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Home: Poker:
Texas Hold'em
Texas
Hold'em: Set-Up and Play (short version) |
Introduction
Texas Hold'em Poker is a
community card game with four betting rounds.
Game Play
- One player acts as dealer.
This position is called the button and it rotates clockwise
after every hand.
- The two players to the
left of the dealer are the small blind and the big blind,
respectively. They are the only players who have money in
the pot before the cards are dealt.
- Every player receives two
cards face down. These are hole cards.
- The first betting round
begins with the player sitting immediately to the left of
the big blind, and continues clockwise.
- When the first betting
round is completed, three community cards are flipped face
up on the table. This is called the flop.
- The second round of
betting begins with the first remaining player seated to the
left of the button. The betting resumes, clockwise.
- When the second round of
betting is finished, a fourth community card is flipped face
up on the table. This is called the turn.
- The third round of betting
commences with the first remaining player sitting to the
left of the button. The betting moves clockwise, with the
bets doubling on the turn.
- When the third round of
betting is over, a fifth community card is flipped face up
on the table. This is called the river.
- The fourth round of
betting starts with the first remaining player seated to the
left of the button. The betting continues to move clockwise.
How to make a hand
The players must combine their
hole cards with the community cards to make the best possible
5-card poker hand. It is possible to use both hole cards, one
hole card or no hole card (play the board), in an effort to make
a hand.
Example
Hold'em
Hole
Cards A |
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Hole
Cards B |
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The
Flop |
The Turn |
The River |
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Final Hand A |
Final
Hand B |
Two pair (Q's and 3's with a K) |
Two pair (K's and 3's with an A) |
Action begins
Action ends
Ranking of hands
- Straight flush (the best
straight flush hand: A-K-Q-J-T, all of the same suit)
- Four-of-a-kind (the best
four-of-a-kind hand: A-A-A-A-K)
- Full house (the best full
house hand: A-A-A-K-K)
- Flush (the best flush
hand: any Ace-high flush)
- Straight (the best
straight hand: A-K-Q-J-T)
- Three-of-a-kind (the best
three-of-a-kind hand: A-A-A-K-Q)
- Two-pair (the best
two-pair hand: A-A-K-K-Q)
- One-pair (the best
one-pair hand: A-A-K-Q-J)
- No-pair (the best high
hand: A-K-Q-J-9)
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Fixed
Limit Texas Hold'em: Set-Up and Play (extended version) |
In Limit Texas Hold'em the
bets are fixed. There are small bets and big bets. The small
bets are used in the first two rounds of betting and the big
bets used in the third and fourth rounds of betting. The big
bets are always double the sum of the small bets. The amount of
the bets depends on the size of the game.
Before the cards are dealt
- One player functions as
the dealer (in a casino this person has a plastic marker in
front of him). This spot is called the button. The button
determines the order in which the players are to act in the
hand and rotates clockwise after each hand is played.
- The first player to the
left of the button (the number 1 seat) puts a forced bet on
the table, called the small blind, and the second player to
the left of the button (the number 2 seat) also places a
forced bet on the table, called the big blind. The big blind
is always the same size as the small bet, whereas the small
blind is usually half the size of the big blind. For
example, in a $10/$20 Limit Texas Hold'em game, the small
bet is $10 and the big bet is $20. Therefore, the big blind
is $10 (the size of the small bet) and the small blind is $5
(half the size of the big blind and the small bet).
The cards are dealt
The cards are dealt clockwise,
starting with the player to the left of the button (the small
blind) and ending with the player who is acting as dealer (the
button). Each player receives two hole cards, which are placed
face down on the table. This hand is called the starting hand.
The first round of
betting
- The action starts with the
player sitting to the left of the big blind (the number 3
seat, also known as sitting under the gun). This player has
the option of folding (throwing his hole cards in the middle
of the table, called the muck), calling (putting the same
amount as the big blind on the table) or raising (by placing
two small bets in front of him).
- The action now rotates to
the number 4 seat (the player sitting to the left of the
number 3 seat), who has the option of folding, calling,
raising or re-raising (though only if it has been raised in
front of him).
- The betting continues
clockwise until every player that has not folded has
contributed equally to the pot.
Example
It is a $10/$20 Limit Texas
Hold'em game and 10 players are seated at the table. The
cards are dealt and the first player to act (sitting under
the gun) decides to raise. He must then put $20 into the pot
(two small bets). The players sitting in seats 4, 5, 6 and 7
opt to fold and throw their cards in the muck. The player in
the number 8 seat chooses to re-raise and must therefore
contribute $30 into the pot (three small bets). The player
sitting in the number 9 seat decides to call and,
consequently, must put $30 into the pot (three small bets).
