Learning Poker For Dummies

3/31/2022 admin

This is the second part of our article series on the rules of poker, and more precisely about its most widespread variety - No-Limit Texas Hold’em. The first part can be found here - How to Play Poker: Ultimate Guide to the Rules of Poker (Texas Hold’em) - Part 1. This article explains the progress and sequence of actions at the poker tables in a detailed way and will answer the question of most newbies - 'what are the rules of poker'.

Learning Poker For Beginners

Playing the game in Texas Poker

Texas Hold'em rules are pretty simple - a lot easier than it might seem at the beginning. We have tried to describe all the pecularities in detail so that even dummies could understand the subtleties of the game without problems. This article could have been called Texas Hold'em poker rules for dummies. At the same time here you will find not only basic rules of Texas Hold'em poker, but also a detailed explanation of complex aspects.

Poker chips or substitute (optional) Basic Poker rules. Learning to how to play basic poker is not nearly as hard as many people imagine. There are generally two types: Stud Poker and Draw Poker. The rules for these games are almost identical and both are presented here. In Stud Poker, each player is dealt five cards (or seven for some games). Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. Learn Some B asic Poker Odds — Poker involves math. You don’t have to be a numbers genius to improve your game however. You don’t have to be a numbers genius to improve your game however. Just understanding the basic odds behind hitting certain hands can be very beneficial for people just starting out. Poker For Dummies Cheat Sheet By Richard D. Harroch, Lou Krieger Whether you play poker for fun or money, you can use bluffing strategies and the rules of etiquette for games at home. If you play for money, tips for managing your poker chips may come in handy.

Every player at the table in a game of Texas Hold’em is dealt two pocket cards (pocket cards are oftentimes called with one word - ‘hand’). After the cards are dealt every player has an option to place a bet or surrender. There are four betting rounds in the game - preflop, flop, turn, and river, which we will explain more closely further on. Betting rounds are also called ‘streets’. During the betting rounds 5 community cards are dealt to the table in three stages: the first three on the flop, then one more and then another one. Because this cards are considered community cards, any player can you them to form his poker hand. It turns out that every player has seven cards in his disposal (2 pocket cards and 5 community cards), he has to choose those five that will allow him to form the strongest possible poker hand (combination). Depending on the community cards strength, every player can use either 1 of his pocket cards and 4 community cards, or both pocket cards with 3 community cards, or even none of his pocket cards, using only the community cards on the table. Community cards are used only to form poker combinations. None of the player can take them, but at the same time, for example, 3 players can use the same community card to form their hands.

Example. There are 3 players in the hand with completely identical cards - . Imagine, that Player 1 has - , Player 2 - , and Player 3 - . Community cards are - . Thus, every player will use community cards to form identical combinations - two pairs, Kings and Queens (we will describe combinations in a more detailed way later in this article).

The winner will be considered the one whose 5-card combination will be the strongest, or the one who will be able to force out of the game other players with the help of betting and will remain alone on the showdown. After the end of each hand, all players muck their cards and the deck is shuffled, thus, each and every hand starts with the completely new cards dealt to players.

Briefly, the rules of Texas Hold’em look like this (details are below):

Two players sitting on the left to the dealer post blinds: small blind and big blind;
Every player receives 2 pocket cards;
The first betting round starts (preflop);
First three community cards are dealt on the board face up (flop cards);
The second betting round occurs (flop);
Next community card is dealt face up (turn card);
The third betting round occurs (turn);
The fifth and last community card is dealt on the board face up (river card). Thus, there are 5 community cards dealt on the board face up;
The last betting round proceeds (river).
If after the last betting round there are more than one active player, the players proceed to the showdown. Players should use any of their two pocket cards and 5 community cards to form a 5-card poker hand. The pot is won by the player with the strongest combination of cards.

Let’s get into more details...

