The most popular Poker variant, Texas Hold'em takes minutes to learn but ages to master. Don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you as when playing at a high level, the myriads of possible outcomes can make the game complex. So practice is the key, amigo. We'll feed you with a full course Texas Hold'em meal below but for starters, take a note of the following points:
To form the strongest 5-Card Poker hand, the Poker Hand Ranking System should be on the tips of a player. To ease it down for you, our gaming experts have jot down all possible hands in the next section.
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From highest to lowest, you can find all possible Texas Hold'em Poker hand rules here:
The game of Texas Hold'em begins with dealing two face down cards, also known as Hole cards, to each player. This round of distributing two Hole cards is known as the Pre-Flop Round. Post this round, three more betting rounds take place and in these three rounds, five Community cards are spread on the table. To win the game, all you have to do is form the strongest 5-Card Poker hand by coupling up your Hole cards and the Community cards.
The game of Texas Hold'em is all about forming the best 5-Card Poker hand. Sounds easy? But, it ain't really a cakewalk as forming the best 5-Card Poker hand demands a strategic mind.
Let's gander over on how the rules of Texas Hold'em look like:
The button placed on Hold'em table determines the position of the dealer. The player on button is considered to be the last active player to place bets on all post-flop streets of play.
This dealer button often dictates who the first players are to begin the betting round with the Small Blind and Big Blind bets. The two players sitting to the left of the dealer button place forced bets aka the blinds. The first player to the left places the Small Blind Bet and the player next to this player is bound to place the Big Blind Bet.
The blinds, also known as forced bets come in two forms: The Small Blind Bet and the Big Blind Bet. The Small Blind Bet is equivalent to half of the full betting amount for the round and the Big Blind Bet is equivalent to the full betting amount for the round.
Before beginning every round, two players at the table are bound to place these forced bets Without these forced bets, the game of Texas Hold'em would be very boring as no one would contribute towards the money into the pot.
There are four rounds of betting in Texas Hold'em which are discussed in detail below:
Round 1: Pre Flop Round
Pre Flop Round is the first round of betting in Texas Hold'em, in which each player has only two Hole cards. The player sitting left to the Big Blind begins the round, and this player has the following three options:
On choosing 'Fold' option, the player no longer qualifies to win the current hand.
Round 2: Flop Round
Flop Round is the second round of betting in Texas Hold'em, in which three community cards are dealt on the table marking the beginning of a new round. In this round, the players try to couple their two Hole cards with three community cards in order to form the best 5-Card Poker hand. The player sitting left to the button is the first active player for this round, and has an option to Check along with Call, Raise and Fold.
A Check simply means calling the current bet of zero, i.e., to pass the action to the next player in the hand by betting zero amount. Players often confuse between Check and Fold. Well, Check does not lead to packing away of cards. Rather, it renders an option to wait to raise/call in the later betting rounds.
Round 3: Turn Round
Turn Round is the third round of betting in Texas Hold'em, in which the fourth community card is dealt marking the beginning of another betting round. This round is similar to the Flop Round and offers 4 betting options to the players: Check, Call, Raise or Fold.
Round 4: River Round
River Round is the fourth round of betting followed by the final Showdown in Texas Hold'em. The fifth and the final community card is dealt in this round. Even this final round of betting offers 4 betting options, which are Check, Call, Raise or Fold.
The final Showdown takes place after all the four rounds of betting are completed. In this, the remaining players expose their hole cards and with the dealer's assistance the winning hand is determined. The player with the best 5-Card Poker hand wins the pot.
Limit Hold'em determines and limits the betting amounts to a fixed sum. Usually, small bets are placed for the first two betting rounds and big bets are placed for the remaining two betting rounds.
For example, In a Limit Hold'em game with a $4.00 limit, all bets with an exception of the Small Blind Bet would be $4.00. The Small Blind Bet would be $2.00 and the Large Blind Bet would be $4.00. So, if players intend to bet or raise it would be by $4.00, and $4.00 only. Usually, the lower limit is for the first two betting rounds and the higher limit is for the remaining two betting rounds. In this instance, $2.00 is for the Pre-Flop and Flop round; and $4.00 for the Turn and River round.
No Limit Hold'em is played just like Limit Hold'em with an exception of no pre-determined betting amount and Raise sizes. What really determines your betting limits is the size of the stack of chips in front of you.
For example, A player has a stack of chips worth $300 and he starts a hand with $300 only. The opponent raises the bet to $500. If the player wins $300 of opponent's $500 bet then the player will stack up his chips with $300 again and the remaining $200 goes into the side pot.
Our gaming experts understand that sparing some time to plough through an extensive Texas Hold'em rules and strategies book can be a task. Hence, they present a quick-tip guide to Texas Hold'em especially for you. So next time, before hitting the online Hold'em table, take into consideration the following tips:
Position plays a substantial role in Texas Hold'em. If you are sitting in opener's position and fortunately have a good hand in forming then you can open with a strong bet to take advantage and win the pot. If you are sitting in Late Position like the Button then you'll have a lot more information as you are the last to act. So, you can decide on your betting option accordingly.
Only an experienced Hold'em player knows the significance of Folding cards. Choose to Call or Raise, only if you have a good, tight and solid hand. High pairs like A-A, K-K, Q-Q and J-J are considered to be a solid hand when in early position.
The art of bluffing can be mastered only with time and practice. But for starters, our gaming experts recommend high vigilance. Always keep an eye on your opponents' moves and facial expressions as it will help you bluff wisely.
Don't get carried away with the dozens of stake level online. Start off low and eventually clinch for higher stakes because at a certain level the demand for skill level will get higher and the amount of aggression will be out of control. So, know your comfort zone and don't be enticed with high stake levels online.
There's nothing wrong in folding away your cards. At times the need of the hour is to walk away. So, if you have a weak two Hole cards then it is highly advisable to pack up and not play any further hand.