Texas Hold'em
poker is a variation of standard poker and is very
popular now. The game goes as follows:
1. The
betting structure can vary. Sometimes antes are used, but most games
start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a
predetermined amount of money so there is an initial amount to get
things started. This is called posting the blinds:
Poker Blinds
Before cards are even dealt in a game of holdem, it
is important to have some initial money in the pot. Otherwise every
player could just wait for aces in the pocket before making any
investment. It would also make pot limit games a little difficult to
get going. The two ways to start this are antes and blinds and we'll
go into each in detail.
Antes
Antes are a set amount put in the pot by every player in the game
prior to cards being dealt. This amount does not count toward your
bet on the first round of betting, unlike blinds. This simple method
is used primarily in home games. This method also is not very common
with texas holdem specifically, it's more often found in games like
five-card stud or draw. Antes are also used in conjunction with
blinds in the later stages of a tournament.
Blinds
Based on the limit of the game, the player to the left of the
dealer's button (the small blind) and the player two to the left of
the button (the big blind) are required to put up mandatory bets
before the cards are dealt. The big blind puts up a bet equal to the
small limit. The small blind puts up half that amount. So if the
limit is $5/$10, the big blind is $5 and the small blind is $2.50.
These blinds do count toward your total investment toward the first
round of betting. So if the pot isn't raised pre-flop, the small
blind will only have to put in another half a bet to call. Likewise,
the big blind won't have to put anything more in the pot, although
the big will have the ability to raise his own blind. In an unraised
pre-flop pot, this is referred to as the “option”.
Blinds and Antes in Tournaments
The way holdem tournaments are structured, the blind and/or antes go
up after a set period of time, called the “escalation”. Each group
of time where the blind/antes stay the same is called a “level”.
Usually when players go up a level, the blinds double or less. If
antes are introduced, they usually do not double every level.
Sometimes to start a tournament, the big and small blind are the
same amount and at the next level the big doubles.
For example, on the first days of the World Series of Poker
(2004), blinds escalated every two hours and looked like
this...
1st Level
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No Ante
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Blinds $25/$50
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2nd Level
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No Ante
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Blinds $50/$100
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3rd Level
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No Ante
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Blinds $100/$200
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4th Level
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$25 Ante
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Blinds $100/$200
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5th Level
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$50 Ante
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Blinds $150/$300
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2. The
dealer shuffles up a complete deck of 52 playing cards.
3. Each
player is dealt two cards face down. These are called your hole or
pocket cards.
4. Then
there is a round of betting starting with the guy to the left of the two
who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term
pre-flop.
5. The
amount betted depends on what kind of game it is:
Texas Holdem Betting Versions -
A term that typically refers to the money/betting
aspect of a game is the game's limit. High-limit games are ones
that involve a lot of money. Low-limit games are the opposite. As
far as how the betting amounts go we have...
Structured Limit
This means that the amount that can be bet is set. These games
will be called things like $1/$2 or $20/$40 games. In Hold 'Em,
the amount that can be bet pre-flop or on the flop is the first
number. In a $5/$10 game, you'll be betting $5 at a time. On the
turn and river, the amount doubles. In that same $5/$10 game,
players bet $10 at a time after the turn card is dealt.
There is a limit of four bets per player per betting round. That
means a player can bet, get re-raised, re-raise again, and be
re-raised.
You may encounter a structured game with three betting amounts,
like $5/$10/$20. This is the same as before except on the river.
On that round of betting, players can bet either of the two final
amounts. In the case of a $5/$10/$20 game, that means a player can
bet $10 or $20 on the river.
Spread Limit
This is where players can bet within a certain range of amounts.
In a $1-$5 game, a player can bet between $1 and $5 during any
betting round.
If there are four amounts, like $1-$5-$10-$10, that means you can
bet between $1 and $5 pre-flop and on the flop. On the turn it
goes up to the 3rd number (between $1 and $10), and on the river
it goes up to the last number (between $1 and $10).
If there are three amounts, like $1-$5-$10, that means that you
can bet from $1 to $5 during any betting round, but on the river
you can bet between $1 and $10. This would be the same as a
$1-$5-$5-$10 game.
Pot Limit
This is where a player can bet any amount between the cost of the
big blind and the size of the pot on any betting round.
No Limit
This is where you can bet any amount between the cost of the big
blind and the amount of money you have at the table on any betting
round.
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6. Much like
most games of poker, players can check, raise, or fold.
7. After the
betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This
is called a burn card. This is done to prevent cheating.
