Learn Texas Holdem Rules at Ujogo
A Beginners Guide to Texas Holdem
Texas Holdem poker is the most popular of the many poker variants played in the United States. Texas Holdem has a set of rules that are different than other other popular poker games. Unlike Draw or Stud poker, Texas Holdem includes community cards, meaning that some cards are available to be used by all poker players.
Texas Holdem uses a disc called a dealer "button" to indicate from where the cards are to be dealt. This button rotates clockwise after each hand, so that every player will have the same opportunity to make bets from all betting positions over time. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and big blinds. These poker bets are called "blinds" because they are made prior to seeing any cards. The big blind is always twice the amount of the small blind. These forced bets function like antes and provide an automatic poker pot to compete for. In poker tournaments, the "blinds" increase on regular pre-determined time intervals. For poker ring games, these blinds are fixed.
Play begins with each poker player being dealt two cards face down. These cards are the poker players' hole or pocket cards. These are the only cards each poker player will receive individually for that hand, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown which occurs after all five community cards have been dealt and all betting is complete.
Texas Holdem rules dictate that the hand begins with a "pre-flop" (before the community cards are dealt) betting round, beginning with the poker player to the left of the big blind and continuing clockwise. The starting minimum poker bet is equal to the forced big blind. Of course, a poker player can raise more than the value of the big blind as well. The round of betting continues until every player has either folded, bet, or matched ("called") the amount put in by all other active poker players. Pre-flop, the last person to make an initial betting decision is the "big blind". Texas Holdem play can end at any time if a person makes a bet that no other poker player is willing to match.
After the pre-flop betting round has completed, assuming there remain at least two poker players in the hand, the Texas Holdem dealer deals the flop, or three face-up community cards. A second round of betting follows. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the poker player to the dealer's left (represented by the dealer button) and continue clockwise. The last Holdem player to act from this point forward is the active player holding the dealer button, or, if that poker player has folded, then the last poker player to act becomes that poker player nearest to the right of the dealer button. Because this person gets to see all of the action beforehand, this is considered the strongest position at the poker table.
After the flop betting round ends, a single community card (called the turn or fourth street) is dealt, followed by a third betting round. A final single community card (called the river or fifth street) is then dealt, followed by a fourth and final betting round.
Texas Holdem hands are formed by using any five out of the seven cards (5 community + 2 hole cards). All poker players have the same ability to leverage the shared community cards to form their hands as well.
