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There are many different variations on the game of poker. No Limit Texas Hold’em is the variant that is played most often around the world.
It's the type of poker that is usually shown on TV and is the game of choice in most casinos and home-games.
Because of this, we'll use Hold’em to explain the rules of poker and the mechanics behind the betting sequences. Once you have learned one variant of poker, most others are usually picked up quite easily.
The set-up
The game is set up with between 2-10 players around the table. One of these players is denoted as the dealer (or the button.)
After each hand, the button passes clockwise to the next player. This ensures that the dealer position is shared out equally between all players.
The initial betting is established by compulsory bets called the blinds. The player sitting to the left of the dealer has to post the small blind, and the player to his left posts the big blind. The big blind sets the minimum bet size for the hand, and the small blind is always half the size of the big blind.
Every player on the table is now dealt two cards face down. These are known as the hole cards. We'll tell you which are the strongest cards in the next article in this series.
Preflop
Action starts on the player to the left of the big blind, and moves round clockwise. Each player has three options:
1) Fold – players throw their cards away and take no further part in the hand. This costs nothing.
2) Call – if a player wants to stay in the hand, she can match the previous bet. This is a call. On this first betting round, if no player has raised before her, she has to call the amount of the big blind. If a player has raised, she has to call the amount raised.
3) Raise – any player can choose to increase her bet to any amount she wishes, the maximum being all chips. This is a raise. Once a player has raised, any other player who wants to stay in the hand must at least match that bet. Additionally, a raise must be double any previous raise.
If there has been no raise, then the player in the big blind may choose to not pay any further money in - to check. The player has already made the minimum bet so she is not obliged to put any more money in.
Postflop
Once the preflop betting round has been completed, the flop is dealt. The flop is three community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are shared by every player. There is now another round of betting, starting at the player left of the button.
Until a bet is made, each player in turn can check or bet. Once a bet is made, each player has to call that bet or raise to increase the betting.
After the flop round of betting is complete, another community card is dealt. This is called the turn. There is another round of betting. Then there is a fifth card, the river, and a final round of betting.
Determining the Winner
There are two ways that a player can win a hand. The first is if they make a bet or raise that no-one calls. In this case they do not have to show their hand to take the pot.
The second is by having the best hand at showdown. Showdown occurs if all four betting rounds are completed with at least two players left in. In this case, each player shows their hand and the player with the best hand wins the pot. Each player uses their hole-cards in combination with the community cards to make the best five-card hand possible.
This is a very basic introduction to the rules of poker, but it's a start. The next step on your poker journey is to read Which cards win?
