Texas Hold ‘Em is a brand of poker that is often played everywhere from casinos, to tournaments (such as the World Series of Poker), and is a game in which the players play against each other, rather than the house.
The game consists of several rounds of betting, several rounds of drawn cards, and a showdown, where he with the best cards wins.
As opposed to traditional stud poker games, Hold ‘Em consists of a static set of cards dealt to the player, which cannot be changed or traded. Also, the betting begins before cards are dealt, using blinds, the big and small.
The Blinds
The blinds are forced bets, which rotate around the table in clockwise fashion. The small blind, posted by the player to the left of the dealer, which also rotates per hand, is equal to half of the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet. There are some cases when the small blind is of a different ration than the big blind, and when the blinds are greater than the minimum bet, but usually you’ll find that in a $10 game, for instance, the small blind is $5, the big blind $10, and the minimum bet $10.
In tournament play, the blinds will increase according to a pre-selected time interval. This is done in order to keep players form stockpiling and sitting on large piles of chips. It also keeps the game moving towards an eventual winner.
The Deal
Once the blinds are posted, the dealer passes two cards, face down, to each player, and then closes the deal. Each player remaining has the option to ante up, and match the big blind, or fold and be dealt out of the hand. The player with the small blind also has the option to match the big blind or fold.
As with any hand of Texas Hold ‘Em, players have the option to raise (sometimes there is a table maximum), check, or fold. Any money left on the table when a player folds is left in the pot. Any bet is also added to the pot.
The Flop
From here, the dealer will begin the flop, which is when he deals three cards, face up, to himself, and another round of betting begins. The cards dealt by the dealer are comunity cards, which means that they can be used by the player to complete their hand. For example, if a player has two Kings and the dealer has a King, an Ace and a 2, then the player with two Kings would now have three Kings, an Ace, and a 2. Likewise, a player with an Ace and a King would now have 2 Aces and 2 Kings, also known as a Two Pairs.
The Turn
When this round of betting has ceased, the dealer continues to the next round, which is called the turn. Once again, the dealer will burn a card and deal himself a round, this time a single card. Again, players can use these community cards to complete their hand and begin yet another round of betting.
The River
When the “turn” round has completed, the dealer burns and turns a final fifth card, also called the “river.” Players will now have a complete hand, using their five best cards, and will finish the final round of betting.
The Showdown
When more than one player remains in the game upon the final deal and betting round, they will both turn their cards over and compare to see who has the better hand. This final decision is also known as the showdown.
The Best Hand Wins
In the showdown, the player with the better hand wins. Here are the winning hands, in descending order:
- Straight Flush: Five of the same suit (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades), in order. e.g. 9C, 10C, JC, QC, KC
- Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same number
- Full House: Three pair matched with a single pair
- Flush: Five of the same suit
- Straight: Five in a row
- Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same number
- Two Pair: Two separate pairs
- One Pair: A single matching pair
- High Card: Your highest card. e.g. Ace beats a 10
Ties and Kickers
When evaluating a hand, if two players have the same hand (for example, both players have four of a kind), the player with the highest hand wins. In other words, four 10’s would beat four 5’s, just as 2 Aces would beat 2 Kings.
The same is true of flushes, straights, and pairs of any kind. If two players have the same exact hand, then he with the next highest card wins. If both players have the same high card, then the match is considered a tie, and both players split the pot.
Going “All In”
During any of the betting rounds, should a player either not have enough money to match a bet, or decide he wants to bet everything he has, he will go “all in” and move all of his remaining chips to the center of the table. At this point, other players can either match the bet, or if it is more than they have, also go all in. When the hand is decided, the winnings are paid in proportion to the “all-in” bet, meaning that even if a player wins the pot, if he only bet $10 to go all in, then he can only win the equivalent of what he bet.
One thing to note about going all in is that when a player makes this call, he must flip his cards over for the duration of the hand.
No Limit
In some Texas Hold ‘Em games, the table might list a maximum bet, while in others, such as at the World Series of Poker, the games are no limit, where a player can raise as high as he or she wants to.
However, in most casinos, you’ll find that many tables have maximum limits enforced.
