How to Play Texas Hold ‘em

If you’re an aspiring online Texas Hold ‘em player, then you’re in luck because the internet is absolutely overflowing with good, free information on the game as well as with opportunities to play it (for fun OR for money). You can find everything you’ll ever need to know about how to play Texas Hold ‘em with one quick search. Basic strategies, cash game strategies, tournament strategies…You can find reviews on the best Texas Hold ‘em tables, calendars that include all the major events, and sit ‘n’ gos starting the second you want to play. That said, there’s some bad information online too, and to recognize it you’re first going to have to have at least a basic understanding of the game and what it takes to win it.

Playing Texas Holdem

Texas Hold ‘em is a variation of poker often referred to as a “community card” game. The objective is to make the best possible five-card hand, and you’ll have seven cards with which to do that. Two cards are dealt face down to you at the start of every hand, and then five more are dealt in three additional rounds. In some games, the hand may be won before all the cards are dealt, but that’s something we’ll discuss later. The “community card” part of the game comes from the cards that are dealt to the center of the table. Players can use any combination of these cards and their two facedown cards (also called “hole cards”) to build the best possible hand.

Holdem Rules

1. The game begins with each player receiving two cards face down.
2. After reviewing your cards, you will have the decision to call, bet, or fold. If you are not betting first, you may also have the decision to raise another player’s bet.
3. To ensure that every hand offers a healthy pot, two players will be assigned blinds. The blinds rotate every hand, and the players sitting in the blind positions are required to bet the blind minimum for that hand.
4. After the first round of betting, the dealer will place three additional cards face up in the middle. This is called “the Flop.” The players that have not yet folded will start a new betting round.
5. This is followed by another card being dealt face up to the middle of the table. This card is referred to as “the Turn.”
6. The Turn is followed by another round of betting, and then the fifth and final card—the River—is dealt to the center of the table.
7. Players engage in one last round of betting and then proceed to “the showdown.” At this stage of the game, all players must reveal their hands to determine the winner.

This is your basic breakdown of how a Texas Hold ‘em game works. As you read and play more, you are sure to discover that while the game is easy to play, it is not so easy to win.