The rules of Texas Hold Em

Texas Holdem is played with normal 52 card deck. The table normally consist by 9-10 players and 1 dealer. However, if your playing online or at a casino the dealer don't play.

The blinds

The table has a Big blind, Small Blind and a Button. Instead of a ante, there is a forced bet called the blind. The sum of the big blind is the minimum bet you have bet to play your hand. The big blind is posted by the player 2 steps to the left of the Button and the small blind, is payed by player that sits 1 step to the left of the button. The small blind is half of the Big blind.
The reason for the blind is because there has to be a pot to play for. The blind is normally raised after 30 minutes in the casinos and after 10-12 minutes online.

Example: Big blind is $50, Small blind is $25. To call you have to pay $50 to see the flop, or raise the bet. The total pot without no calls is then $50+$25 = $75.

Dealing the cards

Each player is dealt 2 cards faced down starting at the small blind until all the players have 2 cards. Something to remember here is NOT to lift your cards from the table, making sure that the player next to you don't see your cards. If your playing online you wont have to worry about that, but if your playing live you check your cards by sheilding them by one hand and turning the corner up by the other hand. If you decide to NOT play your hand, you put them into the boards middle when it's your turn, or simple just say fold when it's your turn.

First round of bets

The player left from the Big blind starts to act, If he would like to play his hand he calls with the minimum bet of the Big blind. Then it's the next player left to him clockwise that does the same until you reach the Small blind, that only has to pay the half blind (since he has already payed half), unless someone else has raised before. Then it's the Big blinds turn, he can simply "check" because he has already paid the minimum bet, unless someone else has "raised", then he has to pay the amount minus the raise. Same goes for everyone else. You have to pay the highest bet to play your cards.

Example 1: BB is $50 and SB is $25. Player 1 folds (lay down his cards), player 2 folds, player 3 calls ($50), player 4-7 folds, SB "Calls" and pays $25. BB "Checks". The total pot is then $50+$50+$50 = $150.

Example 2: BB is $50 and SB is $25. Player 1 "Raises" to $150, player 2-7 folds, SB "calls" with $125 ($150-$25), BB "calls" with $100 ($150-$50). The total pot is then $150+$150+$150 = $450.

Example 3, BB is $50 and SB is $25. Player 1 calls $50, player 2-6 folds, player 7 (button in this case) "raises" to $200, SB folds, BB folds. Player 1 can now "Fold", "Call" or "Reraise". In this case Player 1 reraises to $400. The pot is now $400+$200+$50+$25 = $675. Player 7 folds. Player 1 wins $675.

The Flop

When all bets are done the dealer turns up 3 cards on the table. Before he does that he burns the topcard (puts that away with the mucked cards), making sure that no one has accidently seen the topcard or preventing from cheating.

Example: All bets are done, the dealer burns the topcards, takes 3 cards and put them faced up

Second round of bets

When the cards are faced up, it's the player after the button that starts to act. He can now "check" if he doesn't want to make a bet, he can also "bet" or "fold". This is the moment when your combining your best 5 hand with the help of the 3 open cards on the table.

Example: SB, BB and player 6 has called the first betting round. They now see the flop. SB starts to act. SB chooses to "check", BB also "checks", and player 6 "checks". No one has betted wich in this case makes the dealer deal the turn (fourth card).

Example: SB, BB and player 6 has called the first betting round. They now see the flop. SB starts to act. SB chooses to "check", BB "bets" $200, and player 6 "folds". It's now SB turn again. He can now choose to "fold", "call" $200 or "reraise" $400 or higher. SB folds and BB wins the whole pot.

If the player would reraise to $400, the turns goes to BB in the example above. He then got the option of calling, reraising or folding. If he calls the fourth card is dealt (the turn).

The turn

When the second round of bets are done, the dealer again burns a card and then deal the forth card onto the table faced up. This is the Turn also known as "Fourth street".

Example: Second round of bets are done, the dealer then burns the topcard again, and then deal the turn (the fourth card) onto the table

Third round of bets

Now the players can "check", "bet", "raise" or fold again, starting at player after the button.

The river

When the third round of bets are done the dealer burns another card and the fifth and last card is dealt by the dealer. This card is called the River but also as Fifth street.

Example: Third round of bets are done, the dealer then burns the topcard again, and then deal the last card called the river (the fifth card) onto the table

Fourth round of bets

This is the last round of bets, and when the bets are done or checking, betting or folding is done, this precedes to the Show Down. The Show Down means that the challanged player have to show their cards after the bets are done. Ofcourse, the best 5 card combination wins, but if both players got the same hand, the kicker has a big importans and decides who wins the pot, otherwise the pot is splited between both players if they both got the same kicker.

Below we display different scenarios

Example: The river is dealt and all the players just checks. Player one got A2. Player two got A2. The board cards are A2986. They split the pot because they both got 2 pairs (AA22) and the kicker 9. (AA229).

Example: The river is dealt and all the players just checks. Player one got AK. Player two got A3. The board cards are 27Q55. Player one wins the pot because he got one pair with Ace as a kicker. But since both got the Ace, they count the next high card K. (55AKQ)

Example: The river is dealt and all the players just checks. Player one got A2. Player two got A3. The board cards are KQJ95. They split the pot because they both got the highest hand. (AKQJ9).

Bluffs

In all of the betting rounds all the players have the choise of bluffing. That means any player could simply make a bet without having the best hand. This is "psycological" side of Texas Hold Em. You could win the pot by bluffing trough the bets if the opposit players fold their cards. If you bluff all the way to the river and to the Show Down, and you still got nothing, you could make the choise of folding your cards if you feel that you won't win the hand anyway. The first player after the buttons has to show first, so if your next, you could choose to fold and not display your bluff. The tactic of this is because you don't want the players to know that you bluffed, letting them think you had a hand but not better then the other player.

Many players often goes all in (betting their whole stack) just to scare the opposit players and letting them think hes got the best hand.

Example: Player one got TT, player two got AJ. The flop cards are dealt and shows QQ5. Player one bets. Player two raises (this is a bluff since he hasn't hit any hand). Player one folds thinking player two got an Q.