Texas Hold'em is a community card poker game with four betting rounds. Each player is privately dealt an incomplete hand, these pocket cards are placed face down. Then community cards are cards dealt face up to the center of the table, these are shared by all players.
In total there are seven cards. First off each player receives their personal two downcards, this is followed by a round of betting. Then three community cards are placed simultaneously on the board, again there is a round of betting. The next two board cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. Now the seven cards are out and four rounds of betting has occurred. The best five-card poker hand - constructed by any mix of the seven cards - wins the pot. So in order to make a hand a player may use both the pocket cards and subsequentially three of the five community cards. It is also OK to only use only one pocket card. A player can even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand, this is known as "playing the board".
Sequence of Game Play
1. Dealer One player is the nominal dealer for the hand. The dealers position moves clockwise at the end of each hand; the dealers seat is indicated by a dealers button.
2. Blinds The two players to the left of the dealer, posts the small- and big blind respectively.
3. Pocket cards Each player receives two cards face down (the players own cards are also known as hole cards as well as pocket cards).
4. First betting round The action starts with the player to the left of the big blind, and continues clockwise.
5. Flop Three community cards are turned face up on the table.
6. Second betting round The action starts with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand, and continues clockwise.
7. Turn Another (the fourth) community card is turned face up on the table.
8. Third betting round The betting advance as before. (In a fixed limit betting structure the bets are now doubled.)
9. River The final (the fifth) community card is turned face up on the table.
10. Last betting round The betting advance as before.
11. Showdown If more than one player reaches this stage, all remaining players show their hands. The first bettor or last raiser shows first, and then only those who beat that hand has to show. The highest ranked hand wins the pot. In the case of a tie, the pot is split evenly between the winning hands.
Example
Player As pocket cards
Player Bs pocket cards
Player Cs pocket cards
Player A and B uses both their pocket cards to create their final hand. Player As pocket aces combined with the ace on the board makes three of a kind, the queen and the jack constitute the best kickers. Player B uses the queen, jack, and ten on the board and attaches the pocket nine and eight to the bottom of these to make a queen high straight. The straight beats player As three of a kind. However player C will win the pot. Player C also makes a straight, but an ace high straight. Only using one of the hole card kings combined with four of the community cards, creates the hand below.
Player As final hand
Player Bs final hand
Player Cs final hand
Added 2005-08-01 03:53:38