Playing order in poker

Texas Hold’em has its own rules of players taking turns at the table:

Betting at the table always happens clockwise;
After any player at the table takes an action (you will discover possible actions at the table later on in this article), he can’t reverse his decision and the turn goes to next player sitting after him (clockwise, again), i.e., sitting to his left;
In the first betting round (preflop) the first player to act is the one sitting to the left of big blind;
Starting from the second round of betting (on the flop, turn, and river), the betting always starts with the player sitting to the left of the dealer (small blind);
All bets that have been made in each betting rounds are put into the pot;
The betting round is finished when all the players have made equal bets or folded their cards. Then the game goes to the next phase - flop, turn, river or showdown.
If one of the opponents (let’s call him Player A) made a bet and his bet was raised by another opponent (let’s call him Player B), then Player A has one more decision to make: fold his cards, call the bet or make another raise;
If one of the players has less money in his stack than his opponents bet, the player is considered all-in. In this case, two pots are formed - the main pot and side pot. Both pots are played apart from each other among all players who participated in the hand. Example: On the flop Player A has $10, Players B and C - $15. Pot on flop = $20. Player B bets $15 and gets a call from Player C. If player A will also call this bet, 2 pots will be formed: main pot = money, that have already been invested into the pot + players bets in the limit of the player stack with less money in it: in our case - Player A, i.e. $20 + $10 (Player A) + $10 (Player B) + $10 (Player C) = $50. The side pot is formed out of the difference between all the bets and main pot, thus, side pot = money, that have already been in pot + players bets - the main pot. In our case = $20 + $15+ $15 +$10 - $50 = $60 - $50 = $10. Player A will fight only for the main pot (because he has been investing his bets only in this pot), but players B and C - for the main pot and side pot. First the side pot between players B and C is played, then there is turn for the main pot between all the players at the table.
If more than one player reached the showdown, players are showing their cards and players hands are compared one to another. The pot is won by the player with the strongest poker hand at the table.
If only one player reached the showdown, he collects the full pot.
If two or more players have similar poker hands, pot is split among both of them.

Poker has a rule, according to which player is taking part in the game only with the amount of money he has in his stack (stack - the amount of chips one has before him on the table). You can add chips to your stack only between hands. You cannot take money out of your stack - the only option is to leave the table with all your money. As was already mentioned before, in case a player has ran out of money in his stack during the betting rounds, he continues to participate in hand, but he is not participating in further betting rounds anymore and thus the side pot is formed at the table.

Players actions at the poker table

Every player, depending on the betting activity at the table, can choose one of the following actions during the game:

Place a bet;
Make a raise of the previous bet - bet the bigger amount than any of the opponents before;
Make a re-raise - this is an action during the betting round when a player raises the raise of a player before him;
Call the bet - make a bet equal to the bet of the opponent before. In other words, this means to bet the same amount of chips your opponent have put into pot before you;
Check - this means not betting any amount of chips. You can play check only when the amount of your previous bet equals the amount of your opponents bets, i.e., if nobody has made any bets before you in the current betting round. For example, you’re on the big blind, one of the players had made a call, i.e., called your big blind bet, and all other players folded their cards. In this case you can perform a check;
Fold - meaning not to participate in the betting rounds anymore and muck your cards. This action can be performed during one of the betting rounds, when a player deliberately refuses to continue his participation in a given hand by mucking his cards. As a rule, fold is performed in a situation when a player has weak cards with a low probability of forming a winning combination. After the hand is folded player loses all his chips that he had previously put into the pot during the betting rounds.

Betting limits

In the game of No-Limit Texas Hold’em players can make bets of any size during each betting round. However, there’s a limit on the minimum size of your bet. The size of the minimal re-raise is calculated by the following formula:

The size of the previous re-raise + amount of chips needed to call

For example, let’s imagine that you’re playing No-Limit Texas Hold’em with $1/$2 stakes. There was no raises before you. Minimum raise amount in that case will be equal $4 ($2 (that we would need to call) + $2 (as a raise to the previous bet before you, in our example - the size of a big blind).

The maximum bet size is unlimited. If the amount of the bet equals the whole player’s stack (stack - the amount of money player has on a table in front of him) - he is considered all-in.

The rules of preflop, flop, turn, and river. Determining the winner on showdown

1. The rules of preflop in No-Limit Texas Hold’em

Betting between players involved in the hand starts immediately after posting the blinds, when the cards are dealt to players. On preflop players are making bets, based only on their own pocket cards. The betting starts with the player who is sitting directly to the left of a player sitting in a big blind position. Then the right to act is passed to the next players clockwise.

