in pot-limit and no-limit, raises may have a maximum or continue until all the players’ money has been bet (all-in).

What makes Texas Hold’em such an exciting game is that after the initial two cards are dealt, all the other cards in the hand are community cards—those cards are used by every player at the table to make the best possible hand.

• Once the first round of betting is complete, three cards are placed, face up, in the middle of the table. In a limit game the small bet limit applies on this round. These three community cards are known as “the flop”.
• Another betting round now begins, with the first player holding cards being first to act. In the initial round of betting, players cannot check, since they are facing a bet. Once the Flop is out, the option to check is available if there are no bets.
• Once the Flop betting round is over, a fourth card is placed face up on the table. This is “the turn” or “fourth street”. If the game is limit, the big bet applies on this card and continues throughout the remainder of the hand. The first player holding cards starts the action again.
• After the action completes, the fifth card is dealt face up on the table as in previous rounds. This card is called “the river” or “fifth street”. There is one more round of betting, and the remaining players’ hands are shown to see who has the best five card poker hand, using any of the five cards in the middle in combination with the two individual cards each player is holding. Standard poker rules determine which hand is best.

Note that in a casino poker game, the dealer burns ( takes the top card from the deck and places it face down, out of action) a card before the cards are placed face up on the table, that is for player protection in the event of a marked card in the deck. In online poker there is no need for a burn card.

As you can see, Texas Hold’em is a very simple game, however, each deal brings with it an almost limitless set of possibilities. While learning the game just takes a minute, mastering it takes a lifetime.