Texas Holdem is currently the most popular form of poker in the world and is generally regarded as the most demanding and most interesting form of poker to play. In favor of this speaks the fact that the world champion of poker is decided on the Texas Holdem poker tables.
Texas Holdem poker - the rules of the game
A full Texas Hold’em table typically has nine or ten players. If there are less players at the table, the games is usually referred to as shorthanded. To determine who begins the game a single card is dealt to each player and the player with the best high card value will be the first dealer. The dealer position is indicated by a white plastic chip referred to as the button, which is also what the dealer position is called, sometimes referred to as being on the button. After each round of play the dealer button rotates to the left, ensuring that everyone gets to play in this and all other positions.
Pre-Flop
Before any card is dealt, players have to pay so called forced bets, big blind and small blind. Blind amounts are pretedetermined and they depend on table stakes. For example, on $2/$4 fixed limit hold’em table, big blind is $2 and the small blind is always half the big blind (sometimes it can be 2/3 or 1/3 the big blind). Small blind position is always one seat left of the dealer and the big blind, two seats left of the dealer.
The dealer then deals 2 face down cards to each player. Once the cards are dealt, players can look at their cards and decide how they want to act. They can choose to: fold, call the last bet or raise. Starting with the player left from the big blind (usually called UTG - Under The Gun), each player must make his choice and act. When all players folded or called the last raise, the action stops.
Flop
In live games, Dealer must burn 1 card and then deal first 3 community cards. This is called The Flop. Again, each player must act and can choose to either: check, bet, call or raise. On the flop, the first player to act is the Small blind. When all players folded or called the last raise, the action stops.
Turn
Dealer now burns 1 more card and then deals 1 more community card. Another round of betting begins, just like the one on the flop.
River
Dealers burns 1 more card and deals the fifth and final community card. One final betting round begins, just like on the flop and turn. With one difference. If all but one player folds, the last player who didn’t fold wins the pot. If there are 2 or more players that didn’t fold, we have a showdown.
Showdown
After all investments at the River are called and if there is more than 1 player that didn’t fold, we have a showdown. The first one to show his hands is the player who made the last bet or raise on previous betting round. All other players can muck their hands (basically, tossing their cards to a discard pile admitting they are beaten) unless they have a stronger hand in which case they have to show their cards if they want ot win the pot.
Poker rules - other games:
Omaha poker rules