Player can make the following decisions on preflop:

Refuse to play with his pocket cards and fold the hand by clicking the “Fold” button;
Call the big blind and take a look on the decisions of other players at the table;
Raise the bet by clicking the “Raise” button, i.e., make a larger bet then the size of a big blind. On preflop players on blind are always making their decisions last. However, on the other streets (betting rounds, i.e., flop, turn, and river) they will be acting first.

One question most of the poker beginners always ask: “Why I can’t play check on preflop, if I don’t want to raise, call or fold?”. The answer is simple - blind in No-Limit Texas Hold’em are considered bets. According to No-Limit Texas Hold’em rules, you cannot continue betting unless you have called the bets of your opponents.

Based on the preflop betting activity, you can make conclusions about your opponent's hand strength. Thus, players with strong starting hands will have to play aggressively and make raises on preflop, to force out of the hand as much opponents with weaker hands as possible, and don’t let them see the flop community cards. An aggressive way of playing your starting hands on preflop will give you an advantage and initiative. Initiative in No-Limit Texas Hold’em always stays with a player who made the last raise on preflop.

When all the players have called the bets or folded own pocket cards, the preflop betting round is considered complete. If no one has made any bets and all players have folded their cards, the pot (which will consist only of the blinds) will be taken by the player sitting on the big blind position (it can be called BB). But if one of the players will make a bet and no one will want to call it, this player will win the whole pot (consisting of blinds and his bet). If any of the players will make a bet and his opponent will decide to call it, the preflop betting round will be considered complete and all players still active in the given hand will proceed to the next betting round - flop.

2. The rules of flop in poker (No-Limit Texas Hold’em)

After the preflop betting round is complete, according to the rules of Texas Hold'em, all the players remaining in the hand, have the opportunity to see three community cards, i.e., flop cards. The betting round with the three community cards on a table is called the flop.

Second and all the following betting rounds begin with the player who sits on a position of small blind. Starting from the flop, the last action in the betting round will always be taken by a dealer, i.e., player on the ‘Button’.

Player can make the following decisions on flop:

Skip his action and don’t make any bets (by clicking the ‘Check’ button). On postflop (on flop, turn, and river) every player has an option to check until any of his opponents will make a bet.
Make a bet (by clicking ‘Raise’ button). In No-Limit Texas Hold’em the player chooses the size of his bet on his own, but it can’t be lower than the size of the big blind. After any player has made a bet on flop other players lose an option to skip the action (check). They would need either to call this bet, or to make a bet of larger amount, or fold their cards, refusing to continue the participation in the hand.

After all the bets on flop had been called the betting round is considered complete. All the made bets are summed with the pot and players still active in the hand are proceeding to the next betting round - turn.

3. The rules of turn in poker (No-Limit Texas Hold’em)

After the second betting round (flop) is finished, according to the Texas Hold’em rules players still active in the hand are granted an option to see one more community card - turn card. The betting round with four community cards on a table is called ‘turn’.

The fourth community card, turn card, is also available to use drawing your poker hand. Players still active in the pot are going through one more, third betting round. The turn playing rules are the same to the ones on flop.

All the bets made are once again summed up with the overall pot and players still active in the hand are proceeding to the next betting round - river.

4. The rules of river in poker (No-Limit Texas Hold’em)

After the third betting round (turn) is finished, according to the Texas Hold’em rules, players still active in the hand are given an opportunity to see one more (and the last) community card - river card. The betting round with the five community cards on the board is called the ‘river’.

The river playing rules are the same to the ones on flop and turn.

River is the final, fourth betting round in No-Limit Texas Hold’em. All five community cards are placed on a board and every player has to form his combination using five cards. Every player sees seven cards in total (two pocket cards and five community cards on a table).

After all players had made their bets the showdown occurs, where the winner of the hand is determined.

5. Determining the winner of the hand (Showdown)

Showdown is a moment of truth in No-Limit Texas Hold’em (or simply poker in our series of articles). On a showdown players open their cards and determine who has the strongest combination (the strongest hand).

Player can use two of his pocket cards and three community cards on a board to form his combination; besides, player can use only one of his pocket cards and four community cards, or even all five of the community cards. This doesn’t change anything. The main thing - player has to have exactly five cards in his final hand - no more, no less.

Player with the strongest poker combination wins the hand and takes the pot. If one or more players have equal poker combinations, this players split the pot equally.

