Texas Hold'em
How to play
In Texas Hold'em, there are two face-down cards for each player and five face-up community cards. The player who makes the best five-card poker hand with any combination of their two face-down cards and the five community cards wins the round. In a Texas Hold'em game, a disc or other marker is used to indicate which player is the "dealer" for the round. There are no antes in Hold'em, instead, forced bets called blinds are used. Before the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer posts a bet called the small blind, which is usually equal to half of the minimum bet. The person to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet. The first two cards are dealt to each player face down (these are called the hole cards), and the person to the left of the big blind starts the first round betting. (Notice the big blind and small blind do not get to look at their cards before betting, thus the term "blind") In the first round of betting, each player has three options: call, raise, or fold. To call, the player must place a bet that is equal to the last bet placed. (For the first player in the round, this would be equal to the minimum bet, the amount of the big blind.) A player may choose to raise their call bet by an additional amount (a raise must be at least double the big blind), which the other players would have to call. If one's whole cards are not favorable, the player may simply fold and sit out the round. For help on which starting hands to play and how to play them,
After all the players have finished the first round of betting, the top cards is burned (placed to the side, face down, not to be seen or will not be used in play) and the first three community cards are dealt face-up on the board. This is called the flop. The second and all subsequent betting rounds start with the first player to the dealer's left, and players now have the option to check. By checking, the player indicates interest in the pot without placing a bet. Any player may chose to place a bet, which the other players must call. Players can still raise, if a bet has been made, or fold, if their hand is not favorable. After the second betting round, the top card is burned and the fourth community card is dealt face up (this is called the turn card). In limit games, the minimum bet doubles in the last two rounds of betting. After the third betting round, the fifth and final community card is dealt (this is called the river card). A final round of betting ensues, and afterwards each player turns their hole cards face up. The highest hand that can be made with any combination of a player's hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot. If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in the player's hand (the kicker) is used to break a tie. If there is no kicker card (the tied players have used both hole cards, or have the exact same hand), then the pot is split between them. The dealer button is passed clockwise to the next player and another round of play begins.
In No Limit Hold'em, the maximum bet is determined by the number of chips you have in front of you. Players can bet and raise by any amount, and at any time, a player can go "all-in" by pushing in all of their chips toward the center of the table. To call, the other players at the table must push in all of their chips, up to the amount of their opponent's all-in bet.
In No Limit Hold'em, the maximum bet is determined by the number of chips you have in front of you. Players can bet and raise by any amount, and at any time, a player can go "all-in" by pushing in all of their chips toward the center of the table. To call, the other players at the table must push in all of their chips, up to the amount of their opponent's all-in bet.