The PokerNews guide of how to play Texas Hold’em

Let’s run through the basics of No Limit Texas Hold’em: the game that takes a few minutes to learn but a lifetime to master. But in spite of its simplicity, it’s a fast and complex game that takes skill and practice to master.

The aim is to make the best five-card hand using any combination of your two ‘hole cards’, that are dealt to you face down, and the five community cards dealt face up on the table (which everyone can use).

Cards are always dealt in clockwise, and betting follows the same direction. For each hand, a small white disc called the dealer button is rotated one clockwise position.

The first card is dealt to the left of the player with the dealer button in front of them.
Regardless of whether you are playing in a casino or online (where the dealer performs the perfunctory role of dealing the cards and running the game) or in a pub or club game or at home (where the cards are actually dealt by the players ‘on the button’), the position of the dealer is extremely important.

The two players to the left of the dealer button must make compulsory bets called ‘blinds’ – so-called because the bets are made without seeing the cards.

The player two spots to the left of the dealer posts the ‘big blind’ – the larger of the two compulsory bets, while the player to the immediate left of the dealer is in the ‘small blind’ position, which is generally half the value of the big blind.

You’ll notice references throughout this book to hands where the blinds are 50/100 or 1000/2000. The first figure refers to the small blind, the second to the big blind. If you’re playing in a tournament, the level of the blinds increases at pre-determined periods. The use of blinds mean that there is action in every hand and money worth winning in every pot.

OK, the blinds have been posted and it’s time to get started. Moving clockwise around the table from the dealer, each player is dealt two cards (one at a time), which are not revealed to the other players.

Betting starts – the first round

The first player to act is the one to the immediate left of the big blind. This position is referred to being ‘under the gun’. This first player has three options: to fold (elect not to play the hand any further), to call (to match the existing bet, which at this stage is equal to the big blind), or to raise (which must be at least twice the value of the big blind) based on the strength of their hand.

Betting continues around the table until each player has called, folded or raised the existing bet. If no other player has raised by the time the betting returns to the person who posted the big blind, this player may check his own blind (as he or she has already bet this amount), fold or raise.

If a player has raised, then betting starts over again (players may fold, call or raise) and continues until everyone has folded or called the bet.

In many games, the number of raises is restricted, or the players would be there all day and night without getting any further.

The hand is over either when only one player is left with hole cards because all the others have folded, or when more than one player remains in contention.

The flop

With the first round of betting completed, it’s time for the flop. The dealer ‘burns’ (or discards) the first card then deals three cards face up in the middle of the table, which all players can use to make their best hand.

This signals the start of the second round of betting, but there are a number of differences compared to the ‘pre-flop’ action.

Some players may have already folded their hands so betting commences with the first player still in the hand to the left of the dealer.

As this player does not have to match the blinds, they are free to check or bet (which must be at least equal to the value of the big blind). Betting continues as per the first round, unless every player checks.

The turn/fourth street

Once the first round of betting has been completed, the dealer burns another card then places another card face up on the table. This card is called the turn card. Betting flows the same pattern as it did in the previous round.

The river/fifth street

It’s almost time for the showdown! The dealer burns another card then reveals a fifth card on the table.

The players that remain in the hand now know for sure what is their best five-card hand.
Another round of betting ensues, and if more than one player remains in the hand when betting is completed, the remaining players turn over their hole cards in what is referred to as the ‘showdown’.

Sometimes, players prefer to ‘muck’ (or fold) their hand prior to the showdown knowing they’re beaten, or perhaps are trying to hide a bluff gone wrong.

Otherwise, the player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. If you win the hand prior to the showdown, there’s no compulsion on you to reveal the winning hand. Some do, but most players feel that showing your winning hand can provide your opponents with information that they may be able to use against you later in the hand.

On occasion, the five cards on the board will comprise the best hand, or the players will have a hand of equal ranking, in which case the pot is split evenly among all players remaining in the hand.

‘I’m all-in’

The two words that many novices come to associate with No Limit Texas Hold’em are “all-in”.
It means that at some stage of the betting, you have either committed all of your chips to the pot or do not have chips to cover your bet.

If you go all-in and all other players fold, you win the hand. If you go all-in and get called by a player with more chips and lose the hand, you’re out.

If you go all-in and get called by a player with fewer chips, you can only lose the amount equal to the other player. Same goes if you call an all-in bet; if you have fewer chips, you can be eliminated, but you won’t be eliminated if you have more chips than your opponent.

The all-in bet is one of the most powerful tools in a No Limit Texas Hold’em player’s arsenal. Top players despise committing all their chips in any one pot, especially before the flop unless they have a very strong hand.