Basic strategy

September 29, 2021

Beginner Guide to Texas Hold’em Poker

Before playing for real money in an online Texas Hold’em game, you must first know the basic rules. Some of the advanced rules are different in land-based casinos. Still, for online casinos, the rules remain the same across casinos.

Beginner Guide to Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em currently stands as the most popular poker game in America. Other variants that follow the game in terms of popularity include Seven Card Stud, Omaha, and Five-Card Draw. At the turn of the millennium, gaming over the internet became popular. Players could now play on mobile and computers. In addition, multiple casinos sprouted online, making Texas Hold’em even more popular.

Before you start playing poker games for money, it is recommended that you get acquainted with the rules and basic strategies. The sections below comprise a complication of the basic things any player interested in learning Texas Hold’em should know.

How Many Players are involved in Texas Hold’em?

A typical table of the game allows a maximum of ten players. Unlike other poker games, which have one dealer from start to end, Texas Hold’em dealer position is rotational. As it stands, being the dealer has the most advantage. That is because you get to make your play after all the other plays have had their turn.

The Blind Bet

The Blind Bet is the initial bet in Texas Hold’em. The two players on the left side of the dealer place pre-determined bets. The name “blind bet” was coined from the rule that forces the two players to place their bets before looking at their cards.

The Deal

Following the blind bet, the dealer dishes out two face-down cards to each player on the table. Dealing starts with the player sited to the left of the dealer and follows a clockwise manner.

Pre-Flop

Players look at the cards they have been dealt and place a bet by handing in chips to the pot. They then act in one of the following ways:

  • Check- betting zero. Players may not check on the opening round because they must either match (or raise) the big blind or fold.

  • Bet- the opening bet of a betting round.

  • Call- to match a bet or a raise.

  • Fold- to discard your hand and forfeit the current pot.

  • Raise- to increase the size of the current bet. Players can also Re-Raise. Simply put, it means making the second raise in the same betting round.

The Flop

After the first round of betting, the dealer dishes out three face-up cards. Players who are still active bet another round. Players can make better predictions with the three face-up cards and know whether to FOLD, CALL, or RAISE their stakes.

The Turn

The fourth community card is dealt, and the remaining players place their bets. By this time, the pot should have a significant amount from the previous round.

The River

A final face-up card is dealt during this round, and the remaining players place their bets and either CALL, FOLD, or RAISE. Two outcomes are possible at this stage. First, the remaining players drop out or exhaust their chips, leaving the winner. If two or more players are still active, the game goes to the next stage.

The Showdown

The showdown reveals the winner of the round. All active players turn their cards to compare who has the strongest hand. A flush beats any straight pairs. At the end of the game, the winner takes home the chips contained in the pot.

Conclusion

Not every game makes it through to all the phases discussed above. More rules may be applied depending on the casino. Bets can also be limited, scaled according to the pot size, or have no limit. The plays mentioned above only give you a basic understanding of how to play Texas Hold’em. More advanced tactics can be learned as you play the game more.

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