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.
The Play Once the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer begins the first round of betting. Players have the option to check, bet, raise or fold after each deal. Check: A nominal bet; usually one that does not require any chip to be put in the pot. The object of this game is to win everyone else's money. The game ends when you run out of money, or when all other player's run out of money. This is one of the best poker games.
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.
Play Holdem Online With Friends
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.
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
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.
How To Play Hold Em Plato
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.
11) The highest-ranked poker hand wins the pot.
In hold'em, players receive two down cards as their personal hand (holecards), after which there is a round of betting. Three board cards are turned simultaneously (called the flop) and another round of betting occurs. The next two board cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. The board cards are community cards, and a player can use any five-card combination from among the board and personal cards. A player can even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand ('play the board'). A dealer button is used. The usual structure is to use two blinds, but it is possible to play the game with one blind, multiple blinds, an ante, or combination of blinds plus an ante.Rounds of Betting
- Opening deal- Each player is dealt two cards face down, which are known as hole cards or pocket cards.
- First round of betting- Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, each player can call the big blind, raise, or fold. The big blind has the option to raise an otherwise unraised pot.
- The flop- The dealer burns a card, and then deals three community cards face up. The first three cards are referred to as the flop, while all of the community cards are collectively called the board.
- Second round of betting- Starting with the player to the left of the dealer button, each player can check or bet. Once a bet has been made, each player can raise, call, or fold.
- The turn- The dealer burns another card, and then adds a fourth card face-up to the community cards. This fourth card is known as the turn card, or fourth street.
- Third round of betting- It follows the same format as the second round, but the size of the bets have usually doubled in limit games.
- The river- The dealer burns another card, and then adds a fifth and final card to the community cards. This fifth card is known as the river card, or fifth street.
- Final round of betting- It follows the same format as the second and third rounds.
- The showdown- Using the best five-card combination of their hole cards and the community cards, the remaining players show their hands, with the bettor or last raiser showing first. The highest five-card hand wins the pot. (In case of a tie, the pot is evenly split among the winning hands.)
Texas Holdem Rules For Beginners
Other Texas Hold'em Poker Rules- These rules deal only with irregularities. SeeButton and Blinduse for rules on that subject.
- If the first or second hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer retrieves the card, reshuffles, and recuts the cards. If any other holecard is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card can not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burncard. If more than one hole card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.
- If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt. (This applies even if it is possible to know which card is the extra one.)
- If the flop needs to be redealt because the cards were prematurely flopped before the betting was complete, or the flop contained too many cards, the board cards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burn card remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card.
See Explanations,discussion #2, for more information on this rule. - If the dealer turns the fourth card on the board before the betting round is complete, the card is taken out of play for that round, even if subsequent players elect to fold. The betting is then completed. The dealer burns and turns what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card's place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burn cards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and turns the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner.
See Explanations,discussion #2, for more information on this rule. - If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card is returned to the deck and used for the burn card. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.
- If you are playing the board, you must so declare before you throw your cards away; otherwise you relinquish all claim to the pot.