Texas Hold’em Poker is a casino type game where the objective is to win the best hand out of a group of players. Players are initially given two cards, called “hole” cards, that they hold throughout the game (hence the name). They then try to make the best five card hand out of their initial holes and five community cards.

The rage called Texas Hold'em Poker

1. It is a tradition of Poker that any club or group of players may make special rules, called 'house rules,' to suit their personal preferences. Of course, any such house rules should be written down. Before play begins, the players should set a time limit for when the game ends and stick to it.
2. There are many different forms of poker including seven card stud, Omaha, five-card draw, and Texas hold’em to name a few. Hold’em has evolved as the most popular game worldwide and is the form we shall use to cover the basic rules of poker.

One may call it the ‘new kid on the block’ but the Texas Holdem Poker has shot to fame and its popularity has only surged in the current century.

Nothing much has been documented about the invention of Texas hold 'em. The Texas State Legislature officially recognizes Robstown, Texas as the game's birthplace. The genesis of the game, however, dates back to the early 1900s.

Sometimes referred to as the Cadillac of poker, the Texas Hold'em Poker has become the most sought after poker game across North America and Europe.

One can gauge the acceptance and craze for this new member of the poker family from the fact that the unofficial world championship of poker is contested in no limit Texas Hold'em.

Not only has Texas Hold'em Poker toppled the 7 card stud from the numero uno position in terms of popularity, it has also found room in the main event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour (WPT).

Industry experts and analysts attribute the popularity of the Texas Hold'em Poker heading north to more than one factor. The invention of online poker, the game's appearance in Hollywood as well as in the small screen and television commercials advertising online cardrooms have helped the game in no small measure.

The 2004–05 NHL lockout and the 2003 World Series of Poker championship victory by online qualifier Chris Moneymaker have enabled the Texas Hold'em Poker reach dizzy heights.

The format of the Texas Hold'em wherein the player gets two cards, referred to as the hole cards, and five cards are dealt face up on the board, referred to as the community cards, provides an excellent platform for strategic and mathematical analysis that can be analyzed by tools like the Poker Odds Calculator.

Crandell Addington, a Texan gambler, who along with other card players like Roscoe Weiser, Doyle Brunson, and Amarillo Slim is known to be instrumental in spreading Texas Hold'em to Las Vegas in 1967. He said of the game’s format, They didn't call it Texas hold 'em at the time, they just called it hold 'em... I thought then that if it were to catch on, it would become the game. Draw poker, you bet only twice; hold 'em, you bet four times. That meant you could play strategically. This was more of a thinking man's game.

The hole cards are visible only to the respective players while the community cards are visible to all participants. All these cards can be used to put together a five card poker hand. The player with the highest poker hand is the winner in the Texas Hold'em Poker.

Texas Hold'em Poker follows the hand rankings, beginning from the highest to the lowest as follows: Royal Straight Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair and finally One Pair.

The players have a free hand to choose from amongst the cards available and make the best hand. Two hole cards with three community cards or one hole card with four community cards or all five community cards are all acceptable combinations.

The first two players to the left of the dealer post a small and a big blind respectively even before the cards are dealt. These blinds help create a starting pot and set the ball rolling for Texas Hold'em Poker.

After the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt two hole cards. The first betting round takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind.

After the first betting round is finished, three of the five community cards are dealt. These are called the flop. The second betting round ensues, beginning with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.

Post the second betting round, the fourth community card, called the Turn (Fourth Street), is dealt. Thereafter, the third round of betting takes place.

The fourth and last betting round takes place after the fifth and last community card called the river (Fifth Street) is dealt.

The rules of the Texas Hold'em Poker entail that if more than one player remains in the hand after the betting rounds are over, there is a showdown.

The structure of the Texas Hold'em Poker is such that the position of a player assumes significant importance. Since the position remains unchanged all the way through the hand, a player that acts, rather reacts, after you will do so all the way to the river.

Needless to say, this can be a great disadvantage for you. Therefore, as a rule, play only very strong hands in early position. On the contrary, if you are in a late position, exploit the advantage to the maximum.

