How To Play Hold Em
The most popular poker variation across the globe, Texas Hold’em is essentially the only poker game most poker players will ever learn.
This is because all of the major poker tournaments worldwide (World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, etc.) feature the no-limit variation of Texas Hold’em.
In a game of Texas hold'em you can do whatever works to make the best five-card hand. If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show. The traditional poker hand ranks apply in Texas Holdem. The royal flush is strongest, followed by the straight flush. The four of a kind is the third best hand, followed by a full house. The next best hands are the flush, the straight, and the three of a kind.
Easy to learn, but difficult to master is the phrase that aptly describes this variation of poker. Thanks to its simple rules, uncomplicated gameplay and easy-to-remember hand rankings, Texas Hold’em has stayed top of the popularity charts when it comes to poker game variations.
Nevertheless, the game isn’t as easy to master as it’s to learn!
The variety of possible situations & combinations is so immense in Texas Hold’em that it can be a hugely complex game when you compete with skilled players in tournaments.
If you are a beginner looking to learn Texas Hold’em, then kickstarting your journey by learning the basic rules of the game is the way to go. These rules are easy to grasp and play a vital role in comprehending the gameplay and the game’s fundamental strategy.
Texas Hold’em Poker Rules
Getting to the rules of the game, each player is dealt two hole cards that only belong to them.
Once that is done, five community cards are gradually dealt face-up over the course of betting rounds to form the ‘board’. Players use these shared community cards in combination with their two hole cards to form the highest-ranked possible five-card poker hand
There are no restrictions whatsoever with regards to the combination of the five-card poker hand, with players able to choose any of the five cards from the seven cards available. There is no compulsion regarding the usage of the hole cards. These are the basic Texas Hold’em poker rules.
For detailed info regarding poker rules, poker hand rankings, basic poker terms and the working of a poker game, check out this highly informative blog: https://www.gaming360.in/poker/how-to-play-poker
Texas Hold’em Poker Hand Ranking
- Royal Flush- All cards of an identical suit in a sequence of A♦-K♦-Q♦-J♦-10♦
- Straight Flush- All cards of an identical suit in a sequence of 6♦ 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦
- Four of a kind- Four of a kind hand includes four cards of the same ranking but they are not from the same suit, like 7♦ 7♣ 7♠ 7♥ 10♣
- Full House- It consists of two cards of the same ranking and other three cards of the same ranking in the hand, like 9♦ 9♣ 9♠ 7♥ 7♦
- Flush- Flush comprises five cards all of the same suit but not in a row, such as Q♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦
- Straight- The Straight includes five cards in a row but not from the same suit, such as J♣ 10♦ 9♥ 8♣ 7♠
- Three of a Kind- Three of a kind consists of three cards of the same ranking and two non-paired cards in a hand, like K♥ K♠ K♦ 3♣ 5♠
- Two Pair- Two Pair comprises two cards which are of the same rank and two cards of another rank in a hand, like 10♦ 10♣ 5♠ 5♣ 2♥
- Pair- One pair includes two cards of the same rank in a hand, like 7♦ 7♥ 3♥ 4♠ Q♣
- High Card- High card is the lowest-ranked hand in poker. It consists of any 5 cards, such as K♣ J♠ 8♣ 4♦ 2♥
Players build their hands by picking the five best cards from the seven cards (their two opening cards and the five community cards).
Coming to the variations of Texas Hold’em, there are four of them which are differentiated from each other by their betting limits:
Limit Texas Hold’em
Speaking of the first variation, Limit Texas Hold’em has a pre-decided betting limit on each round of betting.
Hence, pre-flop & on the flop, all bets & raises are of the identical amount as the big blind. The size of all bets & raises increases 2x on the turn & the river. Moreover, a maximum of four bets are permitted to each player during every betting round. This comprises a bet, raise, re-raise & cap (final raise).
No Limit Texas Hold’em
The most popular Texas Hold’em variation which is used in all major tournaments, the No Limit Texas Hold’em allows players to bet the amount of their choice, upto all of their chips on the table. Also, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises permitted.
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The minimum bet is identical to the size of the big blind while the minimum raise amount is required to be equal to the prior bet or raise in the same round.
Pot Limit Texas Hold’em
How Play Texas Hold'em
In Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, a player is allowed to bet any particular amount, upto the size of the pot. The minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind and the minimum raise should be equal to the prior bet/raise in the same round.
The maximum raise is equivalent to the size of the pot, which comprises the entirety of the active pot in addition to all bets on the table and the amount the active player needs to first call before raising.
Similar to No Limit Texas Hold’em, there is no ‘cap’ whatsoever on the number of raises permitted.
Mixed Texas Hold’em
As the name suggests, Mixed Texas Hold’em consists of the game switching between rounds of Limit Hold’em & No Limit Hold’em.
The blinds are customarily increased when the game switches from No Limit to Limit, to make sure consistency is maintained in the average pot size in each game. The betting rules for each round are the same as the rules for the particular variation active in that round.
Steps to Play Texas Hold’em Poker
1) For deciding which player begins the game, a single card is dealt face up to each player; the player with the highest-ranked card becomes the first dealer. The dealer button rotates in a clockwise manner after each hand.
2) Each player at the poker table is dealt two cards by the first dealer; these cards are known as hole cards or pocket cards.
3) The first betting round takes place. Want to know how the betting rounds work? Check out our all-inclusive blog on ‘How to Play Poker in 2021’
4) Three community cards are dealt face up, known as the Flop.
5) The second betting round takes place.
6) The fourth community card is dealt face up, known as the Turn.
7) The third betting round takes place.
8) The fifth community card is dealt face up, known as the River.
9) The fourth and final betting round takes place.
Texas Holdem How To Win
10) If there is more than one player remaining in the hand, the Showdown takes place wherein starting to the left of the dealer, all players reveal their cards face up.
How To Play Hold Em Hands
11) The highest-ranked poker hand wins the pot.