HOW TO PLAY TEXAS HOLDEM
In Texas Holdem, there are two face-down
cards for each player and five face-up community cards. The
player who makes the best five-card poker hand with any combination
of their two face-down cards and the five community cards
wins the round. In a Texas Holdem game, a disc or other marker
is used to indicate which person is the "dealer" for the round.
There are no antes in Holdem, instead, forced bets called
blinds are used. Before the cards are dealt, the person to
the left of the dealer posts a bet called the small blind,
which is usually equal to half of the minimum bet. The person
to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which
is equal to the minimum bet. The first two cards are dealt
to each player face down (these are called the hole cards),
and the person to the left of the big blind starts the first
round of betting. (Notice that the big blind and small blind
do not get to look at their cards before betting, thus the
term "blind"). In the first round of betting, each player
has three options: call, raise or fold. To call, the player
must place a bet that is equal to the last bet placed. (For
the first player in the round, this would be equal to the
minimum bet.) A player may choose to raise their call bet
by an additional amount, which the other players will then
have to call. If one's hole cards are not favorable, the player
may simply choose to fold and sit out the round.
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After all the players have finished the first round of betting,
the first three community cards are dealt face-up on the board.
This is called the flop. The second and all subsequent betting
rounds start with the first player to the dealer's left, and
players now has the option to check. By checking, the player
indicates interest in the pot without placing a bet. Any player
may choose to place a bet, which the other players must then
call. Players can still raise, if a bet has been made, or fold,
if their hand is not favorable. After the second betting round,
the fourth community card is dealt face-up (this is called the
turn card). In limit games, the minimum bet doubles in the last
two rounds of betting. After the third betting round, the fifth
and final community card is dealt (this is called the river
card). A final round of betting ensues, and afterwards each
player turns their hole cards face up. The highest hand that
can be made with any combination of a player's hole cards and
the five community cards wins the pot. If two or more players
have the same hand, the next highest card in the player's hand
(the kicker) is used to break a tie. If there is no kicker card
(the tied players have used both hole cards, or have the exact
same hand), then the pot is split between them. The dealer button
is then passed clockwise to the next player and another round
of play begins.
There are three kinds of Holdem games. In Limit games, bets
and raises are set at a fixed amount. A typical limit game would
be $10/$20 ($10 minimum bet for the first two rounds, and $20
minimum for the last two rounds.) The big blind would be equal
to the minimum bet ($10) and the small blind would be half the
minimum bet ($5). Each round of betting is capped at a maximum
number of raises, depending on the rules of the game. In online
Holdem games, raises are generally capped at four bets per round.
New players will start with low-limit games and gradually work
their way up to higher limits as their skill progresses.
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In No Limit Holdem, the maximum bet is determined by the number
of chips you have in front of you. Players can bet and raise
by any amount, and at any time, a player can go "all-in" by
pushing all their chips toward the center of the table. To call,
the other players at the table must push in all of their chips,
up to the amount of their opponent's all-in bet. This is the
type of Holdem that is played on the pro level, and on TV shows
such as the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.
Pot Limit Holdem is similar to No Limit, except that the maximum
bet is determined by the number of chips currently in the pot.
This allows players to experience the excitement and strategy
of No Limit Holdem without the necessity of a large bankroll.
Pot Limit games usually have a maximum buy-in (the number of
chips you start with) to keep the game competitive.
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