How to play Texas Hold 'Em

Texas Hold em poker is a card game that involves betting on cards and hands. Played with up to eight players, the player with the best Texas Hold emhand wins the hand and all the chips put into the pot during play. To play Texas Hold em, you can play either on-line, or alternatively at an actual casino around a table. Alternatively, you can get a group of players together yourself and some cards to play the game. Here's a quick guide to get started.

To begin playing Texas Hold em two cards are dealt to all the players around the table from a card deck of 52 cards. Players sit around the table, with two players on what are called the blinds. The blinds are the minimum starting bets and involve two players who post the blinds.

Each player gets to either call, flop or raise from here on. To call, is to match any bet made, to flop is to quit the hand, and players can also raise the stakes if they wish. Overall, this is done in relation to the hand rank, with the strongest hand being a royal flush. The hand rankings are as followed:

♣ Royal Flush – Ace to high straight, suited

♥ Straight Flush – Straight of any suit

♦ Four of a kind – Any four cards of the same rank

♣ Full House – Three of a kind + a pair

♥ Flush – All cards of the same suit

♦ Straight – Five cards in sequence

♣ Three of a kind – Three cards of same rank

♥ Two Pair – Two pairs of cards

♦ One Pair – One pair of cards of the same rank

♣ High Card – The player with the highest single card wins, where no player has any higher ranked hand.

With only two cards, these cards are matched with the five cards that are dealt into the middle of the table on the flop, turn and river. On the flop, three cards are dealt with which players can then match their pair of cards with. Then, the river and turn includes one extra card dealt onto the table.

During play, betting is gradually raised on the flop, river and turn. At the end of the turn, the remaining players hands are compared, and the player who has the highest hand rank wins the hand and all the chips put into the pot.

Overall, there are variations of Texas hold Em which include limit and no limit hold em poker. The only difference here relates to the fact that limit hold em stakes must be equal to the big blind before the flop, then bets and raises must be equal to twice the big blind hereafter.

So, with these guidelines you should be able to get started with Texas Hold em Poker. To play Texas hold em poker well, you will need to fold with weaker hands, and raise if you feel your hand has a good chance of winning.