How To Bet In Texas Holdem Poker
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- How Do You Bet In Texas Holdem Poker
This video will run you through the basic rules of Texas Holdem Poker and the 1st Round of Betting. Visit our online casino and try.
- Poker betting strategy: Bet sizing. Bet sizing is one of the most complicated parts of NLHE and is one of the most challenging aspects to grasp for a new player. For simplicity sake there a few rules to stick to which won't lead you too far wrong: Preflop raise to 3 times (3x) the BB with all hands you are opening. Do not vary your bet sizing.
- In a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).
Poker’s not a new game. In fact, it’s been around for at least a century – probably longer.
But it skyrocketed in popularity in the early 21st century, primarily due to the rise of internet poker rooms and the stunning victory of Chris Moneymaker at the World Series of Poker. (He won his entry at an online cardroom.)
It didn’t take long before poker became something people even started watching on television.
For my money, poker is the best gambling game of them all. You’re competing with the other players at the table, not the casino. The game isn’t rigged in anyone’s favor and if you play better than your opponents, you can win money in the long run.
Texas holdem poker is the most popular poker game in the United States (and probably in the world, although Omaha is popular in Europe, too.)
Texas holdem is also an easy game to learn, especially if you have some experience playing 5-card draw as a kid. If you know the ranking of poker hands, you can learn to play Texas holdem.
Why Play Texas Holdem Poker?
You should learn to play Texas holdem poker because that’s THE poker game to play. If you visit a casino with a poker room, 90% (or more) of the poker tables will be dealing Texas holdem there.
Most of the time, the tables that aren’t dealing Texas holdem are dealing Omaha. And if you don’t know how to play Texas holdem, you probably don’t know how to play Omaha, either.
If you grew up playing stud poker or draw poker, you’ll have a hard time finding either game at a casino. In fact, you’ll probably even have a hard time finding either in a home poker game, too.
You’ll almost never see draw poker dealt in a casino, and you’ll only rarely see draw poker.
So if you want to play real poker for real money, you need to play Texas holdem.
The Basics of How to Play Texas Holdem Poker
Texas holdem is a normal poker game – it’s dealt from a standard 52-card deck, and aces can be counted as high or low. In most home games, one player is the dealer, but that position rotates after each hand.
In a casino setting, a professional dealer gets used, but home games use a button with dealer printed on it to keep up with who WOULD be dealing if the players had to themselves.
The game starts when the player to the dealer’s left makes a mandatory bet called the small blind, and the person to that player’s left places a mandatory bet called the big blind. The size of these bets vary from one game to another, but they always agree on in advance.
Every player gets 2 cards face-down – their hole cards. The cards are dealt one at a time, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.
After everyone gets their cards, the player to the big blind’s left can fold, call, or raise. See the betting section for details on these bets. Betting action continues around the table until it’s finished.
The dealer then deals 3 community cards – the flop. These cards are face-up in the middle of the table. All the players share these cards.
Then there’s another round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
When that round of betting is resolved, a 4th card, the turn, is dealt face-up. Then there’s another round of betting.
Finally, there’s a 5th face-up card, the river. After the round of betting following this 5th card, the hand is resolved with a showdown. The player with the highest-ranked poker hand wins the pot.
The value of the final hand is determined by the best combination of any of the 7 cards in play. It’s possible to use both one or neither of the hole cards in your hand.
Why Are Hole Cards in Texas Holdem Are Such a Big Deal?
Some people think that how you play your hole cards is the most important element of Texas holdem strategy. It’s a critical piece of your strategy, for sure. If you can nail this aspect of the game, you can break even in most Texas holdem games even if you make mistakes during the later rounds.
The hole cards in Texas holdem tend to correlate with who wins a hand. So if you have a strong set of hole cards, it makes sense to bet. If you have weak cards, it’s often correct to fold.
You can play any pair if you’re in late position, but if you’re in early position, you should only play higher-ranked pairs. Basically, this means a pair of 10s or higher from early position.
(Position refers to how early you act in the hand. When you act later in the hand, you have more information to make decisions with.)
If you’re not playing pairs, you should be playing suited connectors or suited big-little hands. Suited connectors are hands that give you straight possibilities AND flush possibilities. Suited big little hands give you flush possibilities, but they give you the chance of getting the highest possible flush.
A suited 78 or better is usually playable from late position, but if you’re in early position, you should only play suited JQ or higher. It’s okay for there to be gaps, although they make your hand weaker. KJ suited is a suited connector with one gap. So is suited J9.
Big-little suited is an ace or a king with a lower-ranked card of the same suit that isn’t connected even with gaps. You should only play these hands from late position.
