Learn the basics of Texas Hold'em Poker
You can learn to play poker in 10 minutes, however, the old time Vegas pros will
say they're still learning. On the surface, once you know the rules, it's very
simple, but underneath it's the ultimate game of strategy and deception.
In Texas Hold'Em there are 4 possible rounds of betting in one single hand.
- PRE FLOP: At the start of a hand you will receive two cards
face down; these are called your whole cards - a round of betting will now take
place. Remember - your whole cards should be protected and not shown to the
other players. At the end of this round of betting, everyone has to have
contributed equally to the pot if they want to remain in the hand. When it is a
player's turn to play, they may choose from the following actions:
Check - if there is not a bet already on the table, the player
may, in essence, bet 0, and pass the action on to the next player. (On the first
round of betting only, the big blind can have this option - please see below for
explanation of this term.)
Call - if there is a bet on the table, the player may choose to
match the bet.
Bet or Raise - if there were no bets on the table, the player
places one by betting. If there was a bet on the table, the player may increase
the bet by raising the sum.
Fold - the player does not choose to match the bet on the table
and they forfeit any chance at winning the pot. They also surrender their cards.
The betting round ends when all players have contributed to the pot equally. From
here the next round takes place.
- THE FLOP: 3 cards are now placed face up in the middle of the
table. This is called the flop. These cards can be used in conjunction with your
whole cards to make your best 5 card poker hand. Another round of betting now
follows. (Your best hand is shown in the bottom right hand corner of the
screen.)
- THE TURN: Another card is dealt face up on the table for
everybody to use. Another round of betting now follows.
- THE RIVER CARD: This is the final card you can use to help your
hand. The last round of betting will now take place and after it is complete all
players still in the hands (game) should turn their cards over to find the
winner.
One hand of Texas Hold-Em has now been completed.
Position and Blinds
It is very important to remember your position. The button, which is a white disc
that moves around the table after each hand, shows who will act when, in each of
the hands. At the beginning of a hand, the player to the left of the button must
place a compulsory bet called the SMALL BLIND. The player to the left of the
small blind must also place a bet known as the BIG BLIND. The big blind is
always the minimum bet allowed at that level in the game. The player to act
first in the hand PRE FLOP is to the left of the big blind. Action then flows
clockwise around the table to the big blind. If the pot is raised at any point
the action will finish on the right of the player who made the last bet, ie all
players still in the hand must have placed the same amount of chips in the pot
to move onto the next round. For the last 3 betting rounds, play starts from the
left of the button.
Starting Hands and Poker Hands
Your starting hand is the two cards that get dealt to you face down. The best
starting hand to get is two Aces, however, all hands are beatable - it all
depends on the community cards.
Good starting hands would be the high and middle pairs (eg 2 Kings, 2 Tens) and
high cards, preferably of the same suit, with Ace King in the same suit being
the best unpaired hands.
Your poker hand is your best 5 card hand which you can make out of the community
cards in the middle of the table and your two whole cards. (For a list of hand
rankings please refer to the Poker Hands sheet.)
Best of luck at the tables.