How to Play Texas Hold Em
Here is How to play Texas Hold’ Em
Items: 1 deck of cards, poker chips optional: dealer button, small blind and big blind buttons
Each person is dealt two cards face down by the dealer. Only you should be looking at your cards and do not show them to anyone. The object of the game is gain as many chips as possible. The game continues until one player has all of the other players’ poker chips. After each turn, there is a round of betting in which a person can call “check, call or raise.”
To start with, the person who deals first is the button for the first turn. The person sitting directly to that players left is the small blind and the person sitting two spaces to the left is the big blind. The small blind must put in the set amount that the small blind is. Then the big blind must put in the set amount of poker chips for the big blind which is usually double the amount of the small blind. Once both of these players have done so, two cards are dealt to every player
As the action resumes, the person sitting to the left of the big blind must go first. He has to decide if he wants to play this round with the two cards that he has been dealt with. If he elects not to play, he must give his cards back to the dealer with the cards. In the early stages of the game there is no penalty in terms of poker chips being taken away from players not in the small or big blinds. However for the two players in the small and big blind, they have committed the small and big blind chips into the pot.
Before any more cards are dealt, a player can “raise” which means they throw in poker chips into the “pot” or middle of the table with the rest of the chips. If a player “raises” then the other players must “call” and put that same amount of chips into the pot. Other players can also “re-raise” in which they put more chips in the pot than the person who originally put the raise in. If the other players do not “call” then they must “fold” and give their cards back to the dealer. When a player usually raises, it indicates that the player has a strong hand. However that player could also be bluffing and pretend to the other players that he has a stronger hand than he is indicating.
Then the dealer “burns” one card from the top of the deck that is put face downwards on the table. No player will ever see this card until the hand is over. Then continuing with the same the “flop” is dealt. The flop is the name of the first three cards being turned over for all players to see. Players must use these 3 cards on the “board” or table along with the two cards in their hand to make the best possible poker hand such as a straight, 3 of a kind, a pair, 4 of kind, a flush, etc.
Another round of betting ensues in which any player in order of the left of the dealer can put in a raise. If no one has raised and a player does not wish to bet he can “check” in which he does not raise but is still in the hand. If someone who goes after that person decides to raise, then everyone else must call or if a player wishes they can re-raise if they feel they have a strong hand.
Once the turn is over, another card is “burned” face downward and 1 more card is put facing upwards for all players to see. This card is called the “Turn” or 4th Street.
One more round of betting ensues before the “River” or final 5th card is dealt. One card is burned once again from the top of the deck and a fifth card is turned facing upwards. One final round of betting ensues. Once the turn is over, all remaining players with cards in their hand flip over their two cards and make the best possible hand using the five cards on the table. The best hand wins all of the chips in the pot.
If a player puts all of his or her poker chips into the pot, it is called being “All in.” If a player is out of poker chips they are out of the game.
In most poker games the values and amounts of the small and big blinds increase every 10 or 15 minutes so that the game moves faster. After every turn the small blind and big blind are rotated to the person sitting to the left of the person.