8. The
dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards
are called the flop. These are communal cards that anyone can use
in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.
9. There is
another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the
dealer.
10. After
the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and flips one more
onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players can use
this sixth card now to form a five card poker hand.
11. The
player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In
many types of games, this is where the bet size doubles.
12. Finally,
the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table.
This is called the river. Players can now use any of the five
cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card
poker hand.
13. There is
one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the
dealer.
14. After
that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their
hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to
call. It's called the showdown.
15. The
player who shows the best hand wins! There are cases where players with
equal hands share the winnings.
Tie Hands
What Happens when you
both have the same hand? Well, in most cases there is a way to
determine who wins after that. With tied hands, the higher the rank,
the better. If you still have the same five card hand after
evaluating the ranks, the pot is split evenly among all the winning
players. The following are examples of split pots in Texas Hold'em.
Player One Player
Two
These players split the pot with a board of:
Player One Player
Two
These players split the pot with a board of:
Player One Player
Two
The above example splits the pot no matter what the board, unless
the board has 4 or 5 cards of the same suit.
Player One Player
Two
These players split the pot with a board of:
Player One Player
Two
These players split the pot with a board of:
Kickers
Kickers are the
leftover cards after a hand is declared. They determine who wins if
players have the same hand. Since not all hands have "leftovers",
kickers only apply to four-of-a-kind, three-of-a-kind, two pair, one
pair, and high card situations.
In texas hold 'em you always use the best combination of five cards.
Since a certain amount of cards are "used up" when you declare a
hand, there can only be a certain number of kickers. Here's the
short list…
Four-of-a-Kind has one kicker. In this example, the 5 of
clubs is the kicker.
Three-of-a-Kind has two kickers. In the example below, the 9
of spades and the Jack of hearts are kickers.
Two Pair has one kicker. Below, the Ace of diamonds is that
kicker.
One Pair has three kickers. In the example below, the 2 of
hearts, 9 of clubs and the King of hearts are kickers.
Here are some examples to further explain kickers.
Player One Player
Two
With a board of:
In the above example, Trip Aces, King kicker beats trip Aces, Queen
kicker. (Player One wins)
Player One Player
Two
With a board of:
In the above example, Two Pair, Jacks and Fives, King kicker beats
Two Pair, Jacks and Fives, Queen Kicker. (Player One Wins)
Same goes for high card hands...
Player One Player
Two
With a board of:
In the above example, Ace High (Hand of AKQT5) beats Ace High (Hand
of AKQT4). (Player One wins)
Player One Player
Two
With a board of:
In the above example, both players split the pot (both with hands of
AKQT6).
Split Pots
(Straights, Flushes, and Straight Flushes)
In the case
of straights, flushes, and straight flushes it's simply a matter
of who has the highest ranked card(s) in their straight or
flush. That means there are only nine different possible
five-card straights. Same goes for straight flushes (including
the royal straight). In a straight the suits do not matter. Here
are some examples with straights and straight flushes.
Player One Loses to Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Loses to Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
The same idea goes for flushes, except that if both players
have the same high card then you compare the second highest
card. If the second highest is the same you go to the
third…until the five highest flush cards are compared. Here are
some examples with flushes.
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Loses to Player
Two
With a board of:
Full
House Situations
A full house is made up of three-of-a-kind and a pair. In this
boat...
...the three-of-a-kind is the three aces, and the pair is the
two nines. When determining who wins when multiple players have
a full house, you compare the rank of the three-of-a-kind.
Whoever has the highest ranked set wins. If players tie for the
highest ranked three-of-a-kind, then you evaluate the rank of
the pair. Here are some examples...
Consider the following hand...
"Nines full of Sixes" beats "Sixes Full of Nines".
Consider the following hand...
"Threes full of Twos" beats "Twos full of Aces".
Consider the following hand...
"Jacks full of Nines" beats "Jacks full of Eights".
Two Pair Situations
When multiple players have two pair, you evaluate who has the
highest ranked single pair first. If those tie, then evaluate
the other pair. If those both tie, you use the last card as a
kicker. Some examples…
"Aces and Twos" beats "Kings and Queens"
Consider the following hand...
"Kings and Queens" beats "Kings and Jacks".
Consider the following hand...
"Tens and Fives, Nine Kicker" beats "Tens and Fives, Seven
Kicker".
In hold 'em you have to be extra careful with two pair, as they
can be deceptively weak if the board has a pair on it. Look at
these situations...
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
Player One Beats Player
Two
With a board of:
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