The Texas Hold'em is played not only as the cash or ring game but also as a tournament game. The approach and tactics for these different forms varies extensively.

Before the poker tournaments hit the circuit, the Texas Hold'em was played with real money with players betting actual currency or chips. The game was and is still played with both the no-limit and fixed-limit versions.

Since the size of the bets is restricted in limit games, the ability to bluff gets diminished. At the same time, players can be advised to take more chances in this format since they are not risking all of one's chips in limit poker.

In a tournament, the players gain entry with the help of a 'buy-in'. All players start with an identical value of chips. Play continues till only one player has accumulated all the chips in play.

The amount of chips one has, the amount of chips others have, at what stage is the tournament and the playing styles of one's opponents are some of the factors that have to be considered while devising one’s strategy for the Texas Hold'em poker tournament.

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Texas Hold’em is the most widely played poker game in the
world, and it’s generally considered to be a quite simple version of
poker. It doesn’t really take long to learn the rules, because they
aren’t that complicated. Once you have learned them, then you are ready to
start playing the game. On this page we have provided a
straightforward explanation of the rules that should be easy for
beginners to understand.

Basics of the Game

The objective of each Texas Hold’em hand is to win the pot,
which can be done in two ways. You can force all your opponents
to fold based on your betting activity, or you can have the best
possible five card hand at showdown. You can make your hand
using any combination of the two hole cards you are dealt and
the five community cards that are dealt for all players to use.

Hand Rankings

The first thing you need to understand are the hand rankings
used in Texas Hold’em, as this shows the relative value of all
hands. The hand rankings are as follows, from the weakest to the
strongest.

Pre Flop Betting Round

Texas Holdem Poker Rules Pdf

Texas Hold’em can be divided into four distinct betting
rounds, the first of which is the pre-flop round. Prior to this
round, the cards are shuffled and the player to the left of the
dealer must make a forced bet known as the small blind. The
player to the left of the small blind must also make a forced
bet, of double the amount, known as the big blind. The size of
the blinds is determined before the game starts.

Each player is then dealt two cards, face down, known as hole
or pocket cards. The players can all look at their hold cards at
this point, and the first betting round begins. The player to
the left of the big blind acts first and can either fold, call,
or raise. Folding means discarding a hand and playing no further
part in the pot. Calling means matching the current bet (the big
blind at this point). Raising means matching the current bet and
betting an additional amount. Anyone wishing to call subsequent
to a raise has to match the total amount bet by the player
raising.

The play then moves clockwise around the table, each player
having the same options. The round is finished once every player
has either folded or called, and play progresses to the flop. If
only one player is left (i.e. all other players fold), then that
player wins the pot.

Flop Betting Round

Three community cards are now dealt face up for all players
to see. These three cards are known as the flop. The flop
betting round starts with the player closest to the left of the
dealer and moves clockwise around the table. Each player has the
same options as in the previous round, with the additional
option of checking if no-one else has bet.

Checking means staying in the hand but not making a bet. If
everyone else still in the pot checks, play progresses to the
next betting round. If any player bets, then all other players
must either fold, call that bet, or raise. Play progresses to
the next round when every player has either folded or called.
Again if only one player is left at this stage, he wins the pot.

Turn Betting Round

A fourth community card is now dealt face up known as the
turn card. Another betting round takes place, again starting
with the player closest to the left of the dealer. The format
for this round is the same as the previous round, with players
being able to check, call, raise, or fold. If one player is left,
he wins the pot; if more than one player is left, play
progresses to the next round.

River Betting Round

A fifth, and final, community card is dealt face up, known as
the river card. The last round of betting takes place. If
more than one player is left, players show their cards to see
who has won. This is known as the showdown, and the player with
the best hand wins the pot. If two or more players have hands of
equal value, the pot is split between them.

Texas Holdem Poker Rules

Following the end of the hand, the player to the left of the
dealer becomes the dealer for the next hand. A new hand is then
dealt, starting at the pre-flop round as detailed above.