Texas Holdem Rules

You've probably heard Texas Holdem rules referred to as taking "10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.” Using the below Texas Holdem rules guide, we’ll see if we can’t cut those ten minutes down to five.

With regard to Texas Holdem strategy, however, we’re not going to lie: you’ll need to log a few hundred games before you grasp its subtle nuances. That said, let’s get started.

Texas Holdem Rules: The Goal

Texas Holdem rules dictate that players receive multiple hole and community cards followed by several betting rounds.  Each player tries to make the best 5-card poker hand out of the 7 cards available to him.

That’s the gist of how to play Texas Holdem Poker. In fact, the game and its accompanying Texas Holdem strategies get much more complicated.

The distribution of cards and betting rounds proceed as below:

All players receive two cards followed by a betting round.  

Three community cards (placed on the table and available for use in all player hands) are dealt and another betting round follows.  

Another community card is dealt followed a third betting round.

A final community card is dealt and the final betting round takes place.

The Blinds according to Texas Holdem Rules

Texas Holdem Poker rules dictate that before each hand, the two players to the left of the dealer’s button (the plastic disc that is passed around the table) must pay the Texas Holdem blinds.

The player second to the left of the button is known as the big blind. He pays an amount equal to the table’s minimum bet.

The player on the button’s immediate left is known as the little blind. He must pay an amount equal to half the big blind.

The Deal: Where Texas Holdem rules really begin

Starting with the player to the left of the dealer’s button, two cards are dealt to each player. According to Texas Holdem Poker rules, these cards are called the hole cards, and they are kept face down.

In a casino setting, the cards are dealt by a casino dealer as if the player with the button was the dealer.  In most home games, Texas Holdem Poker rules are a bit looser and the player with the button simply deals the cards himself.

1st Betting Round :: Pre-Flop :: Texas Holdem Rules

When everyone has received his first two hole cards, a betting round begins. This round is called pre-flop because it is before the first three community cards – known as the flop - are dealt.

Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, each player must decide if he wishes to call the big blind, raise it, or fold. Checking (passing without betting) is not allowed in the pre-flop round, except by the big blind.

The big and little blinds are the last players to act pre-flop, and the money they put in as the Texas Holdem blinds can count towards their opening bet. If there are no raises pre-flop, the big blind can check and go on to the next round.

2nd Betting Round :: The Flop :: Texas Holdem Rules

After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck, called the “burn card,” face down.  He then deals three cards face-up in the center of the table. This is called the flop.

These three face-up cards may be used by any and every player to complete his hand. The Examples of this include: 

Player with AA starting hand completes full house with flop showing 5, 5, A.

Player with 5,6 starting hand completes three-of-a-kind with flop showing 5,5,A.

Once the flop is dealt, there is another betting round; this time starting immediately to the dealer’s left. If those who paid the Texas Holdem blinds haven’t folded, they are the first to act, and then action proceeds clockwise around the table.

On a player’s turn, he may:

Check – This can only be done if no one has bet yet. The player puts no money into the pot and passes action on to the next player. This is a passive play.

Bet/Raise – These are actions that require betting chips based on the quality of your hand.    
*  If you are the first player to put money in, it is called the bet, and it can be any size greater than or equal to the minimum bet.
*  If someone else has already put money in, to increase the size of the wager, you must raise. A raise must be greater than the other player’s bet. These are aggressive plays.

Call – This is an action wherein you match someone else’s bet. After a player bets, all other players must meet the new bet, raise it, or fold. Play cannot continue to the next round unless everyone calls or folds to the highest bet.

After all players have met the highest bet or folded, play moves on to the next round.

3rd Betting Round :: The Turn :: Texas Holdem Rules

After another burn card is dealt, the dealer issues a fourth card face-up in the center of the table. This card is also a community card that may act as part of any or every player hand. It is called the turn.

The turn is followed by another betting round whose Texas Holdem rules follow the same procedure as that of the flop, except that the minimum bet is doubled.

4th Betting Round :: The River :: Texas Holdem Rules

Following the turn, one last burn is discarded and the final community card, known as the river, is dealt. A final betting round with the same rules as the turn commences. Any players that haven’t folded after the final betting round proceed to the showdown.

The Showdown :: Texas Holdem Rules

The last player to bet (not call) is the first to show his cards. Players then go clockwise around the table revealing their cards.  According to the rules of Texas Holdem, a player need only reveal his hand if it is the best hand so far; if there is a better hand showing, the player may fold his cards rather than reveal them.

In the end, the player showing the best 5-card poker hand is the winner. He gets to take down all the chips that have been bet in the hand. In the case of a tie, the rules of Texas Holdem stipulate that the pot is split between the tied players.

All-in & Side Pots :: Texas Holdem Rules

If a player puts all his/her chips into the pot, it is called going “all in”.  If a player goes all in, all players that want to stay in the hand must meet that wager. Those players who wish to continue betting create a side pot that can’t be won by the all-in player.

At the showdown, the players reveal their hands. If the all in player has the best hand, he wins the main pot, but not the side pot. The remaining player with the best hand takes down the side pot.

If the all in player does not have the best hand, the player who does takes down the main pot and the side pot.

The above ‘How to Play Texas Holdem Poker’ outline summarizes game flow, betting rounds and card distribution. What it doesn’t cover is what makes the game so popular, so clever and so challenging; namely, Texas Holdem strategy.  

This is what players are really talking about when they cite the "10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master” quote.  It is, in fact, the game’s unique tics and tricks that trip players up – things like betting position, slow play, bluffing and tells. 

Learning Texas Holdem Rules is the easy part.  Winning is something altogether different.