Basics for Playing Texas Hold 'Em

Texas Hold 'Em is one of the main poker games played in many casinos and it's also the version of poker most played on the World Poker Tour and ESPN's World Series of Poker.

There are only three basic parts to playing Texas Hold 'Em, The Shuffle, The Deal and The Blinds. In a home game, the dealer will shuffle a standard deck of 52 cards. In casinos the dealer won't be playing the game with you, there's a round disk known as the dealer button that gets moved clockwise from player to player with each hand. Whichever player has the button is the dealer for that hand.

Traditionally, the game will start with the two players to the left of the dealer (or the button holder) putting a predetermined amount of money or poker chips into the pot before any cards are dealt, this ensures that there is something in the pot for every hand, including the beginning.

This is called "posting the blinds." Most often referred to as the "first blind". The player to the left of the dealer puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet. Then after putting up the bet, the cards are dealt around the table. Each Texas Hold 'Em player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Now, the betting will begin. A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who already posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet just like other poker games.

You'll also hear the term, "Flop". After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating.The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."

Eventually, a there will be five community cards placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand. After the flop, another round of betting takes place.

Fourth Street is when the dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street."
The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.

Fifth Street is the final dealing. The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or "Fifth Street."
Players can now use any combination of seven cards, the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them to form the strongest 5-card poker hand they can.
After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

The player with the best hand wins, enjoy your Texas Hold 'Em!

Labels: card-shuffle, cards, gift-ideas, poker, poker-party, poker-practice, texas-holdem

 posted by My Poker Room Supplies