In the case where during the No-Limit Texas Hold’em game none of the players have called the opponent bet and everyone folded instead, the last player to bet will win the pot automatically, because he’s the last active player in the hand. In this case player has an option to show his cards, because none of his opponents had called the bet and he has no one to compare the strength of his cards with.

It’s important to remember that in Hold’em, no suit has an advantage over another.

After the winner of a given hand is determined, the next hand starts. The dealer’s ‘button’ moves clockwise to the next player, and two players after him post blinds. Right after that all players receive their pocket cards. Thus, everything returns to the preflop stage.

Now the second part of our article series about rules of playing poker can be considered complete. If you would like to continue studying the poker rules for beginners, please read the third article of the series - Ultimate Guide To The Rules of Poker (Texas Hold’em) - Part 3: Poker Hands.

Knowledge base's sections

The best about poker

Five reasons why I've made money and continue doing this playing poker
The psychology of poker
The fundamental theorem of poker
Poker theorems
The probabilities of getting specific starting hands on preflop
Poker mathematics

Like the title suggests, this page is designed to take a
person who knows nothing about Texas holdem and walk them step
by step through the game so they can start playing without
embarrassing themselves. The title should really say Texas
holdem for the ignorant because not knowing about something is
ignorance, not a matter of being dumb. But for dummies is much
more catchy so we went with it.

Just understand that what you don’t know about Texas holdem
doesn’t rank you with the dummies of the population, and after
reading this page you’ll have graduated to a level far above the
dummies stage. If you really study and learn from the details
below you’ll probably advance past the bottom 25% of the poker
population immediately.

Where else can you get a jump on a quarter of the population
by simply reading a page?

One of the best ways to learn how to play a new game is by
watching other players, but if you don’t understand the terms
the players are using and don’t understand the rules it can take
a long time to pick up on the fine points of the game.

It’s somewhat like trying to learn a new language by moving
to a new country without taking any language lessons.

This page starts with the basics by covering the important
terms you’ll hear at the table and then goes over the possible
poker hands and their strengths. Then you’ll learn the exact
step by step way a game of Texas holdem is set up and how a hand
is played, and as a bonus we’ve included a basic strategy
section.

If your goal is to be able to start playing Texas holdem as
quickly as possible without looking like you’re inexperienced or
don’t know what you’re doing this page will prepare you like no
other resource.

Basic Terms

In order to understand a game at the most basic level you
have to learn some of the common terms. Like many games, Texas
holdem players use a specialized language with terms that aren’t
used in normal conversation or terms that mean something
different than you’re used to.

Here’s a list of common terms used at the Texas holdem table.

