How to play poker – Texas hold’em

The aim in Texas hold’em is to make the best five-card hand by using any combination of the two cards you’re dealt and the five community cards. Hands are determined by the universal poker hand ranking, which you’ll find later in this section.

The dealer

In every hand, one player will get the dealer button (the small disk marked with a ‘D’). The button moves around the table after each hand. The position of the dealer button is important as it determines who posts blinds, and who acts when during a round of betting.

Blinds

In every hand, the player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind and the player to their left (that is two to the left of the dealer) posts the big blind. As the button moves clockwise around the table after each hand, so do the blinds.

The purpose of the blinds are the same as with any ante in poker. It provides players with something to play for and makes sure there’s action on every deal. The small blind is typically one half of the big blind.

In a tournament, the blinds rise regularly after a pre-determined time period to ensure that the tournament reaches a conclusion as players are forced to act.

The Opening Deal

Once the blinds have been posted, each player receives two cards dealt face down. These are called ‘hole cards’ or ‘pocket cards’ and are kept hidden and only the recipient gets to see them.

The First Round of Betting

After the hole cards are dealt, each player has the chance to act – depending on how good a hand they think they can build. The action starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind.

After the opening deal, all players have to at least call the big blind to remain in the hand. The action moves round the table in a clockwise direction until each player has checked, called, folded, raised or bet. If no-one has raised by the time the betting reaches the big blind, the player who posted the big blind may check or place a bet.

A betting round finishes when each player has had the option to act and all remaining players have either matched the largest bet, folded or gone all in.

Variants: In limit poker the first two rounds of betting are fixed at the lower level of table stakes. So, in a $2/$4 game each bet is fixed at $2. In all rounds betting is capped after a bet and three raises.

In no limit and pot limit the minimum bet is the size of the big blind or the previous bet. So in $2/$4 the minimum bet would be $4, unless the pot has been raised. There is no cap to the number of bets and raises that can be made.

The Flop

Once the opening round of betting is completed, three cards are then dealt face up in the middle of the table; this is called the flop. These cards are community cards that all players can use to help construct their hand.

Betting: After the flop has been dealt, there’s another round of betting. This time the action starts with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer.

The Turn

The turn card – also known as fourth street – is the fourth community card dealt face up in the middle of the table. After the turn is dealt, another round of betting follows. In limit games betting now goes to the higher limit at the table for the remainder of the hand. So, in a $2/$4 game the fixed bet becomes $4.

The River

The fifth and final community card that is dealt face up in the center of the table is called the river card. Now that all cards have been dealt, all remaining players know exactly what their best five card hand is.
There now follows one final round of betting which follows the same format as the turn.

The Showdown

Here comes the crunch; it’s time to see who takes the pot. Each player who has stayed in the hand can now show their hands, starting with the last person to bet and then moving clockwise round the table. Players who know they’re beaten have the option of ‘mucking’ their cards, that is to throw them away without showing their hand. The last player to bet, and therefore the first to show, always has to show their cards.