Texas Holdem Poker Tips - Texas Hold'em Rules
Not unlike the game of poker itself, the actual origins of
Texas Holdem poker are occasionally subject to debate. Although
discussing myths and legends while seated around a poker tables
certainly has its own charm, it is Texas Holdem's current level
of popularity that is of mythical proportions. Scour the country
far and wide and you will certainly be hard pressed to find a
more popular poker game anywhere. Texas Holdem is easily
Texas's most popular export and its reach covers the entire
globe. Texans are so proud of the origins of this awesome game
that, as an act of pride, the Texas State Legislature took the
liberty to officially recognize the birthplace of Texas Holdem.
Texas Holdem is no longer merely a game, but it has taken on
the status of a full-on sport. Texas Holdem television coverage
runs rampant at most hours of the day. Fans and casual viewers
can watch celebrities and consummate poker players compete in
televised Texas Holdem games and they watch in droves. When
matches aren't televised, avid poker players can satisfy their
fix playing online poker.
No other casino game is referred to as a sport--not
blackjack, not roulette, not keno, not craps and definitely not
slot machines. While other sports wither in popularity, Texas
Holdem reigns supreme. Unlike other casino games, Texas Holdem
is a game of skill rather than a game of pure chance. Players
use their knowledge, expertise, and even artistry to make the
best of the hands they have been dealt.
Texas Holdem Poker Tips and Tricks
Play Texas Holdem Poker is easy. Players receive two cards
down, known as hole cards, then 5 cards are dealt face up
(community cards) and then try to make their best 5 card poker
hand out of the 7 cards. This might seem very trivial, but there
are some other things you need to know.
In addition to designations of minimum bet and maximum bet,
in Holdem Poker (with the exception of Home Holdem), designation
will need to be made for the "small blind bet" and the "big
blind bet".
Instead of starting the pot off with players' antes, Texas
Holdem poker games start off the pot with two blind bets (bets
made by players before they even see their cards). The small
blind should be slightly less or equal to the minimum bet. The
big blind should be twice as much as the small blind.
Before looking at their cards, the player to the left of the
dealer throws their small blind bet into the pot and the player
to the left of the small blind throws their big blind bet into
the pot.
The player to the left of the big blind is the first player
who can actually look at his or her hand before deciding whether
or not to see the blinds and call, see the blinds and raise, or
fold. The rest of the betting round proceeds as a regular poker
betting round, bearing in mind that the two blinds have already
invested money into this betting round and only need to see the
bumps that were made after them.
This applies only to the first betting round. All other
betting rounds proceed as per regular poker betting rounds,
following the flipping of the community cards. The standard
number of community cards in a Holdem game is five. Three cards
are flipped after the first betting round ("The Flop"), a fourth
after the second betting round ("The Turn") and a fifth after
the third betting round ("The River").
Texas Holdem Basics
Texas Hold'em is easy to learn. Unlike more complicated poker
variations, you can easily get the hang of Texas Hold'em after a
single game.
The Texas Hold'em game begins by specifying a minimum bet and
a maximum bet. Next, one player is designated the dealer. The
player seated to the dealer's left is designated the blind.
The player seated to the left of the blind is referred to
as the double blind. The dealer rotates clockwise with
each hand, as do the blind and the double blind.
In Texas Hold'em, players attempt to assemble the best
possible hand using 5 of the 7 available cards. Each Texas
Hold'em player receives two face-down cards, known as the hole
cards. Before looking at these cards, the blind is
required to place a bet typically equal to the specified minimum
bet. The double blind is required to place a bet equal to
twice the amount of the blind's bet. The remaining players
are allowed to look at their own cards before deciding whether
to bet. Players can choose to call (match the previous players'
contributions to the pot), raise (add money to the pot), or fold
(quit).
Next, three community cards, known as the flop, are dealt to
the center of the table. Players try to create the best possible
hand using their personal hole cards and the flop, while
speculating on what other possible combinations they might be
able to create when the remaining cards are dealt. Texas Hold'em
players do not reveal their hands until the showdown. Don't
forget, there are still two more card to be dealt in Texas
Hold'em.
Another round of betting takes place before the fourth
communal card, known as the turn, is dealt. Players once again
try to create the best possible hand using 5 of the 6 available
cards, knowing that there is still one more card to be dealt.
An additional round of betting takes place before the fifth
and final communal card, known as the river, is dealt. Before
revealing their cards players can once again call, raise, or
fold in succession. In the final Texas Hold'em showdown, all the
remaining players reveal their cards. In Texas Hold'em the best
hand wins the pot!
Texas Holdem Rules
Only two cards are actually held by the player as pocket
cards. The other five are open, dealt to the middle of the table
and shared by all players.