Hole Cards
The two cards dealt face down to each
player. Your two card starting hand is your hole cards.
Burn Card
The dealer places a card in the discard
pile, also called the muck, before dealing the flop, turn,
and river. This card is called a burn card. The phrase burn
and turn refers to burning a card and turning over the next
community card.
Community Cards
The community cards are cards placed
face up in the center of the poker table. These cards are
used in combination with your hole cards to make the best
possible five card poker hand. Every player uses the
community cards. The community cards are made up of the
flop, turn, and river. Some players call the community cards
the board.
Flop
The flop is the first set of community cards
dealt after the first betting round. Three cards are dealt
face up.
Turn
The turn is a single community card dealt
following the betting round conducted after the flop.
River
The final community card is called the river and
it is dealt after the betting round following the turn.
Showdown
After all of the community cards are dealt
and all of the betting rounds have been completed all of the
remaining players show their hole cards and the winning
player receives the pot. When the players show their cards
it’s called the showdown.
Fold
When you fold you turn your cards in to the
dealer face down instead of calling the current bet.
Call
If you decide to remain in the hand you must call
any bet that has been made earlier in the round. This
includes the big blind on the first round of betting.
Raise
A raise is when you not only call the current
bet but decide to place a larger bet. This is all done at
one time, unlike what you often see on television. You don’t
say I’ll call and raise. You simply state that you’re
raising and push the amount of chips forward to cover the
call and the raise. If you say I call and raise it’s a
string bet and this isn’t allowed in poker rooms.
Check
When there hasn’t been a bet on the current
round of betting you may check to the next person. You can’t
check on the first round unless you’re in the big blind and
no one has raised. You must call, raise, or fold on the
first round in any position other than the big blind.
All In
In a no limit Texas holdem game you can push
all of your chips into the pot whenever it’s your turn to
place a bet. When you bet all of your chips it’s called all
in. You can say I’m all in.
Limit Holdem
Limit Texas holdem has a strict bet and
raise limit on each round of betting. The first two betting
rounds are the same size as the big blind and the last two
rounds are played at double this amount. If the big blind is
$40, the small blind will be $20, the first two betting
rounds will be $40 per bet and the last two will be
conducted at $80 per bet. This means that when you bet you
have to bet the amount for the current round. When you arise
you can only raise the current limit. On the first betting
round of the example above, you can fold, call the $40 big
blind, or raise to a total of $80, which is your call of $40
and a raise of $40. A limit game with the above limits is
called a $40 / $80 game.
No Limit Holdem
No limit Texas holdem has a small and
big blind like limit holdem but you can raise any amount up
to the size of your stack of chips. The only restriction is
if you raise you have to raise at least an amount equal to
the last bet of the round. If the last bet was $20 you have
to raise at least $20. If no one has made a bet on the
current round you can raise any amount.
Big Blind
The big blind is a forced bet that a player
must make on every hand of Texas holdem. It’s also the name
of the position for the player who’s forced to make the bet.
The big blind is two seats to the left of the player in the
dealer position. After each hand the big blind moves one
seat to the left. In limit Texas holdem the big blind is
equal to the smaller of the two betting limits. In a $20 /
$40 game the big blind is $20. In a no limit game the size
of the big blind is determined by the house.
Small Blind
The small blind is a forced bet that is
made on each hand of Texas holdem. It also refers to the
position of the player making this forced bet. The small
blind is between the player in the dealer or button position
and the big blind. The amount of the small blind is almost
always half the amount of the big blind. If the big blind is
$20 the small blind is $10. Occasionally you may see a table
with a small blind that is a different amount, but it’s
rare. The small blind rotates one seat to the left after
each hand.
Dealer or Button
The dealer or button is the player
who is the last person to act on every round except the
first one. This player usually has a small round disc in
front of them that looks somewhat like a button. In a poker
room the casino personnel who deal the cards is called a
dealer, but when you hear someone refer to the dealer
position or button they mean the player, not the person
dealing the cards. The dealer button is passed to the next
player to the left after each hand.
Under the Gun
Under the gun refers to the position who
is first to act on the first betting round. This player is
seated immediately to the left of the big blind.
Chips
Chips, or poker chips, are the round things,
usually made of clay, you receive in exchange for your cash.
You use the chips to make bets and when you’re done you
exchange the chips back for cash in the cashier cage area.
Stack
Your stack is your collection of poker chips at
the poker table you use to place bets with.
Position
Position is a term used to describe where
you’re seated at a table in relation to the other players.
Your position changes as the dealer button is passed around
the table. Early position is when you have to act first or
second in the hand and late position is when you have to act
in the last two positions of the hand. Middle position is in
between early and late position.
Nuts
The nuts is a term used to describe the absolute
best possible poker hand in the current situation. If the
best possible hand is an ace high flush, if a person holds
an ace high flush he has the nuts. If you have the nuts
after the river you can’t lose the hand unless you fold.
Many players incorrectly use this term when they have a very
strong hand but not the absolute best possible hand.
Rake
In real money Texas holdem games the casino or
poker room makes money by taking a small amount from each
pot. This is called the rake. Both land based and online
poker rooms take rake.
Ring Game
A ring game is a Texas holdem game that has
players join and leave as they run out of chips or decide to
stop playing. You bring chips to the table and leave with
whatever chips you have left or have won. If you run out of
chips you can buy more and keep playing if you wish. If you
walk into a local poker room or log into an online poker
room and join a game in progress it’s a ring game.
Sit and Go Tournament
A sit and go tournament is a
small tournament, usually with nine or 10 players. You pay a
set buy in and the final three players win prize money.
First place usually receives 50% of the prize pool; second
place gets 30%, and third place receives 20%. When you run
out of chips you’re eliminated from the tournament. A few
online poker rooms run two or three table sit and go
tournaments, but traditionally they’re single table events.
Multi Table Tournaments
Multi table tournaments make
up every other tournament. The events at the World Series of
Poker are multi table events and many online poker rooms run
big events. You pay a fee, receive a set number of chips,
and play until you win all of the chips in play or run out
of chips. Usually somewhere around the top 8 to 12% of the
tournament entrants finish in the money. A few tournaments,
called re-buy tournaments, allow players to buy back into
the tournament for a limited time if they lose all of their
chips. Most tournaments don’t offer re-buy opportunities so
if you lose all of your chips you’re eliminated.