From late position, you can play unsuited cards, but only if they’re ranked 10 or higher. From the early position, you should fold most unsuited cards besides AK or AQ offsuit.
If you’re playing at a table with fewer plans, you’ll need to loosen up and be more aggressive with lower-valued hole cards.
The Importance of Betting and Raising
When it’s your turn to act, you have the following options:
- 1. Fold
- 2. Check
- 3. Call
- 4. Bet
- 5. Raise
To fold is to refuse to put more money in the pot, but you’re no longer eligible to win the pot. Before the flop, you should be folding about 85% of the time at a full table.
To check is to stay in the hand without making a bet. This is a weak move, but if you don’t have strong cards, it’s often the right move.
To call is to put in money equal to the size of the bet before you. Calling is also a weak move.
To bet is to make a bet into the pot. Betting is a strong move.
Raising is to make a bet bigger than an amount that’s previously been bet. It’s also a strong move.
The betting in Texas holdem is done according to a specific structure:
- Limit
- Pot limit
- No limit
In limit poker, the size of the bets must conform to the limits agreed to before the game. For example, in a $4/$8 limit game, all bets during the first 2 rounds of the hand must be made in increments of $4. All bets during the flop and the river must be made in increments of $8. The blinds in such a game would usually be $2 for the small blind and $4 for the big blind.
In pot limit poker, you can bet or raise as much money as there is in the pot. This can include the amount of the pot with your call added to it.
For example, if there’s $18 in the pot, and you have a $6 bet in front of you, you can raise the bet by $24.
In no limit poker, you can bet or raise the entirety of your stack whenever it’s your turn to bet. You can’t bet more money than you have in front of you at the table, though.
Conclusion
Of course, Texas holdem poker is more complicated than this. After all, entire books have been written about Texas holdem strategy. Fortunes are won and lost at Texas holdem tables.
You can get started by playing in the free Texas holdem games online. I suggest not playing those for long, though, as poker is meant to be played for money. You might take the wrong lessons away from a game where you don’t have any money on the line.
For a real challenge, try upgrading to Omaha or Omaha hi-lo. It’s just like Texas holdem, but with 4 hole cards instead of 2.There are some other differences, too, but it’s more a game of skill than holdem is.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Table Of Contents
If you want to learn how to play Texas hold'em games, then you need to start from the basic rules and hands. That's exactly what you'll find on this beginner's guide to the game.
Texas hold'em is a simple poker game, but it can be daunting to get to grips with.
But don't let that put you off. By the time you are down with this beginner's guide to Texas hold'em, you will know:
1. What Is Texas Hold'em Poker?
Texas Hold'em is the most popular of all poker variations.
All of the marquee tournaments around the world (including those played at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, the and the European Poker Tour) feature the no-limit variation of this game.
Texas hold'em is so popular that is the only poker game many players will ever learn.
It takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.
Discovering how to play Texas hold'em poker is not difficult and the simplicity of its rules, gameplay, and hand-ranking all contribute to the popularity of the game.
However, don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you.
The number of possible situations and combinations is so vast that Texas hold'em can be an extremely complex game when you play at the highest levels.
If you are approaching the game of Texas hold'em for the first time, starting from the basic rules of the game is key. Not only these are the easiest ones to learn, but they are also essential to understand the gameplay and, later on, the game's basic strategy.
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'>2. Texas Hold'em Rules
So how do you play Texas hold'em?
The goal of a Texas hold'em game is to use your hole card and in combination with the community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.
Hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw.
However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker.
It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.
- In a game of Texas hold'em, each player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards')
- Throughout several betting rounds, five more cards are (eventually) dealt face up in the middle of the table
- These face-up cards are called the 'community cards.' Each player is free to use the community cards in combination with their hole cards to build a five-card poker hand.
While we will see each betting round and different phase that forms a full hand of a Texas hold'em game, you should know that the five community cards are dealt in three stages:
- The Flop: the first three community cards.
- The Turn: the fourth community card.
- The River:The fifth and final community card.
Your mission is to construct your five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards).
You can do that by using both your hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cards, or no hole cards.
If the cards on the table lead to a better combination, you can also play all five community cards and forget about yours.
In a game of Texas hold'em you can do whatever works to make the best five-card hand.
If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards.
For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.
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If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.
Now that you know the basics of Texas hold'em and you start to begin gaining an understanding of how the game works, it's time to get into some specifics.
These include how to deal Texas hold'em and how the betting works.
