Texas Hold´em

By Wagercomms

The Game

The pots are bigger in Hold’em than in a stud or draw game and hands per hour often double in comparison. This gives a player twice the opportunities and makes Texas Hold’em the most popular game of poker.

How to Play Texas Hold’em

It’s an easy game to play and learn and there are no exposed cards in the other player’s hand to remember and no cards are exposed and folded that you need to remember. The only exposed cards are the community cards and they stay exposed throughout the hand.

The Rules

Texas Hold’em is about getting the highest five card poker hand from a total of seven cards being dealt each player. From the seven cards there are five community cards that are being shared among the players, two cards are dealt face down to each player and are not to be shown, the players pocket cards.

Hand Rank

The game outcome is determined per the following poker hand ranking.

Royal Flush              A, K, Q, J, T in same suit

Straight Flush         Five cards in sequence, same suit

Four of a Kind         Four cards of the same rank 

Full House                Three of a kind and one pair 

Flush                         Five card of the same suit

Straight                    Five cards in sequence, no suit

Three of a Kind       Three cards of the same rank

Two Pairs                 Two different pairs

One Pair                   One pair plus three odd cards

High Card                Five cards, nothing of the above

Small Blind/Big Blind

Before the pocket cards are being dealt the two players to the left of the dealer are forced into action by putting money into the pot before the pocket cards are being dealt, small blind or big blind. Big Blind is always the same as the small bet and the small blind is half the big blind.

There is no ante in Texas Hold’em as found in stud or draw poker, Texas Hold’em applies two blinds instead.

Missed Blinds

When a new player arrives to the table there are three various actions.

If a new player is seated to the left of the big blind the player may choose to post the big blind or wait. If posting the big blind the players wager is active.

If a new player is seated in the big blind, the player is treated as holding the big blind.

If a new player is seated between the dealer’s button and any blinds the player must wait until the button has passed.

Missed Big Blind

When a player misses the big blind, then that player cannot play in any poker hands until the total of all blinds are entered. The game will place an ML (missed large) button in the player’s seat to state the missed big blind. The “dealer” will ask the player to the left to post the big blind for the hand. If the player who missed the blind returns to the table before the big blind returns to the player’s seat, the player is required to make up the total of all blinds, Post all. The small blind is dead and must be entered into the pot before the hand is dealt.

Players may avoid posting dead by waiting for the big blind to arrive to its seat naturally.

Missed Small Blind

When a player misses the small blind then the player cannot play in any poker hand until the small blind is entered. The game will place an MS (missed small) button in the player’s seat to state the missed small blind.

All players are held accountable for their blinds in full before allowed to get the button. Hence, players who posted the small blind in the prior hand will receive the button on the next deal of any game.

Initial Two Cards

The game begins with blinds followed by each player being dealt two cards face down. These cards are called the pocket cards.

After the pocket cards has been dealt the game moves clockwise and each player is given the option to fold (mucking your hand), call (keeping your hand and putting the correct amount into the pot) or raise, in-creasing the bet by an amount of at least as much as the last bet.

If no player has raised when the action comes back to the small blind, the player can either fold or call the remainder of the big blind, or raise at least the amount of the big blind.

The Flop

After the initial betting round the dealer burns the top card in the deck (removes it from play) and turns the next three cards face up on the middle of the table, this is the flop and is the first cards of what is called the community cards. Following the flop is a new round of betting in which the players have a selection of making a small bet or three raise limits. Players may check and pass play on the next player, this until someone is placing a bet. Once a bet is made the next players have the option to either call the bet or raise, or go out of play by folding. Checking is not an option after a bet has been made. The above sequence is performed on any following rounds.

The Turn

Another burn and the fourth card, called the turn, is placed face up on the table, fourth card of the five community cards. Following the turn is a new round of betting.

Betting on the turn is done per pre-defined rules in which looking at a 3-6 game the players must now bet or raise in increments of 6.

The River

The fifth and final card, called the river, is turned face up on the table and closes the community cards. There is a final round of betting following the same betting guidelines as on the turn.

The Showdown

The actions is completed and the players remaining in the game wanting to claim the pot will perform a showdown, showing their hand using the pocket cards and the five community cards to build the strongest poker hand, highest hand wins.

The dealer button now moves one player to the left marking the new dealer position and the blinds are posted by two new players to the left of the dealer button.