Hand Values

Each game of Texas holdem is dealt using a standard playing
card deck of 52 cards. Each deck has four suits made up of 13
cards per suit. The four suits are spades, hearts, clubs, and
diamonds. In Texas holdem each suit is equal in value.

The ranks of card in each suit from lowest to highest are 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, and ace.

The following hand values are ranked from highest value to
lowest. Go down the list until you find the value of your
highest possible hand. Then do the same for your opponent’s
hand. Whoever has the highest hand on the list wins the hand.

Royal Flush
A royal flush consists of the top five
cards all in the same suit. The ace, king, queen, jack, and
10 of hearts make up one of the four possible royal flush
hands. The same five cards, all in spades, or all in
diamonds, or all in clubs is also a royal flush.
Straight Flush
A straight flush is five cards in
order, all of the same suit. The 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 all of clubs
is a straight flush.
Four of a Kind
Four of a kind is a hand with four
cards of the same rank. A hand that has the 10 of clubs, 10
of hearts, 10 of spades, and 10 of diamonds has a four of a
kind in 10’s. In the case of two players each having four of
a kind, the player with the higher ranked four of a kind
wins the hand. If the board has four of a kind the player
with the highest other card wins the hand. If the board has
four of a kind and a higher fifth card than any remaining
player the pot is split between all remaining players.
Full House
A full house has three cards of the same
rank and two cards of the same rank that don’t match the
first three cards. If you have three aces and two kings, you
have a full house. If you hear a player say they have a full
house with aces full of kings, the three of a kind is stated
first and the pair is stated second. If two or more players
each have a full house the player with the highest ranked
three of a kind wins the hand. If the three of a kind is the
same the player with the highest pair wins the hand.
Flush
A flush is a hand with all five cards of the
same suit. If two or more players have a flush, the one with
the highest ranked card wins the hand. If two or more
players have the same highest ranked card they compare their
next highest ranked card and so on until one player has a
card of higher rank than the other players.
Straight
A straight is five cards in sequential order
but not all of the same suit. For the purposes of a straight
an ace can be used as the card above a king or below a two.
An example of a straight is 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 with at least
two different suits. If two or more players have a straight
the one with the highest card in their straight is the
winner.
Three of a Kind
Three of a kind is three cards of the
same rank. If you have the 8 of diamonds, 8 of clubs, and 8
of spades you have three of a kind of 8’s. If two players
have the same three of a kind their next highest card
decides the winner. If two players have different three of a
kind hands the one with the highest ranked three of a kind
is the winner. If a player has a pair in their hole cards
and the board makes them a three of a kid hand it’s called a
set. If the board has two matching cards and you match them
with one of your cards it’s called trips.
Two Pair
Two pair is two cards of the same rank and
another two cards of the same rank that aren’t the same rank
as the first pair. If you have a 7 of spades and a 7 of
hearts and an 8 of hearts and an 8 of diamonds you have two
pair. If two or more players have two pair the player with
the highest ranked pair is the winner.
Pair
A pair of cards is two cards of the same rank.
Two aces or two threes both count as a pair. If two or more
players have a pair the player with the highest ranked pair
is the winner. If two players have the same ranked pair the
player with the next highest ranked card wins.
High Card
If no players have a pair or better the
player with the highest ranked card is declared the winner.
If they have the same highest ranked card their next highest
ranked cards are compared. This continues until one player
has a higher ranked card than their opponent. If all five
cards are the same rank the pot is split.

How to Play

Texas holdem games are available in ring games and
tournaments, but the same basic rules govern how to play both
types of games. If you follow the step by step details below
you’ll be able to play in any type of Texas holdem game.

Joining or Starting a Game

If you join a ring game in progress the dealer and blind
positions will be set from the previous hand. Depending on the
house rules you may have to wait for the big blind to come
around to where you’re seated before you can start playing. Some
places let you post a bet equal to the big blind to start
playing right away.

