Texas Hold'em Rules
Texas hold'em is
a community card game. Every player is dealt two cards face down, and then five
community cards are dealt in the middle of the table. The five community cards
may be used by every player.
When played in casinos,
texas holdem is played with a dealer
button to mark who the dealer would be if the casino weren't providing one
for the table.
The button rotates clockwise around the table between every hand. This is important
as the "dealer" is the last to act, and thus has the greatest advantage
for that hand.
Objective
To make your best five
card hand using any combination of the five cards on the board and the two in
your hand.
Note: Using all five community
cards to make your best five card hand is called "playing the board"
Forced Bets
Ante
Texas hold'em occasionally has an ante (usually only in tournament play) where
every player must place a specified amount in the pot prior to the beginning
of each hand. The ante does not count toward any future bets.
Blinds
Texas holdem rules dictate that there be two forced bets every hand, called
blinds. There is a small blind, which is 1/2 of the low limit bet size, and
a big blind, which is equal to the low limit bet size. Before the hand begins,
the player to the immediate left of the dealer
button is forced to post the small
blind, and the player to the left of that person is forced to post the big
blind. These bets count towards that player's first round bet, and are considered
live, meaning the player may choose to raise even if nobody else has.
Note: In a heads up match
(1 on 1), the player with the dealer button posts the small blind, and the other
player posts the big
blind. The player with the dealer button is the first to act before the
flop, but acts after his opponent in the three betting rounds to follow.
Betting Rounds
There are four rounds of
betting. In fixed limit Texas hold'em game, in the first two rounds of betting,
all bets must be equal to the size of the low limit bet. In the last two rounds
of betting, all bets must be equal to the high limit bet. If, for example, you're
playing 3-6 Texas holdem, all bets in the first two rounds will be in increments
of 3 dollars, and all bets in the last two rounds will be in increments of 6
dollars. A maximum of 3 raises are allowed per betting round.
Note: In a heads up match,
some poker rooms will allow more than the customary 3 raises per betting round.
5 is common, as is unlimited raises.
1. Preflop - The player
to the immediate left of the dealer
button is forced to post the small
blind. The player to the left of him, or two to the left of the dealer button,
is forced to post the big blind. Two cards are dealt to every player face down,
starting with the small blind. The action begins with the player to the immediate
left of the big blind, who must decide to fold, call (by putting in the low
limit bet), or raise (by putting in twice the low limit bet). Action proceeds
clockwise around the table. The small blind may call (assuming nobody has raised)
by adding the other 1/2 of the low limit bet he was already forced to put in.
The big blind may simply check (assuming nobody has raised), as he has already
put in the full size of the first round bet.
2. The Flop - Three cards
are dealt face up in the middle of the table. In this round, and in the following
two rounds, the player to the immediate left of the dealer button is the first
to act. Play proceeds in a clockwise manner around the table. All bets and raises
must be equal to the low limit bet size.
3. The Turn - A fourth
card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. Play proceeds as in the previous
round, except now all bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet size.
4. The River - A fifth
and final card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. Play proceeds as
in the previous round. All bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet
size.
Showdown - Anyone who has
not folded after the last round of betting will now have the option of showing
their hand and possibly winning the pot. The person who bet last is the first
to show their hand, and then it proceeds clockwise from there, with each remaining
player either choosing to show their hand, or muck it. Often times a player
will muck their hand if they aren't going to win the pot, and don't want their
opponents to see what they played.
Optional Rules
Chop
In a game where chopping is allowed, if there are no callers, the two players
who posted the blinds have the option of having their bets returned to them,
and moving on to the next hand. Both players must agree to chop.
Straddle
In a game where straddling is allowed, the player to the immediate left of the
big blind may choose to raise before looking at their cards. Often times this
is considered a live bet, which means that player may choose to raise again
when it's their turn, regardless of whether anyone else has reraised.
Kill
Pot
In a game where kill
pot is allowed, a player may choose to post an overblind that is equal to twice
the size of the big blind, and effectively doubles the betting limits. In some
games, the player may be allowed to kill for a larger amount, usually no larger
than half their stack. In most poker rooms, the person who kills the pot will
act last during the first betting round only, and will then act in normal turn
order.
Texas Hold'em Rules
