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.