Poker Rules

Texas Hold'em Poker Game Rules

Hold’em (also known as Texas Hold’em) is the most popular poker game in the world. There are three variations of Hold’em, distinguished by their betting limits:

• Limit Hold’em (there is a specified betting limit in each game and on each round of betting)
• Pot Limit Hold’em (A player can bet what is in the pot.)
• No Limit Hold’em (A player can bet all of his chips at any time.)

How to play

In Texas Hold’em, there are two face-down cards for each player and five face-up community cards. The player who makes the best five-card poker hand with any combination of their two face-down cards and the five community cards wins the round. In a Texas Hold’em game, a disc or other marker is used to indicate which person is the “dealer” for the round. There are no antes in Hold’em, instead, forced bets called blinds are used.

The First round of Hold’em:

Before the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer posts a bet called the small blind, which is usually equal to half of the minimum bet. The person to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet. The first two cards are dealt to each player face down (these are called the hole cards), and the person to the left of the big blind starts the first round of betting. (Notice that the big blind and small blind do not get to look at their cards before betting, thus the term “blind”).

The two players immediately to the left of the dealer place blind bets to start the pot (similar in principle to an ante). The player to the left of the dealer button posts the “small blind” (usually equal to half the lower stake).

The player to the left of the small blind is required to post the “big blind,” equal to the lower stake limit. All the blinds in Hold’em poker are considered live bets and the players who posted them will have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting returns to their position. Remember, the dealer (and therefore the small blind and the big blind) move around the table clockwise after each hand, so each player will post the blind bets over time.

Once the blinds have been placed, two secret cards are dealt to each player (“hole cards”), after which the first betting round starts. The player to the left of the player who placed the big blind starts the betting for this round.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Back to top

« Back