How to Play

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game in the world today, fueled by the airing of poker tournaments on television and the creation of numerous online poker sites, which allow people to play poker in the comfort of their own home.

A game of Texas Hold’em will begin with each player being dealt two cards face down, with the player in the “small blind” (immediately to the dealer’s left) receiving the first card and the player in the “button” seat (the dealer) receiving the last card dealt. These cards are known as the hole or pocket cards. A player will not receive any additional cards. The remaining cards dealt will be “community cards.”

The hand begins with an initial round of betting, beginning with the player to the left of the “big blind” and continuing clockwise. A round of betting continues until every player has called the last bet or folded.

After this initial round of betting, as long as two players or more remain, there will be a “flop,” consisting of three face-up “community cards.” After the flop, a second round of betting ensues. Unlike the first round, this round as well as all subsequent betting rounds, will begin with the player to the dealer’s left and continue clockwise.

After the flop betting round ends, a single community card, known as the “turn” card (sometimes called Fourth Street) is dealt. This is followed by yet another round of betting. Finally, the last of the five community cards known as the “river” (sometimes called Fifth Street) is then dealt, followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, there will be a “showdown,” where each player will declare the best hand he or she can make from the seven cards on the table (his or her two hole cards and the five community cards). A player can elect to use any combination of the seven cards to form his or her final five-card hand. If the best hand is shared by more than one player, then the pot is “chopped” or split equally among them. If the best hand involves fewer than five cards, such as a pair or three of a kind, then “kickers” (next highest card in the hand or on the board) are used to settle ties.