Texas Holdem Basics

As a beginning player you will want to first learn to play Limit Texas Holdem in order to keep some money on your pockets. Limit games have structured betting rounds and you are limited to the amount of money you can bet during each round, as a beginner it might be convenient for you to start with Low Limit games and then move forward to higher limits as you improve your skills.

The Players to the left of the Dealer begin the game by posting the blind bets. They are called blind bets because they are made before the players see any of their cards. The Player on the Dealer's left posts a small blind bet, and the Player on the Small Blind's left posts a big blind bet. The small blind is half of the lower betting limit. The big blind is a full bet at the lower betting limit.

Two cards are dealt face down to each player, then a round of betting based on those two cards takes place. In the first round, if you do not want to fold, you must call or raise the blind bet.

After betting on the first round is complete, three shared cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These cards are known as the 'flop'. After the flop is dealt another round of betting takes place. On this and every consecutive round, players can 'check' if no one else has bet when it's their turn to do so. Then, if there is no bet, a player can check or bet. If there is a bet, players can then fold, call, raise, or re-raise.

After that, a fourth shared card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is known as the 'turn'. After the turn is dealt another round of betting will take place.

Then, the fifth and final shared card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is known as the 'river'. After the river is dealt, the last round of wagering takes place. The winner is defined as the player holding the best five-card poker hand. To achieve the best hand, players are able to use any combination of their two private cards along with the five shared cards. If two or more Players have the same hand, the pot is split equally between them. .The sixth and seventh cards are not used to break ties.