Texas Holdem

This is how you play Texas Holdem.

Texas Hold'em or Hold'em is very popular in the southwestern U.S. The deal starts on the left (clockwise) of the player having the dealer button.

The object of the game is for a player to use any five of the seven accessible cards to make a winner hand, the best hand. She can use both cards (hole cards) in her hand and three cards from the board or one in her hand and four from the board or all five from the board.

Using the five cards from the board is called playing the board. If a player chooses to play the board, she must announce it before getting rid of her two hole cards. If she does not say anything before doing the latter, it will be regarded as a fold instead by the casino dealer.

The button is called a dealer button. This indicates the player who is supposed to be dealing out the cards (dealer) for that particular hand instead of the casino dealer.

The button moves from player to player so everybody gets a chance to deal.

Texas Holdem is a community card game. All players receive two face down (hole) cards for their beginning hand. There is a round of betting. After that the casino dealer burns one card.

Then the casino dealer places three board cards face up at the same time in the center of the poker table. These three board cards are called the "Flop." There is another round of betting, and another burning of a card.

Now the casino dealer places another card face up in the center of the table. This is called "Fourth Street" or "The Turn." Another round of betting follows and another burn card follows.

After this, the casino dealer places the fifth and final card face up in the center of the table. This fifth card is called "Fifth Street or the River." After this follows the final betting round, and then follows the show down of hands.

The deal starts to the left (clockwise) of the player with the dealer button in front of him or her.

Usually no ante is used. One or more blinds are required. The blinds must be posted before any card is dealt to the players. In home poker games an ante is used.

Blinds are usually posted by players number one, two or three left (clockwise) of the player with the dealer button.

On the first round of betting, the first player (clockwise) after the last blind acts first. This player is entering the pot now. The big blind acts last.

On all following rounds of betting, the first active player to the left (clockwise) of the dealer button acts first and the player with the dealer button acts last.

At showdown a player has to show both cards face up on the table to have a valid hand.

Usually when starting a new game of Texas Holdem, the players draw for the dealer button using the highest card by suit (tie) system. This is generally in high stakes games.

Generally for low limit games, the dealer button starts at the last seat. That's the first seat to the right (counter clockwise) of the casino dealer. The player on the number one seat, left (clockwise) on the casino dealer, has the first blind then.

In a split pot game with an odd chip, the player closet to and left of the dealer button gets the odd chip.

The minimum buy-in for most structured button games is usually at least ten times the amount of the big blind.

This is the poker game for Texas Holdem.