Holdem can be played with only two players or theoretically,
with as many as twenty-three players (this exhausts the number
of cards in the deck). In practice however, it is rarely played
with more than twelve players due to the size of the table, with
eight to eleven players considered the optimum range.
In Texas Holdem games, the dealer is marked by a disk called
the button. For each hand the button rotates to the left.
Players are identified by their seat position. The dealer is
seat one, the player to the dealer's left is seat two and so on,
clockwise around the table to the player on the dealer's right
which is typically seat nine.Betting position significantly
affects a player's opportunities so the button's position in not
simply symbolic.
Holdem comes in many low-limit/high-limit forms. Beginner
games are typically $1-$2 or $2-$5, but the high end can be as
much as $300-$600, $500-$1000 or more. Regardless of the limits,
Hold'Em is designed to be a money game. Instead of a small ante
in 7-Stud, Holdem uses two forced bets, the blinds, to get Bets
on the table right from the beginning of the game.
The Open
The first player to the dealer's left -- seat two -- is the
small blind and must kick in half the lower limit ($5 in a
$10-$20 game). Seat three is the big blind and must kick in the
full value of the lower limit ($10 in a $10-$20) game.
The deal rotates clockwise around the table beginning with
the player to the big blind's left. Each player is dealt their
first pocket card in turn, then their second.
Since the blinds opened with their forced bets, seat four,
the player to the big blind's left, bets first. They Call by
matching the big blind ($10, the lower limit) and may also Raise
by kicking in the big limit, $20 in our $10-$20 example game. In
this round Checking is not permitted. If the player doesn't want
to Call, they may Fold.
The blinds in Holdem are live in that they can Call (Check to
seat three), Raise, or Fold when the betting has returned to
them.
The Flop
Once the first betting round has completed, the dealer lays
out the first three community cards in the center of the table.
This is called the flop.
This betting round begins with the blinds, or the first
remaining seat on the dealer's left. Checking is permitted now
and for the rest of the hand. Bets are placed at the lower limit
($10 in our example).
The Turn
A fourth community card it dealt onto the table.
Betting begins with the blinds, as before. Now, and for the
rest of this game, Bets and Raises are at the high limit ($20).
As such, the turn is the first expensive street.
The River
The fifth and final community card is dealt.
This is also an expensive street: Bets and Raises are all at
the high limit ($20).
The Showdown
As in 7-Stud, the best 5 card hand wins. Players may form
their final hands from any combination of the table cards and
their own pocket cards, even ignoring the pocket cards and using
only the table cards if they wish. Identical five-card hands
split the pot; the sixth and seventh cards are not used to break
ties.
Texas Holdem Betting at the river
One thing you will notice if you have gotten this far with
your hand (and many many times you won't) is that you have a lot
of company. This is also where you will suffer through a
seemingly endless series of bad beats.
You should plan on playing much more timidly here, especially
if any scare card has fallen. Your pair of kings with an Ace
kicker was good on the flop but if you did not improve beyond
that then do not be surprised to be beaten by some of the
strangest two pair (and beyond) that you've ever seen.
Also current behavior will be to raise you if your opponent
did make 2 pair on the river. A check will show weakness and
someone with a king and a worse kicker will often bet for you
and you will save yourself calling an extra bet by the two pair
river chasers.
Try to see all the possible straights, flushes, etc. on the
board. Consciously do that because when you are focused on your
hand it is sometimes very easy to miss a straight or flush that
just appeared. Especially if you are focused on your opponent
having a similar (but smaller) hand than your own. Be especially
careful if you make a straight and a third flush card has also
fallen even if that third flush card was a backdoor flush.
The bottom line is that it is often worth checking and
calling on the river if you have a good but not great hand. Save
the aggression for when you have the nuts or near the nuts.
If you've followed the advice here you'll be getting to the
river with at least fairly strong hands (and many times with the
absolute highest hands [the nuts!]). You should almost always
call a single bet on the river if you have any reasonable hand
at all.
It can be a huge mathematical mistake to fold on the river if
you are up against one or two opponents. Most of your folding
should be before the flop, on the flop and on the turn. If you
paid for the turn you should call with any reasonably strong
hand.
The exception to this is where there are multiple callers to
a bet on the flop. Your
odds of winning with an average hand go down exponentially
the more callers there are. Calling a bet after more than one
person has already called is called "overcalling" and you need
more strength to call each overcall--and if you have enough
strength to be the fourth overcaller you should consider
raising.
Don't get too upset if you lose a made hand (AA, top two
pair, etc.) on the river. If you got your money in during the
hand with the best of it that's all that really matters. In the
long run you make money by making good decisions and in the
short run you are largely at the mercy of luck. Keep making the
right decisions! The rest will take care of itself.
