Texas Holdem is a poker game for two to ten players with simple rules.
Each player is dealt face-down two “hole cards”. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the “board”, for every player to use.
The best 5-card hand using any combination of the five community cards and two hole cards wins.
The Dealer
The Dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck, and deals two card each players originally, but, in online games, computers shuffle and deal.
Cards are dealt from the position of the Dealer, which rotates clockwise around the table after each hand. A round “D” marker, called “the Dealer Button” is placed on the table in front of the Dealer.
The Blinds
The player to the left of the Dealer puts up the Small Blind (half the minimum bet) and the player to his left posts the Big Blind (equal to the minimum bet).
For example, minimum bet $2:
Big Blind ($2) ← Small Blind ($1) ← Dealer
The Deal
Each player is dealt two cards face-down (hole cards, pocket cards or down cards). These are visible only to the player holding them.
First Round of Betting
After all Texas Hold’em players have received their two hole cards, the first round of betting starts from the player to the left of the player who posted the Big Blind.
The player can Fold, Call or Raise.
Fold: Throw away hole cards. The hand is dead.
Call: The player pays an amount equal to the big blind.
Raise: The player increases the amount of money.
In limit games;
There is a pre-determined betting limit on each round of betting.
In pot limit games;
A player can bet any amount, up to the size of the pot. The pot means the chips wagered by all players in a hand of poker that are put in the centre of the table.
In no limit games;
A player can bet any amount, up to all of their chips.
The following players can Fold, Call or Raise based on the previous bet. The round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded.
The Flop
Three cards are dealt face-up in the common area, the middle of the table. These community cards are shared among all the players in the hand.
Second Round of Betting
In this round and all the following rounds, betting starts from the player closest to the left of the dealer.
The first player can Fold, Bet, or Check. To check mean that the player stay in the hand without betting.
The following players can Fold, Call,,Raise or Check based on the previous bet. The round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded.
The Turn (Fourth Street)
A fourth common card is dealt face-up on the table next to the flop.
Third Round of Betting
This betting round is equal to the previous one.
The River (Fifth Street)
The fifth and last common card is dealt face-up on the table next to the turn.
Fourth Round of Betting
It is time for the forth and final round of betting.
The Showdown
Players turn their hole cards over and compare to see who has the better hand. The player with the highest hand rank takes the pot.
If two or more players have the best hand, the pot is split between them.