Contents
Intro to Texas Hold’em
Hands and Hand Rankings in Texas Hold’em
How Texas Hold’em Game Play Works
How to Bet in Texas Hold’em
Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit Texas Hold’em
How to Start Hands to Play
Hands to Play After the Flop
How to Use Pot Odds in Hold’em
Texas Hold’em Strategies
How to Play Position in Hold’em
How to Read Other Hold’em Players
Texas Hold’em Tournament Strategies
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How Texas Hold’em Game Play Works
A hand of Texas hold’em always follows a particular sequence:
- Establish the dealer
- The blinds
- The dealing of the hole cards and the first betting round
- The flop and the second betting round
- The turn and the third betting round
- The river and the fourth betting round
- The showdown
Establish the Dealer
The game play for a hand of Texas hold’em depends on who is the dealer for that hand. In many home games, each player takes a turn dealing, with the responsibility rotating clockwise around the table. In casinos, the actual dealing is done by a casino employee who doesn’t play in the game, but the role of “dealer” still rotates among the players. A button, such as a chip or other small item, is placed in front of the “dealer” for that hand.
The Blinds
Each hand begins with the blinds—mandatory bets that the two players to the dealer’s left must make before the cards are dealt. The purpose of the blinds is to ensure that the game begins with money in the pot. Texas hold’em uses a small blind and a big blind:
- Small blind: The person to the left of the dealer puts in this bet.
- Big blind: The person to the left of the small blind must put in the big blind, which is equal to twice the small blind.
The amount of the blinds depends on the game. Some games use the same blinds for every hand, but in tournaments the blinds often rise as the tournament progresses. The player who must pay the blinds changes as the role of dealer moves around the table. Players whose turn it is to put in the blinds can’t fold—they must pay the blinds.
Deal the Hole Cards and the First Betting Round
Once the small and big blinds are paid, each player at the table is dealt two hole cards. Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, the dealer deals one hole card to each player, then deals another round in which each player gets a second hole card.
After the hole cards have been dealt, each player assesses the strength of her hole cards and then engages in a round of betting based on that assessment (for details on how betting works, see How to Bet in Texas hold’em).
The Flop and the Second Betting Round
Once the first betting round comes to a close, the dealer deals the first three community cards—called the flop—face up in the middle of the table. (All the play prior to dealing the flop is described as preflop.) It’s traditional for the dealer to burn the top card, removing it face down from the deck, before dealing the flop. In the example shown here, the flop comes up K of clubs, 2 of hearts, and J of diamonds.
At this point, players who are still in the game must reassess their hands in light of the flop. For instance, if you had a K in your hole cards, the flop in this example would give you K-K. Players then engage in a second round of betting.
The Turn and the Third Betting Round
After the second betting round, the dealer burns the top card and then deals a fourth community card, called the turn, face up on the table. In the example shown here, the turn comes up T of hearts.
After the turn, a third round of betting occurs. In the round shown here, two more players have folded.
The River and the Fourth Betting Round
After the third betting round, the dealer burns the top card and deals a fifth card, the river, face up on the table. In this example, the river comes up K of spades.
Now there’s another round of betting. In this example,
another player has folded.
The Showdown
After the last round of betting, if there are two or more players left in the game, the players show their cards in what is called the showdown to determine who wins.
In the example shown here, no one has a flush, so suit doesn’t matter. The three remaining players have the hole cards K-2, J-10, and Q-Q. Those hole cards combine with the community cards K-2-J-T-K to make the best three hands:
- K-2 + community cards: K-K-K-2-2 (full house)
- J-10 + community cards: K-K-J-J-T (two pair)
- Q-Q + community cards: K-K-Q-Q-J (two pair, but with a second pair higher than that of K-K-J-J-T)
The player with K-2 wins the pot because the full house of K-K-K-2-2 is the strongest hand.
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