How to Play Texas Hold'em

The most popular poker game all over the world is Texas Hold'em.  There are a couple of different varieties of the game, but they all have the same rules overall.  Mainly, there is no limit hold'em and limit hold'em.  Both are played by the same rules; the only differences are in the betting.  While learning the game can take years to perfect, the basic rules are very simple.

Texas Hold'em is played with anywhere from 2-10 players at one table.  Each player is dealt two cards each face down.  Your opponents cannot see your two cards, only you can.  Based on how good your two starting cards are (called your hole cards), there is a round of betting.  In no limit hold'em there is no limit on what can be bet.  In Limit hold'em there is a betting structure that is set for that specific game. Each player has a chance to bet at this time during the hand.

After all the players have bet, raised or checked it is time to move onto what is called the community cards.  At this point in the hand there is going to be three community cards that are dealt at the middle of the table face up.  These cards are called community cards because all of the players at the table use these cards.  The objective is to combine the two cards in your hand with the community cards to make the best possible 5 card poker hand.  After the first three are dealt there will be two more after that leaves a total of seven community cards.  Even though there are seven cards out there, you can only use three of the seven to combine with the two in your hand.

Before any other cards are dealt to the community board, there will be yet another round of betting in the same way as before the first three were dealt.  If you want to bet you can bet if you want to pass you can check.  If a player before you bets, then you can raise, call or fold.  If you want to see the other two cards then you must not fold.  The first three cards that are dealt are known as “the flop”.

Once that round of betting is over there is another card dealt that is known as “the turn”.  When this card comes up there will be four cards on the board.  You then will do another round of betting before the 5th and final card is dealt.  At this point if you are still in the hand there will be the last round of betting which will follow a showdown.  During the showdown you will compare cards with your opponents.  Whoever has the best five card poker hand will win all of the money in the pot.  If there is a tie, the money will be divided up to the players who tied. 

To the left of the dealer would be a small blind and to the left of that player would be a big blind.  The small and big blind is what starts the pot.  These players have no choice but to put that money in the pot.  The blinds can vary, and the small blind is always half of the big blind.  This is also the minimum bet for the first found.  The player left of the big blind always starts off the betting.

Texas hold'em can be played with a variety of different limits.  Most of the differences are just within the betting.  As for the rules, they are always the same anywhere you play.  It is one of the most strategic and popular games in the world.