The player sitting on the button (the dealer) folds.
The small blind, who
already has $5 committed to the pot, calls and, as a result,
must contribute an additional $25 to the pot ($30 in total;
equal to three small bets). The action moves to the big
blind, who opts to re-raise and, as such, has to put $40
into the pot (since he had $10 in the pot at the start of
the hand, he has to put in an additional $30 thus making his
bet $40 in total; equal to four small bets).
This is called cap the
betting, which means that raises are no longer allowed. In
each betting round there are only three raises allowed,
making it four bets in total. After the cap, the remaining
players can either fold or call. The action resumes with the
initial raiser who is sitting under the gun.
- Once the first betting
round is finished and all remaining players have contributed
equally to the pot, it is time for the flop.
The flop and the second
round of betting
- The dealer begins by
burning the top card of the deck and placing it face down on
the table. This is done in order to prevent cheating in case
the top card is marked. This card, the burn card, is
henceforth excluded from play. The dealer then flips up
three cards on the table for everybody to see. These three
cards are the flop. This is a defining moment for all
remaining players, as only two more cards are left to come.
In other words, 5 out of 7 cards have been revealed. The
flop contains community cards, which are used together with
the two hole cards to create the best possible 5-card poker
hand.
- Since the blinds are only
used on the first round of betting, it is now the small
blind who acts first (sitting in the number 1 seat). If the
small blind folds before the flop, it becomes the big
blind's turn to act, and so forth.
- The first player to act
has the option of checking (the action moves clockwise
towards the next remaining player) or betting (if the player
bets, it must be exactly one small bet). If all players
check on the flop, they are all allowed to see the fourth
card (the turn) without putting in any additional money.
- The betting progresses in
the same pattern followed in the first round, with a
permitted maximum of three raises (four small bets in
total).
Example
It is a $10/$20 Limit Texas
Hold'em game and 10 players are sitting around the table.
Following the first round of betting, only the players
seated in the small blind, the big blind and on the button
are left in the hand. The dealer brings in the pot and puts
it in the middle of the table, burns the top card (places it
face down on the table) and flips open the three community
cards (the flop). Given that the betting proceeds clockwise
from the button, it is the small blind who is first to act
and he decides to check. The big blind bets ($10; equal to
one small bet) and the button opts to call (puts in $10).
Once again, it is the small blind's turn to act and he can
raise (make it $20; referred to as a check-raise), fold
(throw his hole cards in the muck) or call (put in $10).
- Once the second round of
betting is finished and all remaining players have equally
contributed to the pot, it is time for the turn.
The turn and the third
round of betting
- The dealer burns the top
card of the deck and flips open a fourth community card next
to the flop. This card is called the turn.
- The betting then advances
clockwise from the button, as on the flop. The only
difference is that now the bets are doubled and are referred
to as big bets.
Example
It is a $10/$20 Limit Texas
Hold'em game and 10 players are seated at the table. After
the flop, only the players sitting in the big blind and the
button stay in the hand. Since the betting progresses
clockwise from the button, the big blind must act first. The
big blind decides to bet (puts in $20; equal to one big
bet), the button chooses to raise (puts in $40; equal to two
big bets) and the big blind elects to call (puts in another
$20; making two big bets in total). The third round of
betting is now complete.
- Once the third round of
betting is finished and all remaining players have given
equally to the pot, it is time for the river.
The river and the
fourth round of betting
- The dealer burns the top
card of the deck and flips open a fifth community card next
to the flop and the turn. This card is called the river.
- The betting then moves
clockwise from the button, as on the flop and the turn.
- The bets equal the same
amount as those placed on the turn.
Example
It is a $10/$20 Limit Texas
Hold'em game and 10 players are seated around the table.
After the turn, only the players sitting in the big blind
and the button are left in the hand. Since the betting
advances clockwise from the button, it is the big blind who
is first to act. The big blind chooses to check and the
action continues on to the button, who bets (puts in $20;
equal to the size of one big bet). The big blind now has the
option of folding, raising or calling and decides to call
(puts in $20; equal the size of one big bet). The button has
been called and, because this is the last round of betting,
he has to flip two hole cards face up on the table. He then
combines his hole cards with the five community cards to
create the best possible 5-card poker hand. The big blind
has the option of throwing his hole cards in the muck (in
case he can not beat the button's hand), or of flipping his
hole cards face up on the table to show the winning hand. In
order to win the pot, both hole cards must be flipped face
up, even though only one hole card might be used for making
the best hand.
- The hand is over.
- The dealer moves the
button one position clockwise. The deck is reshuffled and
dealt again.
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