How to Play Texas Hold Em Poker

There are many important Texas Holdem rules that you need to be aware of. We will cover them on this page. The first one you need to understand is that Holdem Poker uses what is called a dealer-button to indicate the dealer of each hand.

After each hand is completed, as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to the next active player. This player will be considered “the dealer” for that hand.

Now let’s get into the nitty griddy of how to play Texas Holdem and some of the more specific Texas Holdem rules. Please remember that this page is designed for Texas Holdem beginners. But then again we can all use a little refresher every now and again.

A fresh table starts off with the first person sitting on the table becoming the dealer and the next player posting the small blind. A new game on an active table starts with the button moving clockwise to the next player. The player next to the button / dealer is required to place the small blind. The small blind is equal to half the lower stake. This is a guideline for determining the blinds and not a strict rule.

The player to the left of the small blind is required to post the big blind, equal to the lower stake limit. All the blinds in Holdem poker are considered live bets and the players who posted them will have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting returns to their position.

After the blinds have been placed, the down cards / hole cards are dealt to each active player. In Holdem, 2 cards are dealt to each of the players, after which the first betting round starts.

The player to the left of the player who placed the big blind starts the betting for this round. Each player will now have the option to place his or her bets in the first round, which is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure.

For example in a $10/$20 Holdem game, value of each bet is $10 for the first round. When we say the bets are limited to $10, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $10, so when a user places “BET” then it is $10, “RAISE” would be $20 – includes one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a player.

Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and Raise. Each player will also have the option to Fold. These options are available to each player depending on the action taken by the previous player.

The first player (left of the big blind) to act (in the first round) would get the Bet, Call and Raise options. Subsequent players would also get the options of Call and Raise.

To Call is to bet the same as what the previous player has bet. Raise action calls for raising whatever was the bet/call amount of the previous player, and can be calculated based on the value of the previous bet amount.

Every player participating in the hand should place equal amount of bet as the previous players (includes bets, calls and raises). Till the time all the players have placed equal amounts in the pot, the betting will continue.

There is a limit on the amount and the number of bets a player can place during a betting round, which also would be considered during the hand.

After the first round of betting is over, the Flop (the first three cards of the community) is dealt. The community cards are common to all the players participating in the hand.

After the flop and in each subsequent betting round, the first active player left of the button is first to act.

The second betting round also limits the value of bets and raises to the lower limit of the stake structure. So in a $10/$20 value of each bet is $10 for the second round.

When we say the bets are limited to $10, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $10, so when a user places “BET” then it is $10, “RAISE” would be $20 – includes one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed, by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and Raise. These options are available to each player depending on the action taken by the previous player.

The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option (the player left to the Button). Other players will get the Call and Raise options only. After this the fourth community card is dealt out – this is known as the Turn or 4th Street.

How to play Texas Hold em Poker - Round Three - after the Turn and before the River

The third betting round starts again with the player left to the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20 would be the upper stake).

When we say the bets are limited to $20, it refers to: a Bet (single et) of the value of $20, so when a user places “BET” then it is $20, “RAISE” would be $40 – includes one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a player.

Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.

The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option (the player left to the Button). After this the fifth community card is dealt out – this is known as the River or 5th Street.

How to play Texas Hold em Poker - the Fourth and Final Round: after the River

The fourth (and final) betting round starts again with the player left to the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20 would be the upper stake).

When we say the bets are limited to $20, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $20, so when a user places “BET” then it is $20, “RAISE” would be $40 – includes one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options – Bet, Call and Raise.

Combinations of these options are available to the player depending on the action taken by the previous player. The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option (the player left to the Button).

Want some additonal insigt on how to play Texas Hold em Poker, then you may want to refer to this guide.

Exceptions to the value of betting in each round

A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is declared All-In. The player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of his final wager.

All further action involving other players takes place in a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player who has already gone All-In.

When a player goes All-in, the pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which the All-in player has rights.

After the player goes all-in, all the new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing players have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights over the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning combination.
After the final round of betting, it’s time for – Showdown. This refers to the action of deciding who the winner of the pot is.

Five cards of the total of hole and community cards are to be used for deciding on the winning hands. A combination of the following may be used:

On the final round of betting, the player who bets first (or checks first if no one else bets) is required to show their cards first at the showdown. If they have the best hand, the remaining players may/may not show their cards as they wish.

The aggressors’ hand is only turned over first if he was the last to initiate action on the river. If two or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is the one having the higher cards.

For example, a Flush with an Ace high beats a Flush with a King high. If the poker hands remain tied, then the highest card not being held in common (the kicker) determines the winner.

The suit order of the cards is not taken into account while deciding on the winning cards. Should poker hands be absolutely identical in ranking, the rule of poker pot distribution will be split evenly between the two or more winning players.

The game play remains same for both No Limit Texas Holdem and Pot Limit Texas Holdem games with a few exceptions to the rules mentioned above:

As an example, if the active pot is $200 and the first player to act in the round bets $150 and the next player calls $150, the third player has a maximum eligible total bet of $800. The $800 total is made up of the $150 call and $650 raise. The $650 max raise portion is equal to the pot of $200 + first player's $150 + second player's $150 + his own call of $150.