Texas Holdem Poker

Texas holdem (also known as Texas Holdem and Holdem) is one of the most popular modifications of the card game of poker. Two cards, known as the hole cards, are dealt face down to each of the players, and then five community cards are dealt face up in three stages thereafter. The stages consist of a series of three cards ("the flop"), and later an additional single card ("the turn" or "fourth street"), and a final card ("the river" or "fifth street"). Each player attempts the best five-card poker hand from any combination of the given seven cards of the five community cards and their two hole cards. Players have betting options to check, call, raise, or fold. Rounds of betting take place before the flop is dealt and after each subsequent deal is done. The player who has the best hand and has not folded by the end of all betting rounds gets to win all of the money bet for the hand, known as the Pot. Texas Holdem Poker

What is Texas Hold’em Poker?

In Texas holdem, as in all variants of poker, people compete for an amount of money or chips that are contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). Since the cards are dealt randomly and outside the scope of control of the players, each player attempts to check the amount of money in the pot based either on the hand they are holding, or on their prediction as to what their opponents may be holding and how they might behave and so on.

How to play?

The game is divided into a series of deals at the termination of each hand, the pot is awarded to one player in a typical fashion. A hand may end at the showdown, in case the outstanding players compare their hands and the highest hand is awarded the pot, that highest hand is usually held by only one player but can be held by more in the case of a tie. Another possibility for the conclusion of a hand transpires when all but one player have folded and have thereby abandoned any right to the pot, in which case the pot is awarded to the player who has not folded. Texas Holdem Poker

Stages Of Game

Holdem is generally played using small and big blind bets— forced bets by two players. Antes may be used in addition to blinds, especially in later stages of tournament play. A dealer button is used to represent the player in the dealer position; the dealer button then rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position of the dealer and the blinds. The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is normally equal to half of the big blind. The big blind, posted by the player to the left of the small blind, is again equal to the minimum bet. In any tournament poker, the blind/ante structure periodically increases as the tournament progresses. After one round of betting is done, the next betting round will start by the person in the small blind. Suppose A is the dealer. B, to A’s left, posts a small blind of 1, and C posts a big blind of 2.

Pre-Flop

A deals two hole cards face down to each player, starting with B and ending with herself. T must act first, being the first player after the big blind. T cannot check, because the 2 big blind plays as a bet, and so folds. A calls the 2. B adds an additional 1 to the 1 small blind to call the 2 total. C’s blind is "live", so there is the option to raise here, but C checks instead, ending the first betting round. The pot now contains 6, 2 from each of three players.

Flop

A now flashes a card and deals the flop of three face-up community cards, 9♣ K♣ 3♥. On this round, as on all subsequent rounds, the player on the dealer's left begins the betting. B checks, C opens for 2, and A raises another 2 (puts in 4, 2 to match C and 2 to raise), making the total bet now facing B 4. B calls (puts in 4, 2 to match C’sinitial bet and 2 to match A's raise). C calls as well, putting in 2. The pot now includes 18, 6 from the last round and 12 from three players this round. Texas Holdem Poker

Turn

A now flashes another card and deals the turn card face up. It is 5♠. B checks, C checks, and A checks; the turn has been checked around. The pot still includes 18.

River

A burns another card and deals the final river card, the 9♦, making the final board 9♣ K♣ 3♥ 5♠ 9♦. B bets 4, Cl calls, and A folds (As holding was A♣ 7♣ and was hoping the river card would be a club to make a flush). Texas Holdem Poker