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Texas hold 'em is the most popular of Poker games. It is also the most popular
online game. Although it can theoretically be played by up to it is generally played
with between 2 and 10 people. It is one of the most structured of all poker
variants, since the order of betting is fixed throughout all betting rounds.
Rules
Objective
Like most variants of poker, the objective of Texas Hold 'em is to win the pot or
the sum of the money bet by oneself and other players. The pot is won either by
forming the best 5 card poker hand out of up to 7 cards available, or by betting to
cause other players to ‘Fold’ or abandon their claim to the pot.
Play of the hand
Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only
cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed
at the final show of hands. The hand begins with a "pre-flop" betting round,
beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (a pre-determined amount for
the first bet to get the game underway) (or the player to the left of the dealer, if no
blinds are used) and continuing in a clockwise direction.
After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals three face-up cards called the
flop. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent
betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left and continue clockwise.
After the flop betting round ends, a single community card called the turn is dealt,
followed by a third betting round. A final card is dealt called the river (or fifth
street), followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown (show of hands), if
necessary.
Betting structures
Hold'em is normally played using small and big blind bets (automatic bets
before the flop is seen to begin the round of betting). A dealer button is used
to represent the player in the dealer position; the dealer button rotates
clockwise after each hand, changing the postion of the dealer and blinds so
everyone takes it in turn to make a ‘blind’ bet. The small blind is posted by the
player to the left of the dealer and is usually equal to half of the big blind. The
big blind, posted by the player to the left of the small blind, is equal to the
minimum bet.
The three most common variations of hold'em are limit hold'em, no-limit
hold'em and pot-limit hold'em. Limit hold'em is perhaps the most popular form
of hold'em found in casino games. In limit hold'em, bets and raises (Raises
are where a player raises the stakes of the betting in order to attempt to deter
opponents to continue or to increase the pot that can be won), during the first
two rounds of betting (pre-flop and flop) must be equal to the big blind; this
amount is called the small bet. In the next two rounds of betting (turn and river),
bets and raises must be equal to twice the big blind; this amount is called the
big bet. In no-limit hold'em, players may raise any amount over the minimum
raise up to all of chips the player has at the table (called an all-in bet). In pot-
limit hold'em, the maximum raise is the size of the pot.
The showdown
If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player takes the
pot and is not required to show his hole cards. If two or more players remain
after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. On the showdown, each
player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the seven cards
comprising his/her two cards and the board cards. A player may use both of
his/her own two cards, only one, or none at all, to form his final five-card hand.
If the five community cards form the player's best hand, then the player is said
to be playing the board and can only hope to split the pot.
If the best hand is shared by more than one player (e.g. if no player is able to
beat the board), then the pot is split equally amongst all remaining players.
However, it is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically
ranked hands. In particular, kickers (where the highest ranking card of the
players left over cards is used as a decider) are often needed to break ties.
Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand. The goal is to
make the best five-card hand; if the hand involves fewer than five cards, such
as two pair or three of a kind, then kickers are used to settle ties (see the
second example below.) Straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may
occur. In the case of flushes, the flush is awarded to the player with the highest
flush card which completes a flush and beats the board's flush cards. If there
is a flush on board, (i.e. if all the board cards are the same suit), then under
cards in that suit do not play, and if no one has a card in the flush suit beating
the board, then the pot is split. The sole exception to this rule is the case of a
straight-flush.
The best possible hand given the five community cards is referred to as the
nuts. The lowest possible nuts is three queens (this occurs with 2 3 7 8 Q on
the board with no more than two cards of any one suit).
Examples
Sample showdown
Here's a sample showdown:
Each player plays the best 5 card hand they can make with the 7 cards
available. They have:
In this case, Steve's full house is the best hand.
Sample hand
Here's a sample deal involving our four players. The players' individual hands
will not be revealed until the showdown, to give a better sense of what
happens during play:
Compulsory bets: Lisa is the dealer. Leon, to Lisa's left, posts a small blind of
$1, and Rhys posts a big blind of $2.
Pre-flop: Lisa deals two hole cards face down to each player, beginning with
Leon and ending with herself. Steve must act first because he is the first
player after the big blind. He cannot check, since the $2 big blind plays as a
bet, so he folds. Lisa calls the $2. Leon adds an additional $1 to his $1 small
blind to call the $2 total. Rhys' blind is "live" (see blind), so he has the option
to raise here, but he checks instead, ending the first betting round.
Flop: Lisa now deals the flop of three face-up community cards .
On this round, as on all subsequent rounds, the player on the dealer's left
begins the betting. In this case it is Leon who checks. Rhys opens for $2,
Steve has already folded and Lisa raises another $2, making the total bet
now facing Leon $4. He calls (puts in $4, $2 to match Rhys' initial bet and $2
to match Lisa's raise). Rhys calls as well, putting in his $2.
Turn: Lisa now burns and deals the turn card face up. It is the . Leon
checks, Rhys checks, and Lisa checks; the turn has been checked around.
River: After burning, Lisa deals the final river card, the , making the final
board . Leon bets $4, Rhys calls, and Lisa folds (Lisa's
holding was ; she was hoping the river card would be a club to make
her a flush).
Showdown: Leon shows his hand of , so the best five-card hand he
can make is for three 9's, with K and Q kickers. Rhys
shows his cards of , making his final hand
for two pair, K's and 9's, with J kicker. Leon wins the showdown and the pot.
Kickers and ranks
Here's another situation that illustrates the importance of breaking ties with
kickers and card ranks, as well as the use of the five-card rule. After the turn,
the board and players' hole cards are as follows (though none of the players
know each other's hole cards):
Board (after the turn)
At the moment, Leon is in the lead with a hand of
making two pair, Q's and 8's, with K kicker. This just beats Rhys' hand of
by virtue of his kicker. Both Lisa and Steve are hoping the
final card is a club, which will make them both a flush, but in that case, Steve
would have the higher flush and win the showdown.
For example, if the final card was the Steve's flush would be Q-J-7-4-2,
while Lisa's would be Q-10-9-7-4.
Lisa could still win, though, if the final card were the as that would give her
a Q-high straight. On this deal, however, the final card was the , which
didn't help either of them. Leon and Rhys still each have two pair, but notice
what happened: both of them are now entitled to play the final A as their fifth
card, making their hands both two pair, Q's and 8's, with A kicker. Leon's K
no longer plays, because the A on the board plays as the fifth card in both
hands, and a hand is only composed of five cards. They therefore split the pot.
We strongly recommend that to become a more competent Poker player further reading
and practice should be undertaken - why not take a look at our Further reading and E-book
section for some excellent sources, or alternatively recommended links are provided.
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