How To Play Texas Holdem Poker

This is a basics guide to texas holdem. If you've played before, try one of our more indepth guides.

Texas Holdem is one of the most common and easiest types of poker game to play; with a constant element of excitement and addiction to become better to be comfortable playing at a professional level. It doesn't take long to understand the basics of Texas Hold 'em but mastering this game can take a lot longer. Even the professionals are constantly learning from every hand that is played.

All poker games have the same ranking system in terms of strength of hand. They also have the same ways of winning a hand, which falls down to two possibilities; either by winning due to having the strongest hand played or by forcing all other players to fold by betting them out.

Poker Hand Ranking

The following hands from weakest to strongest are named and shown below:
1-High Card
2-One Pair
3-Two Pair
4-Three of a Kind
5-Straight
6-Flush
7-Full House
8-Four of a Kind
9-Straight Flush
10-Royal Flush

1. High Card

If none of the players have any other kind of hand then the player with the highest card wins. An Ace would be the highest High Card hand. If two players have the same High Card the next highest card in the player’s hand is used and so on.

2. One Pair

This is a hand with two cards of the same number or picture card, eg two eights or two kings. If two players have pairs the player with the highest pair wins. If two players have the same pair the one with the highest High Card wins.

3. Two Pair

Similar to One Pair however the player has two pairs, eg two tens and two queens. If two players have Two Pair the one with the highest of the two pairs wins. If both players happen to have the same Two Pair the player with the highest remaining card in the hand wins.

4. Three of a Kind

This is when a player has three cards of the same number or picture, eg three sixes or three jacks. If two players have Three of a Kind the player with the highest set of three wins.

5. Straight

This is a hand of five consecutive cards not in the same suit, eg 2,3,4,5,6 or 9,10,J,Q,K. An Ace can either be used as a high card of low card but cannot link through for example, Q,K,A,2,3 is not allowed. The player with the highest card in the straight wins. If two players have the same straight then the pot is split between them.

6. Flush

This is five cards of the same suit, eg five spades or five hearts, not consecutive. If two players have a Flush the player with the highest card wins. If two players have a Flush and the same highest card the player with the next highest card in their hand wins and so on.

7. Full House

This is a hand consisting of Three of a Kind and Two Pair, eg three sevens and two kings. It two players have a Full House the player with the highest Three of a Kind within the Full House wins.

8. Four of a Kind

This is four card of the same number or picture card, eg four twos or four Jacks. If two players have Four of a Kind the player with the highest Four of a Kind wins.

9. Straight Flush

This is five consecutive cards of the same suit, eg 4,5,6,7,8 all spades. If two players happen to have straight flushes the player with the highest card wins.

10. Royal Flush

This is the best hand possible in poker; it is the highest Straight Flush, eg 10,J,Q,K,A or spades.

How Blinds work and the Button

Blinds are forced bets which for each hand two players are required to place. The two blinds are known as Big Blind and Small Blind. The Button dictates which players have to place the Big and Small Blinds. The Button is also known as the dealer chip; whichever player has the dealer chip deals the cards and the player left of the dealer is forced to place the Small Blind, to the left of that player the Big Blind is placed.

After each hand the dealer chip is passed to the player to the left and so therefore are the Big and Small Blinds. By ever player at some point being forced to bet it means a player cannot just wait for a very strong hand to be dealt before betting. It means player have money at stake for one and also means money is now available to be won by other players.

Blinds, both big and small will increase as a game progresses either by the number of hands played or the time elapsed.

Some Key Points:

Blinds should be placed before any cards are dealt
The player after the blinds (the player left of the player who is Big Blind) is first to act
The players who post blinds have to options to fold, check, call or raise.

Hole Cards

After blinds are placed each player is dealt two cards known as ‘Hole Cards’ face down so other players can’t see. The players can look at their Hole Cards as often as they like. These Hole Cards along with five other communal cards will be dealt making a total of seven cards; each player will use these cards to try and make the best 5 card hand. A player’s Hole Cards can dictate enormously on what a player does during that hand. Starting with the player left of the Big Blind, each player must decide on whether they would like to play their hand or not.

First Round

The first round after posting the Blinds consists of all players deciding on whether to ‘Call’ the Big Blind which means matching it, ‘Raise’ the Big Blind, which means betting more than the initial Big Blind bet or ‘Fold’, which means surrendering your Hole Cards (face down) and waiting until the next hand is played. The end of this first round will leave, any players in all betting the same amount via ‘Calling’ and any players out all surrendering their Hole Cards and any money they have bet.

Some Key Points:

Although a forced bet has already been posted by the Big and Small Blind players, they can still bet more or Raise when it comes round to their turn. If no players Raise and simply call the Big Blind and the player that posted that blind does not want to bet, (s)he will ‘Check’. Raising can only be done once by each player on their turn, unless there is a ‘Re-raise’. This is where a player raises higher than the first raise of an initial bet. If a player Re-raises, each player again has the option to Call, Re-raise or Fold.

Second Round – The Flop

After all players have Called or Folded three cards are dealt, face up in the middle of the table, known as ‘The Flop’; these cards are communal card. After these cards are dealt the player left of the dealer is first to act. This player has the option to Check, Bet, or Fold (a player will rarely have a reason to simply Fold due to a Bet not being placed and no additional money being at stake). Play will then continue clockwise, where each player has the same option, Check, Bet or Fold. If a bet takes place players will have the option to either Call the bet, Raise or Fold.

Third Round – The Turn

After all Calling or Folding has taken place the fourth card called ‘The Turn’ card is dealt. Again players take it in turn either Checking, Betting, Calling, Raising, Re-raising or Folding.

Fourth Round – The River

After all Calling or Folding has taken place the fourth card called ‘The River’ card is dealt. Again players take it in turn either Checking, Betting, Calling, Raising, Re-raising or Folding.

Fifth Round – The Showdown

This is where the players left in show their Hole Cards to reveal whose is the best and the one which will take the Pot. There may not always be a Showdown as mentioned; after each round there is a possibility of a player either winning due to having the strongest hand played or by forcing all other players to fold by betting them out.

Side-Pots

In some cases players may bet All-in, which is betting everything they have. Any players who want to bet more than this will Call the All-in bet and then create a ‘Side-Pot’ for all other amounts betted. If the All-in player win they will only take their called All-in bet pot. If the All-in player loses (s)he will be out and leave the table.

Split-Pots

In some cases more than one player may have an equally strong hand. If this is the case the pot is split between these players.

Some Key Points

Pay attention to Split Pots where a Straight is the highest hand as a player might have a higher card in that Straight, in which case the pot will not be split. Similarly to a Straight, a player who has a higher card in a Flush will take all the pot it will not be split.