Poker is an exciting casino classic that combines the elements of both luck and skill. Over the years, the casino gaming world has seen the advent of several Poker variations. And Texas Hold’em is one of them.
Here’s a beginner’s guide explaining to you the gameplay rules for Texas Hold’em Poker. Also, it provides a comprehensive overview of how to play this Poker game. Continue reading!
The rules of Texas Hold’em explained
Before you start playing Texas Hold’em, you’d want to get acquainted with the rules of the game first. When playing the Hold’em Poker variation, every player receives two private cards, which are also referred to as hole cards. As with other popular Poker variations, a total of five community cards are dealt in Hold’em. All these community cards are given face-up and can be used by players to try to form the best five-card hand.
Based on the exact betting limits, there are four main sub-variants of Texas Hold’em Poker you’ll come across at online casinos. They include:
Limit Texas Hold’em
: In this Poker variation, there is a predefined wagering limit on every betting round.
No Limit Texas Hold’em
: Here, there’s no limit on the wagering limit. So, players can wager any amount they like.
Pot Limit Texas Hold’em
: This Hold’em variation allows players to wager any amount, as long as it doesn’t go over the pot size.
Mixed Texas Hold’em
: This Hold’em version combines the elements of both Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em. Here, the gameplay action switches between the two different versions.
How to play Texas Hold’em?
If you’ve played other popular types of Poker games or Poker tournaments before, you’ll have no trouble getting started with Texas Hold’em. For the unversed, here’s a quick overview of how to play Hold’em Poker:
The blinds
When playing Texas Hold’em, you need to know where the dealer button is at the start of every hand. The dealer button is an indicator of which player will be the nominal dealer for that hand. Before the gaming action initiates, the player who’s on the immediate left of the dealer button needs to post the mandatory small blind. The next player who’s on the immediate left of the small blind then posts the big blind.
After the first two players have posted the Poker blinds, every player at the table needs to place an “Ante” wager. After this, the dealer deals two face-up cards to every player at the table. Wagering action then continues in a clockwise fashion on the table.
Player wagering options
Just like Video Poker, the available wagering options for Hold’em players are fold, check, bet, call or raise. The exact wagering options players can opt to go with are based on the actions taken by previous players. For instance, a player may choose to either check or bet if none of the previous players have made any bet. If previous players have placed a wager, then the available wagering options for subsequent players are fold, call or raise.
Pre-flop
After taking a look at their hole cards, every player has the option to play their hand by going with the call or raise wagering option. The gaming action initiates on the left of the big blind and continues until all active players have played equal-sized bets.
The Flop
During the flop round, three face-up cards are dealt on the Hold’em board. In Texas Hold’em, all these three cards are community cards. This means that players have the option to use these cards to form the best five card hand. The wagering action in this round begins with the player who is on the immediate left of the button.
The turn
After the completion of the flop round, the fourth community card (turn) is dealt on the Hold’em Board. Again, another round of betting takes place starting from the player who’s on the immediate left of the dealer button.
The river
In this Hold’em round, the fifth and final community card (river) is dealt. Once again, the wagering action starts with the player who’s on the immediate left of the dealer button.
The showdown
If it happens that there’s more than one player remaining after the completion of the final betting round, the last player to bet or raise shows the cards. During the showdown, the player with the best five card hand wins the game.
So, this concludes our beginner’s guide for Texas Hold’em Poker. If you want to know more about this Poker variation, we suggest you go through our other guides on Texas Hold’em Poker. Also, the best poker books can help you get acquainted with Poker history and other interesting aspects of the game.