How to play Texas Holdem

Hold'em, also known as Texas Hold'em, is widespread poker game. Each player is dealt with two cards facedown (e.g. hole cards) and five cards dealt face up. Players are using their best five cards gathering any combinations using hole cards (two cards dealt facedown) and five cards dealt openly. Each player's five-card hand competes with other players' hands. The best five-card hand among all players wins the pot. A common advantage of Texas Holdem against other poker games is its clear-cut simplicity, while elder poker games have thousands of complicated rules, odds, hidden obstacles and tricks. For this and a couple of other advantages, Holdem Poker has gained wide popularity among gamblers from all over the world. Professionals say that it is only about a couple of hours needed to learn the game. For this reason we have put game rules, guides and instructions for the game. Rules are divided and subdivided in easy categories for you to learn Texas Holdem at ease. Easy rules structure and spacious FAQ are directed to make you a skillful player. The common tip to use rules is to be patient and watch each line thoroughly without missing any character. Remember, knowing game's rules is an important, even necessary condition to make a success. Whatever you play for - money or fun, rules and guidelines will be needed to enjoy the great game of Texas Holdem to the full.

To start with - read the following passages starting with first. You can start with any of them, of course, but there is certain sequence of chapters, so it should be better to start from the very beginning and proceed up to the end.

Holdem game consists of four betting rounds.. In limit Holdem one bet and three raises are allowed for each betting round. To proceed playing, players must call all the action to them on each betting round, unless they are "all-in". Here is the sequence of the game.

1) Before dealing the cards, the Small and the Big blind are placed in the pot by the two players to the immediate left of the dealer. The dealer button indicates dealer's position. (A yellow disk marked with a "D")
2) All players are dealt with two hole (also known as pocket) cards. The round begins with the player to the left of the Big Blind. He calls or rises and the game proceeds in a clockwise order. The first betting round ends.
3) The dealer turns over three community cards (also known as flop cards). This is the second betting round. Beginning with this round of betting, the player to the left of the button acts first.
4) One more card known as "turn" or "the fourth street". In Limit version of Texas Holdem, amount of bets doubles on the "turn" betting round. This was the third betting round.
5) The dealer turns over the last card (known as "The River" card or "Fifth Street"). This is the final round of betting.
6) The fifth and the last card is dealt. This card is commonly known as "river" or the "fifth street". The final betting round ends.
7) Showdown - dealer compares players' hands and declares the winner. Best hand wins the pot.

Showdown takes place after all bets equalization. All remaining players (also called "active" players) are showing their hands. The best hand wins the pot and dialer declares the winner. In case if there is only one player remains after any of Texas Holdem rounds - the showdown is canceled and the pot is awarded to that remaining player. All players use his pocked cards combined with community cards to gather the best five-card-hand using both, one or none of his hole (two cards dealt facedown) cards, he started with. In case if player used none of two blind (hole) cards - he/she plays the "board".

The scheme of the whole game process to understand the sequence of turns is here.

The Small and the Big Blinds being posted

Players are dealt with two cards facedown each

First betting round occurs

The flop (three cards) being dealt face-up

Second betting round occurs

The "turn" (fourth community card) is dealt

Third betting round occurs

The "river" (fifth and final community card) is dealt

Final betting round occurs

Showdown

At the showdown common Texas Holdem rules are indicating such variants of cards usage:
-three flop cards and both hole cards
-four flop cards and one of hole cards
-only flop cards are used (the board is played)

Check and raise leads are allowed in all of Texas Holdem games, except of the first betting round. On first round player is owed either to bet or fold. Bet prompt always indicates the maximum allowable wager and the lowest allowable wager specified in the Bet window.

Texas Holdem Dealer always holds the seat at the top of the table and deals all players. Dealer's position (also known as dealer's button) starts at dealer's left and proceeds clockwise one player after each hand.

Starting the hand, each player is dealt with two blind (hole) cards in a clockwise direction starting from the dialer's button. Players new to the game are owed to either post the equivalent of the big blind or wait till their turn in the big blind. This game's feature was developed to avoid players cheat by avoiding the blinds and jumping in and out of games. Each betting round begins after all players are dealt. Hand starts with first dealt card and ends when pot winner is declared.

Burning Card

Burning Card - Revived live Texas Holdem room grip - the dialer burns (cancels) one card at the beginning of each betting round. Unlike land-based rooms, online software includes effects of burning cards.

Dealer Button

Dealer Button is a yellow disk labeled with a "D" letter, which moves clockwise round the table from player to player at the beginning of each hand. It is used to identify the current position of dealer, as if the player against it were actually dialing the cards. Such position against the dialer button is widely known in appearance of an idiom "to be on the button". After each hand completed, the button moves one position to the left. Means that if you was "at the button" it will move to the player on your left.

Betting Order

Texas Holdem game is always dealt in a specific order. Betting has specific order too:
Blinds are the forced bets made by players to the left from the dialer button. There is a possibility to bet the big blind, which should be bet to the left from blind.

Determining missing blinds, you should know that Texas Holdem players are required to post the small and the big blinds once per round, or their equivalent for reentry to the game, n case if the blinds were missed. You will be prompted by software in case if your blind missed in order to put in the correct bet amount. You have an opportunity to wait until the next blind comes to get your position. In gambler's slang this can be called "to come on the blind", as this idiom is also used to determine your arrival into the game.

In the beginning of the first round, after all players in blind positions have made their blind deposits to the pot, each player is dealt with two hole cards. At this time each player can see the cards, except of the opponents' cards, of course. Only first round betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind. This player has opportunity to call, fold or rise. On the first round, that player, who is on the small blind position is allowed to act after the button. The player on the big blind position acts following that of the small one.

Right after the betting round starts, you are owed to select one of the following options: raise/check, call or fold.

Holdem player who has the big blind is able to rise, call, check or fold on his turn. The big blind is able to check or rise if nobody rises during the turn.

In all rounds except of the succeeding round, the betting is started with the first active player on the left side of the dialer button. This player has three choices - check, bet or fold. All succeeding players have the same choices until the bet. After the bet is made, succeeding players have one of three choices in turns each separately.

After all betting was made and in case if there are more than one player is still in the game for the pot, the showdown determines the winner. The last opening or rising player is owed to show cards first, while any of other players can fold - drop his cards face-down, what mean's he thinks that he has lost.

The following passage contains short list of Texas Holdem hands.

Straight Flush:
Straight with all five cards in the same suit.
Four of a Kind:
Four cards of the same number or face value ("quads").
Full House:
Three cards of one number or face value and two cards of another number or face value. If more than one player has a full house, the full house with the highest ranking three of a kind ("trips") wins.
Flush:
Five cards of the same suit. If there is more than one flush, the hand with the highest card(s) wins.
Straight:
Five cards in sequence. Cards can be in any suit. An Ace can be used in the highest straight (10, J, Q, K, A) and the lowest straight (A, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Three of a Kind:
Three cards of the same number or face value ("trips").
Two Pair:
If two players have two pair, the hand with the highest pair wins. If they have the same high pair, whoever has the second highest pair wins. If they have the same two pair, whoever has the highest fifth card ("kicker") wins.
One Pair:
Two cards of the same number or face value. If two players have the same pair, the highest outside card(s) wins.
High Card:
The hand with the highest card(s) wins.