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Texas Hold’em is the most popular and probably best known form of poker and if you are a beginner, probably the first type of poker you will play. Here we will explain the basics right down to the final showdown. In order to make this guide easy to understand we will be explaining several concepts in order and will be providing a very quick overview at the end of every concept.

Texas Hold’em Games

There are three main types of Texas Hold’em:

1. No Limit Texas Hold’em (A player is able to bet any amount up to all of his/her chips)

2. Limit Texas Hold’em (A fixed max betting limit for each round is predetermined)

3. Pot Limit Texas Hold’em (A player is able to bet any amount up to the amount in the pot)

Each of these types of tables are available at poker sites but and you may choose any one depending on your preference.

Blinds

Each table you see when entering a poker website will have two blinds. These binds are in essence bets made by two players before the cards are dealt. The player that has to pay the small blind is the player to the left of the dealer chip. The player that is one more position to the left must pay the big blind, which is usually double the amount of the small blind. For example, if the blinds of a specific poker table are $1/$2 then the player next to the dealer chip must contribute $1 worth of chips and the player one more position to the left must contribute $2 worth of chips into the pot.

Blinds Overview

• Each Table has a big and small blind
• The player in the position next to the dealer chip pays the small blind
• The player in the position two spaces to the left of the dealer pays the big blind

*Note: A player must wait for the big blind to arrive to play when joining a table unless the player posts the big blind before it arrives.

Pre Flop

After each of the blinds is put into the pot each player at the table is dealt two cards and is able to view them. The first player with the ability to act is the player to the left of the player that posted the big blind. The player has a number of options depending on the cards he/she receives. These options are Fold, Call, or Raise. By folding the player discards his two cards. By calling the first player puts in the amount of the big blind. When raising the player puts in more chips than the large blind and all the players after must match that bet in order to call. This action continues in the clockwise order around the table.

Pre Flop Overview

• Each player is dealt two cards and can view each one
• The First player to act is the player to the left of the big blind
• The player is able to Fold, Call, or Raise
• The action continues in a clockwise fashion

The Flop

After each player has had the chance to fold or call the other players bets the dealer, which is the computer on poker websites, deals three cards face up in the middle of the table. At this point another round of betting occurs starting with the player who is still in the game closest to the left of the button. The first player has two options, which are to either check (no bet) or bet. When a player bets the other players must fold, call, or raise.

The Flop Overview

• Three cards are dealt by the dealer and placed face up in the middle of the table
• A round of betting begins with the active player closest on the left hand side of the dealer button
• The First player can either check or bet
• Each other player can either fold, call, or raise

The Turn

After the second round of betting is over the dealer deals one more card face up in the center of the table, which is called the turn card. After this, the third round of betting begins starting from active player closest on the left hand side of the dealer button and proceeding clockwise.

The Turn Overview

• One card is dealt by the dealer and placed face up in the middle of the table
• A round of betting begins with the active player closest on the left hand side of the dealer button
• The First player can either check or bet
• Each other player can either fold, call, or raise

The River

After the third round of betting is over the dealer deals the final card face up in the middle of the table called the river card. After this the fourth and final round of betting takes place. The rules of this round are the same as the previous two rounds. The active player closest on the left hand side of the dealer button goes first, the action proceeds clockwise, and each player after the first can fold, match the bet, or make a raise.

The River Overview

• The final card is dealt by the dealer and placed face up in the middle of the table
• The betting proceeds the same as the previous two rounds

The Showdown

At this point in the game all the betting is over. The first player to show his/her two cards is either the last person to bet or if there were no bets made, then the active player who is closest on the left hand side of the button. T he player that has the best hand, which is a combination of the two cards along with the cards in the middle of the table, is the winner and receives the pot. If two hands are the same the pot is split between the two players.

The Showdown Overveiw

• The betting is over
• The player that made the last bet or that is closest on the left hand side of the button shows his/her two cards first
• The player with the highest ranked hand wins
• If the hands are the same the pot is split

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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 1st, 2009 at 6:45 am and is filed under Poker Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.