How to Play Texas Hold’Em

Game Play

Each player is dealt two private cards in hold ’em, which are dealt first. The croupier deals to the player to the left first (in the small blind position). We use one standard deck of cards with no jokers. Once everyone has two private cards, betting begins before the *flop. Each player bets until they fold, put in all of their chips or have matched the active players. When this has finished, the three community cards (flop) is dealt. 

The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer’s left and continue clockwise. After the flop betting round ends, a single community card is dealt, known as the *turn, followed by a third betting round. 

A final single community card, also known as the *river is then dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.

In all casinos, the dealer will burn a card before the flop, turn, and river. Because of this burn, players who are betting cannot see the back of the next community card to come. This is done for historical/traditional reasons, to avoid any possibility of a player knowing in advance the next card to be dealt due to it being marked.

The showdown

If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. On the showdown, each player plays the best poker hand they can make from the seven cards comprising his two hole cards and the five community cards. A player can use both of his own two hole cards, only one, or none at all, to form his final five-card hand. If the five community cards form the player’s best hand, then the player is said to be playing the board and can only hope to split the pot, because each other player can also use the same five cards to construct the same hand.

If the best hand is shared by more than one player, then the pot is split equally among them, with any extra chips going to the first players after the button in clockwise order. Commonly players have closely ranked hands. If the hand involves fewer than five cards, including two pairs or three of a kind then *kickers are used to settle ties. The numerical value of the card is the only determining factor.

*Flop= The first three community cards.

*Turn=The Fourth community card.

*River=The Fifth community card.

*Small Blind=Half the minimum stake of the table.

*Big Blind=The minimum stake of the table.

*Kickers=Kickers are side cards used to break ties. In the following example the J-5-3 and J-6-5 are kickers. If one player has a hand consisting of K-K-J-5-3 and another player has a hand consisting of K-K-J-6-5 the hand with the 6 would win as it out ranks the 5.