Texas Hold'em

Poker has made its way from the back rooms of rusty steamships to the heart of modern internet culture. From side arms of the Mississippi stream to the core of the data stream that feeds our entertainment society. At the centre stage of the poker hype is, of course, the undisputed king of card games: Texas Hold'em Poker.

Rules and how to play

You are new to the game and/or want to get accustomed to Hold'em poker before you start playing? Then you will find it very helpful to read through the following section.

Dealer Button

The dealer button is a marker that is placed in front of the player who is last to act in that round. It's moved clockwise from player to player after every hand.

Small Blind / Big Blind

Before the cards are dealt, the first and second player to the left of the dealer button post the small blind and big blind respectively. The big blind usually doubles the amount of a small blind and indicates the minimum bet size for this table. Once the blinds are on the table, the following players can either call, raise, or fold.

Hole Cards

At the heart of the game are naturally the cards. In Texas Hold'em, every player gets dealt two hole cards, which means these cards are visible only to them. After the hole cards are dealt, a betting round begins and the community cards come off the deck.

Community Cards

The five community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table, visible to everybody. The community cards (also called the board) are not dealt at once but in three separate phases: the flop, the turn, and the river. The flop consists of three cards, with the turn and the river bringing one new card each. Between these phases, players get the chance to bet.

Hand Buildup

With the two personal hole cards and the five community cards, every player has a total of seven cards available to them (after the river has been dealt). Out of the seven cards, every player puts together the best-possible hand consisting of five cards. Visit our poker school to find a complete list of possible hands and their values.

Bets

Before and after the flop, after the turn and after the river, players get the chance to bet. They can bet as much as they like in No Limit and according to the table limits in Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Hold'em. If a player has raised, the following players can either call, re-raise or fold.

Ways to win

Every pot can be won in one of two ways: A) a player wins by betting and getting no call by other players or B) a player wins by showing the best hand when it comes to a showdown.

Split pots

Whenever two or more players have the same five card hand, the pot is split evenly between the players involved. If the pot can not be split perfectly, the odd extra amount will be awarded to the player nearest to the Small Blind position from a clockwise view.

Differences between Fixed Limit and Pot Limit

The only difference between No Limit, Limit, and Pot Limit is the betting structure. While in No Limit you are allowed to go all-in whenever it's your turn, Limit and Pot Limit games only allow you to bet a certain amount. Bear in mind that though this is only a small adjustment, it changes the character of the game significantly.