How to Play Texas Hold Em

January 11th, 2011 -- Posted in Play Poker | No Comments »

Texas Hold Em is probably the most well known poker game on the planet, thanks in part to the publicity it’s received courtesy of the World Series of Poker Tournament that runs on ESPN every year, and because many of the well-known names in poker are also frequently seen promoting this particular brand of poker.

Because of this popularity, many people are learning how to play texas hold em, both at home with friends, and for real money in casinos and online games. It’s a fun game to learn, and if you know how poker hands are evaluated, then learning how to play texas hold em is simple.

The Deal & Pre-Flop

At the start of each hand, the players buy in with a big and small blind, which rotates around the table. The dealer will deal two cards, face down, to each player, at which point betting begins. As typical with most poker betting rounds, players can call, bet, check, raise, and fold, depending on the action.

The Flop

Once the betting has ended, the dealer will burn a card and deal himself three cards, face up. This is followed by another round of betting.

The Turn

The dealer burns another card and deals another to himself, face up. The players bet again.

The River

The dealer burns a card and deals the fifth to finalize his hand. Players are now playing with five dealer cards, and their own hand. They can take the best five to make their best hand. At this point, the showdown occurs, and players can bet/check/call/fold as necessary until everyone is out, or the players have a “showdown” and reveal their cards. Winner takes the pot, except in the case of a tie.

When you’re learning how to play Texas Hold Em, you might get caught up on the way big and small blinds work, so to answer it simply, they rotate around the table just like the leading better position does. A small blind is half the big blind, so if the big blind is $10, then the small blind is $5. In some games, the blinds increase in order to speed up play and force players to make a move. This typically happens in high stakes tournaments.

Beyond these simple rules, Texas Hold Em is scored just like any other game, and once you learn the basics, you can jump right in and play with the best of them. Just be careful with your chips!