Basics of Texas Hold'em Poker

So you want to learn to play texas holdem poker? Not a problem. Texas Hold 'em poker is by far the best game for a beginner player to learn. Texas Hold 'em can be learned in a few minutes by anyone, and you can be playing fairly well with a few hours practice. In order to learn the game, however, you must play fairly often to practice and better your poker skills.

A Texas Hold'em poker game goes as follows:

1. The betting structure can vary. Sometimes antes are used, but most games start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a predetermined amount of money so there is an initial amount to get things started.
2. The dealer shuffles up a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
3. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called your hole or pocket cards.
4. Then there is a round of betting starting with the guy to the left of the two who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term pre-flop.
5. The amount a player can bet depends on what kind of game it is.
6. Much like most games of poker, players can call, raise, or fold.
7. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck.This is called a burn card as is done to prevent cheating.
8. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the flop and are known as communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.
   
9. There is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
10. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and flips one more onto the table. This is called the turn card and players can use this sixth card now to form a five card poker hand.
11. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many types of games, this is where the bet size doubles.
12. Finally, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is called the river and players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card poker hand.
13. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
14. After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. This is known as the showdown. Players use a combination of their pocket cards and community cards to form a poker hand.
15. The player who shows the best hand wins! There are cases where players with equal hands share the winnings. This is known as the split pot.

Once you understand the basic structure of the game, you can play texas hold 'em. Texas Hold em is an easy game to learn, just very difficult to master which is why you should play it as often as possible.

Below we have added Poker Terms you have seen in our Basics of Texas Hold'em and may help you understand it better:

Ante - A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most hold'em games do not have an ante; they use "blinds" to get initial money into the pot.

Post - To put in a blind bet, generally required when you first sit down in a card room game. You may also be required to post a blind if you change seats at the table in a way that moves you away from the blinds.

Pocket - Your unique cards that only you can see. For instance, "He had pocket sixes" (a pair of sixes), or "I had ace-king in the pocket."

Hole Cards - Cards dealt face-down to a player - most commonly used when describing the first two player cards in Hold'em and the first four player cards in Omaha.

Call - To put into the pot an amount of money equal to the most recent bet or raise.

Flop - The first three community cards, put out face up, altogether.

Fold - To forfeit any chance of winning the current pot in poker. To lay down your hand or throw your hand in instead of calling or raising a bet.

Raise - To increase the amount of the current bet

Burn - To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between each betting round before putting out the next community card(s). It is security against any player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used on the board.

Turn - The fourth community card. Put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fourth street."

River - The fifth and final community card, put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fifth street."

Showdown - The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand - i.e. after the fourth round of betting is completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not called, there is no showdown.

Split Pot - A pot that is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent hands.

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