Texas Hold ‘Em Poker is the most popular variation of poker and ranks highest among most players. It is played all across the world, in land-based casinos and in online casinos as well. Texas Hold’ Em Poker is typically played with 2-10 players.

This is how Texas Hold’Em Poker is played; The two players to the left of the dealer put out “blind bets” This type of bet got its name because the players are literally going in blind, they are placing a bet on a game where a single card hasn’t been played. The player seated next to the dealer on the left places a “small blind” bet which is based on the “big blind” bet. Each casino is different, the “big blind” is usually the lowest minimum bet available and the small blind bets are usually 1/3 or 2/3 the amount of the big blind. So the next player puts out the big blind bet.

The person who starts the game is the person to the left of the big blind, they will do one of two things, they can either call the bet, raise the bet or fold. To Call a bet means to match the bet amount, to raise of course means to raise the bet amount & to fold means to forfeit. Betting will then follow around the table clockwise, once it’s completed the dealer will deal out three cards face up in the middle of the table, also called the “board” these three cards are called “the flop” and are community cards, which means that everyone is able to use them in conjunction with their own cards to make the best hand.

After the flop, betting will begin again starting with the player immediately to the dealer’s left who is able to check or bet at this time. The next step is the fourth card will be dealt face up onto the table, this is usually referred to as the “fourth street” or the “turn”. Betting continues again, and then the final card is dealt face up called the “fifth street” or “the river”. Now, we enter the final round of betting and all of the players left in the game will show their cards, the person with the best five card poker hand while combining the cards in their hand and the community cards will be the best hand and from there, everyone left in the game divides up the pot.

One great tip is to start out playing online with a casino, Poker can be a quick paced game at times and depending on the casino you could be seated next to a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker champion. Some play for fun, others take this game very seriously so it’s a good idea to have strong knowledge of the game.

Part 2 Texas Holdem Tips