Texas Holdem: Detailed Guide About Texas Holdem Poker Rules

Texas Hold’em Poker is an extremely popular game all over the world. One of the reasons for this is that now everyone can play the game online, without any hassle of being able to own a physical set of cards or having friends around. Now you can play this game online with your friends from anywhere across the world. Isn’t it great news?

However, if you are wondering how to play Texas Holdem the right way, you are at the right place because your search is over! Here is a step-by-step ultimate guide to this exceptional game. It is time to put your learning hats on!

If you want to learn how to ace this wonderful game of Texas Hold’em, firstly, the most important thing is to learn each and every rule of this game by heart and then we can move on to the strategies. Let us discuss.

• Royal Flush - When we have Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a Ten of the same suit, we make a Royal Flush.
• Four of a Kind - When we have a combination of 4 cards that are of the same rank, we make a four of a kind.
• Full House - Simply put, three cards of the same rank and a pair leads to a full house.
• Flush - Flush comprises five cards of the same suit.
• Straight - When we have five cards in a sequence, it is called straight.
• Three of a Kind - When we have three cards of the same rank and two cards that are not related to each other, we form three of a kind.
• Two Pair - Two pair is simply a combination of 2 separate pairs of cards.
• One Pair - When we have just two cards with the same rank and three random cards, it is called One Pair.
• High Card - When all your cards are of different ranks and do not make any above combination, the highest of those cards wins.

More than what cards you have, when you are playing this game, it is extremely important to understand your position in the game. This way, you will also be able to read your opponents better and make an informed decision in general about your subsequent moves. Read on to learn more about these positions to level up your game.

It is basically the position of the acting dealer. This is considered one of the best positions while playing this game because the dealer acts last after the flop and can make the most of the opportunity to see the moves of other players.

Blinds are sort of compulsory bets that players sitting at specific positions have to make. Here are the types of blinds.

• Small blind- The seat that is on the immediate left to the dealer’s seat is small blind so it is set by default. This amount is usually half of the big blind and hence is called ‘small blind’.
• Big blind-The seat on the immediate left to the small blind is the big blind. This is again a forced bet that is set by default. The amount for the big blind is double the small blind and hence is called ‘big’.

This seat is on the immediate left to the big blind and the person sitting here is usually the first person to make a move before the flop. It is not considered a very great position because, during this time, the player will not be able to strategize well without knowing other players’ moves and cards.

This position is on the immediate right to the dealer position and is also considered a great position for players to strategize their game. The player sitting in this position can also use strategies like bluffing and turn the game in their favour.

This is again a good position to showcase your skills and strategies and make them work in your favour. This position is on the immediate right of the cut-off position.

The game starts as the player on the Under the Gun position makes the move and then the game goes on in a clockwise manner. It is also helpful if the players are in the late positions so they can be better prepared at the time.

To start with, in Texas Holdem poker online, a player is given 2 hole cards that are private cards that only they can see. Apart from that, 5 community cards are also placed on the table chance by chance. The person who makes the best combination or Texas Holdem card rankings out of the 5 cards (picking from hole and community ones) will be the winner.

Here is how to play the game -

• The dealer deals the cards and distributes them to all the players.
• The dealer first gives one card to each player and once that is done, the second card is circulated.
• Once both the hole cards are dealt, the action starts with the first player to the left of the dealer (small blind).
• Please make note that after every hand, the button/dealer position moves to the next player in the clockwise direction.

According to Texas Holdem poker rules, here are different betting actions that a player indulges in -

• Fold- This action is done when a player quits the game or lets go of his or her cards.
• Check- It simply means to pass the action onto the next player. This can be used when there is no bet in front of the player.
• Call- When you put the same amount as the player who did the betting, you are simply opting to call it.
• Bet- As the name suggests, this action means to make a bet when nobody has made it before you.
• Raise- If you already have a bet before you but you want to raise the amount of the bet, it is called raise.

While playing Texas Hold’em, you can choose any of the above betting actions (wherever they are eligible) to play or carry on with the game.

Speaking of raising the bet, let us also discuss another aspect:

• Limit Hold’em- In this type of game, you can only raise the amount of your bet by the amount of the big blind.
• Pot-Limit- In Pot-limit Hold’em, you can raise the bet to the maximum of the size of the pot.
• No-Limit- Here, as the name suggests, there is no limit to raising the bet. You can raise any amount up to the maximum that your chips can allow. If you bet all your chips, it will mean that you are ‘all-in’.

Well, in simple words, the objective of every game is to win it! In order to achieve it, the aim of Texas Holdem poker is to have the best combination of 5 cards from hole and community cards.

Now that we know the basics of this game, let us discuss how to play.

When every player is dealt with the hole cards, the pre-flop round begins. This is the first round of the game that begins in the clockwise direction. The first player to act in this round is the one seated on the immediate left to the Big Blind (Under the Gun). Here, the player can either fold, call, or raise. After the first player makes his or her move, it is now up to the second player to make their move and this continues till everyone has put equal chips in the pot. In this round, only the player who is at the big blind position can choose to ‘check’.

When the first three community cards are displayed on the table to all the players, it is called the flop round. Now every player in the game can check those cards and use them to make their best combination. The betting starts with the player sitting on the immediate left to the dealer.

When the second betting round finishes, the fourth community card is displayed, it is known as the ‘Turn’. Similarly, another betting round begins following the same Texas Holdem poker rules.

This is the last and fifth card that is displayed on the table to all the players. The last betting round usually begins when The River card is dealt. The betting action begins again.

After the last round, we move on to the showdown, if there is more than one player in the game. Now we are expected to simply compare whose combination is the best and that will determine the winner of the game.

• While playing this game, always remember that it is not recommended to play too many hands. Rather, play few but strong hands in order to increase your chances of winning.
• Do not reach any conclusion right at the beginning of the game. Be patient and try to analyse everything before making a move.
• Apart from this, always remember to give your position its due importance. Choose your hands accordingly and make an informed decision. If you have a good position, chances of your winning will definitely increase but this does not mean that you cannot win if you do not have the desired positions.

• Make note of the fact that even though bluffing is a great Texas Hold’em poker strategy, you will not be able to win if you bluff a lot. Find a balance and do not bluff more than required.
• It is important to read your opponents’ behaviour and moves in order to predict the game. So, make sure you make a move after considering their cards too (and not just focusing on your own cards).

Now that you know about the basics of this game, for example, what is Texas Holdem poker sequence, rankings, betting actions, etc., you are well-versed with understanding how to play. Remember to learn all the rules by heart in order to emerge as a winner in this game.