Texas Hold'em has developed into one of the most popular card games in the world.
For several years now, it has been getting harder and harder to go anywhere without hearing about
Texas Hold’em poker. From ESPN coverage of the World Series of Poker to the James Bond film
Casino Royale, this classic card game has been exploding in popularity. What makes Texas Hold’em so interesting is that, because of the face-up community cards that everyone can use to make a hand, players have a great deal of information about their opponents’ hands. This makes for a skilled game of playing the other players more than the cards themselves, as you might remember from the climax of
Casino Royale.
How to Win a Hand: The Basics
Texas Hold’em can have a good deal of strategy, but it is an easy game to learn, especially if you are already familiar with 5 card poker hands. If you are not, they are, in order from weakest to strongest: one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight or 5 cards in numerical order, flush or 5 of the same suit, full house or three of a kind with a pair, four of a kind, and straight flush or 5 of the same suit in numerical order.
You can win a hand in Texas Hold’em in two ways. One is to have the strongest hand when cards are shown at the end of all betting rounds. The other is to make all your opponents fold, or throw away their hands by not calling your bets.
Hole Cards and Pre-Flop Betting
Every Texas Hold’em hand starts with each player being dealt two face-down “hole” cards. The first two players to the left of the dealer button automatically post the “small blind” and “big blind” bets respectively, which are one half and the full minimum bet for the table.
The first player to the left of the big blind can decide to fold, call the minimum bet, or raise based on his hole cards, and this continues around the table, ending on the blinds who can check the minimum bets they have already posted or raise more based on their hole cards. The players who have called the minimum or any raise that was made before them get to stay in the hand, while anyone that folded is out.
The Flop and Community Cards in Texas Hold’em
Once the remaining players are in, the “flop” is dealt, or three face-up cards in the middle of the table that anyone can combine with their 2 hole cards to make a 5 card hand. The first to act after the flop is the person to the left of the dealer button, or the small blind, and he gets to check or bet. If he bets, then the next player clockwise can fold, call, or raise, and the betting continues around the table.
If there is more than one player who has not folded after this round of betting, the remaining players see a fourth face-up community card that they can use to make a hand. Another round of betting occurs on this card, and the remaining players get to see a final fifth community card, also known as the “river”. If there is still more than one player after the betting round on the river, the remaining players show their hole cards and the strongest hand takes the pot.
Those are the basics of how to play Texas Hold’em. To have success when you start out, stick to strong starting hands, like high pairs such as AA, KK, QQ, JJ, or high connected cards like AK, KQ, or AQ, especially if they are the same suit. Do not pay too much to chase a hand when you have four of the same suit or four in numerical order. As you get comfortable with the basics, start trying to get a feel for what your opponents are doing and how they play when they have certain hands. This is where the real fun of the game is, and as you play more and more, you will love this mental aspect of Texas Hold’em.
