Texas Hold ‘Em: The Basics
First of all, there is a dealer chip that circles around the table from player to player, indicating who the dealer is for that hand. Before any cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer is forced to bet a set amount known as the “small” blind. The person to the left of the small blind must bet another, larger set amount, which is known as the “big” blind. The big blind is also the minimum bet anyone can place for the rest of the hand. The blinds are usually started off small and raised gradually as the game of poker goes on. Once both blinds have been posted, the cards are dealt.
The cards are dealt one at a time, making two full cycles around the table, beginning with the small blind, so that everyone is dealt two cards, ending with the dealer. Then the real betting starts with the person to the left of the big blind.
Each person has three options when it is their turn to bet. They can fold, losing the opportunity to win the hand, but also preventing them from losing any more money. They can match the current bet, allowing them to stay in, or they can raise the bet, forcing everyone else to bet more money to stay in the hand. Usually, a raise must be at least double the initial bet. The betting goes around the table until all bets are even.
Once everyone who wants to remain in the hand has matched the bet, cards will be flipped onto the table, faces up. These cards are called the board, and all players in the hand share these cards. The object is to make the best 5-card hand possible out of the cards in your hand as well as the cards on the board.
By the end of the hand, there will be 5 cards on the board, but first only three are turned over. These first three cards are called the “flop.” After the flop comes out, another round of betting happens. If no bets have been place, you have the option to check, which allows you to stay in the hand without betting any money. However, if someone after you places a bet, you must match it to stay in. Once the betting has gone all the way around and all bets are even, another card will be placed on the board, called the “turn” card. The turn is followed by another round of betting, followed by the final card on the board, called the “river” card. One final round of betting occurs, and then the players remaining in the hand when all bets are even reveal their cards. The person with the best hand (using any of the seven cards on the board and in their hand) wins the pot for that round, taking all of the chips from all of the bets from the round.
After each round, the cards are reshuffled, the dealer chip moves one person to the left, and a new hand begins.
Most of the time, the dealer will discard one card each time cards are placed on the board. This is called “burning” a card. Usually, you burn one card before the flop, one before the turn, and one before the river. It is designed to prevent card counting, but has also just become tradition.
When someone runs out of chips to bet with, they are out of the game, and the last person with chips wins the game. In a tournament-style game, everyone puts in a set amount of money in the beginning of the game, and the winner takes it all (or sometimes second and third place get some money also). In a cash game, people can buy as many chips as they want, play for as long as they want, and then cash their chips back in for money whenever they want.