If you’re seated at the beginning of a tournament or when a
ring game starts the dealer shuffles the cards and then deals
one card face up to each player at the table. The player who
receives the highest card is awarded the dealer button for the
first hand.

Dealing & the Blinds

The first player to the left of the dealer button places the
small blind and the next player to the left places the big
blind. Then the person dealing the cards deals two cards to each
player at the table, one at a time starting with the small blind
and going to the left, finishing once the button player has
received her second card.

Initial Betting Round

At this time the first player to the left of the big blind
folds, calls the big blind, or raises. Play continues to the
left with each player either calling the current bet or blind if
no one has raised, folding, or raising. Play continues until
each player has called the last bet or folded. In a limit game
all bets and raises are the amount of the smaller limit on this
round and the next betting round.

If no one raises the small blind can call the half bet,
called completing the bet, and the big blind has the choice to
check if the pot hasn’t been raised, or fold.

The Flop

After all of the betting action has been completed on the
first round of betting the dealer burns the card on top of the
deck and then turns the next three cards face up in the center
of the table. These three cards are the first of the five
community cards and called the flop.

Each player uses their two hole cards in combination with the
five board cards to make their best possible five card hand. You
can use both of your hole cards with three of the community
cards, one of your hole cards with four of the community cards,
or all five of the community cards and neither of your hole
cards.

After the flop the first person to the left of the dealer
button remaining in the hand can check or bet. In a limit game
the bet must be the smaller limit amount. In a no limit game the
bet can be any amount up to and including the amount of chips
the player has in front of them.

Play continues to the left. Each player may check if no bet
has been made, call if a bet has been made, bet if a bet hasn;t
been made, or raise if a bet has been made. Play continues to
the left until each player has checked or each player has called
the most recent bet or folded.

The Turn

The dealer burns the top card and deals the next card face up
with the other community cards. This is called the turn. In
limit Texas holdem all bets on the turn and river are at the
higher limit.

After the turn card is dealt the first player to the left of
the dealer button remaining in the hand either checks or bets.
Play continues to the left like it did on the flop with each
player checking, calling, betting, or raising depending on what
has happened before on this betting round.

The River & Showdown

When all of the betting has been completed on the turn the
dealer burns a final card and places the fifth and final
community card face up. A betting round identical to the one on
the turn is completed. After the river betting round all of the
remaining players turn their cards over and the player with the
best hand wins the pot. If more than one player has the exact
same winning hand the pot is split between the players with the
tied best hand.

After the dealer gives the pot to the winning player the
dealer button is passed one place to the left and the blinds
move one place to the left. Once the two blinds pay their forced
bets the next hand starts.

Basic Strategy

It;s one thing to be able to play Texas holdem, but it;s
another thing to be able to do it without losing all of your
money quickly. If you want to not only play your first Texas
holdem game but want to have a decent chance to break even
here;s a few tips to help you get started.

You should know that winning Texas holdem players have been
playing and studying for years in most cases. While you can
learn a few thing that can help you be competitive quickly, this
represents a small part of strategy. If you want to learn more
or become competitive faster you need to check out our strategy
section.

Play at the smallest limits available. This keeps your
initial investment as low as possible and will keep you from
losing too much as you make mistakes while you’re learning.
Play at the limit Texas holdem tables at first instead
of the no limit tables. While you can still lose money
quickly, a single mistake usually won’t cost you your entire
stack like it can at the no limit tables.
If you can find tables with other new or inexperienced
players it can give you the best chance to win.
Learn about pot odds and start using them to make
decisions at the table. We have an extensive page on them so
you can quickly learn more.
At the most basic level you need to focus on only
playing with your best starting hands. When you start with a
better hand than your opponents you’ll end up with a better
hand more often than they will. Most players play too many
hands, so focus on playing fewer hands and remain patient.
Don’t bluff. If you watch poker on television you see
many players bluffing. As you’re learning how to play forget
about bluffing. When you have a good hand bet and raise and
when you have a poor hand check and fold. You can worry
about bluffing once you become a better player.
A full house is a monster hand and rarely loses in a
Texas holdem game. Flushes are the next most powerful hand,
followed by three of a kind. When you have one of these
three hands you’ll usually win the pot. Many pots are won
with a high pair or a two pair hand, but both of these hands
are vulnerable to better hands.
You can practice playing online at the free money
tables, but the play is so bad it’s difficult to get better
from a strategy standpoint. You still need to try to play
using the best strategy but until you start playing for real
money it can be hard to see if your decisions are right or
not.
Instead of playing at the free money tables take a seat
at the micro limit tables. Many online sites have limit
Texas holdem tables as low as .05 /.10. Even though you’re
only playing with nickels and dimes the play is much more
realistic at these levels and you can work on improving your
game.
Always focus on playing the best game possible. Even if
you’re playing for free or small stakes treat each game and
hand like it’s for thousands of dollars. If you want to be
the best player possible you need to concentrate every time
you play poker.
The best position at the table is the dealer button. You
get to see how the other players play the hand before you
have to play. The blinds and under the gun are the worst
positions. Play fewer hands from the poor positions and more
hands from the best positions.
Always pay attention while playing Texas holdem. Watch
the other players even when you fold your hand. See if you
can figure out which ones are good and which ones aren’t.
You can often learn things about other players by watching
that you can use to make more money against them in the
future.

