Texas Hold’Em is one of the most popular poker variants being played currently. It is important to learn the basic rules of Hold’Em, but it is simple enough you can understand the game as you play. It may not be enough to only learn the rules, but also get in real life experience.
The game itself falls under the Community Card poker variant. Community cards are cards placed by the dealer, in the middle of the table, so that each player has the opportunity to use them to complete their hand. Instead of each player exchanging one or more of their cards, they would use these 5 community cards to complete their hand. This is what it means to be a community card poker variant. You will need to learn more of the rules, how it is played, and the different kinds of Texas Hold’Em there is.
Texas Hold’Em Hand Rankings
Let’s start out with some basic hand rankings for Texas Hold’Em. These will become your bread and butter as you start to play for real money, as this will let you know when you have a good or bad hand. If you are playing online poker, the game will move at a quicker pace, but it will automatically tell you what hand you have. When playing in a live tournament it is important to be aware of your own hand, as you may quickly lose if you don’t focus. So remember, these Texas Hold’Em hand rankings will help you make those important decisions as you play.
A Round of Texas Hold’Em
Once you sit down at the table and are ready to play a round of Texas Hold’Em there will be a certain order that is followed. You will have 5 total rounds of betting:
- The Ante. This is where you receive two cards from the dealer, which are called “hole cards”. This is where you will place a Big Blind/Small Blind or just the regular Ante bet.
- The Flop. After the ante, the dealer will place 3 cards on the table called “the flop”.
- The Turn. After the flop and that round of betting, the dealer will then place 1 more card on the table; aptly called “the turn”.
- The River. The dealer will place the last and 5th card on the table, “the river”.
- The Showdown. Once all 5 cards on placed on the table, the remaining players will have their showdown, where the last round of betting will determine the pot winner.
If you want more in-depth details on the game process, check out the How To Play Texas Hold’Em page.
Texas Hold’Em Variations
The way Texas Hold’Em is played, in general, is the same throughout the different variations, with the one big aspect that changes are the betting limits. There are four basic betting limits in reference to Hold’Em:
- Limit Texas Hold’Em: There is a predetermined and fixed limit on each round of betting.
- No Limit Texas Hold’Em: There is no limit on the amount a player can bet, up to the amount of total chips they have.
- Pot Limit Texas Hold’Em: There is no limit on the amount a player can bet, up to the size of the pot.
- Mixed Texas Hold’Em: The game switched between Limit Texas Hold’Em and No Limit Texas Hold’Em.
As you can see, there are many different options and possibilities when playing Texas Hold’Em, and will depend entirely on your personal preferences as a player.