Beginner’s Guide to Texas Hold’em

By Sarah Borroum

With so many people all over the world taking up poker, you’re bound to be curious about some of the games. Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game right now. This is the Main Event in the World Series of Poker; the game of choice on the World Poker Tour, and the game that you’re most likely to see on other televised tournaments.

You’re also very likely to see Hold’em in home games, which is a very good incentive to learn the basic rules of the game. Knowing how to play the current king of the poker games will give you something new and interesting to do with friends and family members. And if you work on your skills, you just might earn a solid reputation at the table.

Typically, you’ll play Hold’em with blinds instead of antes. Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the immediate left of the dealer button will put in blinds. The small blind is half the amount of the big blind, incidentally.

So, unless you’re in the big or small blind, you’ll see your first two cards for free. These two cards, dealt face down, are commonly known as your hole cards. Only you can use your hole cards to make a hand.

Your first betting round takes place after you see these two cards. There are three different Hold’em games: Fixed, Pot- and No-limit. If you’re playing fixed limit, you can bet or raise a set amount. In pot-limit games, you can bet or raise the size of the pot. And in no-limit situations, you can throw in every chip you have any time it’s your turn to act.

After your first betting round, the dealer will put out three community cards. These are, collectively, known as the flop. Every player at the table will use the community cards to make the best five-card hand. After the flop, you have a total of five cards that you can use to make your hand. You’ll see another betting round.

The next community card is called the turn. Everybody who’s still involved with the hand will go through another betting round.

The last card is called the river. You now have a total of seven cards that you can use to make a five-card hand. You do not have to use either of your hole cards, either.

After the river, you’ll see your last betting round. The best five-card hand wins – and the usual poker hand ranks apply. (A flush beats a straight, for example, just as three of a kind beats two pairs.)

You should also know that there are two ways to play poker: cash/ring games and tournaments. In cash games, you can get up and leave whenever you want. If you lose your chip stack, you can buy more.

In some tournaments, you can rebuy after you lose all of your poker chips, but only until a certain level of play. In freezeout tourneys, however, you go home when your last chip is gone.

Cash games and tourneys can both be lots of fun. You might be better at one than the other, so give both a try. Most casinos and other card rooms offer both cash games and tourneys. Online poker rooms have the same deal. One advantage to the online poker world is the fact that most sites offer play money. You pay nothing for these chips, so you can learn the basics of Hold’em for free.

Now you know enough to start playing Hold’em. There are, however, a few other simple things that you should learn while you’re getting comfortable with the cards.

* Handling your chips. Familiarize yourself with each chip’s denomination so that you don’t have to fumble around, or waste time, when it’s your turn to act. The dealer or the game’s host is usually happy to tell you what each chip is worth.

* Hand rankings. You can easily find hand rankings online. Many decks of playing cards also include a card that tells you which hands beat the others. Take a few moments to memorize this list. This doesn’t take long, but it’s important to know what beats your full house, straight, et cetera.

* Hide your hole cards. Some players aren’t very careful when they look at these cards. Be sure that you can get a clear look at yours – without showing the players on either side of you.

Texas Hold’em does not take long to learn. You will know what’s going on after just a few hands. But, as many poker players will tell you, this poker game takes a lifetime to master. You’ll learn the basics fairly quickly, but there are strategy tips and other information that you’ll gradually pick up as you continue playing and studying the game.