All-in

A term used when a player is in an active game and runs out of money before the hand is over. All poker games are table stake only, meaning what you have on the table is what you play with, no additional chips or money can be brought into the game in the middle of a hand. The all-in is when you place your last money into the pot and when doing so you can not win any of the additional money being put into the pot as the game continues. Going all-in you are playing the pot as it was when you went all-in. Betting that continues after a player is all-in goes to what is called a side pot. Players that have gone all-in cannot claim any stakes on a side pot.

Most poker rooms allows unlimited game all-ins per 24 hour and two bad connection all-ins per 24 hour, hence one detects the difference between game all-ins and bad connection all-ins.

Game History

During an hour of poker and dealing 60-90 hands there are most likely poker hands that might be debatable. Ensuring a fair game a complete game history should be available.

Practice Play

If not ready to engage in real money games, ensure that your poker room offers the possibility to play at designated practice play tables, preparing for the thrill and excitement of a real poker game, in your own time. Practice play does not involve any real money.

Limit Games

Game play is defined per the above rules and bets per round are set at maximum four bets per player and round. This includes bet, raise, re-raise and cap.

Table Limits

Standard table limits in Texas Hold’em.

Limit Games

Table Limits              0.5-1       1-2       2-4       3-6 

Minimum Buy-in     5              10         20         30

Small Blind               0.25         0.50     1            1

Big Blind                    0.50         1           2           3

Table Limits              4-8         5-10     6-12      8-16

Minimum Buy-in     40           50         60         80

Small Blind               2              2            3           4

Big Blind                    4              5           6           8

Table Limits              10-20     15-30     20-40     30-60

Minimum Buy-in     100         150          200         300

Small Blind               5             7              10            15

Big Blind                    10           15             20           30

Pot-Limit Games

Table Limits              Pot-Limit 25     Pot-Limit 50     Pot-Limit 100

Minimum Buy-in     5                         10                        20

Maximum Buy-in    25                       50                       100

Small Blind               0.25                    0.50                    1

Big Blind                    0.50                    1                          2

No-Limit Games

Table Limits              No-Limit 25     No-Limit 50     No-Limit 100

Minimum Buy-in     5                        10                       20

Maximum Buy-in    25                      50                      100

Small Blind               0.25                   0.50                   1

Big Blind                    0.50                   1                         2

House Rake

Rake is a fee taken from the pot on behalf of the house. The list below details standard rake levels per game limit and number of players, but often rake levels varies between operators.

Limit Games

Table Limits 0.5-1 and 1-2

Pot Size         5          12          20          Max 

Rake              0.50    0.2 5     0.25        1

Table Limits 2-4, 3-6, 4-8, 5-10, 6-12 and 8-16

Pot Size         20        30        40          50         60          Max

Rake              1           0.50     0.50       0.50      0.50       3

Table Limits 10-20, 15-30, 20-40 and 30-60

Pot Size        40         50        70          100        Max 

Rake              1            0.50     0.50      1             3

No rake should be taken if the game ends before the flop.

Pot-Limit and No-Limit Games

Number of Players        Rake per Pot                              Max Rake

Players 2-3                     0.05 for each 1.0 in the pot      1

Players 4-5                     0.05 for each 1.0 in the pot     2

Players 6-10                    0.05 for each 1.0 in the pot     3

No rake should be taken if the game ends before the flop.

Pot-Limit Games

Game play is the same as in a limit game, with a few exceptions. Pot-limit games do not have a maximum number of raises that a player can make. Players can however not raise their own bet. In order to re-raise, another player must first raise in order for a re-raise to be valid. If other players call or fold, the player making the first raise cannot raise since the last rasie was done by him or her.

Betting at Pot-Limit

Raise amount must be a minimum equal to the previous bet or raise within the same round. Maximum amount of raise is defined as the size of the pot, size of the pot is defined as the total active pot plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before a raise.

Active pot can be either the main pot or the side pot depending on whether anyone has gone all-in.

Example: If the active pot is 200 and the first player to act in the round bets150 and the next player calls 150, the third player has a maximum total bet of 800. The 800 total is made up of the 150 call and 650 raise. The 650 max raise portion is equal to the pot of 200 + first player’s 150 + second player’s 150 + his own call of 150.

No-Limit Games

Game play is the same as in a limit game, with a few exceptions. No-limit games do not have a maximum number of raises that a player can make. Player can however not raise their own bet. In order to re-raise, another player must first raise in order for a re-raise to be valid. If other players call or fold, the player making the first raise cannot raise since the last raise was done by him or her.

Betting at No-Limit

Raise amount must be minimum equal to previous bet or raise within the same round. Maximum amount of raise is the size of your stack, chips on the table.

The only difference between a Limit and No-Limit game is the betting amounts.