Basic Rules Key Takeaways:
- A game of Texas hold'em feature several betting rounds
- Players get two private and up to five community cards
- Unless all players abandon the game before the showdown, you need the highest poker hand to win
How to Play
Let's have a look at all the different key aspects of a Texas hold'em game, including the different positions at the table and the betting rounds featured in the game.
The Button
The play moves clockwise around the table, starting with action to the left of the dealer button.
The 'button' is a round disc that sits in front of a player and is rotated one seat to the left every hand.
When playing in casinos and poker rooms, the player with the dealer button doesn't deal the cards (the poker room hires someone to do that).
In when you play poker home games with friends the player with the button usually deals the hands.
The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.
The first two players sitting to the immediate left of the button are required to post a 'small blind' and a 'big blind' to initiate the betting.
From there, the action occurs on multiple streets:
- Preflop
- Flop
- Turn
- River
Each one of these moments (or 'streets' in the game's lingo) is explained further below.
The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.
In Texas hold'em, the player on button, or last active player closest to the button receives the last action on all post-flop streets of play.
While the dealer button dictates which players have to post the small and big blinds, it also determines where the dealing of the cards begin.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer button in the small blind receives the first card and then the dealer pitches cards around the table in a clockwise motion from player to player until each has received two starting cards.
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The Blinds
Before every new hand begins, two players at the table are obligated to post small and big blinds.
The blinds are forced bets that begin the wagering.
Without these blinds, the game would be very boring because no one would be required to put any money into the pot and players could just wait around until they are dealt pocket aces (AA) and only play then.
The blinds ensure there will be some level of 'action' on every hand.
In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.
In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals.
- As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. [*]In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.
The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind.
The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent on the game being played.
In a '$1/$2' Texas holdem game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.
First Betting Round: Preflop
The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards.
The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind.
This position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. The first player has three options:
- Call: match the amount of the big blind
- Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game
- Fold: throw the hand away
If the player chooses to fold, he or she is out of the game and no longer eligible to win the current hand.
Players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.
The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played.
In a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).
There are other betting variations in hold'em poker.
In fixed-limit hold'em (or just 'limit hold'em), a raise is always exactly twice the big blind.
In pot-limit hold'em (played much less often than the other variations), players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.
After the first player ('under the gun') acts, the play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold.
Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the 'flop.'
Second Betting Round: The Flop
After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already.
A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.
In this betting round (and subsequent ones), the action starts with the first active player to the left of the button.
Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand.
A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.
Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called (which closes the action).
It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.
Third Betting Round: The Turn
Call – match the amount of the big blind
The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the flop.
Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play.
Again players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
Final Betting Round: The River
Fold – throw the hand away
The fifth community card, called the river, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the turn.
Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play.
Once more the remaining players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
After all betting action has been completed, the remaining players in the hand with hole cards now expose their holdings to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.
The Showdown
Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available
The remaining players show their hole cards, and with the assistance of the dealer, a winning hand is determined.
The player with the best combination of five cards wins the pot according to the official poker hand rankings.
3. The Hands in Texas Hold'em
These hand rankings aren't specifically part of Texas hold'em rules, but apply to many different poker games.
- Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g., A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
- Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
- Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g., Q♣Q♥Q♦Q♠4♦
- Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., J♣J♥J♠8♦8♥
- Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
- Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
- Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g., 8♣8♠8♦K♣4♥
- Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣J♦J♣7♠
- One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g., 10♥10♣9♥4♦2♦
- High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠5♣2♥ would be called 'ace-high'
Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available (their two hole cards and the five community cards).
If the board is showing 9♣5♠K♦3♠A♥, a player with the two hole cards 9♠ would have two pair (aces and nines) and would lose to a player who has 9♦9♥ for three of a kind (three nines).
Learning hold'em poker begins with understanding how hands are dealt and the order of play as described above.
Of course, learning Texas hold'em rules is just the beginning, as the next step is to learn strategy which involves understanding what constitutes good starting hand selection, the odds and probabilities associated with the game, the significance of position and getting to act last during those post-flop betting rounds, and many other aspects of the game.
4. How to Play Texas Hold'em Games Online
Now that you know how Texas Hold'em works, it's time to put the theory into practice and play your first games.
The best way to start playing Texas Hold'em is to start from these free poker games available online and then move up to the real money action only when you feel comfortable enough to do so.
All the 'must-have poker rooms' below offer free games to practice online.
If you are completely new to the game, you should go for play money options, first. These risk-free games with fake money are an excellent way to familiarise with the different moments of play and the betting rounds.
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The play money games are a great way to learn more about the hand rankings and begin to read the board fast enough to take all the right decisions at the right time.
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