How to Get Started

The quickest way to get started is by signing up for an
online poker room. Your options depend a great deal on where you
live. If you live in the United States you’ll only find a few
poker rooms available, unless you live in one of the states with
specific laws allowing online play. If you live in the UK or
many other places around the world you’ll have more options.

Once you find a poker room sign up for a free account and
head over to the cashier area. Make a deposit and claim a bonus
if the poker room is offering a sign up bonus. Most bonuses
aren’t placed in your account right away. You have to play a
certain amount of real money hands before the bonus is released,
usually in small increments of $10 or so.

To make a deposit you can use a credit card, a bank wire, or
one of the popular online wallet accounts, depending on where
you live. The cashier area will have additional details about
the methods available to players where you live.

If you just want to play for free you don’t have to make a
deposit, but you should still sign up for a place that lets you
play for real money. This way all you have to do is make a
deposit to switch from play money to real money play.

If you want to play at a local casino or poker room walk in
and find the registration desk in the poker area. Tell them
which game you’d like to play, your name, and ask them where to
buy chips. Most poker rooms want you to buy chips at the cage,
but a few let you buy them at the table.

Most rooms have a list of available games, but if they don’t
ask what the lowest Texas holdem limit game is they’re currently
spreading. If they have a seat available they’ll point you in
the right direction and if not they’ll put you on the list and
call for you when a seat opens up.

Once you get seated simply follow the directions of the
dealer. When the big blind comes around to you place your bet in
front of you and get ready to start playing. If the dealer asks
if you want to play or wait for your big blind you can do
whatever you prefer. If you decide to play slide an amount equal
to the big blind out. Some rooms let you start playing right
away without placing a bet on your first hand.

No one knows the house rules the first time they play, and
they vary from room to room. If you play online the software
takes care of everything so all you have to do is click the
button when the software asks about the blinds.

The main thing to keep in mind is that everyone was a
beginning Texas holdem player at one point. If you don’t know
something simply ask. Casino and poker room personnel are there
to help you and most poker players are friendly enough to help
new players. If you run into a grumpy player just ignore them
and ask someone else.

Even the most seasoned pros make mistakes, so don’t worry
about the ones you’re going to make. Simply understanding that
it’s not the end of the world if you do something wrong can make
your experience more enjoyable. You’ll see players with years of
experience play out of turn, forget to do something like place
the blinds, or get lost in thought. Just correct your mistake
and move onto the next hand.

Summary

Many new players are afraid they’ll do something that makes
them look stupid or foolish at the table. They try to hide the
fact that they’re new to the game from the other players.
While you can do whatever you feel is best, have you
considered just telling the other players that you’re new to the
game? Almost universally, poker players are happy to have new
players at their table. New players usually make mistakes, which
are good for the other players, so most players go out of their
way to make newbies feel welcome.

If you have questions about something ask the dealer. She’s
there to run the game smoothly, and part of that job is helping
the players.

Another option for your first time playing is going to a
local poker room with someone you know who is an experienced
player. Your friend can help you get signed up for a table, buy
chips, and get started.

Learning Poker For Beginners

Of course if you want to play online you’ll be operating
behind a screen name so no one will know who you are, but you
can start playing at the free money tables so even if you make
mistakes it won’t cost you more than your time.